Twice under Rick Barnes, Tennessee has beaten the No. 1 team in the nation, one time away from home. The Vols have scored nine wins over top five foes under hime, four times away from home. They have 13 top 10 wins under him, six times away from home and twice on the road, and they have 35 top 25 wins under him, 17 times away from home and six times on the road.
At one point last year, with the SEC regular season championship on the line, Tennessee managed to win two straight games against ranked teams on the road. Simply put, this program is loaded with impressive victories under Barnes as he is in his 10th year coaching the program.
None were more impressive than what the Vols did Saturday night against an unranked Big Ten team on the road. Jordan Gainey drove to the basket and hit a layup as time expired to give Tennessee a 66-64 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. It was the type of game a No. 1 team like Tennessee is supposed to lose.
UT was hamstrung all night by an officiating crew that was determined to call every ticky tack foul and be the star of the show. The Vols, as the No. 1 team in the nation, were facing the best effort of a very good team that entered the game top 15 in the KenPom rankings. They also remained banged up with Darlinstone Dubar just getting healthy Cameron Carr out.
In terms of play within the game, they had an off-night shooting from three, going 6-of-24. Igor Milicic Jr. was 0-of-8 from outside. Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler both fouled out and missed most of the second half. Illinois made more free throws than UT shot. Then there was the fact that this team, having just reached No. 1 last week, had not yet been tested. None of their games were close.
Simply put, this is the type of game No. 1 ranked teams lose almost 100 percent of the time.
Somehow, though, the Vols found a way to win. Lanier still managed 17 points before going out. Jahmai Mashack, who also saw foul trouble, remained the defensive specialist with four steals. However, Barnes had to go to his bench for this one, and despite short-handed, they stepped up.
We mentioned Gainey. He was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points. Dubar and Cade Phillips came in with five rebounds. Bishop Boswell was able to provide valuable minutes, and Felix Okpara was able to be dominant defensively underneath the basket.
These are the types of games you can run into in March, and to win a national championship, you have to overcome them. That’s exactly what the Vols did in this one. There’s no reason they should have won this game, but they did thanks to grit, determination and toughness.
It wasn’t just the defense either. Barnes’ team managed to manufacture points. Scoring 66 in this situation, especially on the road, is beyond impressive. Not only is this the most impressive win of Barnes’ era, but it may be the most impressive win in college basketball in a while. These are the games where No. 1 teams get upset.
Tennessee didn’t let that happen. Now, the Vols are 10-0 and return home to face the Western Carolina Catamounts Tuesday. Given their schedule, they will likely stay No. 1 until January. Illinois falls to 7-3 and will next face the Missouri Tigers in St. Louis a week from Sunday.
