Tennessee basketball rolls in March Madness opener vs St Peter's, will face Texas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. − Tennessee basketball quickly quelled any thought that there would be March magic in March Madness for Saint Peter's on Thursday.

The Vols had a boring NCAA Tournament opener in the best ways. They got standout play from their best, buried the underdog Peacocks immediately, and rolled into the second round in complete form.

No. 2 Tennessee raced past the No. 15 Peacocks 83-49 at Spectrum Center to get within a win of a third Sweet 16 under coach Rick Barnes. The Vols will face No. 7-seeded Texas (21-12) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, CBS) for a trip to Detroit and the Midwest Regional.

Dalton Knecht led the Vols (25-8) with 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Zakai Zeigler had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Saint Peter's (19-14). Jonas Aidoo had 15 points and six rebounds.

Jonas Aidoo set the tone against St. Peter's

Aidoo had three dunks and seven points in the first 3:30 against the Peacocks. The junior forward was active from the start. He posted up hard, rolled to the rim and got running in transition. It was textbook play from Aidoo, who continues to be a difference-maker for Tennessee when he is at his best.

He briefly left the bench after a hard fall on a flagrant foul, but returned and entered the game late in the first half.

Zakai Zeigler was elite, controlling Tennessee's attack

Zeigler threw a lob to Aidoo for a dunk for UT's second score then got Aidoo on a post-up for another dunk.

Zeigler had one of those games against the Peacocks where he was in total control offensively. He had equal success passing the ball and shooting it. He also matched up with his brother, Armoni, defensively on a possession in the first half. He trailed the Peacocks' Zeigler from one corner to the other and to the win.

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Tennessee played excellent defensively

Saint Peter's reached the 10-point mark with 6:30 left before halftime. It reached the 20-point mark on a 3-pointer in the final seconds before halftime.

Tennessee built a 20-point lead with 4:08 to play in the first half and routinely led by 30 in the second half.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.