No. 4 seed Tennessee used a stout defensive effort and an incredible offensive performance from Olivier Nkamhoua to stifle No. 5 seed Duke 65–52 in second round action in the East region on Saturday.
Nkamhoua scored 27 points on 10-13 shooting and added five rebounds, as he took over the Round of 32 game with a dominant performance.
The Volunteers celebrated by carrying Nkamhoua into the locker room and pouring water all over him while jumping around in celebration for reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.
As for Duke, they were held to their lowest scoring output in tournament history, tied with the 52 points they scored in a win against Pennsylvania in 1980. The Blue Devils entered the tournament as one of the hottest teams in college basketball, after rolling through the end of their conference schedule and capturing an ACC tournament crown.
Duke was held to a 6-22 mark from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 15 times in the loss.
The Volunteers will now move on to face the winner of No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic and No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, who shocked the college basketball world with an upset of No. 1 seed Purdue on Friday night in the Round of 64.
