You couldn’t draw up a more painful week of basketball if you tried for Tennessee. The Volunteers, who entered the week as the No. 6 team in the country still with a shot at a No. 1 seed, suffered two losses over the past four days — both coming by way of a buzzer-beater.
Vanderbilt beat Tennessee for the first time since 2017 with a corner three, then Missouri connected on a near half-court prayer to rub salt in the wound.
The comeback
Saturday was tough all the way around for the Volunteers. Rick Barnes’ team found itself in a big hole at halftime, down 12 points to a Missouri team that started scorching hot from three-point range.