Tennessee basketball 2019-2020 season recap: Vols top five wins

5. No. 20 VCU Rams (Emerald Coast Classic; Niceville, Fla.)

Tennessee wins 72-69

Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019

Two weeks before this game, Tennessee basketball hinted it wasn’t taking any steps back despite all its attrition after a dominating win over the No. 20 ranked Washington Huskies. However, Washington turned out to be a very overrated team, and while the Vols were ranked No. 17 in this game, they were playing in a consolation matchup.

UT had just suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Florida State Seminoles the night before, and if they wanted to remain in the top 25, they had to make sure they beat the VCU Rams. Despite a 37-26 halftime lead, the Vols slowly but surely let VCU back in the game in the second half, and it became a thriller down the stretch. But the thriller was worth it in the end.

Down 69-66, VCU tied the game up with a three-pointer with five seconds left. However, Lamonte Turner responded and hit a corner three as time expired to give the Vols a 72-69 win. It was a thrilling moment, made even more special by what we found out Turner was dealing with, as he would shut down his senior season and have shoulder surgery the next month.

Turner had 12 points and seven assists, Jordan Bowden had 14 points, and John Fulkerson had 17 points and seven rebounds. Because VCU would stumble to an 18-13 record, this game remains No. 5 on the list. It ended up making it for the thrill of the victory more than the quality.