Tennessee tops Virginia in a thriller to head from Philadelphia to the Sweet 16

Jonathan Tannenwald, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Mar 22, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — If the lack of an upset on Friday in Philadelphia’s NCAA Tournament games left fans disappointed, the consolation prize was a high-level contest to start Sunday’s doubleheader.

No. 6 seed Tennessee and No. 3 Virginia treated a full and loud arena to a terrific game that came right down to the end, with the Volunteers prevailing 79-72.

Virginia fans dominated the crowd, coming by the thousands from Charlottesville and no doubt the big alumni base in the D.C. area. At times there looked to be enough — or at least sounded like it — to wonder where Connecticut’s horde would fit in for the second game of the doubleheader.

They were treated to a fast and ferocious first half, with the shot clock only rarely in danger. Virginia led 20-16 just over eight minutes in, then Tennessee reeled off a 12-0 run punctuated by a Felix Okpara slam. The Volunteers stayed ahead for the rest of the period, and it was 36-31 at halftime.

Tennessee kept its lead well into the second half, and both teams kept the pace fast even as they turned up their defensive intensity. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, the Vols’ first-round star against Miami of Ohio, pushed his team’s lead to 60-51 just past the midway point with a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.

Virginia then clawed its way back to within 63-60, and finally leveled at 66 apiece with 4 minutes, 44 seconds to go. The building was jumping, led by Virginia legend Ralph Sampson sitting courtside. And with two minutes left, the Cavaliers finally took their first lead since Tennessee’s first-half charge, 71-70 on a three by Thijs De Ridder.

But the Cavaliers went cold after that, with three missed field goals. Nate Ament gave the Volunteers the lead at the free-throw line, they kept it the rest of the way, and Virginia’s fate was sealed when Jacari White airballed an open three off an inbounds pass with 13.2 seconds to go.

Gillespie was the Volunteers’ hero for a second straight game, with 21 points and six assists. Ament added 16, making up for 4 for11 field goal shooting by going 7 for 8 from the line. De Ridder led Virginia with 22 points.

Tennessee is now off to Chicago for the Sweet 16, with No. 2 Iowa State awaiting in the Midwest Regional.