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Tennessee basketball 2021-2022 season recap: Ranking the top 10 wins

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC championship game at Amelie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC championship game at Amelie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) looks to pass while defended by Longwood guard Nate Lliteras (2) during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp
Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi (25) looks to pass while defended by Longwood guard Nate Lliteras (2) during the NCAA Tournament first round game between Tennessee and Longwood at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, March 17, 2022.Kns Ncaa Vols Longwood Bp /

An early exit in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 resulted in a bitter aftertaste to what really was a good season by Tennessee basketball. The Vols had the fourth most wins in a season in school history, won the SEC Tournament Championship and went undefeated at home. Simply put, there was a lot of success.

Included in that success were plenty of memorable wins, maybe more than any team in school history. If you factor in quality wins, rivalry wins and wins that actually meant something to the season, the combination resulted in lots of success.

This post will rank those elite wins from the year. Normally, we just rank five, but this season had so many that we had to double that, which really speaks to the show Rick Barnes and co. put on for Rocky Top. You have to give them credit. Let’s break down Tennessee basketball’s top 10 wins from the 2021-2022 season.

Tennessee: 88 Longwood: 56

Rank: 10 | Thursday, March 17 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, Ind.

Game No. 34 (NCAA Tournament Round of 64)

It was a blowout win against a mediocre opponent, but NCAA Tournament wins always have to count for something. After all, they earn their place in UT lore. The Vols entered this game as the No. 3 seed, and the Longwood Lancers were the No. 14 seed, playing in their first Division I March Madness event ever.

Griff Aldrich had led Longwood to a 26-5 record at the time and the Big South Regular Season and Conference Championship. Early on, they kept it a one-score game at the 10-minute mark in the first half. That’s when Tennessee basketball took over with a 9-0 run.

They dominated the rest of the way with incredible three-point shooting, going 14-of-24 from beyond the arc, and five players hit double figures. Santiago Vescovi led with 18 points. The magic didn’t carry into the next game, as they lost to the No. 11 seed Michigan Wolverines, but this win was still memorable.

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