A moment that he's going to remember for the rest of his life! On Saturday night, it looked like No. 6 Alabama was going to leave Knoxville with a close win over the No. 5 Tennessee Vols. However, veteran Jahmai Mashack had other ideas, posting some huge plays down the stretch.
None bigger, of course, than his 3-pointer from way downtown as the buzzer went off to give Tennessee an unforgettable victory. Will it end up giving the Vols a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever? That's on the table.
Shortly after the final whistle and with the stadium still buzzing, ESPN's Molly McGrath met up with Mashack and his teammates for a postgame interview. Mashack and the guys around him could not have been happier. This is what college hoops is all about:
"We know what we're built for, we know who we are. This is what we've done every single day. Don't question what it is. I don't care if we're down 20, I don't care if were up 20. You stick to the program."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 1, 2025
Jahmai Mashack after hitting the game-winner for Tennessee 😤 pic.twitter.com/xcnccsVR3K
Jahmai Mashack was the hero for the Tennessee Vols in the win over Alabama
How could you not be over the moon for Mashack and the guys around him? There were smiles all around and rightfully so - this was a thrilling win over an elite SEC team. Mashack was unreal late in the action on both ends of the floor. Two clutch free throws can't be forgotten about either.
Was it a bit of a lucky shot to win it? Sure, but sometimes luck needs to be on your side and that was the case for Tennessee in this one. Talk about Mashack stepping up in an epic way too. In this sequence, the assumption would have been that either Chaz Lanier or Zakai Zeigler would have gotten the ball with the game on the line.
Instead, Mashack got the in-bounds pass, flew down the court and then fired off a prayer from well behind the 3-point line. As soon as the ball hit the bottom of the net, an explosion of celebrations went off that could have been heard all over Knoxville. Again, this is a moment Mashack will never forget. Neither will everyone who was on hand to witness such a magical victory for the Vols.