Preview and Final Score Prediction For Virginia vs Tennessee

A sweet sixteen spot is on the line today in Philadelphia.

Virginia is going to meet Tennessee and the winner will advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament to take on the winner of today's Kentucky/Iowa State matchup. This would be the first appearance in the sweet sixteen since 2019 if the Cavaliers can find a way to knock off the Volunteers.

Both teams had different experiences in the first round. Tennessee domianted a 32-1 MIami (OH) squad and did not even get a great performance from their star freshman Nate Ament. Virginia meanwhile had to survive a hot shooting performance from Wright State to get to this game.

So who wins and why?

Matchup Preview

Jacari White scored 26 points off the bench to lead No. 3 seed Virginia to an 82-73 win over No. 14 seed Wright State in NCAA Tournament first round action on Thursday, March 20 at Xfinity
Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. White made 10 of 12 field goals, including 6 of 8 3-pointers, in
a clutch performance. White is the first player to come off the bench and record 26+ points and 83% FG% or higher in the same NCAA Tournament game since Middle Tennessee’s Mike Buck did so in 1989 against Florida State.

Sam Lewis (12 points), Malik Thomas (11 points) and Thijs De Ridder (10 points) also reached double figures for the Cavaliers. UVA drilled 13 3-pointers (26 attempts) and shot 51.9% from
the field. UVA dominated the glass, out-rebounding Wright State 39-24. Michael Imariagbe led four Raiders in double figures with 19 points.

Thijs De Ridder leads UVA in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg), while Thomas (12.4 ppg), Lewis (10.8 ppg) and Mallory (9.3 ppg) are UVA’s other leading scorers. Onyenso leads the team in blocks (2.9 bpg) and Hall leads in assists (4.3 apg). UVA is averaging 80.7 points and holding foes to 68.5 ppg. UVA’s +12.2 scoring margin is its largest since the 2018-19 NCAA championship squad’s +15.3 margin. Seven different Cavaliers have led the team in scoring (Thijs De Ridder, Dallin Hall, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Ugonna Onyenso, Malik Thomas, Jacari White). UVA averaged 77.3 ppg and held foes to 69.6 ppg in ACC play

The Cavaliers meet their second SEC opponent of 2025-26. UVA defeated Texas 88-69 in an ACC/SEC Challenge contest on Dec. 3, 2025 in Austin. UVA went 0-2 vs. the SEC in 2024-25, losing to Tennessee (64- 42) and Florida (87-69). UVA defeated two SEC opponents in the 2023-24 season. The Cavaliers downed Florida 73-70 in the Hall of Fame Series and Texas A&M 59-47 in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Virginia ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.6%) and 44th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (31.3%). UVA ranks 18th in scoring margin (+12.1) and tied for 47th in scoring defense (68.5 ppg)

This is going to be a battle of two elite rebounding teams.

UT is on pace, per KenPom, to be the third-best offensive rebounding team this century. The Vols trail only 2000-01 Michigan State (47.0) and 2000- 01 Georgetown (45.3), the latter by just 0.3. The Vols have double-digit offensive rebounds in 33 of 34 games, with 13-plus in 27, 15-plus in 21, 20-plus in seven and 23-plus in five. Their top tally is 26. Tennessee is second in DI in second in rebounding margin (12.9), offensive rebounds per game (15.94) and third in total rebounds per game (42.56). The Vols have at least 35 total boards in 30 of 34 contests, with 40-plus in 21, 45-plus in 15 and 50- plus in six. Their highest mark is 60.

This is going to be a hard-fought, low scoring game and I think that UVA is well equipped to be able to beat the Volunteers. They have the presence inside to handle them on the boards and they have the three point shooting to hold up against their defense. Virginia wins and advnances.

Final Score: UVA 74, Tennessee 71