Livescore
No. 5 Tennessee defeated No. 6 Alabama 79-76 Saturday on a dramatic last-second 3-pointer by Jahmai Mashack at the buzzer. With 3.9 seconds remaining, the Volunteers in-bounded the ball to Mashack, who took a few dribbles and pulled up from just inside the half-court line to give UT its biggest win of the season.
On the previous possession, Tennessee forced a turnover after Alabama was called for a five-second violation when attempting to in-bound the ball for a potential game-winning shot. Tennessee trailed by as many as nine points in the second half and rallied behind big-scoring performances from Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler.
The win over the Crimson Tide puts Tennessee in prime position to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament later this month. Alabama was a No. 1 seed, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm, but will fall to a No. 2 seed with the loss, while the Volunteers will move from a No. 2 seed to a No. 1 seed.
Zeigler picked up two quick fouls in the opening minutes of the first half but scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime.
Auburn clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season title earlier in the day with a blowout win over Kentucky. With Alabama losing to Tennessee, the Tigers have now clinched the conference title outright with two games remaining in the regular season.
Alabama star guard Mark Sears finished with a game-high 24 points and became the first SEC player in the last 20 seasons with four straight games with at least 20 points against ranked opponents.
Tennessee (24-5, 11-5 SEC) ends the regular season against Ole Miss and South Carolina next week. Meanwhile, Alabama (23-6, 12-4) continues its gauntlet against ranked teams in the SEC with games against Florida and Auburn.
The turning points of the game that went Tennessee’s way
With 11:25 remaining in regulation and leading 59-51, Alabama had a prime opportunity to extend its lead further. Alabama guard Chris Youngblood missed a wide-open 3-pointer in the corner, and Aden Holloway couldn’t convert a second-chance bucket. After that sequence, Tennessee went on a 15-7 run to tie the game at 66. The second turning point came when Tennessee star Chaz Lanier missed a free throw with 30 seconds left. Tennessee secured an offensive rebound and Mashack tied the game at the free-throw line moments later after a foul was called after the missed free throw.
Another (potential) turning point was Tennessee coach Rick Barnes not calling a timeout after the five-second call. That decision turned out to be the right one, as Mashack delivered one of the biggest shots inside Food City Center. Tennessee closed the game on a 7-0 run. That was the difference.
Tennessee is set to move up, Alabama will drop to a No. 2 seed
The implications of this game from a seeding perspective are massive. Tennessee will likely jump to the No. 1 seed line, while the Crimson Tide will be a No. 2 seed. Alabama still has opportunities to improve its résumé ahead of Selection Sunday with games against Florida and Auburn left. With the head-to-head tiebreaker in place over Alabama, Tennessee could move up to as high as the No. 2 seed behind Auburn in the SEC Tournament, depending on how next week plays out.
Sears makes SEC history
Sears has been playing some of the best basketball of his college career as of late. Sears became the first SEC player in the last 20 seasons with four straight games with at least 20 points against ranked opponents. With just over 30 seconds remaining and the shot and game clock separated by less than a few seconds, Alabama attempted to get Sears open off a ghost screen. When the play didn’t work, Philon attacked the basket but was met at the rim. After Alabama called timeout, Philon didn’t get the ball inbounds in time, which led to Tennessee hitting a walk-off shot moments later. It appeared that Sears was the player who was supposed to get the ball on the final inbounds pass, but it took too long to develop.
“I was not good over the last 30 seconds today,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said postgame. “I feel like I failed these guys”
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