Where did this awful shooting come from? The Tennessee basketball team has been fantastic throughout the NCAA Tournament shooting the rock, but everything that could have gone wrong in the first half against the No. 1 seed Houston in fact did go wrong.
In the first 20 minutes, Tennessee shot 6-of-28 from the floor (21 percent) and the team went 1-of-14 from 3-point land, a woeful seven percent. Chaz Lanier, one of the best players in the SEC this year, opened things up going 1-for-9 on his shots, including 0-for-6 from downtown.
At halftime, the Vols found themselves down 34-15, something no one expected. Yes, Houston's defense is stellar, but for it to be up 19 points over UT going into the locker rooms was downright stunning. The one and only Charles Barkley was disgusted with what he saw out of the Vols in the opening half too:
Charles Barkley on Tennessee's first half perfomance vs. Houston after his colleagues spoke
— All For Tennessee (@allfortennessee) March 30, 2025
"I have nothing to add here. That was ugly."
Tennessee looked downright awful in the 1st half against Houston
You've got to give credit to Kelvin Sampson and his players, as Houston's sticky defense has been giving Tennessee loads of problems. Even when this team has had open looks, particularly Lanier, the ball won't hit the bottom of the cotton.
It's been frustrating to watch for Tennessee fans out there, as the Vols indeed have been way better than this in the past three games. This felt like a contest that UT had a great chance to pull an upset off in, but it's been Houston which has been executing at a higher clip.
The Vols entered this one with the hopes of reaching the Final Four for the first time in program history. Instead of that happening, though, Houston and Sampson are well on their way to packing their bags for San Antonio. If this is how Tennessee goes out, it's going to be such a bummer for this senior class, as this group has been way off vs. the Cougars.