Tennessee basketball lost a hard-fought battle to Illinois Saturday night in Nashville, 80-70. The game was closer than the final score suggests, but ultimately the Fighting Illini's offensive firepower was too much for Rick Barnes' squad to handle.
This is now the third loss in a row for the Volunteers. Granted, they have lost to three solid teams, but this is not a position Tennessee basketball has found itself in recently.
This isn't ideal for the Volunteers, considering Ja'Kobi Gillespie called out his teammates in front of the media yesterday, asking them to play with a purpose. Not to mention that the schedule doesn't get much easier with SEC play right around the corner.
I don't think effort was a problem tonight, though. The game was physical from start to finish. The Vols fought hard on the glass, as they outrebounded Illinois 46 to 31, but the main story of the night was Illinois making seven 2nd-half threes and shooting 50% from the field in the last 20 minutes.
Tennessee held a two-point lead at halftime and was only down a point with ten minutes left, but a three-pointer by Illinois' Keaton Wagler with 7:42 left put them up 61-52, and from that point on, the Fighting Illini cruised to victory.
Star point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie led the way for Tennessee with 15 points and five assists, but he was only 30% from the field. Freshman stud Nate Ament struggled for the second game in a row. Rick Barnes needs him to step up in these big matchups as the season moves along.
Where does Tennessee basketball go from here?
Tennessee basketball gets a break for the next week and a half, as they will host a talented top-10 Louisville team on December 16th. This team is too good to go on a four-game drought, but Louisville is a tough team that will push the Vols to the limits.
During this break, Rick Barnes will have his hands full. Tennessee needs to work on defensive coverages and communication. If they can clean up the miscues on defense, the offense will come.
After Tuesday's clash, the Vols only play two more games in 2025, both versus mid-major opponents, so they do have some time to make corrections before a tough conference slate begins in 2026.
But at the end of the day, If Tennessee hopes to steady a season slipping off track, the fixes will need to come sooner rather than later.