For the third straight year, Tennessee basketball is back to the Elite 8.

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Again, I'm Mary Kane. We're here to talk about Tennessee's sweet 16 victory over Iowa State

today. It was a 7662 win where Tennessee really just controlled the basketball game.

You know, did exactly what it was supposed to do. It's going to square off against Michigan in the

elite eight. This is the third straight year. The third straight year that Tennessee basketball is back to the elite eight.

Only other team currently that has done such things is John Shire and the Duke Blue Devils.

Tennessee basketball is truly on a run, the best run in Tennessee basketball history.

So looking back in Tennessee's win over Iowa State, of course, no Joshua Jefferson.

And that was expected, right?

I mean, Joshua Jefferson, he turned his ankle there against Tennessee State in the round of 64.

And you do hate that because he's a really good player.

He's an all-American.

He did not play against Kentucky in the round of 60, round of 32 when they won by 19 points. And, you know, he was doing all he could and everybody was saying the right things. And he was rehabbing and present at practice. I don't think he really did much of anything at practice, you know, when the teams got to Chicago this week. But even if he was going to be out there, he was not going to be as effective as he could be. Ultimately, he

didn't play. He did not play for Tennessee this year, or he did not play for Iowa State in the

Sweet 16. And I think Tennessee really benefited from that. The bigs were phenomenal in this game.

You talk about playing, you know, with two bigs out there, points in times. And of course,

you know, you typically always have a five and a four, but Tennessee loves to go small ball and stretches.

Tennessee loved to go small ball with Josiah Jordan James, who was so versatile. Tennessee could do that a lot with Jamai Mayshack over the last couple of years as well. and when the bigs aren't there and the bigs aren't rebounding or the bigs aren't giving you much on offense or as long as you have a rim protector out there you can run Nate out there at the four a lot of times and tennessee's

done that and found some success this year but tennessee's found a ton of success this year man with

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