The Tennessee Volunteers celebrated their last regular season matchup and their final home game with a win.
Similar to their win over No. 5 Florida on Feb. 26, the Vols rode the wave of a packed crowd to victory. The win marked a crucial late season matchup against a ranked opponent that resulted in more than just a win.
Tennessee held off the Missouri Tigers during a 64-62 thriller in front of a sold-out Thompson-Boling Arena. Sophomore forward Jarnell Stokes said it was the fans that really came out and performed.
“They were like our sixth man,” he said. “They helped us make a lot of runs … even a few guys that played into the crowd. The energy, you know, it’s what you live for.”
The SEC newcomers had a seven-point lead later on in the first half, 17-10 before Jarnell Stokes’ layup cut Missouri’s lead to five.
Skylar McBee further cut the Tiger’s lead to two with his first 3-pointer of the game.
The UT senior added another three to his evening, moving him to 10th all-time for career 3-pointers in school history.
Stokes gave the Vols their largest lead of the first half, catching a bounce pass for an easy lay-in. The UT forward had a double-double on the night with 13 points and 13 rebounds, nine of those points coming in the first half.
Jordan McRae, who only scored one point in the first half, resurged in the second half with 14 points, including the go-ahead layup to push the Vols ahead, 54-53, with 5:36 left. The junior guard finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks to help the Vols clinch the fifth seed in the SEC Tournament.
McRae, who missed his first four shots in the first half, knocked down his first shot early in the second to get back on track.
“I think we put ourselves in a good position for the SEC Tournament,” McRae said. “We just have to move from there, win one game at a time.”
The Vols celebrated Senior Day at Thompson-Boling Arena by honoring Skylar McBee, Jeronne Maymon, Dwight Miller and Kenny Hall before the game.
The win puts the Vols at the No. 5 seed for the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week, and that might be the win that gives the team a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Cuonzo Martin said it was not just a win for the team but for the face of Tennessee basketball.
“A great win for the program. A great win on ESPN to represent the university,” he said. “It was just a fun time, couldn’t ask for a better outcome.”
The Vols had to fight off Missouri’s duo of Laurence Bowers and Phil Pressey. The 1-2 combo scored eight of Missouri’s first 10 points and gave the Tigers a 10-3 lead early on. Bowers’ inside presence helped the Tigers outscore the Vols 36-28 in the paint.
“There is a tough, talented team in Mizzou,” Martin said. “They’re a physical team with a lot of parts that can make plays and when we got down eight points, we just showed who we really are as a team that is built to be successful and built to fight.”
