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Tennessee basketball: Ranking all nine Vols NCAA Tournament wins in 2010s

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts with teammates during the second half against the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts with teammates during the second half against the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

5. UMASS Minutemen (6-seed)

2014 – Second Round

Final score: Tennessee wins 86-67

The game after Tennessee basketball’s overtime win over the Iowa Hawkeyes was even more exciting. Rocky Top got a great draw despite being unfairly seeded in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, as the UMASS Minutemen earned a No. 6 seed they didn’t deserve. So after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round, Cuonzo Martin had the chance to sell a Cinderella run.

Well, it happened in incredible fashion. The Vols jumped out to a 21-8 lead in the first nine minutes of the game and never looked back. They led 41-22 at halftime and continued their dominance in the second half, never seriously being threatened. The closest UMASS got was within 10 points just past the 14-minute mark, but UT responded immediately.

In the end, the Vols dominated, winning 86-67. Jarnell Stokes and Jordan McRae were once again the stars with 26 and 21 points respectively. Stokes and Jeronne Maymon also both had double-doubles in points and rebounds, and Josh Richardson added another 15 points. So the key players for them all came through in big ways and scored what counted as an upset.

As a result, Martin, who had been on the hot seat less than a month earlier, had won two games as a No. 11 seed and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Doing that as a No. 11 seed makes this a thrilling win in the Big Dance and puts it clearly in the top five on this list for the 2010s decade.

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