This wasn't how the season was supposed to end for the Tennessee Volunteers. It felt like it was going to be a dream campaign for Rick Barnes and Co., with a trip to the Final Four for the first time in program history on the way.
After wins over Wofford, UCLA and Kentucky, Tennessee ran into No. 1 seed Houston and the Cougars dominated from start to finish, recording a 69-50 win. Jordan Gainey single-handedly tried to lift the Vols back in the second half, but UT simply dug too big of a hole. With the loss, the season is now over. Here are our takeaways from the action.
3. Tennessee's slow start was nothing short of frustrating
What led to such a nightmare performance shooting the ball to open the game? This was so uncharacteristic from Tennessee, as they were down 34-15 at the halftime break. What made things worse was that Tennessee shot 21 percent in the first 20 minutes and seven percent from 3-point land. They started 0-for-14 from downtown.
Following the win over Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen, Tennessee had a ton of confidence and the fanbase was feeling like maybe an upset would be on the way. Instead, the Cougars showcased just how talented they are. Next up for them is a dance with Duke with a trip to the title game on the line.
2. Chaz Lanier chose the worst game possible to go ice cold shooting
We hate to single out one player and let us make it clear that Sunday's loss doesn't take away from what he was able to get done this campaign. Having said that, standout senior Chaz Lanier was ice cold going up against Houston.
Throughout the game, he couldn't get into any kind of rhythm. Lanier kept firing off shots with confidence, but the major problem was that nothing would fall for him. On the day, Lanier 4-of-18 from the floor and scored 17 points - he was also 2-of-11 on his 3-point tries. For Tennessee to come out on top, it needed Lanier to be at his best. He simply was not vs. Houston.
1. This felt like the year Tennessee would get over the hump and reach the Final Four
This loss is going to sting for a long time for so many different reasons. At the top of the list has to be that Tennessee reached the Elite Eight once again, only to fail to get the job done in posting a win at this stage of March Madness.
The Vols were here last season too, but suffered a loss to Purdue. With the depth and the historic campaigns from Lanier and Zakai Zeigler, a lot of people thought this was a team that could push for a title. Instead, Tennessee still has never reached a Final Four in program history and it's not happening in 2025 either.