Virginia

How Tennessee used regular season blunders to fuel March Madness win vs Virginia

Published

2 days ago

March 23, 2026

How Tennessee used regular season blunders to fuel March Madness win vs Virginia

PHILADELPHIA − Maybe all those blown leads in the regular season were good for Tennessee basketball?

While it didn’t surrender a double-digit big lead, Tennessee fans certainly felt pangs of anxiety when Virginia pulled ahead late at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

This time, though, instead of collapsing, the No. 6 Vols (24-11) banded together and pulled off the 79-72 victory over No. 3 Virginia (30-6) in the Men’s NCAA Tournament on March 22.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes guided the program to its fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The road gets tougher for the Vols against No. 2 Iowa State (29-7) at the United Center in Chicago on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).

How did Tennessee avoid a meltdown? Well, Barnes isn’t really sure.

He just knows they won.

“We found a way,” he said. “We found a way to get it done. These guys, they’ve worked hard for us all year and worked hard competing against each other every day.”

Tennessee believe it needed regular season heartbreak

Tennessee largely bottled up Virginia’s leading scorer Thijs De Ridder through much of the game. However, the 23-year-old freshman from Belgium found his rhythm late in the game and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 71-70 lead with 2:03 remaining.

In the huddle, Tennessee sophomore guard Bishop Boswell knew they’d be fine. He cited increased “poise” gained from months of SEC trials.

“We have been in these situations time in and time out, and I’ve seen us come out on top, so I know how tough we are,” he said. “Being in those situations helps you for times like this. The SEC is so tough, its such a tough league, you’re going to be in a bunch of close games. We were able to come out with some wins, and we were able to come out with some losses that we were able to learn from.

“We’ve been battled-tested.”

Forward J.P. Estrella believes those tests were necessary.

“I don’t think so,” he said if Tennessee would’ve won this game a month ago. “I feel like these past couple months have been huge for us playing some tough games, playing in the SEC Tournament, playing the game the other night. These games are crucial for us. When we keep playing basketball with each other it builds confidence and we keep winning.

“The momentum keeps going and I feel like it’s going to keep on rolling into Chicago.”

Tennessee’s defense papers over late mistakes

The Vols were anything but mistake-free in the closing minutes of the game.

Freshman Nate Ament ran the baseline after a missed shot. Senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie threw an inbounds pass into the second row. A defensive breakdown left Virginia’s Jacari White wide-open for a 3-pointer with seconds remaining.

It was the defense, though, that kept Tennessee afloat. The Vols kept one of the ACC’s top offenses under its 80.4 points per game average. Their frontcourt physicality bothered Virginia all game.

“I thought we played great,” Estrella said about Tennessee’s frontcourt. “We’re all just some dogs on offense and defense. We got stops when we needed them. I feel like we could’ve gotten a couple rebounds − me in particular, I could’ve grabbed a couple with two hands − but other than that, we were just some dogs tonight and I feel like we need to be that every single night.”

The Cavaliers had 26 points in the paint, but they shot under 50% on layups. Tennessee 6-foot-11 center Felix Okpara registered four blocks and often deterred Virginia players from entering his domain.

“Felix Okpara, that’s the best five-man in the country,” junior Jaylen Carey said about his teammate. “Best shot blocker in the country.”

Okpara credited the entire frontcourt for the standout defensive performance.

“That’s our identity right there,” he said. “That’s Tennessee basketball right there.”

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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Virginia

The latest twist in Virginia’s redistricting battle: a ‘pink slime’ newspaper in Arlington | ARLnow.com

Published

23 minutes ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

The latest twist in Virginia’s redistricting battle: a ‘pink slime’ newspaper in Arlington | ARLnow.com

As debate over Virginia’s redistricting referendum heats up ahead of next month’s vote, a partisan newspaper advancing Democrats’ arguments has begun showing up in Arlington mailboxes.

The latest issue of The Virginia Independent — a product of American Independent Media, which specializes in content that mimics the form of impartial news sources in order to promote progressive causes — devotes a significant amount of space to the upcoming April 21 vote on redistricting.

A front-page spread spotlights former President Barack Obama’s support for the effort, which would heavily advantage Democrats in response to gerrymandering in Republican-controlled states such as Texas. Another story emphasizes the temporary nature of the proposal, while a third is an “exclusive” Q&A with the headline, “Two Virginians, one message: Why they support the April 21 redistricting amendment.”

