PHILADELPHIA — Ethan Burg controlled his pace with the clock nearing zero in the first half. He carried the ball up the court, sized up Luke Skaljac on the far wing and fired away. It bounced off the front rim, backboard and around the cylinder before dropping in.
Burg’s second 3-pointer of the first half put Tennessee basketball ahead by 19 points at the break. That was enough for the Vols to run away with a 78-56 win over Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie was unstoppable with a game-high 29 points. He sprinkled in six makes from beyond the arc and dished out nine assists. J.P. Estrella took advantage of the size-lacking RedHawks with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double for Tennessee (23-11, 11-7 SEC).
Miami (Ohio) (32-2, 18-0 MAC) received a bulk of contributions from MAC Player of the Year Peter Suder, who scored 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Tennessee outpaces RedHawks in first half
Miami (Ohio) made five of its first six shots — then the Vols dialed in.
After the RedHawks took a 13-10 lead with 16:18 left in the first half, Tennessee rallied off a 41-19 run over the remainder of the half. It carried a 51-32 lead into the break, guided by Gillespie’s 22-point first half.
Tennessee tallied a 21-4 run that became too much to overcome in the first half. Miami (Ohio) shot 2-for-12 from the floor during the stretch, while the Vols went 8-for-14.
A six-plus-minute scoring drought by the RedHawks ensued and the writing was on the wall for the first 20 minutes of play. When Tennessee tried to play its game, the notion was unnecessary. The Vols had just six offensive rebounds and four second-chance points in the opening frame.
The Vols buried eight triples in the first half, more than they’ve had in 22 complete games this season. The RedHawks managed just four makes from beyond the arc.
Quiet Nate Ament
The Vols did not need the contributions of their leading scorer. Ament converted on zero field goals in the win, scoring zero points for the first time in his career.
Ament played 14 minutes in the first half and missed three shots. He played only five minutes in the second half with the game in hand. He checked out with 11:45 left in the game and never returned to the floor.
Ament’s impacts were limited in the shadows of Gillespie’s outburst, and partly to the ongoing aggravation of his ankle sprain suffered against Missouri.
Tennessee played into Miami (Ohio)’s brand of basketball — and did it better
Points in the paint, offensive rebounds and controlling the pace of play were all the expected factors for Tennessee basketball.
When the game concluded, it was the Vols making more 3-point shots (9 to 7), turning the ball over more times (16 to 12) and scoring an identical amount of second-chance points (10 for Vols, 6 for RedHawks). Yet still, Tennessee managed a 22-point win over the Redhawks.
Tennessee’s nine 3-point makes are the most since drilling nine Feb. 3 against Ole Miss.
At one point, Tennessee even rolled with a four-guard look, putting Jaylen Carey at the five spot to combat the lack of size Miami (Ohio) brings to the table. Though the Vols went through the 3-point barrage, their identity remained on the defensive end. Miami (Ohio) scored a season-low in points and shot a season-worst 35% from the floor.
Tennessee returns for a Round of 32 matchup with Virginia on Sunday.
