As Sweet 16 looms, Vols embracing postseason role

NEW YORK — Not long after Florida Atlantic clinched its first Sweet 16 berth in program history against Tennessee, Nick Boyd's phone started buzzing.

If the Owls' guard wasn't aware of the Vols' physicality, his friends made sure he was.

"The physicality stood out to me from the jump," Boyd said. "Everybody calls our phones and says, 'are you ready for Tennessee? You know they're physical right?'"

Tennessee (25-10) has been known as a physical team all season, but that reputation grew after the Vols out-toughed Duke in the Second Round, even drawing some unwarranted criticism for being too physical.

They like that role, though.

When Tennessee is the more physical team on the floor, it is at its hardest to beat. Duke learned that. The Vols are hoping NCAA Tournament darling Florida Atlantic (33-3) will, too.

"It's known. It's nothing new to us," Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo said. "We know we play physical. We're glad other teams know that. They have to play different and go with a different game plan. That's good to know for sure."

Forward Olivier Nkamhoua described Tennessee's approach of forcing teams to play at their level as bringing "them into the mud."

That's exactly what the Vols did against Duke, which entered the game winners of 10-straight and the favorite to move on to the Sweet 16.

Tennessee never trailed in the second half.

Forward Uros Plavsic can tell when Tennessee has worn a team down to that point, when the opponent is in the mud, trying to swing its way out but to no avail.

"When you see that they don't want to be out there no more. When they feel like they don't want to play no more," Plavsic said. "They start complaining to the referees or stuff like that. You can tell that teams want to be physical with us in the beginning of the game, but once we hit a little bit harder...then I feel like they kind of back up and you know, give us our own space to work with."

Like Duke, Florida Atlantic surges into Thursday night's Sweet 16 clash at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan as one of the hottest teams in college basketball.

The Owls have won 11-straight games, including wins over Memphis and Fairleigh Dickinson in the first two rounds to get within a breadth of the Elite Eight.

Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May quipped after beating Fairleigh Dickinson in the Second Round that he would have to review Australian rugby rules to prepare for Tennessee.

He clarified those comments on Wednesday in New York, stating that he was complimenting Tennessee's physical style of play, but the Vols wear it as a badge of honor.

Physicality wins games and Tennessee is two games away from the program's first Final Four because of it.

"If you are the tough team, than the other team has to match that same energy, match that same toughness," Plavsic said. "If they don't do that early in the game, it's a lot easier for us."

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