DETROIT — Neither Tennessee nor Creighton has ever been beyond the Elite Eight. The Vols now have that chance.
Tennessee is the winner of Friday night’s Sweet 16 game, 82-75, and keeps its Final Four dreams alive in the 2024 NCAA tournament. Creighton is once again heading home with another close call in March Madness.
The No. 2 seed Volunteers (27-8) used a huge second-half run to create some distance vs. the No. 3 seed Bluejays at Little Caesars Arena, and the Vols held on down the stretch. They will play Sunday against 1-seed Purdue, which beat 5-seed Gonzaga 80-68 in the earlier game, in the Midwest region final with a Final Four berth in the balance (2:20 p.m., CBS).
First-team All-American Dalton Knecht scored 24 points on 8-for-21 shooting, adding six rebounds and five assists to lead Tennessee. Zakai Zeigler finished with 18 points, six assists and four boards. Josiah-Jordan James went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in the final 1:12 to seal the win for the Vols and had 17 points.
Jahmai Mashack, a late add to the starting lineup with Santiago Vescovi out due to illness, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, five on the offensive glass. Tennessee turned 12 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points and had an 18-5 advantage on the fastbreak.
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Third-team All-American Baylor Scheierman had 25 points and four 3-pointers for Creighton but went scoreless in the final 8:10. Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, but the 7-foot-1 center didn’t score in the last 6:04.
Steven Ashworth had 16 points and Trey Alexander scored 13 for the Bluejays, combining to hit six of their 11 3-pointers, including three in the final 19 seconds to make it close after the Vols went up by as many as 16 in the second half thanks to an 18-0 run.
Tennessee has only been to the Elite Eight one other time, in 2010, when it lost as a 6-seed under coach Bruce Pearl to Tom Izzo and 5-seed Michigan State, 70-69.
Creighton ended its season 25-10 after advancing to the Elite Eight last season.
Here’s how the game unfolded, with live score updates and highlights.
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Final: Tennessee 82, Creighton 75
The Vols are going to their second Elite Eight ever, where they will face No. 1 seed Purdue in the Midwest region final at 2:20 p.m. Sunday at Little Caesars Arena (CBS).
Mashack, who got the late starting assignment, grabbed a critical offensive board and was fouled. Then out of the Tennessee baseline inbound, Zeigler got downhill on a pick-and-roll and bounced the ball to Tobe Awaka, who finished through a foul by Ashworth and made the free throw with 1:39 to go to push Tennessee’s lead back to seven.
Tennessee 68, Creighton 64 with 2:47 left in the second half | Tennessee in a dogfight, Creighton closes in
The Bluejays’ way: another run to make it a game.
Kalkbrenner launched a heave with the shot-clock about to expire, his 3-pointer smacking the backboard and rim. But Scheierman got the offensive board, hesitated on the putback to draw a foul and finish through contact. His three-point play cut the lead back to single digits with 8:10 to play.
After the media timeout with 7:54 left, Mashack’s layup with the shock clock about to run out rolled off the back of the rim. Kalkbrenner got deep position on the right block and forced in another hook shot to cut Tennessee’s lead to five after seven straight points in an 11-2 run by the Bluejays.
Kalkbrenner canned a pair of free throws with 6:03 to go, and suddenly Creighton was back within three. But Knecht doubled the Vols’ lead with a step-in 3-pointer with 5:37 remaining.
Ashworth answered for Creighton with a second-chance triple, but Knecht again connected from right corner for 3 with 4:32 left. Ashworth’s driving layup around Knecht seconds later made it a four point game again.
Then after Knecht missed a heat-check 3, Ashworth tried to send a pass ahead in transition. Knecht elevated for it and the pass sailed out of bounds. Two refs didn’t see if Knecht tipped it, though he was adamant he didn’t. A third ref came in and called it Tennessee ball. Creighton coach Greg McDermott was angry and talked to the referees as the final media timeout hit, and they went to the replay monitor to check the play. The call stood, and frustrated Bluejays fans let them know their displeasure.
It’s setting up for a potentially fantastic finish.
Tennessee 62, Creighton 50 with 9:18 left in the second half | Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner keep Bluejays in it
Creighton isn’t going away without a fight.
Scheierman ended Tennessee’s 18-0 run with a smooth-stroke 3-pointer from the left wing with 13:37 to go. Then Jasen Green got going with a pair of buckets to pull Creighton back within 11.
Gainey stepped back and dropped a 3-pointer from in front of his bench on the ensuing Vols possession.
Scheierman got into the paint for a layup, pushing his total to 22 points, and Kalkbrenner with a deep post-up hook shot to cut it to back 10. Kalkbrenner has 10 points and seven boards.
But Zeigler delivered another driving floater at the other end, and he has 15 points for the Vols.
Tennessee 55, Creighton 39 with 13:51 left in the second half | Vols in midst of 18-0 run
The Vols are feeling it, extending their run to 18-0 while holding the Bluejays scoreless over the last 5:11 on 0-for-6 shooting.
Knecht took off after another Creighton’s second turnover of the half, raced out in transition and swooped around 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 overall.
Mashack swatted the 7-1 Kalkbrenner, then snagged a Knecht airball and put back a reverse layup to push the lead to 13. James at after another defensive stop drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to force McDermott to call his second timeout of the half.
Mashack has three rebounds since halftime as the Vols are dominating the glass 10-2 since the break, four of those on the offensive boards. Tennessee is 8-for-14 in the half and has made 6 of its last 8 field goals. Creighton is just 1-for-7 in the second.
Tennessee 45, Creighton 39 with 16:12 left in the second half | Dalton Knecht pushes Vols back in front
Back and forth 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 got fouled in transition and hit two free throws for the 10th lead change of the game and second of the half in two possessions.
