Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first collegiate start for Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Iowa.
Iamaleava completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He also totaled 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and three touchdowns.
Iamaleava was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
He met with media following the contest and recapped his performance.
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“Felt great,” Iamaleava said. “Finally, to play a whole game, I have not done that in a while. Felt good to get back out there and get my feet wet.
“I am proud of the guys and how they played. The receivers played a tremendous game, and o-line did good. Receivers did good. I still think there is a lot of room for us to get better.”
Iamaleava became the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game for Tennessee in program history, joining Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl versus North Carolina), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl versus Kansas State) and Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl versus Virginia Tech).
PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Iowa in 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Follow all of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second round games with USA TODAY Sports’ live updates.
Tennessee ruined the fun of Miami (Ohio) by dispatching the RedHawks rather handily in the first round, 78-56.
The Vols did so with little contribution from their star freshman Nate Ament, who went scoreless in just 18 minutes, as he was rested dealing with soreness from a high ankle sprain he suffered in late February.
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Ja’Kobi Gillespie picked up the slack with 29 points, including a 6 of 11 performance from behind the arc.
Virginia overcame a slow start for No. 14 seed Wright State to pick up the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since they won the national championship in 2019.
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Jacari White led the way for Virginia with 26 points vs. the Raiders as Ryan Odom got his first NCAA win with UVA as Cavs head coach.
Today’s winner advances to play the Kentucky/Iowa State winner in next week’s Sweet 16 in Chicago.
Here’s what you need to know about today’s second round matchup.
HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.
TEAMS
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2H
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Tennessee
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Virginia
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Here are the starting lineups for both Virginia and Tennessee in Sunday’s second-round game of the Men’s NCAA Tournament:
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Virginia
Malik Thomas (Guard)
Sam Lewis (Guard)
Dallin Hall (Guard)
Thijs De Ridder (Forward)
Johann Grunloh (Center)
Tennessee
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Guard)
Bishop Boswell (Guard)
Nate Ament (Forward)
J.P. Estrella (Forward)
Felix Okpara (Center)
Thijs De Ridder is Virginia’s 23-year-old freshman from Belgium who has professional basketball playing experience overseas in Spain.
He was named to the All-ACC first team and all-rookie teams, and entered the Men’s NCAA Tournament as the Cavaliers’ leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. Though De Ridder hails from Brasschaat, Belgium, he did know a little bit about March Madness before Virginia’s first-round win over Wright State. … Including the great tradition of filling out brackets.
“When I was 17 and younger, I thought it was another tournament like others. I did some brackets when I was younger, but that was just for fun,” De Ridder told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. “Every time (there was) an American guy on my team (overseas), they always talked about March Madness. Now that I’m here, it’s such an organization, and it just made me really excited to play here. Hopefully, we can do some great stuff.”
He finished in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds in addition to two assists in Virginia’s win vs. Wright State.
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REQUIRED READING: Thijs De Ridder filled out brackets overseas. Now he’s leading Virginia’s March Madness run
The Cavaliers held off a potential upset and defeated 14-seed Wright State in the first round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament on Friday, 83-72.
Jacari White led the way for Virginia with 26 points, while Sam Lewis added 12 and Malik Thomas added 11. De Ridder also finished in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds in addition to two assists.
The Cavaliers’ win marked their first in March Madness since they won it all in 2019. It ended a 0-3 stretch in their last three trips to March Madness.
REQUIRED READING: Jacari White helps Virginia snap 7-year March Madness win drought
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What time is Tennessee vs Virginia?
Time: 6:10 p.m. ET, Sunday.
What channel is Tennessee vs Virginia? How to watch, streaming info
The game is airing on TNT, streaming via Fubo.
Virginia vs Tennessee prediction, odds
Odds provided by BetMGM, as of 11:30 a.m., Sunday.
∎ Wynton Jackson, Knoxville News Sentinel: Virginia 71, Tennessee 66
Ament’s questionable status swings our prediction towards Virginia. The Cavaliers had one of the best defenses in the ACC, and if Tennessee’s star freshman isn’t at his best, it’s tough to see how the Vols continue their hot shooting. They shot 53% from the floor and 45% from 3-point range against the RedHawks. Tennessee’s defense always keeps games close, but it may not have enough offensive juice to make a fourth straight Sweet 16.
