A well choreographed “Dixieland Delight” poured over the speakers as the time expired on Wednesday evening, signaling Tennessee’s win over the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
It’s the first time Tennessee has defeated Alabama in both football and men’s basketball since the 2006-2007 season. Those basketball teams were led by Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith and Wayne Chism and it took overtime for the Vols to defeat the Tide in that low scoring 69-66 February affair. On Wednesday, it was a similar type of contest, but it would be Tennessee’s role players who made the difference.
Jonas Aidoo got his second start in as many games. Fellow sophomore Jamai Mayshack got the start in this one, too. Mayshack got a big offensive board on the Vols first possession but his two shots from the field were dry. He played with confidence throughout but couldn’t quite get his shots to drop. While he failed to score a point, his 27 minutes were monumental in the outcome.
Zakai “Zip” Zeigler put the Vols on the board with a big three and Santiago Vescovi added one of his own on the next trip.
Early on the Vols led 6-3 and appeared to have no remnants of a hangover from losing two games in a row on buzzer-beating shots. Blank photographer Bill Foster got his first touch when an Aidoo jumper squirted out of bounds and into his hands.
Bama soon answered with a pair of free throws and Oliver Nkamhoua hit a bucket and got fouled but missed his free throw to stretch the lead to 8-7 at the first media timeout.
Tobe Awaka, Uros Plavsic and Tyreke Key entered as the first subs for Tennessee. Key shot a fade away that was plenty wet but just a bit off-mark and Bama threw it away on their inbounds just after.
Zip is unflappable with the ball in his hand and calmly commanded the Tennessee offense throughout the first eight minutes of the contest. He routinely sank deep into the Alabama defense and facilitated from the lane quite often.
A Plavsic hustle play resulted in a three for Zeigler, but Bama’s Brandon Miller answered immediately. Miller scored again on the Tide’s next possession to give Alabama its first lead of the contest with 13:30 to go in the first half. He went on to lead the Tide with 14 points.
Plavsic got a steal on the inbound just as I was noticing how enormous he was on in-bounds situations but Mayshack was called for a charge on the other end.
Awaka demonstrated excellent defense and forced a takeaway that resulted in a transition bucket for Key and Mayshack played more sticky to force another Bama turnover on the next play. With just under 12 minutes left in the half, Tennessee led again 13-12.
Aidoo finally got a mid range jumper to fall and followed with last second tip-in on an errant Nkamhoua shot to stretch the lead to five halfway through the half. It was the biggest lead by either team up to that point.
After an Alabama score, Nkamhoua brought the house up with a thunderous alley-opp off the hands of Vescovi on a pick and roll.
UT had the favor of good energy going in to each media break.
A Zeigler three and a couple of tough Plavsic baskets stretched the lead a bit wider before the under four minute timeout was called and former UT quarterback Josh Dobbs shot the T-Shirt cannon with aplomb.
As play resumed, Awaka stood at the free throw line with two shots. He missed both.
The Vols must get better behind the stripe if it wants to make a run in March.
The rest of the half went back and forth but began to lean slightly in Alabama’s favor.
When Mayshack was called for a blocking foul well after the play was finished, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes asked for a replay, which showed that Mayshack was on the receiving end of an elbow. Nothing came of it and the Crimson Tide got one of the two free throws to fall, tying the game at 29 at half.
Turnovers kept the Vols in the game in the opening stanza. Tennessee scored 17 points off of 12 turnovers while Bama failed to score off of just four Vol giveaways.
The Vols failed to score much outside of those opportunities as it shot just 30 percent from the field and an abysmal 43 percent from the free throw line.
Alabama outrebounded the Vols 25-19 and had three blocks to the Vols one.
UT opened the second half with another big alley-opp dunk by Nkamhoua.
Aidoo got a steal, a bucket and a defensive rebound to follow and the Vols led by four in a hurry.
Vescovi hit just his second shot of the contest with 16:50 to go in the game, which stretched the lead back to five.
Alabama’s Miller answered, of course, but Vescovi snuck in another immediately after.
Vescoi hit another three with just under 11 to play, but Nimari Burnette answered with a triple of his own. Tennessee led 47-43, but it just couldn’t shake the Tide.
The games’ final ten minutes were as physical as any thus far this season and the game took on a tournament feel as time dwindled down.
Plavsic got a prayer to fall as he was falling backwards under the basket and he hit his free throw to give the Vols a nine-point lead with five to go and of course, Bama answered with a three. Bama teams have been hard to shake under head coach Nate Oates, but this squad is especially irritating for opponents. The Vols would outlast the Tide in this one, though.
With 1:19 to go, Vescovi slowly walked to the free throw line with the Vols up eight. In the previous two games, his missed free throws have left the door open for last second, game-winning shots.
He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Alabama hit a three to close the lead to just five with one minute remaining. Here we go.
Zip was then fouled and had the same opportunity. Zip made one of two.
After a steal, Miller executed his fifth and final foul on Vescovi, who this time made both.
With 41.7 ticks to go, the Vols lead was back up to eight.
Vesoci added two more free throws to seal it and the Vols had dismissed its two-game losing streak by defeating the top ranked Tide.
Mayshack, Aidoo and Awaka’s play on the defensive end reached new heights against Alabama and on a night when the Vols had trouble scoring, these performances were the difference.
The Crimson Tide proved its ranking to be of merit with its ability to score quickly but Tennessee’s defensive pressure and crowd energy proved to be too daunting.
The Vols played with renewed energy and worked to push the ball up the court more often than not on Wednesday evening.
In the end, the free throws that had been the bane of Tennessee’s existence were the difference. This is how it goes as February turns into March.
Other Notes
- D.J. Jefferson got the nod for “One Fly, We All Fly” before the game. He’s by far the most athletic player on the team and went absolutely nuts with all his pregame dunks, including the one that mattered. The crowd noticed. He will be fun to watch as he grows into his minutes.
- Jonas Aidoo scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his best game as a Vol.
- Zip and Vescovi each scored 15, with 13 of Vescovi’s coming in the second half. Zeigler had nine in the first half.
- Tennessee held Alabama to 30 percent shooting from the field in the second half. Mark Sears scored just two points in the game. He averages 14 per game.
- “It’s what we’re going to have to do from here on out,” said head coach Rick Barnes just after the game on Wednesday evening. “There’s a lot of basketball left to play.”
