Tennessee basketball’s top 10 shots in history
2. Chris Lofton baseline fadeaway
2006 vs. Winthrop (NCAA Tournament Round of 64; Greensboro, N.C.)
It’s safe to say that 2006 was a legendary year for Tennessee basketball. The Vols had returned to prominence in the second half of Bruce Pearl’s first season, and they were building a program with Pearl’s recruits in the first half of his second season. We can also safely say that Chris Lofton and Dane Bradshaw were the reasons for that.
Like Bradshaw, Lofton had a memorable shot in each of the seasons in 2006, and now we go to the most memorable of all them. UT had gotten a No. 2 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, making them the surprise of the year. However, after a 19-3 start and top 10 ranking, they lost four of six and limped into the NCAA Tournament with a 21-7 record.
Related Story. Vols basketball's five players who won the most. light
Facing the No. 15 seed Winthrop Eagles, who had all five starters back from a year ago, the Vols were in for a struggle. Pearl didn’t have the depth yet that he would build, so the team was tired. As a result, Winthrop gave them a massive fight. With the scored tied at 61 and less than three seconds ago, the Vols had a chance to in-bound the ball for a game-winner.
Lofton caught the in-bound and took two steps before taking a fadeaway from the baseline with his foot on the three-point line. Somehow, he sank the shot with less than half a second to go. Winthrop couldn’t do anything with no timeouts, so the Vols held on for a huge win. A difficult winning shot in an NCAA Tournament game would naturally be high on this list.