UCLA-Tennessee shaping up as defensive showdown

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Two of the top defensive teams in the NCAA Tournament meet Saturday night when No. 2 seed Tennessee battles No. 7 seed UCLA in a second-round Midwest Region matchup.Tennessee (28-7) eliminated Wofford 77-62 on Thursday night in its opening round game, getting 29 points from star guard Chaz Lanier in his NCAA Tournament debut.UCLA (23-10) held Utah State to 4-for-31 shooting from 3-point range and limited the Aggies to 30 percent shooting from the field in a 72-47 romp on Thursday.The Volunteers allow just 63.0 points per game, good for 11th in the country, while UCLA is 22nd at 65.2.Since a four-game skid in January dropped UCLA to 11-6, head coach Mick Cronin has applied the defensive grips. It was the 10th time in the last 14 games that UCLA’s opponent was held to 70 or fewer points, and Utah State’s 47 points matched the fourth-fewest the program had allowed all season.Offensively, the Bruins were powered by Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr., each of whom scored 14 as the team enjoyed a 10-for-24 night (41.7 percent) from beyond 3-point range.”It’s different when you change weight classes, a little bit different when you change weight classes,” Cronin said. “They used to say everybody thought they were tough until they walked in the ring with Mike Tyson. Everybody had a lot to say until the guy with no socks walked in and crushed him. It’s a different animal.”Cronin said he has nothing but respect for Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.

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