Tennessee basketball spent the first few months of the basketball season making history.  Now, the Vols may want to make more of it with a pair of wins later this week. Tennessee is headed to the Sweet 16 for the 8th time in software history and will play for its second Elite 8 berth in opposition to Purdue on Thursday (7:29 p.M. ET, TBS).
If No. 2 seed UT advances, the Vols could meet No. 1 Virginia or No. 12 Oregon. With some other win, UT might reach the Final Four for the primary time in its history.

UT (31-five) beat the Boilermakers (25-9) final season 78-seventy five in the Battle 4 Atlantis within the Bahamas. LEADING VOLS: NCAA Tournament: When Rick Barnes changed into most uncomfortable in Tennessee’s win in opposition to Iowa, STUDY UP 5 things to understand approximately Purdue Boilermakers, a drink Sea Bass ordered in ‘Dumb and Dumber.

The 2018-19 Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament ultimate Thursday in opposition to Baylor. I still haven’t even had time to digest or nicely grieve the end of the season, and we’re already searching beforehand to subsequent yr. We’re less than one week eliminated from the giving up of the 2018-19 season, and I’ve already missed the boat for the 2019-20 Syracuse basketball preview. You sh*thing me, man? We don’t have any time to speak about or manner what occurred and instead pass the feelings of the season’s quiet and at once turn the web page to next season?

Pretty soon, all people’s Way-Too-Early-Top-25 rankings are going to drop earlier than the Sweet 16. With that, I wager we’re late for an early (or late) look beforehand to the 2019-20 Syracuse basketball season. So allow’s dive into that and permit me to begin by announcing that Syracuse possibly gained’t be performing in any Way-Too-Early-Top-25 lists. The Orange will lose Frank Howard while Paschal Chukwu and Tyus Battle have opted out in their respective eligibility as it stands now.

Assuming no one transfers — which I wouldn’t take to the bank — Syracuse will go back (using qualification) juniors in Oshae Brissett, Elijah Hughes, Marek Dolezaj and Bourama Sidibe, sophomores in Jalen Carey, Buddy Boeheim, Howard Washington, and Robert Braswell and bring in a big freshman class inclusive of Joe Girard, Quincy Guerrier, Brycen Goodine, and John Bol Ajak. That’s broken down by way of role underneath.

Syracuse has a chance to be a balanced offensive crew in 2019-20 while not having to rely a lot on a ball-dominant guard to create and generate offense. Then once more, Carey has the potential to flourish in PNR eventualities, so don’t be surprised to peer excessive ball monitors next yr like we’ve seen in years beyond from Syracuse. Syracuse ought to be better from beyond the arc, spacing the floor with shooters in Boeheim, Hughes, Girard, and perhaps Braswell.

That may be of large gain to Brissett’s interior. Both he and Hughes will step up into management roles for the first instances of their college careers. With no seniors, the junior magnificence will step up as an entire as Sidibe and Dolezaj will probably additionally have extended roles. The middle position leaves the maximum to be desired at this juncture. Sidibe hasn’t had a clean bill of fitness in his first two seasons; Bol Ajak can shoot a piece as the possibly 0.33 option within the middle. The education personnel is actively recruiting for any other middle for 2019, and oh my goodness, Dolezaj goes to play the lion’s share of minutes at the subsequent middle season, isn’t he?