Tennessee basketball: 10 memorable games between Vols and Memphis Tigers

9. 2001-2002: Memphis beats Tennessee 71-69 (Game played Dec. 15, 2001)

It was John Calipari’s second year with the Memphis Tigers, and he had the same thing going for him that Josh Pastner had nine years later. After an NIT appearance his first year, he used the best recruiting class in the country, led by Dajuan Wagner, to generate a ton of hype.

Tennessee basketball, meanwhile, was rebuilding in a new era under Buzz Peterson, one that nobody knew yet would turn disastrous. After four years of Jerry Green, Peterson had tons of talent, but academic issues and injuries limited them when the two met in this game.

However, the Vols were riding a five-game winning streak over the Tigers, the longest in the history of the series, and they wanted to keep it going. In a back and forth game, it seemed like they would. But Memphis built a big second-half lead.

Peterson’s team fought back and had the ball late down by three points, but Calipari made the call he wasn’t smart enough to make years later in the national championship game. He actually did instruct his players to intentionally foul.

That put the Vols on the free throw line, and they couldn’t get the rebound from their second missed free throw. So they lost 71-69. It was a hint of what would be a string of close losses on the year for Peterson’s team, as they went 15-16 with nine losses by five points or less and four that included last-minute shots.