John Leuzzi: Tennessee
Jordan Mendoza: Virginia
Ehsan Kassim: Virginia
Blake Schuster: Tennessee
Moneyline: Tennessee (-115); Virginia (-105)
Spread: Tennessee (-1.5)
Over/under total: 137.5
Nate Ament injury update: Will Vols freshman star play today vs Virginia?
All-SEC freshman Nate Ament had his first scoreless game of the season in the 78-56 win against Miami (Ohio) in the first round.
Ament is still dealing with soreness from the high ankle sprain he suffered against Missouri on Feb. 24. He still expects to play against Virginia and throughout the rest of the NCAA Tournament.
“There’s no chance I’d sit out a March Madness game,” he said. “It’s about what can we do to get back to 100%, or as close to it as we can.”
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Nate Ament 2026 NBA Draft, mock draft prediction
No. 11 overall to Portland Trail Blazers
Kalbrosky’s Analysis:
After a relatively slow and inefficient start to the season, Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is starting to realize some of his lofty expectations. The freshman averaged 21.6 points per game while shooting 38.9 percent on 3-pointers during a 13-game stretch before an injury against Alabama on Feb. 28. The All-SEC forward then had 27 points (4-of-6 on 3-pointers) with eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal against Auburn on March 12. It will only take one team to fall in love with Ament and given so much of what he brings to the table cannot be taught, that team is probably picking fairly early in the lottery.
The men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament continues with Second Round action Sunday with No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 6 Tennessee on the eight-game schedule.
Here is Sunday’s full Second Round March Madness schedule and expert picks from reporters across the USA TODAY Sports Network.
USA TODAY Sports has a team of journalists covering the men’s NCAA Tournament to keep you up to date with every point scored, rebound grabbed and game won in the 68-team tournament.
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No. 3 Virginia vs No. 6 Tennessee prediction
John Leuzzi: Tennessee
Jordan Mendoza: Virginia
Ehsan Kassim: Virginia
Blake Schuster: Tennessee
No. 3 Virginia vs No. 6 Tennessee odds
Opening Moneyline: Tennessee (-116)
Opening Spread: Tennessee (-1.5)
Opening Total: 137
How to Watch Virginia vs Tennessee today
No. 3 Virginia takes on No. 6 Tennessee at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 22 at 6:10 p.m ET. The game is airing on TNT.
Stream March Madness on Sling
2026 Men’s March Madness full schedule
See the schedule, live scores and results for all of today’s NCAA Tournament action here.
Tennessee is looking to land another top 10 recruiting class in 2027. With multiple top targets all across the country, high on the Volunteers, there will be a good chance for it.
4-star Adryan Cole is one of those players. According to Rivals Industry, he ranked as the 20th-best safety in the country, the 24th-best player from Georgia, and the 214th-best overall player in the country. The safety from Douglas County High School in Douglassville, Georgia, has Tennessee amongst the top schools on its list, along with Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Indiana, and Ole Miss.
Cole spoke with Vols on SI to see where Tennessee stands and what he likes about the Volunteers.
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Adryan Cole on Tennessee Football
Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel walks off the field followed by his security detail after the win over UAB in an NCAA college football game on September 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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With all the defensive back coaching changes, there is a lot of uncertainty with some of the top defensive back prospects in the country, like Cole. However, Tennessee has done a great job of letting Cole know that he is wanted in Knoxville.
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“The communication has been great, they have been calling me and facetime me 2-3 times a week every week. They just let me know that they want to get me up there and develop me.”
He does not have a visit set yet, but he is in the process of scheduling one and cannot wait to see a few things. He was at Georgia Tech this past weekend and has a visit scheduled to Ole Miss from June 19th-21st.
“I want to see the environment, I want to see how they coach their players, and I want to see how they (players and coaches) work together on the campus.”
The Volunteers are looking at a lot of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class, and landing Cole would be a huge recruiting win for them.
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