Tennessee Vols move up in latest polls after big win over Alabama
The Tennessee Vols, as expected, were rewarded in the polls on the heels of one of the most exciting finishes of the season. UT upended Alabama at the buzzer on Jahmai Mashack’s 35-foot three pointer to give the Vols a massive 79-76 win that could possibly land them their first-ever #1 NCAA tournament seed in program history. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has UT as the fourth overall team in his latest projections.
That’s right where the voters have them in the AP and Coaches Polls as well. Tennessee came in at #4, up one spot, in both sets of rankings.
Tennessee’s foe, Alabama, dropped to 7 in both polls. Florida fell from 4 to 5 after a loss to Georgia and a win over Texas A&M. Those schools face off on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, with the winner still on the Vols’ tail for a one seed in the big dance.
This is pretty much the end of any kind of relevance for the two in-season polls. Once Tennessee concludes its regular season on Sunday against South Carolina, seeding is the only thing that matters. Tennessee can lock up a double bye in the SEC tourney with a win over Ole Miss on Wednesday in Oxford. If Bama and Florida lose once more each, UT could climb as high as the two seed.
We’ll see if the Vols can hold up their end this week and put a bow on top of a very solid regular season on Rocky Top.
No. 11 Tennessee suffers heartbreaking loss to Georgia on Senior Day
The No. 11 Tennessee Lady Volunteers suffered a tough loss to unranked Georgia, 72-69, in the regular season finale.
It’s a loss that the Lady Vols definitely did not need or expect. Tennessee was projected to be a No. 4 seed in the March Madness tournament, but now, the Lady Vols’ chance to host the first two rounds at home does not look likely.
The win today was Georgia’s sixth win in Knoxville in program history. It also snapped the Lady Vols 53 game win-streak against unranked opponents on their home court.
Georgia jumped out fast on Tennessee, going up 11-0 to start the game. Tennessee was not able to score until 3:24 left in the first quarter when Zee Spearman finished under the basket for two.
The Lady Vols went on an 8-0 run to finish the first, but the Bulldogs created an eight point lead, 18-10 after 10 minutes of play.
Georgia opened the second quarter on a 15-0 run. The Lady Vols could not buy a basket. Tess Darby connected on a fast break three-pointer with 5:39 left on the clock.
The Bulldogs went into the break with a double digit lead, 39-26.
After halftime, things were looking up for Tennessee. The Lady Vols outscored Georgia, 20-9, in the period, but the lead Georgia had built was too much.
The last quarter of action was a battle. Tennessee only had the lead 2:35 of the entire contest. Georgia outlasts Tennessee, 72-69.
Jewel Spear led the way for Tennessee netting 20 points and Zee Spearman was right behind her finishing with 19 points.
After the game, Tennessee honored seven seniors for Senior Day festivities: Favor Ayodele, Tess Darby, Jillian Hollingshead, Jewel Spear, Sara Puckett, Samara Spencer, and Destinee Wells.
Tennessee now awaits its fate to see when and who they will play in the SEC tournament starting on Wednesday.
