According to Tennessee Athletics, For the third consecutive season, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team claimed a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament, this time with an 83-49 decision Thursday night against No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s.
Sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (25-8, 14-4 SEC) led wire-to-wire at Spectrum Center and got a game-best 23 points from fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, who entered the top five on the program’s single-season scoring list. The triumph also served as the 200th for head coach Rick Barnes in his Tennessee tenure, making him the 19th coach ever to hit that number at two Division I schools. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler, in a showdown with his half-brother, Armoni, recorded the first points/assists double-double by a Volunteer in NCAA Tournament play.
Up next for the Volunteers is a Round of 32 matchup against Texas, with action set for Saturday at 7 p.m., live on 102.5 WOW Country from Spectrum Center.