Tennessee basketball: Grant Williams’ 10 greatest games with Vols
3. March 16, 2019 vs. No. 4 Kentucky (SEC Tournament)
Tennessee: 82 Kentucky: 78
Grant Williams stat line: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal
Grant Williams’ stat line against the Kentucky Wildcats in this game is not as impressive as it was in the previous one we mentioned. His 20 points came on only 50 percent shooting, not 53.6 percent. And they are less than 24 points, while he matched his rebounds and steals total and had one less assist.
But a few things moved this one up. For starters, this game was on a neutral court and more meaningful being in the SEC Tournament. Williams had more relevance with a block to add to his stat line. Kentucky also had Reid Travis back in this game, meaning Williams had more stiff competition on the inside.
Finally, and most importantly, Williams’ coming through in the clutch was the story of this game, and it’s why we moved it up the list. Arguably one of the most emotional wins ever for the Vols, Williams stepped up huge in the final minutes.
With 5:20 left, all hope seemed lost as UT was down 67-60. Williams had just missed a free throw. But he did just what he needed to get things going. It started with hitting the second free throw. Then Williams got an offensive rebound on the next possession to set up Jordan Bowden to draw a foul, where he hit one of two free throws.
On the next possession, Williams cut it to 5 by drawing another foul and hitting two free throws. An and-one by the Wildcats after that, though, made it 72-64 with less than three minutes to play. That’s when Williams really went off. He drew another foul and hit both free throws. Then he made a layup after a UK turnover and drew an and-one himself, hitting the free throw.
Two possessions later, down 74-72, Williams of all people hit the clutch three-pointer to give Tennessee basketball the lead 75-74. In a back and forth, the Vols pulled away for a historic comeback to win 82-78.
Williams had 11 points in the final 5:20, 10 points in the final four minutes, and 8 points after the team was down by 8 with less than three minutes to go. Simply put, he was the star, and it was a historic takeover for him, which is why it’s so high on the list.