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Tennessee basketball: How have Vols previously fared after beating No. 1 teams?

By Caleb Calhoun

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Admiral Schofield #5 and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the court after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Admiral Schofield #5 and Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate on the court after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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3. 2007-2008: Tennessee defeats No. 1 Memphis 66-62

Date of the game: Sunday, Feb. 23, 2008

Vols record after the win: 25-2

Next game’s result: Tennessee loses to Vanderbilt 72-69

End result of the season: Vols win SEC regular season title, reach Sweet Sixteen

Tennessee basketball’s shocking upset win over the Kansas Jayhawks brought them together as a team and allowed them to make a shocking run later in the NCAA Tournament. However, this win seemed to do the opposite.

With Chris Lofton and Jauan Smith as seniors and Tyler Smith, ironically, a new addition to his program, Bruce Pearl’s third team may have been the greatest in school history. They had made it to No. 2 heading to Memphis to face the Tigers, who were No. 1 and undefeated in the most hyped game in the history of the state.

But a team known for up-tempo basketball and three-point shooting used defense to beat John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers. The 66-62 upset was a thriller that allowed these guys to reach No. 1. It didn’t last.

Maybe teams had figured out how to neutralize their offense without a true point guard. Or maybe they just got tired. But whatever the Vols had in the tank, they used it all against Memphis. Three days later, they had to face the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, and the quick turnaround against another tough team resulted in a loss.

The Vols did enough to still win the SEC regular season championship, but then they were upset in the tournament by the Arkansas Razorbacks. That cost them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they needed an ugly win over American and an overtime win over Butler to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

The lack of point guard play and lack of length finally bit them, as they got blown out by the Louisville Cardinals in that Sweet Sixteen game. Tennessee basketball was not the same team after beating the Tigers, as they were 25-2 at that point. They finished 31-5 and lost two of their final four games.

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