Chaz Lanier is making the most of his one chance at March Madness with No. 2 seed Tennessee

Chaz Lanier is taking full advantage of his chance in the NCAA Tournament for both himself and No. 2 seed Tennessee.

The Tennessee native returned home last spring as a graduate transfer after four seasons at North Florida, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Dalton Knecht, who played one year with the Volunteers before reaching the NBA.

Now, Lanier heads into Friday night’s Midwest Region semifinal against Kentucky in Indianapolis as Tennessee’s best 3-point shooter in a single season. He’s also been performing at his best during his one opportunity at March Madness, averaging 24.5 points in the first two games. He’s made 10 of 18 3-pointers, breaking the record for the most 3-pointers in a season with 120, surpassing Chris Lofton’s 118 in 2007-08.

“Blessed to be able to leave my mark on Tennessee Basketball…” Lanier wrote on social media. “Thank you for all the support!! Let’s keep building!!”

The Vols (29-7) will need Lanier to keep making shots to reach their second straight Elite Eight and chase the program’s first Final Four appearance. The 6-foot-5 guard is Tennessee’s leading scorer, averaging 18.1 points per game.

“You expect him to take those shots, and I tell him every time he shoots the ball, I think it’s going in,” senior point guard Zakai Zeigler said of Lanier. “So if he misses, I want him to shoot the next one.”

Lanier has certainly improved as a player and physically since returning to Tennessee for his final season. He already had a 6-10 arm span, allowing him to shoot over taller defenders. Working with Tennessee’s training staff, Lanier added more than 2 1/2 inches to his vertical jump and gained 12.9 pounds, now weighing in at 209 pounds.

He ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference for points per game

Lanier made a big impact in the opening game of the tournament against Wofford by scoring 29 points, the third-most by a Volunteer in an NCAA Tournament game and the most in a win. He made six 3-pointers, tying the program’s record for most 3s in a single NCAA Tournament game.

In the second-round win over UCLA at Rupp Arena, he was tied for fourth in Division I with 116 made 3-pointers. He led the Vols with 20 points, hitting 4 out of 5 3-pointers, and celebrated by showing three fingers.

Lanier leads the SEC in 3-pointers made per game, with an average of 3.3. He is shooting 41% and playing 31.6 minutes per game. Only AP All-American Johni Broome (238) has made more field goals in the SEC than Lanier’s 226.

Coach Rick Barnes, whose only Final Four appearance came at Texas in 2003, wants Lanier to keep shooting. “I’m always wanting him to come off and shoot 3s, but I said, ‘You’ve got to do what you think,’ and he’s really comfortable at the mid-range as well,” Barnes said.

Lanier has developed his mid-range shot, especially after coming off screens set by 6-10 Felix Okpara and others. Barnes credited Okpara for setting 14 screens against Wofford that led to points for Lanier.

“I think that Chaz probably leads the nation in shirts pulled out…,” Barnes said of Lanier. “His shirt tail is always out because he has learned to really cut, move, and he’s going to get down. They’re going to down him.

And what that means is they’re going to try to face-guard him and keep him from cutting to the ball. He’s learned how to handle that and he’s learned how to use it to his advantage.”

Barnes said Lanier has really improved in the past three weeks at reading not just his own defender but also where the help is coming from when Tennessee sets a screen. This helps him go to the basket more.

Lanier has also worked on his defensive skills, seeking advice from Zeigler and senior guard Jahmai Mashack. Lanier’s scoring also gives the Vols extra energy on defense.

“It definitely frees us up for getting a lot of energy on the defensive end, trying to create turnovers,” Mashack said about Lanier. “But when he’s hot, you try to give him the basketball and that’s kinda how you play. I think we did a good job of doing that.”

Barnes believes Lanier will keep getting better.

“He’s just getting started,” Barnes said. “You think about how much he’s improved this year and how much he’s really improved in the last month, it’s really pretty remarkable. It’s really been neat coaching him because we’ve expected a lot from him, and he’s come in and has been just a great teammate.

He’s never made it about himself… I think he’s done as good a job as any incoming player as a transfer.”