CHICAGO (AP) — Getting to the Elite Eight is becoming an annual event for Tennessee. This time, the Volunteers hope to go another round or two.
Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 16 and Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to advance to the regional finals for the third straight year.
Tennessee used a dominant effort on the glass and a strong second half to put away Iowa State (29-8) to advance to its third regional final in coach Rick Barnes' 11 seasons. The Volunteers lost to Houston last year and to Purdue in 2024. Tennessee's only other Elite Eight was under Bruce Pearl in 2010.
“We do have a standard on a lot of things, not just what we do on the basketball court,” Barnes said. “We're pretty much a no-nonsense program. We talk about that through the recruiting process. We tell everyone it's going to be tough. We want them to come. We want them to come, and really help them live their dreams. We'd like them to have a chance to play for a national championship.”
Barnes led Texas to a Final Four in 2003. But Tennessee has never been there.
The sixth-seeded Volunteers (25-11) have another big obstacle in their way, with top-seeded Michigan in the Midwest Region final on Sunday. The Wolverines beat Alabama 90-77 behind a dominant all-around performance by Yaxel Lendeborg.
Ament made three 3-pointers. Felix Okpara chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Carey added 11 points and 10 boards, and the Volunteers outrebounded the Cyclones 43-22.
“I'm just enjoying the process, being able to do it with these guys,” Okpara said. “We put in so much work in the summer. We love to see it pay off.”
Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey each scored 18 points for Iowa State, but the Cyclones clearly struggled without injured star Joshua Jefferson.
The All-America forward was hurt minutes into the Cyclones’ March Madness opener against Tennessee State and did not play in their lopsided win over Kentucky. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
“Just a really tough circumstance to deal with,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We just wanted to make sure that Joshua felt supported and we did everything in our power to get him ready to be out there playing. It just wasn't enough. He did all he could. He's a fierce competitor. He couldn't have done more treatments.”
Tennessee led 34-33 at halftime after Okpara hit two free throws in the closing seconds and Lipsey missed a driving layup at the buzzer.
The Volunteers were up 44-39 when they went on a 13-4 run that Carey punctuated with a three-point play off a tip-in. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward turned toward the roaring Vols fans and flexed before hitting the free throw to make it 57-43 with 11:47 remaining.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Tennessee's DeWayne Brown II (6) and Iowa State's Dominykas Pleta (21) chase a loose ball during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Iowa State's Dominykas Pleta (21) heads to the basket as Tennessee's Felix Okpara (34) defends during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James literally passed it on to the next generation Friday night.
The top scorer in NBA history recorded the league's first father-son assist when he passed to Bronny James for a 3-pointer in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers ' game against Brooklyn.
“That was a special moment for us two, and a lot more to come down the road,” Bronny said after the Lakers beat the Nets 116-99.
The Lakers' father-and-son duo played meaningful minutes together for the second straight game when the Lakers returned from a successful road trip to host the struggling Nets. Bronny James was on court with his father for nearly 4 1/2 minutes after they checked in together to start the second quarter.
Both generations scored during their sequence together, with LeBron making a driving layup before he exchanged passes on the next possession with Bronny, who hit his 3-pointer from a step behind the line.
"Not taking it for granted, just being in the moment of us being on the floor once again," LeBron said. "That’s two games back-to-back, playing meaningful minutes, and him also making another play. ... . I got doubled, and he was able to fake the pass to the corner and then knock down the 3. Definitely a cool moment for us, and also for the family."
While discussing his latest chance to play with his father, Bronny flashed back to a pleasant father-son memory — for him, at least.
“Last time I played him 1-on-1, I don’t know if this story has came out, but he broke a backboard at our house in Miami,” Bronny said with a grin.
Austin Reaves, who was listening at the next locker, chimed in: “Because you won?”
Bronny nodded, his smile growing even bigger.
“Yeah! You can say that!” Reaves said. “Don’t leave that out!”
Bronny James has largely played mop-up minutes this season, his second with the Lakers, while also making trips down to their G League team during the season.
With starting guard Marcus Smart sidelined by injury for the past two games, Bronny got rotation minutes for the Lakers against Indiana and Brooklyn this week.
“I’ve gotten more and more reps, getting comfortable shooting behind the NBA line,” Bronny said. “It’s gotten more and more comfortable for me to shoot it just without thinking. Nothing much to it but just getting reps and keeping at it.”
Bronny's regular playing time in both leagues this season has allowed him to hone his offensive game. His father says his shot is returning to the effectiveness it had before Bronny had to recover from going into cardiac arrest during a practice at the University of Southern California in 2023.
“It’s just getting back to where it was before the incident,” LeBron said. “He’s always been able to shoot the ball. He’s shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball, so I think it’s just the confidence and the rhythm and getting his strength back, and his wind and everything. Everything is just coming back (to where it was) before the incident. So I’m not surprised to see him shoot the ball at a high clip.”
LeBron and Bronny are the first father and son ever to play in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.
While Bronny has a supporting role for the Lakers, he's grateful for the chance to learn and to grow. He also has a front-row seat to another year of big accomplishments from his father, who set the NBA's career record for games played this month.
“I’ve been wanting to play basketball my whole life,” Bronny said. “I knew that was going to be my job at one point, and it’s a dream come true. I’m so privileged to be able to play basketball for a job, and I love every single second of it.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) gets a dunk against the Indiana Pacers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, second from front right, and forward Jarred Vanderbilt, right, react after a dunk by guard Austin Reaves, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
