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Tennessee basketball vs. Duke: Score prediction, scouting report in March Madness

mike wilson, knoxville news sentinel
·2 min read
10

ORLANDO, Fla. − Tennessee basketball is battling for its second Sweet 16 appearance under coach Rick Barnes.

The No. 4 seed Vols (24-10) face No. 5-seeded Duke (27-8) on Saturday (2:40 p.m. ET, CBS).

Here is what to know about the matchup at the Amway Center:

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Tennessee is after another second weekend trip

The Vols have been to the NCAA Tournament five times under Barnes, but have only reached the second weekend once in four prior appearances. UT made it to the Sweet 16 in 2019 before losing in overtime to Purdue.

Tennessee lost in the second round in 2018 and 2022. It fell in the first round in 2021.

UT has made the Sweet 16 eight times in program history.

Duke is rolling under first-year coach Jon Scheyer

Duke has won 10 straight games after rolling to an ACC Tournament title and beating No. 12 seed Oral Roberts 74-51 on Thursday. The Blue Devils and first-year coach Jon Scheyer have not lost since Feb. 11 at Virginia.

Freshman center Kyle Filipowski leads Duke with 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was named the ACC rookie of the year and a second-team All-ACC. Filipowski, center Dereck Lively III and Tyrese Proctor were named to the ACC All-Freshman team.

It could be a defensive battle between Tennessee and Duke

Tennessee is the No. 2-ranked team in adjusted defensive efficiency, while Duke is No. 15 nationally. UT has held opponents to 57.9 points per game this season, although it has allowed 79 points in two of its past four games. The Vols also limit opponents to 26.4% 3-point shooting.

Duke is allowing 63.6 points per game.

How Tennessee, Duke advanced to second round

Duke got huge showings from junior guard Jeremy Roach and freshman forward Dariq Whitehead against Oral Roberts. Roach had 23 points, while Whitehead hit three 3-pointers. Lively grabbed 12 rebounds. It was his third time this season with at least 12 rebounds.

Tennessee took an 18-point lead against Louisiana, then had to hold on in the final 10 minutes to edge the Ragin' Cajuns by three. Jahmai Mashack sparked the win and had 11 points. Tyreke Key had a team-high 12 points.

Score prediction

Duke 64, Tennessee 59: Duke and Tennessee are on different trajectories in the past six weeks. Tennessee's experience could be its edge, but Duke has a more confident group entering Saturday and ends UT's season.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball vs. Duke: Score prediction, scouting report in March Madness