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March Madness 2022: Five reasons Tennessee basketball will make the Final Four

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10) walks through the student section after winning the final regular season game between Tennessee and Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, March 5, 2022. Tennessee defeated Arkansas 78-74.Utark0305 2191
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10) walks through the student section after winning the final regular season game between Tennessee and Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, March 5, 2022. Tennessee defeated Arkansas 78-74.Utark0305 2191 /
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Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) smile after James made a three-pointer during a basketball game between Tennessee and Texas A&M held at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.Kns Vols Texas A M Hoops Bp
Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) smile after James made a three-pointer during a basketball game between Tennessee and Texas A&M held at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022.Kns Vols Texas A M Hoops Bp /

1. Elite guard-play wins in March, and Vols have it

Vols' road to the Final Four. light. Related Story

They always say guards are the driving force in March Madness. Well, this Tennessee basketball team is carried by its guards. After Olivier Nkamhoua went down with a season-ending injury, Rick Barnes was forced to adjust and rely more on Josiah-Jordan James, Kennedy Chandler, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler. They all stepped up.

Now, Barnes is able to run those guys on the floor together if necessary. Al four of them have experience playing the point and can handle the ball. James is so elite he can play anywhere from the one to the four, so if Barnes needs to turn up the athleticism, he can easily move James down low. It worked throughout the SEC Tournament.

More importantly, and this somewhat goes back to balance, the Vols have the necessary players to play big. John Fulkerson, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Uros Plavsic can all provide valuable minutes inside, so Barnes can run one of them and use the other four effectively.

Next. Five things we learned about Vols from SEC Tournament. dark

Simply put, nobody has better guard play in the NCAA Tournament than Tennessee basketball, and the Vols have the perfect amount of balance to counter it. That means they are a team constructed for a deep run in March Madness, and because of that, this will be the year the program reaches its first Final Four in history.

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