Tennessee’s quest for its first NIT Tip-Off Championship in nearly a decade came to an end in Brooklyn on Friday.
The Vols did not come out on the victorious side in an early-season test against the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks.
Admiral Schofield scored 21 points, Grant Williams added 18 points and eight rebounds and Jordan Bone had 16 points and five assists, but Tennessee was unable to hold on to the lead late, succumbing to Kansas 87-81 in overtime.
Lamonte Turner added 10 points off the bench for the Vols, who lost Williams late in regulation after he picked up his fifth and final foul. Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks with 24 points and 13 rebounds and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Schofield and Bone were also named to the All-Tournament team for their performances.
From the outset, Tennessee continuously forced Kansas into some uncharacteristic mistakes. That was never more evidently clear than when junior center Udoka Azubuike found himself in foul trouble early on.
Taking advantage of Kansas’ depleted front line, the Vols continued to run their offense through Williams.
Only this time, however, he’d be making plays with his vision rather than his scoring ability. Tying his career-high in assists with six, it was Williams who once again made it happen for Tennessee offensively.
Overcoming a slow start that saw them miss 15 of their first 20 shot attempts, the Vols would never trail by more than five for the remainder of the first half.
Bone, who had seven points in the period, knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as the clock expired to give Tennessee a 33-31 lead heading into the intermission. Leading for a vast majority of the second half, the Vols appeared to be in cruise control throughout that span, as they led by as many as nine.
Kansas would respond with a 10-0 run to give itself a five-point advantage before Tennessee countered with an 8-0 run of its own to take a three-point lead.
For the Vols, that’s when the ball movement and offensive execution ceased.
With 1:24 left in regulation, Williams picked up his final foul and headed to the bench. In overtime, the Jayhawks would need little time before taking advantage of the Vols’ defense.
Knocking down four of its last six shot attempts, Kansas would open the extra period on a 5-0 run before Schofield was able to counter.
Despite logging nine points in the extra session, Schofield and the Vols were unable to log any timely stops in overtime, ultimately leading to their demise.
Tennessee will return home to face Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
