How Tennessee basketball beat UCLA with 'sharks in bloody water' defense to reach Sweet 16
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Zakai Zeigler crept toward the baseline.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark judged that he had space to throw an inbound pass to Dylan Andrews. He was wrong.
Zeigler darted in front of Andrews, deflecting the ball out of bounds. The Tennessee basketball guard ran around the Rupp Arena baseline, making a “woo” sound that let everyone know the Vols' defense was dialed up to its full power.
“It’s sharks in bloody water,” forward Cade Phillips said. “That is the nature of playing defense. When you see teams start getting frustrated and flustered, that is when you amp it up.”
No. 2 seed Tennessee turned to its nasty defense to flip its second-round NCAA Tournament game and beat No. 10 seed UCLA 67-58 on Saturday.
It started with a little change before halftime.
How a Tennessee defensive change against UCLA got Vols to Sweet 16
Zeigler hopped and offered a little fist pump after a Felix Okpara dunk late in the first half. He glanced to the sideline and started barking out defensive commands.
The Vols (29-7) hurled a 1-2-2 press at UCLA (23-11) with Jordan Gainey at the top and Zeigler and Chaz Lanier hovering near midcourt. Gainey and Lanier trapped Andrews in the corner, forcing an errant pass.
Igor Milicic Jr. stole it, rifled a pass ahead to Gainey for a layup, and the Vols took control.
"Our energy just kept going up and up from there,” Zeigler said. “Once we get plays like that . . . we let those plays pick us up more and more.”
The Vols turned to their most-often used press out of the media timeout with 6:27 to play in the half. The players believed they had settled in and adjusted to UCLA’s personnel and sets. They thought they might use the press against UCLA's lack of reliable ball handlers. Clark was in foul trouble and the Vols knew it was time.
Tennessee opted to throw the wrinkle at the Bruins, designed to slow down the offense with the belief they could fluster the guards into mistakes.
Okpara almost stole the ball on the next possession. The Vols used the press again to lead to Lanier’s 3-point play before halftime as Gainey deflected another pass.
UCLA opened the game shooting 8-for-18. It was 2-for-7 after UT made the defensive switch. The Vols went on an 8-0 run to close the half and suffocate the Bruins.
“That was where we kind of felt like we got a grasp on it a little bit and were able to sink our teeth into the defense,” Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey said.
Tennessee's defense 'killed' UCLA in NCAA Tournament
Assistant coach Rod Clark walked over to Zeigler as second-half warmups concluded. He told him that he was going to guard Andrews while Jahmai Mashack would be on Skyy Clark, switching the matchups from the start of the game.
The Vols forced three turnovers in the first two minutes of the second half.
“You just have to wear on them and wear on them and they will fold,” Mashack said.
The Vols used the press again on a few early second-half possessions. They saw the way the press affected UCLA in the first half and it made them crave more chaos. Mashack believed the UCLA guards were second-guessing which passes to make, which is precisely the goal.
“The guys were charged-up once we turned them over one time,” Rod Clark said. “They wanted to stay with it and keep at it. It changed the game.”
Tennessee held the Bruins to 4-for-15 shooting in the first 12:28. It turned a three-point lead to an 18-point lead after utilizing the press for the first time.
The way it went didn’t surprise the Vols, who will face the winner of No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-11) and No. 6 seed Illinois (22-12) in Indianapolis on Friday. Phillips said it was sticking to defensive principles. Mashack described it as Tennessee having so many assets built in that they can adjust to anything based on how a game is flowing.
Tennessee chose to unleash the well-timed press Saturday, and it changed the flow in its favor.
“I think it was the press that got it started,” Skyy Clark said. “I think that killed us.”
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: Inside the Tennessee basketball defensive switch that beat UCLA
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