A dismal first-half offense was too much for Tennessee Basketball to overcome. The Vols missed their first 14 three-point attempts and went 1-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, which cost them dearly in a 69-50 loss to the Houston Cougars in the Elite Eight. Once again, they miss out on the Final Four. J’Wan Roberts picking up two fouls early did nothing to help the Vols.
Rick Barnes’ team, which finishes the year 30-8, trailed by as many as 21 and was down 34-15 at halftime. They only scored four points in the first nine minutes of the game. In the second half, they got their offense going a bit, but it was too late against the elite defense Kelvin Sampson’s team runs. They were never able to get it within double digits.
Things did get interesting as Tennessee Basketball cut it to 10 with just under six minutes to go, but Houston then hit a three on three of their next four possessions to go up by 17. From that point on, the Vols were just playing desperate, but the style of play by both teams made such a comeback impossible.
UT, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, shot 5-of-29 from three as it was eliminated from March Madness. They were also able to only force five turnovers on the day, and they allowed 14 offensive rebounds while only nabbing 12 themselves, losing the edge on the boards 42-35, a battle they should have won given Houston’s zone.
Only Jordan Gainey was efficient for Tennessee Basketball, scoring 17 points on 2-of-5 from three. Chaz Lanier did have 17 points himself, but he was 2-of-11 from beyond the arc and 4-of-17 from the field. Felix Okpara did have two blocks, Jahmai Mashack had two steals, and Zakai Zeigler had five assists.
This is the second straight season the Vols fell with a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament Final Four, and they are now 0-3 in Elite Eight games all time. Meanwhile, Barnes’ Final Four drought has now been extended to 22 seasons, as his last appearance was with the Texas Longhorns behind T.J. Ford in 2003.
Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, improves to 34-4 and will head to San Antonio to take on Duke in the Final Four next Saturday. It’s the second Final Four appearance in five seasons for Sampson, who has made three all-time in his career, one with the Oklahoma Sooners back in 2003.
The future for Tennessee Basketball is unknown with five key seniors among their top six contributors this year. Although Zeigler may be able to pick up another year of eligibility, it appears as if Barnes may have his biggest rebuilding project yet for the Vols next year.
