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Bracketology 2023: Creighton, West Virginia and Baylor among week’s big winners

By Joey Loose

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) dribbles as Texas guard Artery Morris (2) defends during a game between Tennessee and Texas at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.Kns Ut Basketball Vs Texas
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) dribbles as Texas guard Artery Morris (2) defends during a game between Tennessee and Texas at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.Kns Ut Basketball Vs Texas /
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Bracketology Tennessee Volunteers forward Olivier Nkamhoua Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Tennessee

It was a bit of an under-the-radar hire when Rick Barnes was brought to Tennessee way back in 2015. He’s always been a solid coach, even if his Volunteers have underachieved in the Big Dance over the years. This season they had a strange loss to Colorado in the season’s first weekend, but have looked the part of a top team in the nation for much of the year, including in another premier performance this week.

We don’t have to dwell too much on this week’s 70-41 win over Georgia; it was another dominant performance by this Tennessee defense, a defense that’s likely the best in the nation. Instead, focus on the 82-71 win over #10 Texas. The Volunteers got thrilling performances from Olivier Nkamhoua (27 points, 8 rebounds) and Zakai Zeigler (22 points, 10 assists) and shot nearly 56% from the field. They took care of business and got another Top 10 win, this time over a talented Longhorns squad.

Tennessee is on the line for a 1-seed and its nights like this that they have to thank. The Volunteers already had a nice win over Kansas in their pocket and have been taking care of business for the most part in SEC play. The bottom line is that performances like Saturday are Tennessee at its best on offense. If they can play close to that with the way their elite defense plays, then this is a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and double-digit wins over Kansas and Texas have proved that.

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