Tennessee didn't have it tonight against Mizzou after riding the high of a four-game winning streak, the Vols fell 73-69 to a Mizzou team fighting for their lives on the bubble.
Tennessee got off to a hot start. The Vols were up 12-2 and looking comfortable in a nasty environment in Columbia, and it was looking like a typical Vols game. They controlled the glass and defended the rim well, but they failed to convert on some offensive opportunities and gave the ball up eight times. This led Mizzou to get right back into the game. Thanks to a Ja'Kobi Gillespie elbow jumper as the first half expired, the Vols took a 29-26 lead into the half.
With 9:30 left, Bishop Bowell hit a huge three to cut Mizzou's lead to just two, but Mizzou answered with a three of their own that rattled around the rim before falling. Stalemate. A couple of possessions later, Nate Ament missed two free throws, and then Tennessee got the ball back, but they suffered a shot clock violation. The Tigers came back down and nailed a three and were all of a sudden up eight in the blink of an eye.
With a little over a minute left, Tennessee was down 67-65 and failed to get a good shot attempt off. It was frustrating because it felt like the only chance Tennessee had over the last eight minutes to turn the tide, and they had to settle for a deep Gillespie three that missed. T.O. Barret came down and hit a layup to put Mizzou back up four. Tennessee again had to settle for a deep Gillespie three, and Nate Ament cleaned up the board to cut the lead in half with 25.4 seconds left. From there, Mizzou hit two free throws, and the Vols turned it over on the ensuing possession, which pretty much summed up the game.
Tennessee's turnovers were treacherous tonight
It's a story as old as time, but when Tennessee gives the ball away, they are just not a very good team. Tennessee turned it over 15 times tonight, and it proved to be the difference. Tennessee turnovers led to 23 Mizzou points compared to Mizzou's eight turnovers leading to only seven Tennessee points.
Tennessee's backcourt simply didn't come to play against a team with its back against the wall. Gillespie and Bishop Boswell hit some big shots, but the offense looked stagnant, and they were inefficient from the field. Ethan Burg didn't help much, too, he had two turnovers off the bench.
Tennessee has to bounce back on Saturday against a really good Alabama team that will look to avenge their loss earlier ion the year.