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Tennessee basketball: Ranking all 6 Vols losses of 2018-2019 by heartbreak

By Caleb Calhoun

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 28: The Tennessee Volunteers bench looks on against the Purdue Boilermakers during overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 28: The Tennessee Volunteers bench looks on against the Purdue Boilermakers during overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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2. No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 13 LSU Tigers

Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019

The SEC regular season championship is always a bigger deal than the tournament championship for legitimate teams, and that’s what makes this game No. 2. It had all the factors: heartbreak and direct result in loss of a championship.

Tennessee basketball’s SEC regular season title prospects would always come down to LSU. That was clear a week and a half before, after they got away with a huge break to beat the Kentucky Wildcats on the road. This Saturday morning showdown would basically determine the title.

Related Story. Tennessee basketball: Vols 5 best wins of 2018-2019. light

By losing, the Vols didn’t just lose a share of the title. They ended up losing a chance at winning it outright. What was worse was how they lost. This was a close game the whole time, but the Vols blew a chance to win it on the final possession in regulation. Then, in overtime, they were up by 2 with 5 seconds to go.

LSU tied it up with a layup, and then Lamonte Turner rushed the ball up the court. Not thinking, he forced a quick three-pointer, which the Tigers rebounded. They then got fouled with a second left, and because they were in the bonus, they could shoot free throws. Ja’vonte Smart hit two to win the game. If Turner calls timeout, though, this is probably a different story.

Anyway, the heartbreak of the loss combined with what it cost make this one of the toughest losses of the year to swallow for Vol Nation. But it still isn’t the hardest loss the team suffered on the year.

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