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Tennessee Basketball: No Vols Stepped Up in the Final Minute vs Georgia

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 9, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Admiral Schofield (5) leaves the floor after missing the game-winning shot against the Georgia Bulldogs during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Georgia won 59-57. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Admiral Schofield (5) leaves the floor after missing the game-winning shot against the Georgia Bulldogs during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Georgia won 59-57. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee basketball lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Men’s SEC Tournament Thursday because no Volunteers stepped up in the final minute of the game.

Robert Hubbs III was clearly dealing with an injury. Grant Williams was out of control and in foul trouble as Mark Fox once again managed to give him a hard time. Apparently, that’s all you needed to beat this Tennessee basketball team.

Despite all of that, the Vols somehow managed to stay in the game against the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday until the final minute.

With the Vols trailing by two, they fouled Georgia late. Mike Edwards gave Tennessee a gift by missing both free throws. Lamonte Turner got the rebound, and Tennessee had 20 seconds to get a shot off to tie the game.

They had just called a timeout, so you’d figure that a good shot was down the line, right? Wrong!

With Hubbs and Williams struggling, the rest of the Tennessee basketball team was completely out of sync.

Williams set Lamonte Turner up for a great three-point look. Turner passed it to Jordan Bone. Bone and Turner went back and forth with Admiral Schofield back on the perimeter. The ball went back to Williams’s hands.

Williams gave it to Bone, who threw it to Schofield.

And Schofield, of all people, had to jack up a game-winning three with three seconds left. It didn’t come close.

But with Turner one of the hot scorers on the night, why wouldn’t he shoot it? He had a solid look. Bone isn’t a bad three-point shooter either, and he had solid looks.

And if they aren’t going to take the risk, why not drive and see if they can get a foul? They’re only down by two!

But a desperation shot from Schofield is nowhere near your top choice in this situation.

Grant Ramey says in an article on GoVols247 that the Vols wanted that shot.

That’s hard to believe.

Neither wanted to step up in the final minute, and that’s a shame.

As Rick Barnes heads into the offseason with this team, he needs them to develop more mental toughness.

After all, Tennessee lost this game because nobody wanted to take control down the stretch.

All season long, the Vols relied on Hubbs and Williams to do the work, but when somebody else needed to step up, nobody did.

That is just not okay.

And with Hubbs graduating, Barnes will need more than just Williams to take the lead next year.

Tennessee basketball’s season is over because not enough Vols wanted to take over.

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