Tennessee basketball is set to face Houston in the Elite 8 on Sunday. It is the first time in program history that Tennessee has advanced to the Elite 8 in back-to-back seasons, and recent trends suggest Tennessee has a chance to advance to its first Final Four.
Houston is largely considered the best team in the tournament, so the Vols have a tall task ahead of them: beat the Cougars and advance to the Final Four.
On the other hand, Tennessee is playing like one of the hottest teams in the tournament right now with blowout wins over No. 15 Wofford, No. 7 UCLA, and No. 3 Kentucky.
Both teams can credit their success to their defensive efforts. Houston has the No. 1 defense in KenPom's rankings, while Tennessee has the No. 3 defense.
This game will likely be another physical battle between two heavyweights, which is something Tennessee is becoming accustomed to in March. Here are three keys to Tennessee once again coming out on top of another physical, defensive battle.