In a nail-biting game in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday, No. 6 Tennessee basketball fell to in-state rival Vanderbilt Commodores 76-75.
The Volunteers cut a 10-point lead to just two points in under three minutes.
With 11.9 seconds remaining in the game and the Commodores leading 76-74, head coach Rick Barnes called a timeout to draw up a play to tie the game. The play was designed for standout guard Chaz Lanier. The Volunteers cleared out and gave Lanier one-on-one isolation, which allowed a straight-line drive to the rim. Vanderbilt’s Chris Manon denied Lanier’s layup attempt emphatically.
Tennessee would have another chance to tie the game after freshman guard Tyler Tanner missed a free throw, and Vanderbilt fouled Chaz Lanier after regaining the ball with 2.8 seconds left.
Shooting 77 percent from the free throw stripe on the season, Lanier sank the first of two free throws while the crowd erupted. With his teammates’ eyes closed and hoping to convert the second attempt, Lanier followed the same routine but this time missed the game-tying free throw.
Students stormed the court after the buzzer sounded.
With this loss, Tennessee basketball earned its second loss of the season and SEC play.
Mark Byington, the first-year head coach, won his first meeting against Rick Barnes and the Volunteers.
Additionally, Vanderbilt’s scoring output was a season-high allowed by the Vols. Vanderbilt found a way to keep Tennessee on its heels and make life difficult for the Vols’ defense, which few teams do.
Four players finished in double figures: junior guard Jason Edwards with a game-high 18, sophomore forward Jaylen Carey with 14 off the bench, junior guard Tyler Nickel with 13, and senior guard AJ Hoggard with 11.
Takeaway #1: Starters lead effort for the Volunteers
Tennessee’s attack primarily relied on its starting lineup.
Ohio State transfer Felix Okpara tied his career high and finished with a season-best 16 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field. He also added four rebounds and an impressive four blocks to add to his stat line.
Charlotte transfer Igor Milicic Jr. scored 16 points while shooting an efficient 5-of-8 overall and 2-of-4 from three-point range. He tallied five rebounds and played a key role in the Vols’ comeback in the last minutes of the second half.
After averaging 8.3 points per game while shooting a poor 8-of-43 (18.6%) from the field and 4-of-24 (16.7%) from three-point range, standout North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier found his shooting stroke again. He totaled a team-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor and a spectacular 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Lanier hit timely shots in the second half to keep the game in reach.
Senior guard Zakai Zeigler was Tennessee’s most valuable player on Saturday. Despite being in foul trouble for much of the game, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 assists.
Takeaway #2: Foul trouble leads to make-shift lineups and offensive struggles
Zakai Zeigler was substituted after committing his second foul with 7:10 remaining in the first half.
Coach Barnes elected to sit his veteran guard for the remainder of the half. The senior point guard took a seat on the bench as Tennessee led by five. The Volunteers trailed by six points as they returned to the locker room for halftime.
With Zeigler on the bench, the Vols’ offense lacked rhythm and juice. They made just one field goal, a Chaz Lanier three, the rest of the half while turning it over three times. Without Zeigler creating offense, Tennessee struggled to generate open looks.
Barnes explained that he thought the Vols could stick close to Vanderbilt with Zeigler out, which they did. They trailed by only two points until Vanderbilt guard Tyler Nickel converted a 4-point play after being fouled by Jahmai Mashack in the final seconds of the first half.
“No, because I mean, I thought we could stay there. If you think about it, it ended, what was the score at halftime? We were down six. It was a two-point game. We were there and switched for no reason and then fouled a 3-point shooter. And if we hadn’t switched, we had the coverage we wanted. But again, we just switched for no reason and gave a terrific shooter a wide-open shot, and we fouled him. But no, we weren’t going to risk that (Zeigler with two fouls) because I thought (if) we were able to just hold it right there. Again, we had that defensive lapse, and it hurt us. And we came out, again, give (Vanderbilt) credit. It’s about us. We’ve still got to improve, and we can get so much better, but we’re going to have to do it.” – Rick Barnes.
Rick Barnes will look for ways to keep the offense moving and productive even when Zeigler is not on the court.
Takeaway #3: Both teams have nearly identical stats
Neither the Commodores nor Volunteers dominated each other in any category on Saturday.
Each team nearly shot identically during the matchup. Tennessee slightly edged Vanderbilt with 48/48/81 shooting splits compared to Vanderbilt’s 46/38/84.
The physical battle was close, with the Commodores outrebounding the Vols 29-25. Vanderbilt also outscored the Volunteers in the paint 34-28.
In a tight defensive battle, the Vols finished with five blocks and four steals. Vanderbilt fell short one block, tallying four total, but matched Tennessee with four takeaways.
Both teams recorded the same amount of turnovers (11).
The Volunteers return to action Tuesday at 7 p.m., when they welcome No. 15 Mississippi State at Food City Center, live on ESPN2.
To keep up with Tennessee Volunteers basketball on social media, follow @BleedOrangeRev on X/Twitter.
Next up for Tennessee basketball (16-2, 3-2): vs. No. 15 Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2) – Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. EST
Next up for Vanderbilt basketball (15-3, 3-2): at No. 4 Alabama (15-3, 4-1) – Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. EST