As the game turned: With 13:39 remaining in the game, Tennessee looked poised to complete another second half comeback. Josh Richardson could not miss, the biggest crowd of the year- announced at 16,695- was the loudest it had been all game and the Vols had recaptured the lead at 36-35 after a pair of free throws from junior forward Derek Reese.
Then something went terribly wrong for the Vols in the final 13 minutes.
Tennessee’s hopes of claiming a victory over the Crimson Tide didn’t come crashing down in a single moment. Instead, missed shot after missed shot slowly sealed Tennessee’s fate.
The Vols failed to score for a 13:02 stretch of play, allowing the Crimson Tide to go on a 21-2 run and clinch a 56-38 victory.
“The last 12 minutes offensively was what we have seen at times throughout the year where it gets ugly, it gets stagnant, we don’t have a guy to just throw the ball to the post and loosen some things up,” head coach Donnie Tyndall said. “So everything has to be manufactured off the dribble drive.
“When they went zone we had a couple good looks and we missed them. I thought guys got on their heels a little bit and quit driving the ball and punching the gap against the zone.”
Hot topic: After arguably their worst performance of the season, the Vols have only two days to remove the putrid taste of the Alabama game from their mouths before they encounter a nationally ranked Arkansas squad Tuesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tyndall said the Vols can’t let the Alabama loss linger in their minds over the next two days.
“It’s college basketball,” Tyndall said. “If you feel sorry for yourself or hang your head in this business people will bury you. They will put you out of business.”
Spotlight: After averaging 12.3 points per game in the previous seven games, junior college transfer Kevin Punter failed to make a field goal and only posted two points in the loss to Alabama.
The other guys: Rodney Cooper led all Crimson Tide players in scoring at 17 points, which also tied for the game high.
Say something: Armani Moore on redshirt junior and former walk-on Galen Campbell receiving a scholarship last night: “Galen is a good friend of mine. He’s been a teammate of mine for three years. I know it’s a blessing for him and his family. I know paying for college is not the easiest thing, but I definitely think he’s a guy who deserves it and hopefully he can enjoy being a scholarship athlete.”
Outside the box score: The loss to the Crimson Tide was Tennessee’s first loss in Thompson-Boling this season and snapped the Vols’ 10-game winning streak dating back to last season.
By The numbers:
14: The number of points the Vols scored in the second half.
0: Richardson failed to record an assist for the first time this season.
25: Aside from Richardson, Tennessee shot just 25 percent from the floor.
