Tennessee basketball’s top 10 shots in history

8. Skylar McBee shot clock beating three-pointer

2010 vs. Kansas

Knocking off the No. 1 team in the nation is impressive enough. Tennessee basketball won this game by eight, though, so why would a memorable shot be on here? Well, it would be on here because it was a desperation shot made by a walk-on who wasn’t supposed to play that day.

For context, UT was a week removed from suspending four players due to a major arrest. The Vols dismissed their leading scorer, Tyler Smith, while Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins, all key role players, were suspended. As a result, the Vols, who were 11-2 and ranked No. 16, were short-handed as the Kansas Jayhawks came to town.

Bill Self’s team was 14-0 and had been No. 1 since the start of the year. This should have been a bloodbath. However, the Vols fought hard and had one of their red-hot shooting days and were clinging to a three-point lead with less than a minute to go.

At that point, Kansas turned up its defensive intensity, and it just seemed clear that would get a stop and come back. They were forcing the Vols to run down the shot-clock, and they couldn’t find a good shot. However, Skylar McBee, a walk-on buried in the depth chart a week earlier, hit a three while falling to his left with a second to go on the shot clock.

That gave UT a six-point lead with 35 seconds left. They held on for a 76-68 shocking upset win. McBee’s three was the watershed moment of what is arguably the greatest underdog story in NCAA history. Bruce Pearl had his greatest coaching day ever in this one, but McBee’s shot was the most memorable part.