TENNESSEE ROMP ENDS MERCER RUN
First 4 winner dominates on boards, prepares for Michigan
RALEIGH , N. C. Cuonzo Martin has gone from the proverbial hot seat to the Sweet 16.
The Tennessee coach celebrated that berth with something uncharacteristic: He took a selfie with his players in the locker room after the Volunteers defeated Mercer 83-63 on Sunday, a blur of a photo radiating pure joy and a lot of laughter.
Martin later said his team knew how to be loose and have fun — and also knew when it was time to take care of business, something that has become obvious over the last month or so.
“It’s a true blessing to be one of the last 16 teams standing in all of college basketball,” Martin said. “We’ll celebrate this win like there’s no tomorrow. Then they’ll go to class tomorrow and we’ll prepare for Michigan.
“I’m really proud of this team. ... They took a lot of lumps, bumps along the way. They stayed together.”
After a series of ups and downs (with the worst of them being two losses to Texas A&M), the Volunteers started winning and beating up on opponents, just like they did Sunday against the No. 14 seed Bears.
Mercer won the opening tip-off and lost the ball, and Tennessee guard Antonio Barton scored a layup to give the Volunteers the lead 22 seconds into the game.
It was all downhill from there for Mercer, as No. 11 seed Tennessee cruised to victory and earned a spot in the Sweet 16. It was the fourth time in NCAA tournament history that a round-of-32 matchup featured a No. 11 seed vs. a No. 14.
For more than 48 hours, Mercer had been the darling of the tournament, the lowest seed to win in the round of 64 and a team that held a special place in many fans’ hearts after knocking off blueblood and No. 3 seed Duke on Friday.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s impressive run continues. The Volunteers have won eight of their last nine games — with an average margin of victory of 20.9 points.
Sunday, Tennessee got the job done on the glass. The Volunteers grabbed 41 total rebounds, including 18 offensive boards.
Mercer could not match the physicality in the paint, grabbing 19 rebounds (one more than Tennessee’s top individual rebounder, forward Jarnell Stokes). On one possession midway through the second half, Stokes bumped into a Mercer player, causing him to fall, before grabbing two consecutive offensive rebounds.
The Tennessee offense works best when it runs through him often. It surely helps, too, when junior guard Josh Richardson scores a career-high 26 points, which he did Sunday, and when the team shoots nearly 50% from the field.
“Tennessee was tremendous,” Mercer coach Bob Hoffman said. “They did everything right. Richardson was MVP of the world. ... He was a special player tonight. He hit every shot he took, it seemed like.
“And they have the biggest men in America.”
Tennessee advances to Indianapolis, where it will take on No. 2 seed Michigan.
In the second game Sunday, No. 1 seed Virginia looked as good as it has all year, whipping No. 8 Memphis 78-60 in a game that was all but over by halftime.
The Cavaliers shot 55.6% from the field — one of their best offensive performances of the season — and shut down the Tigers with their characteristically staunch defense, putting this game out of reach early and ultimately holding Memphis to 40.7% shooting from the field (and 3-for-13 from beyond the arc).
Virginia dominated on the glass, outrebounding Memphis 40-28.
Virginia is the last remaining Atlantic Coast Conference team in the NCAA tournament. The Cavs will face No. 4 Michigan State — a trendy Final Four pick — in the second part of the doubleheader Friday at Madison Square Garden.