No. 5 Tennessee basketball overcame No. 6 Alabama in a late-game thriller Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at Food City Center.
No. 5 Tennessee basketball rallied from a nine-point deficit with less than 10 minutes remaining in its first-ever AP top-six showdown on its home court, defeating sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 79-76 on Saturday evening.
This is a game Tennessee basketball and its supporters will never forget.
With 3.8 seconds remaining on the clock and Rick Barnes and Zakai Zeigker both requesting a timeout, Jahmai Mashack set his feet and fired a 35-foot 3-pointer, crouching to the ground as the ball traveled through the air. He drilled it, and the Volunteers defeated Alabama at Food City Center.
“This crowd — it’s nothing like it,” Mashack exclaimed postgame. “I don’t do that without my team.”
Standout guard Mark Sears was particularly impressive. He led all players with 24 points, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-9 from behind the arc. He was exceptional at getting to the rim and finding any open Alabama player.
Freshman Labaron Philon scored 13 points, and sophomore guard Aden Holloway added 11 points off the bench on 3-of-6 shooting from deep.
Takeaway #1: Lanier, Gainey, and Zeigler worked together to lead the Vols’ offensive attack.
Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey carried Tennessee’s offensive load in the first half.
Standout transfer Chaz Lanier tallied nine of the team’s first 13 points with clever moves and aggressive cuts that led to solid jumpers.
Senior guard Jordan Gainey matched Lanier’s energy and delivered nine points on 3-of-7 shooting overall.
Lanier and Gainey combined for 21 of the 38 first-half points. Both guards finished with a co-team high of 18 points.
Zakai Zeigler’s first half was hampered by two early fouls, which forced him to sit for nine minutes. He finished the opening 20 minutes with only two points and a turnover.
The 5-foot-9 guard shined again in the second half, scoring 13 points and dishing out three assists for a total of 15 points and four assists.
Takeaway #2: The Volunteers did not control the defensive battle
Tennessee has won the turnover battle in the previous three encounters between these two teams. Alabama committed 53 turnovers in those games, compared to Tennessee’s 21. Leading up to the top-10 clash, both teams struggled with turnovers throughout SEC play.
The Crimson Tide turned it over 12 times against Tennessee, and the Volunteers matched that total.
Alabama’s high-powered offense found the success it lacked in its previous losses as it improved its ball-handling.
Tennessee struggled all afternoon with dribble-drive penetration from the Crimson Tide. Alabama additionally hit shots from beyond the arc, going 9-of-24 for the game.
The Tide also dominated the rebound battle. Alabama outrebounded the Vols 43-32 overall and 13-7 offensively.
Both teams finished with five blocks, and the Tide recorded three more takeaways, with eight thefts to the Volunteers’ five.
Takeaway #3: Jahmai Mashack salvaged a terrible performance in the final minutes for Tennessee.
After Gainey’s jumper tied the game at 68 with 6:18 left, the Vols went without a field goal until Lanier’s basket cut the lead to two with 30 seconds left. Mashack made his impact at this point, laying the groundwork for the winning shot.
Lanier was fouled on his made floater but failed to convert the free throw. Mashack was fouled while attempting to rebound. He converted both free shots, tying the score 76-76.
The senior guard made the crucial defensive play on Alabama’s next possession. He tangled up Alabama guard Labaron Philon as the rookie tried to drive in the final ten seconds, preventing Philon from spinning into a floater and forcing a jump ball.
Alabama called a timeout. Cade Phillips covered Philon on the inbound play, but Alabama was unable to get the ball in, and coach Nate Oats did not utilize one of his two remaining timeouts.
“I had a chance to call a timeout––coaches can call timeouts on the underneath out-of-bounds play,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats told reporters postgame. “I should’ve called it, thought we were getting it in, but that’s on me.”
This incident set up Mashack’s game-winning shot.
The 6-foot-4 guard used a savvy screen from Felix Okpara to get free from Alabama forward Grant Nelson. Mashack took a dribble to his left to create the shot. Shooting it over 6-foot-11 forward Clifford Omoruyi, it hit the front rim and went in.
“To be honest with you, I was calling a timeout,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said after the game. “I didn’t see the play. I knew the way they lined up, Shack [Mashack] and I made eye contact, and I felt like if he could get it and get it as far down the floor. If we could just get it across halfcourt and have one second on the clock, we got a play where I thought we could get a high-percentage shot instead of the shot from halfcourt.”
Barnes signaled for a timeout with 1.6 seconds left, just as Mashack was crossing halfcourt. After failing to grab the referee’s attention, Barnes yelled for a whistle, even turning his back on the Mashack before the guard’s game-winner.
Although things did not go as planned, Rick Barnes’ squad ultimately benefited.
The Vols needed Mashack’s buzzer-beater in a win they needed for a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Tennessee basketball will seek to extend its win streak to five as it travels to Oxford, Miss., to face the unranked Ole Miss Rebels in its penultimate regular-season game.
Next up for Tennessee basketball (23-5, 10-5): at Ole Miss (20-9, 9-7) – Mar. 5 at 9 p.m. EST
Next up for Alabama basketball (14-14, 3-12): at No. 3 Florida (24-4, 11-4) – Mar. 5 at 7 p.m. EST