Softball questions in the Q&A touch on topics such as a “30-second elevator pitch” for undecided Virginians and the consequences of gerrymandering in red states.

“Mathews County retiree Sheila Crowley and former redistricting commission member James Abrenio say the temporary measure is necessary — both to meet the moment and to ensure Virginia’s congressional map represents voters,” the subhead states.

Media watchers including the Center for Health Journalism and the Columbia Journalism Review have described American Independent Media’s content as a form of “pink slime” journalism, which looks like news but is usually thinly and unevenly reported in order to support a partisan viewpoint. Conservative counterparts to The Virginia Independent include the Richmond Leader and the Henrico Times in the Richmond area.

The Virginia Independent did not respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first unconventional mail campaign connected to this year’s redistricting vote. On the other side of the issue, a mailer opposing redistricting used imagery evoking the Civil Rights Movement in accusing Virginia lawmakers of “trying to take our districts away.”

Sponsored by a political action committee led by former Del. A.C. Cordoza (R), it prompted criticism from the Virginia NAACP and Attorney General Jay Jones (D), who accused the mailer of spreading a false message that redistricting would threaten Black representation.

The Virginia Independent predates the current redistricting campaign. The oldest stories on its website date back to early 2025, and it sent other mailers in Northern Virginia during last year’s election cycle — prominently featuring content that favored Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger’s successful gubernatorial campaign.

Unlike some partisan publications, The Virginia Independent’s stories all have bylines. The author of the front-page story on redistricting, Anna Gustafson, previously worked at the Michigan Advance — part of States Newsroom, the same nonprofit news organization behind the Virginia Mercury — before joining the American Independent News Network in late 2023, according to her LinkedIn.

While redistricting is a prominent theme, most stories in the mailer are about other topics, including health care, therapy dogs and the Virginia Teaching Artists program.

American Independent Media describes itself as “a progressive media organization that produces news and information content regarding government and politics.” It had total revenues of $35.7 million in 2024.

The organization’s website lists a total of five sites in addition to The Virginia Independent: The Michigan Independent, The Pennsylvania Independent, The Wisconsin Independent and The New Jersey Independent.

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Virginia

Kentucky 74-73 West Virginia (Mar 23, 2026) Final Score – ESPN

Published

12 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky 74-73 West Virginia (Mar 23, 2026) Final Score – ESPN

Key and Strack help Kentucky women beat West Virginia 74-73 to secure Sweet 16 trip

— Teonni Key had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Clara Strack had 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Kentucky nearly gave up a big lead and held on to beat

Mar 23, 2026, 09:02 pm – AP

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Virginia

How to buy Virginia vs. TCU women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

How to buy Virginia vs. TCU women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

The Virginia Cavaliers continue to thrill as they’re moving on to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament!

UVA is the first double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16 in the women’s bracket since 2022, and it’s the Cavaliers’ first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2000.

After a fourth quarter surge to push overtime, the No. 10 Cavaliers took over in double overtime, stunning No. 2 Iowa with a 83-75 win. It was a group effort on the floor, but the Cavs were led by Kymora Johnson with 28 points.

SHOP: Virginia women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

After advancing to the Sweet 16, the Cavaliers will face No. 3 TCU in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, March 28.

Knowing that matchup is set, here is everything you need to know to buy Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 March Madness tickets.

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Virginia vs. TCU March Madness Sweet 16 tickets

Virginia women’s March Madness Sweet 16 opponent

Virginia reached the Sweet 16 after upsetting No. 2 Iowa on Monday afternoon. Now, they’ll play No. 3 TCU in the Sweet 16.

Virginia vs. TCU women’s March Madness Sweet 16 schedule

Virginia will take on the TCU Horned Frogs after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday afternoon. The game will be played on either Friday, March 27 or Saturday, March 28. Shop Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 tickets now.

More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament

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UVA women’s basketball Sweet 16 game locations

Virginia will play its Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., against TCU on Saturday, March 28. Shop your Virginia NCAA Tournament tickets now.

When is March Madness 2026?

The First Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament tipped off the 2026 March Madness tournament on Wednesday, March 18. The two rounds run between Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Friday, April 3 and the National Championship game on Sunday, April 5.

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