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Tennessee basketball 2019-2020 season recap: Vols five most painful losses

By Caleb Calhoun

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY 26: Tennessee Volunteers huddle together before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 26, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 86-69. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY 26: Tennessee Volunteers huddle together before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 26, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 86-69. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Lance King/Getty Images
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images /

3. At South Carolina Gamecocks

Tennessee loses 63-61

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020

This game began the crucial stretch run for Tennessee basketball as the Vols, who had completely reshaped their identity after December, sought to get back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Heading into the night, they had just scored a major quality win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, and with Josiah-Jordan James back, they were looking for another crucial SEC road win.

Just like Rocky Top, the South Carolina Gamecocks, whom UT had beaten by one earlier in the year, were looking to get into the NCAA Tournament conversation. So this Saturday matchup was destined to be a fight. That’s exactly what it was. John Fulkerson was the star for the Vols with 25 points and nine rebounds. Yves Pons added 13 points.

However, Jordan Bowden was still in a major shooting slump, and he only had had five points. Meanwhile, the team as a whole had 20 turnovers. In a game that was extremely close, the Vols managed to build a six-point lead with just over three minutes to go. But a team that had trouble finishing in the final three minutes gave its worst example of that here.

South Carolina, trailing 58-52, went on a 7-0 run. With 20 seconds left, the Vols had the ball trailing by one. Fulkerson was called for a horrible charging foul. That secured the win for the Gamecocks. Now, the call was bad, but the Vols’ collapse is what made this a painful loss. They had plenty of chances to put this away, and this loss damaged their standing at the time.

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