Previewing Michigan Basketball’s second round matchup against Tennessee

Saturday, Michigan basketball will take on Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tournament after an impressive win over Colorado State. The Volunteers won their first round matchup against Longwood by over 30 points, so it is crucial that Michigan’s gameplay is on point Saturday night.

Tennessee had no problem against Longwood on Thursday, holding onto the lead for the entirety of the game and not letting the Lancers get within 25 points during the second half. They also managed to force 16 turnovers and score 22 points off of them, an area the Wolverines will have to be cautious of.

Tennessee shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the three against Longwood and average 36.5 percent on the season. Michigan basketball will have to make defending 3-point shots a priority, especially after allowing Colorado State to take an excessive number of uncontested shots from beyond the arc.

The Volunteers came into the tournament with a 26-7 record and a seven game win streak after winning the SEC championship game against Texas A&M. The Volunteers also finished second in the SEC final standings, one game behind Auburn who is the two seed in the Midwest region.

Freshman guard Kennedy Chandler leads Tennessee with 13.8 points per game and 4.6 assists per game. Chandler has scored in double digits in his past 10 games, shooting 54.8 percent from the field over the course of these games.

Another very important player for the Volunteers is junior guard Santiago Vescovi who shoots an impressive 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and 79.3 percent from the line. Vescovi made a season high six 3-pointers against Longwood and led Tennessee with seven assists, however did not come up with a single rebound.

The final Volunteer that Michigan needs to keep an eye on is junior guard Josiah-Jordan James who has become a breakout player in the late half of the season. He leads the team with six rebounds per game and 1.1 blocks per game, however has also become a central scorer for Tennessee.

The Wolverines are still rotating back and forth between wins and losses, a trend that will likely continue if Michigan Basketball cannot get into a groove, specifically from 3-point range.

With DeVante’ Jones doubtful for Saturday’s matchup, the Wolverines will have to play with the same energy they had in the second half vs Colorado State for the entirety of Saturday’s game against the Volunteers if they want any chance of advancing to the sweet sixteen.