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Where Tennessee baseball’s 2022 season ranks among all-time Vols choke jobs

By Caleb Calhoun

The Tennessee dugout after their loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA baseball Super Regional championship game in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Kns Ut Baseball Notre Dame
The Tennessee dugout after their loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA baseball Super Regional championship game in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, June 12, 2022.Kns Ut Baseball Notre Dame /
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Tennessee’s Kyle Alexander floats a shot over Purdue’s _____ Haarms on March 28 in the NCAA Sweet 16.Purduetennessee 12
Tennessee’s Kyle Alexander floats a shot over Purdue’s _____ Haarms on March 28 in the NCAA Sweet 16.Purduetennessee 12 /

7. 2018-2019 Tennesse men’s basketball

In reality, this Tennessee basketball team is on here because of the multiple ways it choked. Like Tennessee baseball this year, this team was ranked No. 1, although it wasn’t atop the polls for most of the season. Still, it joins 2007-2008 as the only two teams in Tennessee basketball history to reach No. 1 and win 30 or more games.

Anyway, the 2018-2019 team has nothing to show for it. In a game to win the outright SEC Regular Season Championship, they lost to the LSU Tigers in overtime. A week later, they lost on the final day of the regular season to the Auburn Tigers to cost themselves a share of the title.

After reaching the SEC Tournament Championship game, they lost to Auburn again. That knocked them to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they lost in overtime to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. Every step of the way, with a chance for history, they lost.

Now, the 1976-77, 2007-08, 2017-18 and 2021-22 teams all could have been on here. They won either the SEC Regular Season or Tournament title and lost in the NCAA Tournament to lower seeded teams, but 2018-2019 was unique because it lost every chance at a title. That’s what makes the year a choke job after spending three weeks at No. 1.

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