DETROIT — Neither Tennessee nor Creighton has ever been past the Elite Eight.
The winner of Friday night time’s Candy 16 sport will preserve their Closing 4 desires alive within the 2024 NCAA event. The opposite will head house with one other shut name in March Insanity.
The No. 2 seed Volunteers (26-8) and No. 3 seed Bluejays (25-9) meet at Little Caesars Enviornment, with the victor shifting on to Sunday to face 1-seed Purdue, which beat 5-seed Gonzaga 80-68 within the earlier sport, within the Midwest area remaining with a Closing 4 berth within the stability.
Tennessee is making an attempt to get to a spot it has been solely as soon as, in 2010, when it misplaced as a 6-seed beneath coach Bruce Pearl to Tom Izzo and 5-seed Michigan State, 70-69.
Creighton is making an attempt to advance to its second consecutive Elite Eight. Final yr’s journey was the farthest coach Greg McDermott’s program has ever superior within the trendy NCAA event. The Bluejays are of their sixth Candy 16 and third prior to now 4 years. Their 2023 run ended with a 57-56 loss to San Diego State.
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READ MORE:Creighton and Tennessee each have small-school stars who turned March Insanity heroes
The Vols and Bluejays each function fifth-year senior All-Individuals who started their careers at smaller faculties and transferred into their present applications. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, a 6-foot-6 guard and first-team All-American, averages 21.1 factors and 4.9 rebounds. Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, a 6-7 wing, averages 18.3 factors and 9.1 rebounds and was a third-team choice.
Examine again throughout the sport for dwell rating updates and highlights.
Tennessee vs. Creighton dwell rating updates, highlights in Candy 16
Tennessee 62, Creighton 50 with 9:18 left within the second half | Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner preserve Bluejays in it
Creighton is not going away and not using a combat.
Scheierman ended Tennessee’s 18-0 run with a smooth-stroke 3-pointer from the left wing with 13:37 to go. Then Jasen Inexperienced acquired going with a pair of buckets to drag Creighton again inside 11.
Gainey stepped again and dropped a 3-pointer from in entrance of his bench on the following Vols possession.
Scheierman acquired into the paint for a layup, pushing his whole to 22 factors, and Kalkbrenner with a deep post-up hook shot to chop it to again 10. Kalkbrenner has 10 factors and 7 boards.
However Zeigler delivered one other driving floater on the different finish, and he has 15 factors for the Vols.
Tennessee 55, Creighton 39 with 13:51 left within the second half | Vols in midst of 18-0 run
The Vols are feeling it, extending their run to 18-0 whereas holding the Bluejays scoreless over the past 5:11 on 0-for-6 capturing.
Knecht took off after one other Creighton’s second turnover of the half, raced out in transition and swooped round Scheierman for a layup. Zeigler swirled in his second 3-pointer of the half after the Vols’ third offensive board of the half and seventh total.
Mashack swatted the 7-1 Kalkbrenner, then snagged a Knecht airball and put again a reverse layup to push the result in 13. James at after one other defensive cease drilled a 3-pointer from the nook to pressure McDermott to name his second timeout of the half.
Mashack has three rebounds since halftime because the Vols are dominating the glass 10-2 because the break, 4 of these on the offensive boards. Tennessee is 8-for-14 within the half and has made 6 of its final 8 subject targets. Creighton is simply 1-for-7 within the second.
Tennessee 45, Creighton 39 with 16:12 left within the second half | Dalton Knecht pushes Vols again in entrance
Forwards and backwards they go.
Zeigler opened the half with a 3-pointer for Tennessee after a Mashack offensive rebound. Then Creighton’s Ashworth answered with a jumper, then grabbed a board and pushed it to Scheierman, who acquired fouled in transition and hit two free throws for the tenth lead change of the sport and second of the half in two possessions.
Knecht acquired fouled after going up after an offensive board and hit a pair for the fifth tie. James hit a brief post-up jumper on the block for one more lead change to present the Vols again the lead.
After a James block, Knecht acquired downhill for a driving layup, then picked off a go and fed Mashack on the break for a layup and a six-point lead that’s the largest of the sport for both group. Creighton coach Greg McDermott referred to as timeout with Tennessee on an 8-0 run over the past 2:37.
Knecht already has 4 factors, two rebounds an help within the half and is as much as 14 factors whole. Scheierman has 17 within the sport for the Bluejays.
Half: Creighton 35, Tennessee 34
An entertaining, back-and-forth first half got here to an in depth with a bang.
Scheierman drove off the wing to the free-throw line with 39.5 seconds to go and flipped an alley-oop toss for Kalkbrenner, who delivered his third dunk of the half.
That got here after 5-foot-9 Zeigler, who had eliminated the cotton from his bloodied nostril he suffered earlier within the half, once more labored his means into the paint for a floater over the timber. He has seven factors and 4 assists at halftime for the Vols, who’re capturing 41.2% total and have made 5 of 10 from 3-point vary.
