After surviving a scare in the round of 32 against Texas, Tennessee is now set to return to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season, where a matchup with the No. 3 seeded Creighton Bluejays awaits.
Two teams that have not met since 1937, this will be only the second meeting ever between Tennessee and Creighton on the hardwood, with Friday night’s matchup taking place from Detroit, Michigan.
As for Creighton, the Bluejays enter the Sweet 16 sitting at 25-9 overall for the season (14-6 in Big East), and are coming off victories over No. 14 seed Akron and No. 11 seed Oregon so far in the NCAA Tournament.
A team that could provide a test for Tennessee, Creighton is averaging 80.6 PPG for the 2023-24 season, while also allowing 69.5 PPG to opponents. The Bluejays also rank among the nation’s leaders in 2P%, three-pointers made, and defensive rebounding, and are led by four experienced double-digit scorers in Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Steven Ashworth.
Can the Volunteers advance to their first Elite Eight since 2009-10? It’s a possibility, but they’ll have to go through a talented Creighton team to do so.
Prediction: Tennessee 75, Creighton 72