Davonte Gaines missed two free throws after a key block as Tennessee basketball trailed by one with 25 seconds to go, and Victor Bailey Jr. air-balled a potential game-tying three with under four seconds to go, costing the Vols in the SEC Tournament semifinals. UT blew a 15-point second half lead and lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 73-68.
Ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches’ Poll, Alabama went on a 14-0 run in the middle of the second half and took control in the final three minutes. Without John Fulkerson due to injuries sustained in the quarterfinals game, Rick Barnes’ team fell to 18-8 on the year and will now await its NCAA Tournament selection on sunday.
Nate Oats’ team, meanwhile, improves to 23-6 on the year and will advance to the SEC Tournament Championship to face the winner of the LSU Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks. Here are three things we learned from the Vols’ loss.
1. Perimeter play kept this a game.
Honestly, you would think the Vols were the three-point shooting team in the SEC all year and not the Alabama Crimson Tide after this game. UT was 7-of-21 from beyond the arc, including Santiago Vescovi going 3-of-6 en route to 11 points. Meanwhile, Alabama was held to an abysmal 7-of-28 from the three-point line.
Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer were stars with 20 and 18 points respectively. They also each had two steals, while Vescovi had three, as the team had 11 on the day and forced 17 turnovers. Even with Josiah-Jordan James in foul trouble, eventually fouling out, this was a great perimeter performance by Vescovi, Johnson and Springer. They gave UT a chance. So how did they lose?
2. Turnovers were too much of a problem.
Although the advantage the Vols had on the perimeter that was somewhat unexpected kept this a game, they had one major issue, and that was taking care of the ball. Both Johnson and Springer had five turnovers each, and the team had 19 on the day. Bailey had a rough shooting day and had two off the bench. James and Vescovi each had two as well.
The turnovers came in bunches too, which allowed Alabama to go on that 14-0 run. This was somewhat a natural effect of the tempo that came with this game, but Rocky Top needed to take care of the ball to match its aggression. That didn’t happen, and it’s why they are not advancing in the SEC Tournament.
3. John Fulkerson’s absence neutralized an advantage.
Given Alabama’s tempo, the Vols’ best chance to play their own game was to dominate inside. Although the Vols were somewhat able to beat Alabama at their own game on Saturday, the lack of John Fulkerson neutralized their ability to play to their strengths. It’s why Herbert Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Alabama out-rebounded the Vols 42-38 and had 16 offensive boards.
Yves Pons still did his part with two blocks, and Gaines had two off the bench. The team had eight. Johnson, though, a guard, was the leading rebounder with nine. Without Fulkerson, the Vols couldn’t defend inside as well, and Alabama scored lots of buckets in the paint, explaining their 73 points despite just seven three-pointers. Losing him may have cost UT the SEC Tournament.