BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Connecticut lost to Tennessee 65-51 on Sunday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. But for all intents and purposes, the Huskies' fate was sealed on Friday when All-America point guard

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Khalid El-Amin severely sprained his ankle in the opening round.

Whether or not El-Amin would play against Tennessee wasn't the question. He vowed he would be in uniform for his team.

Whether his tender ankle could hold up against the Vols quick backcourt as well as the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center hardwood was the pressing concern.

The answer came less than five minutes into the game. And from the way it looked, the Huskies hopes of defending their national title were about as stable as El-Amin's ankle.

El-Amin was in the lineup for the opening tip, but it was obvious it would be difficult for him to play for an extended amount of time on the gimpy ankle. During the first timeout at the 15-minute mark, he took himself out only to return to spot duty. He played just 13 total minutes (he averaged 32 during the season) and contributed a three-pointer, two rebounds and one assist. And the Huskies never had a chance.

"I knew at warmups I would not be able to be effective," said El-Amin in a somber Huskies locker room afterward, still walking gingerly on the right ankle. "The doctors didn't want me to go out there, but I had to give it a shot. I couldn't just sit there in street clothes."

The Huskies were at a loss -- literally -- without their veteran floor leader. Connecticut looked in disarray offensively, forcing up hurried shots and relying on its one-on-one game too often. The dual freshman combo of Tony Robertson and Marcus Cox didn't equal a healthy El-Amin. They absorbed most of the minutes at point guard while El-Amin could only helplessly sit and watch UConn's ineptness. The Huskies had only four assists compared to 15 turnovers.

"He makes us go left, right. He energizes us. He coaches on the floor," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said of El-Amin. "It's very difficult to ask people to step in for an All-American. Our offense struggled tremendously. But I'm not disappointed with either of those guys. They'll be good players."

Offensively, the Huskies could never get into a flow. On the defensive end, lightning-quick Vols guard Tony Harris presented another challenge. It didn't matter if Calhoun elected to play straight up man-to-man or zone, Harris was able to go for a Sunday drive right into the Huskies defense. And once he penetrated, Harris was either fouled or found open teammates for open looks. His 12 free throw attempts and 18 points were both game-highs.

"Khalid's a great player," Harris said. "I think you could kind of see that they were sometimes lost out there. He's their point guard and he basically runs the show for them."

Without El-Amin directing traffic for Connecticut, Tennessee was able to win consecutive NCAA Tournament games for the first time in school history.

"They are not the same team without Khalid El-Amin. I feel bad for Khalid," Tennessee coach Jerry Green said. "He's a great point guard and you could see the difference with him not out there on the court. They're not the same team without him. I really feel for them and for him not being as healthy as they would have liked to been."

Said El-Amin: "It was disappointing. It hurts inside knowing you could've done more. Especially in this game, this was a very winnable game. (Losing on) a last-second shot wouldn't have hurt this much."

Future considerations

With the 1999-2000 season now a memory, the attention has turned to if El-Amin will return to Connecticut for his senior season. El-Amin will meet with Calhoun "sometime in the next few weeks" and announce his plans after the NCAA Tournament.

"I think it is too early (to discuss) right now," El-Amin said. "I haven't made a decision about my future."

Case-y closed

Stanford freshman Casey Jacobsen finished with only five points against Carolina. He was 2-for-12 from the floor, including only 1-of-8 (12 percent) from three-point land. Jacobsen averaged 14 points this season for the Cardinal en route to All-Pac 10 honors. He made 44 percent of his three-pointers during the season.

"We did a great job closing on their shooters," Carolina freshman Joseph Forte said. "Defensively is what did it for us. The big guys did the job inside and (Carolina's guards) stayed tight on the perimeter. We knew they had great shooters. Coach (Guthridge) stressed defense and that was the key for us."

Movin' on up

Tennessee basketball has a long, storied tradition. But the men's team is starting to catch up to the Lady Vols. The victory over UConn gave Tennessee its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1981. It was the first time the Vols have won two games to advance to the third round of the tournament. They received a first-round bye in the 1981 NCAA Tournament then defeated Virginia Commonwealth to make the Sweet 16.

"It's really special to do something that hasn't been done here before," senior forward C.J. Black said. "But this is only the start. We've got a lot of talented, young players who are only freshman and sophomores."

Winning combo

With the loss to Tennessee, Connecticut lost the two most successful players (record-wise) in school history, Jake Voskuhl and Kevin Freeman. During their four years, Freeman and Voskuhl won 109 games, three Big East titles and a national championship.

"I miss them already," Calhoun said of his two seniors. "I don't know what the gym will be like without them. I'll miss them. I loved coaching them and I wish them the best of luck in the future."

Heel at heart

As the media waited outside a victorious North Carolina locker room, sounds of celebration could be heard throughout the bowels of the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center. After about five minutes of intense celebration, the doors were opened to allow access to the media -- and former Carolina great and current CBS Sports color commentator James Worthy emerged with a satisfying grin.

Worthy called the game for CBS along with Dick Enberg.