Tennessee Basketball: Vols lose in heartbreaker to Loyola-Chicago

The Tennessee Volunteers season came to an end after a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds to Loyola-Chicago in the Round of 32.

The Tennessee Volunteers got eliminated from the NCAA Tournament tonight after a loss in the Round of 32. The Volunteers finished the season 26-9. Although the season finished shorter than fans and analysts expected, this team was able to go out and outwork the expectations that were set before the season began.

Loyola-Chicago picked up yet another victory in the closing seconds of the game. On Thursday, Donte Ingram knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to put the Ramblers on top, 64-62. Today, Clayton Custer made a difficult shot with just four seconds left to propel the Ramblers into the Sweet 16.

Game Recap

The Volunteers were able to come out of the gate firing, as they jumped out to an early lead. They jumped out to an early 15-6 lead just five minutes into the game, with Admiral Schofield leading the way with 11 of those points. The Volunteers went stale from there, scoring just 10 points the rest of the half. Loyola-Chicago was able to come back, making shot after shot, taking a 29-25 lead into halftime.

Most of the 2nd half was just like the end of the 1st half as Loyola-Chicago was able to move the ball around and have a commanding lead. The Ramblers were able to fake the Volunteers out all night with pump-fakes, as they were able to drive the lane and make three-pointers off of those pump-fakes.

Loyola-Chicago held a commanding 10-point lead with just four minutes remaining in the game, but the Volunteers were able to come storming back. The Volunteers were able to make a couple clutch shots and force key turnovers down the stretch to put them back in the ballgame. The Volunteers were able to get the ball in the paint to Grant Williams as he made an And-1 to put the Volunteers up by one point.

Loyola-Chicago was able to drain the clock down and got the ball to Custer with just a few seconds remaining. Custer drove down the lane and made a tough jumper that rolled around the rim to put the Ramblers up one. Jordan Bone drove down the court and was able to put up a three-pointer that missed, ending the Volunteers successful season and putting the Ramblers into the Sweet 16.

Final Takeaways

Tennessee lost a game they had no business losing. I’m not knocking Loyola-Chicago at all, but the Volunteers should be playing in the Sweet 16.

The Tennessee Basketball twitter page announced before the game that Kyle Alexander was ruled out for the game, and that ended up hurting the Volunteers tremendously. Although Alexander might not contribute as much on the scoresheet, he plays a huge part in both the offense and defense. The Ramblers were able to go inside all night long on the Volunteers, which is usually something that doesn’t happen on a good Tennessee defense. If Alexander played, it would’ve likely been a totally different ballgame.

With Alexander out, the Volunteers played outside-in. I thought Tennessee settled too much on the three-pointer all night long, which hurt the Volunteers in the long run. If the Volunteers got the ball in the paint to Williams more, they would’ve been able to run a better offense. They should’ve got the ball in more to Williams, as that would’ve opened up more opportunities for him in the paint and for him to be able to kick the ball out to a shooter.

Tennessee didn’t play their best game at all, but the officials sure didn’t help. Schofield picked up two quick fouls after his hot shooting spree, leaving him sidelined for much of the 1st half. The officials continued to call quick fouls on the Volunteers throughout the 2nd half, making the Volunteers have to pull off a crazy comeback to have a chance to win.

While the officials aren’t to blame for the Volunteers loss, they could’ve done a better job down the stretch. The Volunteers only attempted six free throws all night long compared to 16 free throws that the Ramblers attempted.

Looking forward to next season, I believe the Volunteers have a great chance to be around the same level they were this season. They will likely return everyone on the roster besides James Daniel III unless anyone decides to transfer. This team will be a good veteran team in the SEC. Schofield and Alexander will be seniors. Bone, Bowden, Turner, and Williams will be juniors. Pons and Walker will have a season under their belt, hoping to contribute even more next season.