Tennessee, Butler Ready To Tangle
BIRMINGHAM - Get ready to witness a little history.
In the NCAA Tournament, never have two 30-win teams met as early as the second round. That's what Tennessee and Butler will do in about one hour at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham.
On paper, the game looks to be the most exciting of the Birmingham bracket, with both teams able to throw up points in bunches.
The Vols are hoping to shake the offensive struggles they showed against American on Friday, while the Bulldogs are looking to continue the usual firepower they displayed against Butler.
Tennessee's star guard Chris Lofton was virtually non-existent in the close win over American, getting shut out from beyond the arc for just the fourth time this season. Key games from Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism helped Tennessee pull away late, but you wouldn't think the Vols could survive another around if the 3-point shooting doesn't pick up.
Butler's star guard Mike Green also wasn't much of a factor, but he didn't have to be. Green was forced to sit on the bench after two early fouls, but A.J. Graves and Pete Campbell more than picked up the slack.
Campbell was 8-for-10 from deep, including 6-for-6 in the second half to finish with 26 points. A.J. Graves moved over the point guard position after Green's foul troubles and orchestrated the game beautifully and chipped in with 18 points.
It will be interesting to see how Tennessee tries to attack Butler if things start bad early, as they sometimes do for the Vols. Graves, Green and shutdown defender Drew Streicher should provide defense against Chris Lofton, Jujuan Smith and J.P. Prince, who UT coach Bruce Pearl hinted may take over the point for the Vols.
There's no question that if Tennessee wants to move on to the Sweet 16, Lofton has to be a factor today.
Until then, get strapped in. It should be a fun ride to the Sweet 16 for one of these teams...
