2023 March Madness 1st round bracket breakdown: East Region
No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 13 Louisiana
The Tennessee and Louisiana matchup on Thursday could very well be closer than some expect. At 26-7, the Ragin鈥� Cajuns are an underrated team, as they have lost just three times since the calendar turned to 2023. Although that included losing three games in a four-game stretch during mid February, Louisiana bounced back to win three games and claim a title in last weekend鈥檚 Sun Belt Tournament. A solid team on both ends, Louisiana has a short rotation, but they are led by 6-foot-11 junior forward Jordan Brown who averages 19.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Most fans are more familiar with what the Vols bring to the table, as they went 23-10 to finish fifth in a strong SEC Conference. Led by Rick Barnes, Tennessee has plenty of experience with senior guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James. However, the Vols lost perhaps their biggest scoring threat, Zakai Zeigler, to a torn ACL late in the regular season. It has only added to a recent slide for Tennessee that has seen them go just 5-7 in its last 12 games. At full health, this is a team that has beaten Kansas, Texas and Alabama, but it will be interesting to see how the Vols mask the loss of Zeigler in tournament play. If they can鈥檛, an upset could be in store for the Ragin鈥� Cajuns.
With 饾悞饾悇饾悑饾悇饾悅饾悡饾悎饾悗饾悕 饾悞饾悢饾悕饾悆饾悁饾悩 around the corner, relive the magic that was Monday night.
— Louisiana Ragin鈥� Cajuns庐 Men's Basketball (@RaginCajunsMBB)
