By Jack Glennon
PHILADELPHIA – After the 32-1 Miami (OH) RedHawks topped SMU on Wednesday evening to secure their spot in the NCAA tournament, an ensuing matchup against the 6-seed Tennessee Volunteers had upset written all over it.
Unfortunately for the RedHawks, their admirable effort to advance to the Round of 32 fell short, as the Volunteers leaned on an explosive Ja’Kobi Gillespie to glide to a 78-56 victory.
For Miami, the defeat brings a historic season to a devastating finish. Head Coach Travis Steele, however, envisions a bright future.
“[We have] tried to build something sustainable,” Steele said. “We are confident that we can develop our [players effectively].”
For Tennessee, Gillespie erupted for a game-high 29 points, 22 of which he scored in a first-half outburst.
“Coach Barnes puts him in a really good position,” Steele said. “He dominated.”
More importantly, Tennessee dominated the RedHawks from start to finish, proving its readiness for a clash with the Ryan Odom-led Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday.
It goes without saying that Tennessee needed to win today, but a resounding victory was also imperative.
Losing tightly-contested games and watching sizable leads evaporate have both been recurring themes in Tennessee’s roller coaster 2025-2026 campaign.
The Volunteers have suffered a handful of gut-wrenching losses in the past few weeks, most notably their recent pair of losses to Vanderbilt.
As the season evolved, it was clear that the Volunteers’ confidence had completely disappeared.
Until today.
Tennessee’s defense suffocated Miami, holding the nation’s eighth most efficient perimeter offense to an uncharacteristic 24% from beyond the arc.
Furthermore, the Volunteers outrebounded the RedHawks 42-25, scored 19 points off of turnovers to Miami’s 16, and dished out 19 assists to the RedHawks eight.
And, for the first time all season, Gillespie looked like an elite facilitator.
While Gillespie is undoubtedly a fantastic scorer, he has struggled at times to diversify the offense, averaging just 5.5 assists per game despite being the team’s primary ballhandler.
Tonight, Gillespie dished out nine assists, his second most as a Volunteer.
As a result, the offense flowed beautifully, with one exception.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Tennessee’s decisive victory was Nate Ament’s lackluster performance.
The freshman forward scored zero points, now having made just one field goal in his past two games combined.
The Volunteers’ offense remained efficient in spite of Ament’s lackluster evening, shooting 53% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.
“We really wanted to establish [the paint],” Barnes said. “Everything that we did well [offensively] stemmed from our defense.”
Ament hardly had the opportunity to truly struggle from the field, as he only logged three field goal attempts. However, it was his complete absenteeism that caused concern.
Though Tennessee managed to leave the Xfinity Mobile Arena with a decisive win, it is nothing short of foolish to think that Tennessee stands a chance against Virginia without a strong performance from Ament.
The freshman is one of just three Volunteers scoring more than eight points per game this season, a pivotal piece of a Tennessee offense that is completely dependent on the top of the roster.
Further, Ament’s lack of playing time (18 minutes) suggests that he is yet to fully recover from an ankle injury sustained during a Feb. 28 loss to Alabama.
Though March Madness is the most important event in all of collegiate athletics, Tennessee is obligated to prioritize Ament’s future.
Ament is a projected top-ten pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and jeopardizing a future as bright as his could prove to be a tremendous mistake.
However, prioritizing Ament’s health could also help the Volunteers.
As ridiculous as it might sound, Tennessee could be more successful without Ament on the floor.
This, of course, assumes that Ament is in a similar injury predicament on Sunday.
Make no mistake, a healthy Ament is without question the best player on Tennessee’s roster, and it is not particularly close.
A hobbled Ament, though, is a liability, and the Volunteers would be more likely to find success against a physical Cavaliers team on Sunday if freshman Amari Evans were to start in Ament’s place.
In place of Ament on March 7, Evans scored 24 points against an incredibly well-coached Vanderbilt team.
In doing so, Evans proved that he is ready to step in for the Volunteers’ star forward, though it remains to be seen how Tennessee will approach Ament’s availability on Sunday.