Fans react to Tennessee basketball’s first round win over Saint Peter’s

Tennessee basketball was able to get the job done against Saint Peter's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Given the Peacocks' history as a 15-seed against SEC opponents, I had some nerves coming into this game. 

In 2022, Saint Peter's beat Kentucky in the first round from the 15-seed, and Tennessee got to enjoy watching Kentucky fall to 14-seed Oakland as the Vols tipped off. 

Even Weigel’s got involved. 😭

There are some more posts I'd love to include, but in an attempt to be family-friendly, I won't include those more colorful posts in this blog.

As for the main event of night one, Tennessee opened the game in full force, led by Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo. In the first 11 minutes, Aidoo scored 13 points, two rebounds, and two blocks. Ron Slay was one of many VFLs to take notice of Aidoo's hot start. 

There's no doubt that Aidoo has matured and developed in his role at Tennessee throughout this season. He has been a big reason the Vols have had the success they've seen so far. 

Most of the talk on social media throughout the first half was trolling Kentucky and shouting out Aidoo for his hot start.

While this game wasn't close from the start, there were still a few things worth discussing. One is how the announcers pronounced "Vol" on the broadcast. That was what all Tennessee fans were upset about throughout the first half. 

While the Vols cruised to victory and held onto their large lead, Billy Stats had one proposal to help Santiago Vescovi get back into prime shooting shape. 

It's not a terrible strategy if I say so myself. The Vols will have to bring their best in every game from here on out to keep their season alive.

One of Tennessee's strategies in any game is to establish a strong presence in the paint on both ends of the court. When Tennessee can do this, they are typically the better team on the court. This was the case again for the Vols on Thursday with their dominant play in the paint early in the game against Saint Peter's.

That sums up everything from Tennessee's first-round game against Saint Peter's. Many Tennessee fans enjoyed Kentucky's demise while putting the hammer down on the Peacocks. It was a fun two and a half hours or so, and the Vols graced national television screens across the country, eliminating 2022's Cinderella team in round one of the tournament.

The Vols will now prepare for a second-round matchup against the Texas Longhorns. This could be a tough game for the Vols, with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line. From what I saw on Thursday night, it seems like the Vols will be ready to go when they take the floor on Saturday.