All for Tennessee
Fansided

March Madness 2022: Five keys for Tennessee Vols vs. Longwood in NCAA Tournament Round of 64

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Kennedy Chandler (1) and forward John Fulkerson (10) and guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and guard Santiago Vescovi (25) huddle during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Kennedy Chandler (1) and forward John Fulkerson (10) and guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and guard Zakai Zeigler (5) and guard Santiago Vescovi (25) huddle during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Tennessee guard Quentin Diboundje (3), Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua (13) and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) celebrate after defeating South Carolina 66-46 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.Kns Tennessee South Carolina
Tennessee guard Quentin Diboundje (3), Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua (13) and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) celebrate after defeating South Carolina 66-46 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.Kns Tennessee South Carolina /

The first matchup for Tennessee basketball in March Madness this year involves a mid-major that relies on one specific style of play. However, that specific style of play has resulted in many memorable NCAA Tournament upsets over the years, so it’s not like the Vols can just fall out of bed and come away with a victory Saturday.

UT is on a seven-game winning streak and won the SEC Tournament Championship with elite shot selection, which resulted in them shooting over 40 percent from three every game, and consistent defense. That formula always works in March if you stick to it.

Rick Barnes knows that, which is why he has told this team it’s a national championship contender earlier in the year. As a No. 3 seed, Rocky Top opens things up in the Round of 64 against the Big South Champion Longwood Lancers. Here are the five things they must do to avoid an upset in that matchup.

5. Avoid overconfidence

It seems obvious, but March Madness is called madness because of the wild upsets, and they almost always come with overconfidence from the favorites. The Vols have to make sure they aren’t one of those teams. If they get caught napping at all, they could find themselves in a hole that they don’t want to dig out of.

There’s a reason Barnes has lost to a lower seed in every NCAA Tournament matchup with the Vols. At some point, overconfidence always gets the best of them. There are other factors in play, but looking ahead of the opponent in front of them definitely plays a role at times.

This March Madness bracket is set up for the Vols to make a deep run, and it’ll be hard to not be excited about that, but letting it take over their emotions Thursday will be another example of overconfidence. As a result, they should solely focus on Longwood for the next 24 hours if they want to advance.

Home/Vols Basketball