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March Madness: Five keys for Tennessee Vols’ Round of 32 matchup vs. Michigan

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10), Tennessee forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (2), and Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) react on the bench during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022. Tennessee defeated Longwood.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson (10), Tennessee forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (2), and Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) react on the bench during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022. Tennessee defeated Longwood.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp /
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Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) reacts during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp
Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) reacts during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp /

1. Keep the foot on the pedal

A huge weakness of the Vols could hurt them in trying to exploit some of the capabilities of Michigan in this game. Rick Barnes’ team is prone to horrifically long offensive droughts in games. That didn’t show against Longwood given the matchup advantages, but it’s hard to see them maintaining that through March Madness.

Michigan, meanwhile, could exploit that. Juwan Howard’s team trailed Colorado State 28-13 in the first half, and they were down nine early in the second half. Still, they came away with a 12-point win. That shows just how quickly they can turn a game to their advantage.

As a result, if Michigan has a sloppy stretch like they had against CSU, Rocky Top has to maintain its aggression. The Vols can’t afford to have dry spells against a team so capable of going off and nullifying any major advantage they were able to build.

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Now, there is some good news, which is that UT’s defense prevents teams from exploiting their offensive dry spells, so Michigan may not be able to do the same thing they did to Colorado State. However, that doesn’t mean that the aggression can’t be maintained throughout the game. It’s the only way they can advance in to the second weekend of March Madness.

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