RALEIGH, N.C. — Jarnelle Stokes says he would rather play a game than practice, which is why the junior forward has no problem with playing three games in the span of five days. That’s what Tennessee faces after beating Massachusetts, 86-67, Friday afternoon in a Midwest Regional second-round game at PNC Arena.
The 11th-seeded Volunteers defeated Iowa in the First Four on Wednesday and now face 14th-seeded Mercer on Sunday for the right to advance to the regional semifinals in Indianapolis.
“It reminds me of the AAU days,” said Stokes, who crushed UMass for 26 points, 14 rebounds and an impressive 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. “We’re just having fun. I’d rather play games than practice. That’s my mindset.”
The Volunteers (23-12) came out with the right mindset against UMass, which was making its first NCAA appearance since 1998. While Tennessee opened aggressively and established a physical presence, the Minutemen (24-9) seemed tight early in the game, missing at least nine easy shots and committing 10 first-half turnovers. Tennessee led 41-22 at the break and never was threatened.
“I think it was mostly jitters,” said UMass’ Chaz Williams, a senior guard from Brooklyn. “We were so excited that we were too excited, I think. We were just moving too fast and weren’t in our positions where we needed to be on offense and defense.”
The Minutemen struggled with Tennessee’s size. In addition to the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Stokes, the Vols got 11 points and 11 rebounds from 6-foot-8 senior Jeronne Maymon as well as 21 points from 6-foot-6 guard Jordan McRae. Maxi Esho and Williams led UMass with 12 points each.
“They played pretty physical and tough around the rim and took us out of a lot of things we like to do, especially offensively when struggled in the first half,” UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. “We were playing catch-up from then on out.”
While Tennessee moves on to play Mercer, UMass is hoping to build off reaching the tournament.
“I think the whole university, the campus and all the people were really appreciative of what we’ve been able to accomplish this season,” Kellogg said, “and I’m hoping it’s a spring board to that we can at least be in the conversation every year to be one of those teams.”