Olivier Nkamhoua tied his career high with 27 points, including 13 straight for Tennessee during a decisive span in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Volunteers beat Duke 65-52 on Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
Santiago Vescovi added 14 points and five assists for Tennessee (25-10), which ended Duke’s 10-game winning streak and sent first-year coach Jon Scheyer — charged with replacing Mike Krzyzewski — home after just two NCAA Tournament games. Not sure Coach K could have done anything different to combat these Vols, who used a brand of “bully ball” to send the fifth-seeded Blue Devils (27-9) packing.
“We want to be physical,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “We feel we’re at our best when we can do that.”
(4) TENNESSEE ADVANCES 👏
The Vols outlast (5) Duke 65-52 to move on to the Sweet 16! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TaD5y5D9fL
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2023
Tennessee ends Duke’s 10-game win streak and is heading to the Sweet 16! pic.twitter.com/S0RzZbtz9x
— ESPN (@espn) March 18, 2023
