Tennessee basketball is headed to a third straight Sweet 16.

The No. 2 seed Vols face either No. 3 seed Kentucky or No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday in Indianapolis. The Wildcats and Fighting Illini play at 5:15 p.m. ET Sunday in Milwaukee.

The Vols faced Kentucky twice in the regular season and lost both matchups. UK shot 12-for-24 on 3-pointers in both games. They beat Illinois 66-64 in December on a Jordan Gainey buzzer-beater.

Tennessee (29-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third season in a row for the first time in program history with a 67-58 win against UCLA on Saturday in Lexington, Ky. UT beat Wofford 77-62 in the opening round Thursday.

Chaz Lanier scored 20 points against UCLA after scoring 29 against Wofford. He has made 10 3-pointers so far in the NCAA Tournament. The senior guard broke Chris Lofton’s single-season record for 3-pointers with his third 3-pointer. He has made 120 this season.

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Who does Tennessee basketball play next in March Madness? 

Tennessee will face either No. 3 seed Kentucky or No. 6 seed Illinois in the Sweet 16.

Tennessee basketball Sweet 16 game time

A game time has yet to be announced for Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

DEFENSE: How Tennessee basketball beat UCLA with ‘sharks in bloody water’ defense to reach Sweet 16

Tennessee basketball Sweet 16 designation

Tennessee’s Sweet 16 game has to receive a TV delegation.

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