Knecht got fouled after going up after an offensive board and hit a pair for the fifth tie. James hit a short post-up jumper on the block for yet another lead change to give the Vols back the lead.
After a James block, Knecht got downhill for a driving layup, then picked off a pass and fed Mashack on the break for a layup and a six-point lead that is the largest of the game for either team. Creighton coach Greg McDermott called timeout with Tennessee on an 8-0 run over the last 2:37.
Knecht already has four points, two rebounds an assist in the half and is up to 14 points total. Scheierman has 17 in the game for the Bluejays.
Half: Creighton 35, Tennessee 34
An entertaining, back-and-forth first half came to a close 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 came after 5-foot-9 Zeigler, who had removed the cotton from his bloodied nose he suffered earlier in the half, again worked his way into the paint for a floater over the trees. He has seven points and four assists at halftime for the Vols, who are shooting 41.2% overall and have made 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Creighton has a slight 19-17 edgeon the boards, with 10 between Scheierman and Kalkbrenner. The Bluejays are 6-for-14 from deep and shooting 44.8% overall.
The first half featured eight lead changes and three ties, and both teams have 14 points in the paint and eight assists. Gainey for Tennessee and Alexander for Creighton each have two fouls, the only players close to foul trouble.
Creighton 33, Tennessee 29 with 2:20 left in the first half | Baylor Scheierman taking over, Bluejays draining 3s
Ashworth knocked down a 3-pointer over Vols guard Freddie Dilione V in front of the Tennessee bench with 2:55 left before half. Then after Kalkbrenner’s fifth rebound of the half, Scheierman took a pass in the left corner and buried the Bluejays’ sixth 3-pointer of the half. Vols coach Rick Barnes called timeout after it to try and quell the quick 6-0 run before the break.
Scheierman continues to look smooth with the ball. He’s up to 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-6 from deep, with four rebounds and an assist. Knecht has 10 for Tennessee, but he’s just 4-for-10.
Tennessee 29, Creighton 27 with 3:41 left in the first half | Vols, Bluejays go from cold to hot
The scoring drought ended quick for both teams.
After a pair of Scheierman free throws after a foul on Mashack, Zeigler slithered deep into the lane for a floater. Creighton’s Kalkbrenner got free for his second dunk of the game, with Jonas Aidoo answering with a short jumper.
Aidoo then got switched onto Scheierman, with the guard elevating before the big man could close for a deep 3 from the right wing. Knecht answered with a drive through a double team to score at the rim.
Alexander answered with a driving layup of his own through a foul from Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey, then converted the three-point play to tie the game at 24-all with 5:06 to go before halftime.
Aidoo hit another short jumper, then Ashworth buried a 3 at the other end on a late rotation, flashing three fingers as he ran back down court to the Creighton fans.
But the Bluejays lost Knecht on the right wing on the ensuing possession, and he rose up and swished a 3-point answer to swing the lead back to the Vols. Tennessee has hit five of its last seven shots.
Tennessee 18, Creighton 14 with 7:48 left in the first half | Baylor Scheierman getting mixed looks
The Vols are rotating a few players to guard Scheierman, who defensively has been matching up with Tennessee’s Knecht.
Scheierman got caught on a Vols screen, and Knect connected on a midrange jumper to put Tennessee up four. At the other end, Knecht – who had covered Scheierman on a prior possession – slid over to help Mashack and blocked Scheierman’s driving layup attempt.
On the ensuing out of bounds play, James was guarding Scheierman and got called for a foul as he plowed into a screen from Creighton’s Steven Ashworth. Refs reviewed but did not change anything with the call.
The two teams have missed their last 10 combined shots, and the Bluejays are just 1 of their last 10 with no field goals in a 3:06 span.
Tennessee 14, Creighton 12 with 11:30 left in first half | Baylor Scheierman getting hot, Vols hitting from deep
Scheierman took an airball desperation 3-pointer with the shot-clock about to run out for a violation that triggered the first media timeout.
Out of it, Tennessee jumped in front on a Josiah-Jordan 3-pointer, his second in the early going. But Scheierman started to heat up for the Bluejays, getting inside for a layup then burying a deep 3 from the top of the key over Knecht.
Tennessee answered with another deep ball from Zakai Zeigler, and the Vols are finding their offensive mojo.
Creighton 7, Tennessee 6 with 14:55 left in first half | Jahmai Mashack starts for Santiago Vescovi
With starting Santiago Vescovi out with the flu, Jahmai Mashack got the start for the Vols. Immediately, the 6-foot-4 junior guard got in the mix.
Mashack took the first shot attempt of the game, with his 3-point attempt rimming out.
On the next trip, Mashack grabbed an offensive rebound but got tied up for a turnover. Less than a minute later, he plucked a steal from Creighton’s Tre Alexander that led to a breakout on which Dalton Knecht got swatted by the Bluejays’ Ryan Kalkbrenner at the rim.
Mashack missed another 3-point attempt but recovered to deliver a swing-pass assist to Josiah-Jordan James for a triple that pulled the Vols within a point with 15:32 to go before the media timeout.Tennessee is off to a 2-for-8 start, with a Knecht jumper the other bucket.
Meet the starters
Tennessee: Zakai Zeigler (G, Jr.), Jahmai Mashack (G, Jr.), Josiah-Jordan James (G, 5th), Dalton Knecht (G, 5th), Jonas Aidoo (F, Jr.)
Creighton: Steven Ashworth (G, Sr.), Trey Alexander (G, Jr.), Baylor Scheierman (G, 5th), Mason Miller (F, So.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (C, Sr.)
First appeared on www.freep.com