2014 NCAA Tournament: Vols get past Iowa in OT to advance to Round of 64
By Joe Nardone
Mar 19, 2014; Dayton, OH, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Jarnell Stokes (5) speaks to reporter Rachel Nichols along with Tennessee Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin after the overtime of a college basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at UD Arena. Tennessee defeated Iowa 78-65. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers didn’t really shock the nation last night, but a surprisingly strong second-half offensive effort, as well as some dominance in overtime, helped hurl the Vols into the Round of 64.
Jordan McRae led the way for Tennessee. McRae scored 20 points on 6-15 shooting, in 42 minutes of play. So yeah, that’s right, McRae played more than a regulation’s worth of college hoops.
The Vols did have to take it to Iowa in overtime. Luckily for them, though, Iowa apparently thought the extra five minutes of the First Four were optional — as the Vols outscored them 14-1 in the extra frame.
As per the usual, Tennessee relied heavily upon brute force to match-up against an Iowa team that was more than solid offensively all year long. This can be highlighted by Jarnell Stokes scoring a big-time 18 points and grabbing a beastly 13 rebounds.
The work for the Volunteers is not even close to being done, however. Being picked as many experts’ sleeper team, the Vols are now set to face UMass in the Round of 64. Where, oddly enough, some people are starting to pick Tennessee as the favorite in that game.