Tennessee basketball: Grant Williams’ 10 greatest games with Vols
1. Jan. 23, 2019 at Vanderbilt
Tennessee: 88 Vanderbilt: 83 (OT)
Grant Williams stat line: 43 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal
Is there any question that this was going to be Grant Williams’ best game on this list? Who cares about that fact that it was against the Vanderbilt Commodores, a team who went winless in the SEC this year?
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So many other things went into this being an elite game. Raw totals? Well, 43 points make that a check. Clutch performance? How about Williams taking over on the road to lead his team to a overtime victory?
What about efficiency? Well, that one’s obvious. The guy shot 66.7 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free throw line. By the way, that 100 percent was going 23-of-23, which is insane. He carried the Vols to victory.
This was Tennessee basketball’s first game as the No. 1 ranked team. The only other time they had that ranking, back in 2008, they lost their first game to Vanderbilt on the road. So they were facing their old demons.
Vanderbilt kept it close though, and with 90 seconds left, they had a six-point lead. That’s when Williams stepped up. He drew a foul and hit both free throws. Then he scored a bucket off a turnover to make it 76-74. After Admiral Schofield tied it at 76, Williams took over in overtime.
The guy opened up overtime with an and-one to make it a three-point lead. After Vandy tied it, he drew another foul and hit both free throws to put them up 81-79. Then the ‘Dores took a one-point lead. So Williams made a layup, drew a foul, and yes, hit the extra free throw to go up 84-82. With 20 seconds left and up by one, Williams hit two more free throws to close the deal.
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When it was all said and done, Tennessee basketball held off a major upset thanks to Williams’ insane efficiency. He scored 10 points in overtime and proved just how clutch he was. The Vols were able to hold their No. 1 ranking for beyond a week as well, which was a first for the program. So yes, this was a significant performance and clearly belongs atop this list.