Tennessee basketball is set to play in the Sweet 16 for the third straight year with its dominant showing against UCLA. The Vols dominated the game despite a late push by the Bruins and won 67-58 on Saturday night.
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The Vols were guaranteed to see a familiar foe in the Sweet 16, with Tennessee set to face the winner of the Illinois vs Kentucky game on Sunday.
The Wildcats bested the Fighting Illini 84-75 in a matchup that saw Kentucky in control for most of the game. Illinois was able to make it a five-point game going into halftime, but that was the closest they would get to upsetting Kentucky.
Now, Tennessee looks to face an SEC rival they are very familiar with and have had much success against in the Rick Barnes era.
That success has not translated to this season, as Kentucky swept Tennessee in their season series, but Barnes has been able to find a lot more success against Kentucky than most other Tennessee coaches.
Kentucky shocked the Vols with a 78-73 win at Food City Center and then won 75-64 at Rupp Arena.
Tennessee usually claims one game in the season series, but Mark Pope's team pulled out all the stops in both games in his first year as the Wildcats' head coach.
That could change as the Vols are shooting much better after the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament than they were throughout some stretches in conference play.
Chaz Lanier has hit a new level since the start of the tournament, averaging 24.5 points in Tennessee's first two games.
Both Tennessee and Kentucky looked dominant in their first two-round games, setting up a heavyweight battle between two SEC rivals. The Vols are looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the second straight season, while Kentucky is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
The Vols and Wildcats will face off on Friday, March 28. The tip time will be announced after all second-round games end Sunday night.