LEXINGTON, Ky. − Jordan Gainey rushed in and joined Zakai Zeigler.
UCLA guard Kobe Johnson was toast, trapped by the two Tennessee basketball guards at midcourt. Gainey batted Johnson’s pass and Chaz Lanier joined the defensive rush. He stole the ball and spun away for a three-point play as the Vols’ senior backcourt delivered against the Bruins.
No. 2 seed Tennessee is onto the Sweet 16 for the third straight season under coach Rick Barnes with a 67-58 win against No. 7 seed UCLA at Rupp Arena. It is the first time in school history the Vols have reached three straight Sweet 16s.
Lanier led the Vols (29-7) with 20 points. Lanier, Zeigler, Gainey and Jahmai Mashack combined for 44 points against UCLA (23-11).
The Vols will play the winner of No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-11) and No. 6 seed Illinois (22-12) in Indianapolis on Friday. UT lost both regular-season matchups to the Wildcats. It beat Illinois 66-64 on a buzzer-beater in December.
Tennessee basketball took control late in the first half
Zeigler slid a slick bounce pass down the baseline to Jordan Gainey with 2:50 before halftime.
Gainey hit a corner 3-pointer to start an 8-0 run. The senior guard made a pair of free throws with 40.3 seconds before the half. Lanier capped the run with his three-point play that extended UT’s lead to seven.
UCLA scored once from the field in the final 5:27 of the first half.
Tennessee’s big men showed up and rebounded
The Vols had a tall test with UCLA, but Tennessee’s forwards were excellent rebounding. Felix Okpara and Igor Milicic Jr. had seven rebounds each. Cade Phillips had six.
UT outrebounded handily the Tigers and turned offensive rebounding into early offense when shots weren’t falling.
Chaz Lanier sets Tennessee 3-pointer record
Lanier swished a 3-pointer at the 16:07 mark of the second half for his third 3-pointer of the game and his 119th of the season.
The North Florida transfer passed Chris Lofton and set a new Vols record for 3-pointers in a season. Lofton, who was sitting a few rows behind the Tennessee bench, made 118 in the 2007-08 season. Lanier entered the game with 116 threes after making six in the first round against Wofford to tie the UT record for threes in an NCAA Tournament game.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball beats UCLA, reaches third straight Sweet 16