Tennessee is moving on in The Bahamas.

Behind a stout defensive performance and big plays down the stretch, the Vols recorded a 73-66 overtime win over USC on Thursday afternoon to advance to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.

No. 22 ranked Tennessee — which is now 4-1 overall — will face No. 3 Kansas in the title match on Friday night on ESPN. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Vols led 37-34 at halftime before being outscored 28-25 in the second frame. They had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Santiago Vescovi’s 3-pointer was off the mark — and USC then missed a half-court heave.

Tennessee locked down defensively in the overtime period — outscoring the Trojans 11-4 — and made clutch free throws to seal the win.

Julian Phillips led the way for the Vols with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Olivier Nkamhoua added 12 points and six boards. Tennessee went 22-for-26 from the free-throw line and had 14 assists compared to 10 turnovers.

A win over Kansas on Friday would greatly boost Tennessee’s resume and help it climb in the AP Top 25 poll.

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