Tennessee basketball’s top 10 shots in history

9. Howard Wood baseline jumper

1980 vs. Kentucky

In its second season under head coach Don DeVoe, Tennessee basketball hhad shockingly wonthe SEC Tournament to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament the previous season. This year, the Vols were led by senior Reggie Johnson, but they had a freshman in Dale Ellis to show what was in store for their future.

As a result, this was seen to be somewhat of another stepping stone year. With an 8-3 record and 1-0 SEC record in early January, the Vols hosted the No. 2 ranked and 12-1 Kentucky Wildcats. UT had faced four top 15 teams on the season already and lost the last three of them, making UK a huge favorite.

However, Kentucky, which had built a reputation as a high-scoring team under head coach Joe B. Hall, committed 17 turnovers. The Vols’ defense was the story throughout the day. Late in the game, though, an offensive play made the difference.

With the score tied at 47 with 16 seconds left, Gary Carter, the Vols’ best shooter, had the ball. As UK converged on Carter, he quickly found junior forward Howard Wood on the baseline. Wood’s jumper went in with one and a half seconds left, and the Vols pulled out a thrilling 49-47 upset.

It’s one of the school’s best wins ever over Kentucky, and that may be the most memorable shot ever by a Vol against UK. Thanks to this game, Rocky Top got into the NCAA Tournament with just a 17-10 record and advanced to the second round. So you could say Wood saved them.