Tennessee is back in the Elite Eight because it's No. 1 in this stat
Tennessee's win over Iowa State to advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight featured the area of the game in which the Vols are better than anyone.
CHICAGO – They were coming at the Tennessee men's basketball team like no one else had this season, Rick Barnes said afterwards. Iowa State players were hounding anyone wearing orange all over the United Center court, and the Vols were heaving shots at the end of the shot clock as their NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Sweet 16 game began Friday, March 27. But when freshman Nate Ament launched an errant 3-pointer, Felix Okpara grabbed the offensive rebound.
Then J. P. Estrella grabbed another miss.
Then Ament grabbed one more miss. A minute later, Okpara corralled an errant shot attempt. Then Estrella did, too.
Another offensive rebound sent Estrella to the free throw line. Before the first media timeout, once Okpara snagged yet another offensive rebound, Tennessee had somehow grabbed seven of its first 10 missed shots of the game. Never mind that this only led to one basket.