Creighton has a slight 19-17 edgeon the boards, with 10 between Scheierman and Kalkbrenner. The Bluejays are 6-for-14 from deep and capturing 44.8% total.
The primary half featured eight lead modifications and three ties, and each groups have 14 factors within the paint and eight assists. Gainey for Tennessee and Alexander for Creighton every have two fouls, the one gamers near foul bother.
Creighton 33, Tennessee 29 with 2:20 left within the first half | Baylor Scheierman taking on, Bluejays draining 3s
Ashworth knocked down a 3-pointer over Vols guard Freddie Dilione V in entrance of the Tennessee bench with 2:55 left earlier than half. Then after Kalkbrenner’s fifth rebound of the half, Scheierman took a go within the left nook and buried the Bluejays’ sixth 3-pointer of the half. Vols coach Rick Barnes referred to as timeout after it to try to quell the short 6-0 run earlier than the break.
Scheierman continues to look {smooth} with the ball. He is as much as 15 factors on 5-for-11 capturing, together with 3-for-6 from deep, with 4 rebounds and an help. Knecht has 10 for Tennessee, however he is simply 4-for-10.
Tennessee 29, Creighton 27 with 3:41 left within the first half | Vols, Bluejays go from chilly to scorching
The scoring drought ended fast for each groups.
After a pair of Scheierman free throws after a foul on Mashack, Zeigler slithered deep into the lane for a floater. Creighton’s Kalkbrenner acquired free for his second dunk of the sport, with Jonas Aidoo answering with a brief jumper.
Aidoo then acquired switched onto Scheierman, with the guard elevating earlier than the massive man may shut for a deep 3 from the best wing. Knecht answered with a drive by a double group to attain on the rim.
Alexander answered with a driving layup of his personal by a foul from Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey, then transformed the three-point play to tie the sport at 24-all with 5:06 to go earlier than halftime.
Aidoo hit one other brief jumper, then Ashworth buried a 3 on the different finish on a late rotation, flashing three fingers as he ran again down court docket to the Creighton followers.
However the Bluejays misplaced Knecht on the best wing on the following possession, and he rose up and swished a 3-point reply to swing the lead again to the Vols. Tennessee has hit 5 of its final seven photographs.
Tennessee 18, Creighton 14 with 7:48 left within the first half | Baylor Scheierman getting blended seems
The Vols are rotating a couple of gamers to protect Scheierman, who defensively has been matching up with Tennessee’s Knecht.
Scheierman acquired caught on a Vols display, and Knect linked on a midrange jumper to place Tennessee up 4. On the different finish, Knecht – who had lined Scheierman on a previous possession – slid over to assist Mashack and blocked Scheierman’s driving layup try.
On the following out of bounds play, James was guarding Scheierman and acquired referred to as for a foul as he plowed right into a display from Creighton’s Steven Ashworth. Refs reviewed however didn’t change something with the decision.
The 2 groups have missed their final 10 mixed photographs, and the Bluejays are simply 1 of their final 10 with no subject targets in a 3:06 span.
Tennessee 14, Creighton 12 with 11:30 left in first half | Baylor Scheierman getting scorching, Vols hitting from deep
Scheierman took an airball desperation 3-pointer with the shot-clock about to expire for a violation that triggered the primary media timeout.
Out of it, Tennessee jumped in entrance on a Josiah-Jordan 3-pointer, his second within the early going. However Scheierman began to warmth up for the Bluejays, getting inside for a layup then burying a deep 3 from the highest of the important thing over Knecht.
Tennessee answered with one other deep ball from Zakai Zeigler, and the Vols are discovering their offensive mojo.
Creighton 7, Tennessee 6 with 14:55 left in first half | Jahmai Mashack begins for Santiago Vescovi
With beginning Santiago Vescovi out with the flu, Jahmai Mashack acquired the beginning for the Vols. Instantly, the 6-foot-4 junior guard acquired within the combine.
Mashack took the primary shot try of the sport, together with his 3-point try rimming out.
On the subsequent journey, Mashack grabbed an offensive rebound however acquired tied up for a turnover. Lower than a minute later, he plucked a steal from Creighton’s Tre Alexander that led to a breakout on which Dalton Knecht acquired swatted by the Bluejays’ Ryan Kalkbrenner on the rim.
Mashack missed one other 3-point try however recovered to ship a swing-pass help to Josiah-Jordan James for a triple that pulled the Vols inside a degree with 15:32 to go earlier than the media timeout.Tennessee is off to a 2-for-8 begin, with a Knecht jumper the opposite bucket.
Meet the starters
Tennessee: Zakai Zeigler (G, Jr.), Jahmai Mashack (G, Jr.), Josiah-Jordan James (G, fifth), Dalton Knecht (G, fifth), Jonas Aidoo (F, Jr.)
Creighton: Steven Ashworth (G, Sr.), Trey Alexander (G, Jr.), Baylor Scheierman (G, fifth), Mason Miller (F, So.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (C, Sr.)