Busting Brackets
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NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking the starting lineups of each Sweet 16 team

By Joey Loose

Mar 18, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) celebrates with teammates after a play during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (0) celebrates with teammates after a play during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Tournament Tennessee Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Tournament Tennessee Volunteers guard Santiago Vescovi Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Tennessee (4-seed)

Josiah-Jordan James (Senior – Guard)

Despite an injury riddle season (tough for this backcourt), James has put up 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds and been an important piece for the Volunteers. He’s a great defensive player who racks up decent assists and steals and is even more important with Zakai Zeigler out the rest of the season. James had a 20-point outing against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament and been a decent contributor for the Volunteers in the Tourney so far.

Jahmai Mashack (Sophomore – Guard)

A former Top 100 recruit, Mashack worked his way into the starting lineup late in the year because of Zeigler’s injury. He’s averaging just 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a game, but these numbers are better than that in the last month alone since he’s been a starter. An above-average defender, he had a career-high 16 points against Kentucky last month and just put up 11 points in Tennessee’s first-round win against Louisiana.

Olivier Nkamhoua (Senior – Forward)

Nkamhoua averages 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Volunteers and has really developed into one of their most vital pieces this season. A mere bench piece early in his career, he’s now one of Tennessee’s best weapons all over the court, with great field goal percentage and defensive prowess, averaging 1.7 blocks a game this year. He’s coming off a monumental performance against Duke in the second round, putting up 27 points to lead the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen.

Uros Plavsic (Senior – Center)

A 7’0 center in his fourth year in Knoxville, Plavsic provides decent contributions mostly as a role player, averaging just 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds a game for the Volunteers. His metrics look good, especially on defense, but he was held scoreless against the Blue Devils after a 9-point performance in their opening win against Louisiana.

Santiago Vescovi (Senior – Guard)

Named First Team All-SEC for a second year in a row, Vescovi continues to be the driving force behind Tennessee’s success. He averages 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game and is one of the SEC’s best 3-point shooters, making 37% of those shots this season. After a meager performance to open the Tournament, he had a decent bounce back with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in that nice win over Duke.

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