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Tennessee basketball week in review: Vols good enough for No.1 ranking?

By Billy Williford

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 17: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts in the second half against the Loyola Ramblers during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on March 17, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 17: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts in the second half against the Loyola Ramblers during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the American Airlines Center on March 17, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – JANUARY 19: John Petty #23 of the Alabama Crimson Tide drives past Jordan Bone #0 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of their game at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 19, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

No.2 – Bama’s best shot wasn’t good enough

I don’t want to be one of those writer’s that don’t give credit where it’s due. However, I think we all can agree Tennessee looked awful against Alabama for most of the game. Now, Avery Johnson put his team in great positions defensively to make the Vols uncomfortable.

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Just one game after shooting 61 percent from the three-point line, the Crimson Tide limited the Vols to 25 percent from beyond the arc. It was an ugly performance, and down the stretch, you saw Tennessee almost give the game away.

Again, we can always play the “what if” game but Alabama shot just 44 percent from the free throw line. It could have been a different outcome if they make a couple more and put pressure on the Vols.

I’m talking to you, John Petty. No, I’m not hating, the guy balled out. Petty came off the bench and scored a game-high 30 points and was the reason Alabama got back into the game after halftime.

The Tide went on a 13-0 run to gain the lead early in the second half; Petty had eight of those points. But, he couldn’t make his free throws when it mattered most. He shot just 2-of-5 from the line. In fact, he shot 20 percent better from three-point line where he shot 6-of-10.

Again, not trying to be that writer but we can all agree that it was one of the worst performances for the Vols all season, and one of Alabama’s best. In the end, Tennessee extended their winning streak to 12 games and put themselves in position for the top ranking in the AP Poll.

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