Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee basketball crush Longwood in NCAA Tournament opener
INDIANAPOLIS — Santiago Vescovi darted down the court away from the ball and Kennedy Chandler.
The Tennessee basketball guard arrived on the wing in time with Chandler’s pass, catching it ready to shoot. His first 3-pointer was true. So was his next one and the one after that on his way to a scorching shooting showing to pace one of Tennessee's most dominant offensive performances in its NCAA Tournament history.
The Vols arrived in the NCAA Tournament the same way they left the SEC Tournament — playing elite basketball. No. 3 Tennessee routed No. 14 Longwood 88-56 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday.
The Vols (27-7) face No. 11 Michigan (18-14) on Saturday. The Wolverines beat No. 6 Colorado State 75-63 on Thursday.
Vescovi led the Vols with 18 points, including six 3-pointers — tying a Tennessee program-record in the NCAA Tournament. Josiah-Jordan James had 17 points and nine rebounds against the Lancers (26-7), who had won 19 of their previous 20 games.
Tennessee shot 60% from the field and 58.3% on 3-pointers, both program records for the NCAA Tournament.
UT had 29 assists to match a season high. Vescovi had a team-leading seven.
Tennessee tore the nets in the first half
James held his left arm at the air as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first half. James had buried a 3-pointer, the final note in a first-half assault from the Vols.
Tennessee hit seven 3-pointers in the final 5:48 of the first half, a stretch that started with Vescovi’s 3-pointer and ended with James. The duo accounted for all seven.
Tennessee was 9-for-10 shooting in that run, expanding a 29-17 lead to 54-29. The Vols shot 66.7% from the field and 61.5% on 3-pointers in the first half. UT had 18 assists on 20 first-half field goals.
Tennessee had a season-high 54 first-half points.
Santiago Vescovi puts himself in top company
Vescovi entered Thursday with 95 3-pointers, which was among the top-10 single seasons in Tennessee history.
He hit four 3-pointers in the first half, then made his first attempt of the second half. Vescovi is the second Vol in program history to make at least 100 3-pointers in a season. Chris Lofton is the only other UT player to achieve the feat.
Lofton did it three times in his career, including making a program-best 118 in 2007-08.
John Fulkerson brought the efficiency
John Fulkerson got Tennessee’s offense started in the opening minutes. He scored six straight points to spark a 6-for-7 shooting half. He had 15 points, more than he had in any SEC game this season
Fulkerson scored 13 in the first half, hitting floaters and driving for layups.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. 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: Tennessee basketball romps Longwood in NCAA Tournament 2022 opener
