Tennessee basketball fans react to Vols' abysmal shooting in second round win

Tennessee basketball had one of its worst shooting nights I have ever seen but was able to pull out the win 62-58 over the Texas Longhorns. Vols fans recognized the abysmal night it was going to be shooting early in the game.

With Tennessee's offense, cold spells are inevitable, especially when facing a strong defensive team like Texas. Luckily, the Longhorns couldn't make a shot all night either. It was a battle in the paint for whoever wanted it, but Tennessee continued to shoot shots around the perimeter and from three instead of continuously pounding the ball in the paint.

Tobe Awaka created some chaos early in the game and forced Texas outside the paint to look for points. This is the type of game in which Awaka thrives, and it shows when he is on the court throughout this game.

Unfortunately, Awaka found himself in some early foul trouble, and Tennessee looked like a completely different team throughout stretches in this game when he wasn't on the court.

When Tennessee got involved in the paint, they clearly had the advantage over Texas. Even Jordan Gainey got involved in the paint with a couple of rebounds and a blocked shot in the first half. He stepped up when and where Tennessee needed him and made plays for the Vols on the defensive end of the court.

Gainey even worked Texas forward Brock Cunningham, forcing him to commit a Flagrant one foul against Gainey. This set VolNation on fire, calling for a flagrant call and applauding Gainey for getting under Cunningham's skin. 

Although Tennessee's shooting was atrocious in the first half, Vol Nation calmed down at halftime and prepared for Rick Barnes and the Vols to regroup and come out playing better in the second half. I even started to believe Tennessee would shoot better in the second half.

The optimism didn't last long once the second half started, and the bricks started hitting. To the point where some Tennessee fans weren't having fun anymore.

One of Tennessee's biggest issues in this game were missed threes. They ended the night shooting 3-for-25 from three-point range, and that was a major talking point throughout the second half. It was clear Tennessee wasn't going to score from deep, so fans were yelling at their TV for Tennessee to stop shooting threes and get the ball in the paint.

In the end, it doesn't matter that Tennessee shot 12 percent from three or couldn't hit the broad side of the barn because Tennessee survived and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time since Barnes joined Tennessee.

The Vols will tip off the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament on Friday and will face No. 3 Creighton with the opportunity to earn a spot in the Elite Eight for the second time in school history.