CHICAGO — Getting to the Elite Eight is becoming an annual event for Tennessee. This time, the Volunteers hope to go another round or two. Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished wi…
CHICAGO — Getting to the Elite Eight is becoming an annual event for Tennessee. This time, the Volunteers hope to go another round or two.Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 16 and Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to advance to the regional finals for the third straight year.
Tennessee used a dominant effort on the glass and a strong second half to put away Iowa State to advance to its third regional final in coach Rick Barnes’ 11 seasons. The Volunteers lost to Houston last year and to Purdue in 2024. Tennessee’s only other Elite Eight was under Bruce Pearl in 2010. “We do have a standard on a lot of things, not just what we do on the basketball court,” Barnes said. “We’re pretty much a no-nonsense program. We talk about that through the recruiting process. We tell everyone it’s going to be tough. We want them to come. We want them to come, and really help them live their dreams. We’d like them to have a chance to play for a national championship.”Popular ESPN personality out at network after a decade The sixth-seeded Volunteers have another big obstacle in their way, with top-seeded Michigan in the Midwest Region final on Sunday. TheAment made three 3-pointers. Felix Okpara chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds.Nate Ament, who scored 18 points, looks to make a pass as Jamarion Batemon looks on during Tennessee’s 76-62 win over Iowa State in their Sweet 16 matchup on March 27 2026.“I’m just enjoying the process, being able to do it with these guys,” Okpara said. “We put in so much work in the summer. We love to see it pay off.” Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey each scored 18 points for Iowa State, but the Cyclones clearly struggled without injured star Joshua Jefferson. The All-America forward was hurt minutes into the Cyclones’ March Madness opener against Tennessee State and did not play in their lopsided win over Kentucky. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. “Just a really tough circumstance to deal with,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We just wanted to make sure that Joshua felt supported and we did everything in our power to get him ready to be out there playing. It just wasn’t enough. He did all he could. He’s a fierce competitor. He couldn’t have done more treatments.”Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
Sports Iowa State Cyclones March Madness March Madness 2026 Ncaa Tournament Tennessee Volunteers
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NBA Draft: Bennett Stirtz Pushes Iowa to Elite EightThe Iowa point guard helped push his squad to its best season in decades.
Read more »
Iowa knocks off Nebraska to reach first Elite Eight since 1987Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal.
Read more »
Ninth-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska 77-71 to reach Elite EightAlvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region...
Read more »
Iowa vs Illinois Prop Picks & Best Bets: March Madness Elite EightBest prop bets in our Iowa vs. Illinois predictions and March Madness picks for Saturday, March 28.
Read more »
Tennessee Basketball Defeats Iowa State to Advance to Elite EightTennessee advances to the Elite Eight after a great performance in the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones.
Read more »
Tennessee beats Iowa State to advance to 3rd straight Elite EightNate Ament finished with 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 16, and Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight year. Coach Rick Barnes’ team used a dominant effort on the glass and a strong second half to put away Iowa State and move within one win of its first Final Four.
Read more »