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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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Feb 9, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Garrison Brooks (10) handles the ball while defended by Tennessee Volunteers forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (2) during the first half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Garrison Brooks (10) handles the ball while defended by Tennessee Volunteers forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (2) during the first half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Starkville, MIss.. 534. Rank: 6. Wednesday, Feb. 9. 72. Humphrey Coliseum. 63. 530

Game No. 23

Not many wins against unranked opponents are on this list, but one road win by Tennessee basketball had to get on here somewhere. This one against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in early February takes the cake. Sure, MSU missed the NCAA Tournament, and no, this wasn’t a postseason game, but it had huge implications.

At the time, the Vols 16-6 and 7-3 in SEC play. They had won five of six and five straight SEC games. However, their only two road wins in league play to that point were over the Vanderbilt Commodores and South Carolina Gamecocks, both of whom were highly mediocre.

This team needed a quality road win, and pulling it out at The Hump would certainly be that. A red-hot 14-2 start put this team in control, but Ben Howland’s team fought back and actually took the lead in the first half, even with UT going up by two at halftime.

The game was tied at 61 with four minutes to go. UT’s defense then took over, allowing one field goal the rest of the game to win. Kennedy Chandler and Zakai Zeigler led that defense with five steals. Chandler and Josiah-Jordan James each had 18 points. Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi each added 11. Vescovi had seven assists.

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