Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) shoots the ball against Wofford Terriers guard Justin Bailey (5) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images LEXINGTON, Ky. — Chaz Lanier fell just a point shy of his season-high with 29 points while Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 12 assists to lead No. 2 Tennessee to a 77-62 first-round win over No. 15 Wofford in the Midwest Region on Thursday night at Rupp Arena.
Lanier’s 3-pointer with 2:50 remaining iced Tennessee’s fourth win in five games and sent the Volunteers (28-7) onto the second round on Saturday in Lexington, where they will play either No. 7 UCLA or No. 10 Utah State.
Lanier nearly matched his 17.7-point average in the first half, draining three 3-pointers and totaling 14 points to help Tennessee to a comfortable double-digit lead.
Jackson Sivills led Wofford (19-16) with 15 points and five rebounds. Corey Tripp added 14 and Jeremy Lorenz had 12 for the Terriers, who won the Southern Conference as a six seed.
Justin Bailey’s layup brought Wofford within two, 10-8, with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. But then Bailey and the Terriers went ice cold from the field and free-throw line, allowing Tennessee to pull away with a 12-0 run to open a 22-8 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Amid the Tennessee surge, Bailey was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and missed all three free throws.
A Corey Tripp triple with 12:45 left in the second half cut Tennessee’s lead to single digits at 52-43. But Lanier sparked a 9-2 run with back-to-back jumpers that pushed the Volunteers’ advantage back to 16.
Wofford relied on 3-point shooting to stay in striking distance but could only get as close nine points, 64-55, on a Jeremy Lorenz 3-pointer with 8:19 left.
Six straight points from Tennessee, however, secured a 70-55 lead with four minutes left as the Volunteers cruised to the win.
–Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media
