With the greatest respect for the Baylor Bears, wasn't this supposed to be a close game? On Friday night, the No. 11 Tennessee Vols took on No. 13 Baylor in a contest that was supposed to have March vibes. Instead, Rick Barnes and Co. cruised to a 77-62 win.
This one was never close and Chaz Lanier was the main reason for that. On the night, Lanier was on fire shooting the ball, scoring a game-high 25 points in 33 minutes of action, drilling seven 3-pointers. After the final whistle, Lanier was interviewed by CBS Sports and his entire team was right next to him. It's impossible to watch this clip and not smile:
Absolutely elite postgame interview
— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) November 23, 2024
Team chemistry +1000 pic.twitter.com/1sJBGGU1aE
Chaz Lanier was electric in Tennessee's dominant win over Baylor
Look at how happy the guys in white and orange are. You can tell just how much it meant to them and understandably so. With the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship title on the line, Lanier put the squad on his back and they couldn't have been happier for him.
No one is going to say Lanier is the next Dalton Knecht, but he's stepping up in a massive way for the Vols. In his postgame interview, he couldn't contain his excitement after the victory. This is what makes college sports so great.
Sometimes we forget these players are 18-22. The reactions from everyone around Lanier made the moment even more special. The Vols also sent quite a statement to the rest of the country. There's no question they're a Top 10 team, with Barnes' playmakers looking sharp on both ends of the floor.
It was one thing to take down a Top 15 side, but to do so in such convincing fashion? Yup, things quite simply could not have gone much better for Tennessee in this one. As Lanier said, this team will enjoy this victory for a little while, but then they'll get back to work to prepare for the rest of the campaign. It's looking like it could be a season to remember for this group.