Tennessee held its nerve in a grind-it-out Second Round matchup, edging No. 3 seed Virginia 79-72 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Volunteers built a 9-point lead and weathered Virginia's defensive intensity, which included a brutal 55-play scoring drought in the first half for the Cavaliers. Tennessee's 12-2 run early set the tone, pushing the lead to 28-20 before Virginia battled back with a 9-2 run to make it competitive. The final minute was a free-throw clinic—all drama, zero three-pointers. Ja'Kobi Gillespie delivered ice-cold free throws down the stretch, making four straight to seal it as Virginia managed just one final bucket. Tennessee's poise from the line in crunch time proved decisive, closing out a tournament-tested Cavaliers squad that simply couldn't generate enough offense when it mattered most.