Tennessee 'locked in' for first-round fight with No. 15 seed Wofford

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After finishing a memorable regular season and coming within a game of capturing the Southeastern Conference tournament title, No. 2 seed Tennessee will be on upset alert when it battles No. 15 Wofford in a Midwest Region first-round game Thursday.

Tennessee (27-7) finished conference regular season play by winning 13 of 19 games and finishing fourth behind Auburn, Florida and Alabama. The highlight came in the SEC tourney when the Volunteers upset No. 1 seed and regular-season champ Auburn in the semifinals before falling to Florida on Sunday in the title game.

Wofford (19-15) had a much different route to the NCAA Tournament, finishing sixth in the Southern Conference. But they caught fire in their conference tournament, beating East Tennessee State, Virginia Military Institute and Furman to earn their first NCAA appearance since 2019, and sixth overall.

The two teams have met eight times previously, with Tennessee winning all eight, including 82-61 early in the 2023-24 season.

"Obviously, we played them last year, the game before we went to Maui," Tennessee assistant Rod Clark said of last season's game. "And we were up five at half. And I just remember them slowing the game down, being really physical, screening, cutting really hard, played with a lot of force.

"But it was not an easy game by any means. And we were able to stretch it out at the end. But I just remember after that game, we definitely felt like we were tested at a high level. So immediately when we got that name popped up, obviously as coaches you kind of snap and get into that moment where, okay, now it's time to prepare. It was not an ‘Oh, man, we got a cupcake game.' No, not at all. We're taking Wofford extremely seriously."

Tennessee went to the Sweet 16 in 2023 and Elite Eight in 2024, but head coach Rick Barnes is taking nothing for granted. He knows about nervous first-round games. Barnes is 30-28 all-time as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament with 11 first-round exits.

"No matter the seeding we get, you've still got to go out there and handle business," senior guard Zakai Zeigler said. "I think everybody really understands that now after what just happened in the SEC tournament. I think everybody is really locked in and really understands what's at stake now."

With All-American Dalton Knecht now in the Lakers lineup, another transfer arrived to headline the Vols' offense.

Shooting guard Chaz Lanier, who spent four seasons at North Florida, averages 17.7 points per game and filled the role of primary scorer for Tennessee.

Big man Igor Milicic controls the paint for the Vols, averaging 6.9 rebounds a game. Zeigler runs the offense, averaging 7.3 assists a game to go with 13.8 points, and spearheads the defense with nearly two steals (1.94) per game.

For Wofford coach Dwight Perry, Thursday's game will be extra special as the third-year coach is returning to his alma mater of Kentucky to coach in his first NCAA Tournament game. He played in 19 games for the Wildcats from 2006-09.

"It's extremely special," Perry said. "Obviously it's my alma mater. I have a lot of great friends (at Kentucky). It's an unbelievable place. Obviously their tradition in basketball really doesn't need any introduction. More than anything, I'm really excited for our guys to be able to continue this journey this year, for it not to end."

Corey Tripp leads the Wofford offense as its point guard, averaging 14.3 points and 3.2 assists a game. Fifth-year big man Kyler Filewich does it all for the Terriers, averaging 11.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game. He recently began shooting free throws underhanded due to his struggles (31.8 percent).

Wofford has a 1-5 record in its NCAA Tournament history.

--Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media