KNOXVILLE—It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and in March that’s all that matters. Tennessee trailed for the majority of the game, but seemed determined to beat a Missouri team which is a lock to make an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers led by eight with 10:07 to play and the Vols’ tournament hopes were in serious jeopardy. As they’ve done so often this year, the Vols battled back and took a 54-53 lead on a Jordan McRae putback with 5:36 to play. A Richardson free throw, 3 from Golden, and two free throws by McRae pushed the lead to seven, and Tennessee held on to win 64-62.

The Vols are undefeated when Golden scores 12.
Photo by Reed Carringer

Offense: This was by no means a beautiful offensive performance by Tennessee. They shot 36.7% for the game and went long stretches without scoring. Missouri’s length and physicality clearly bothered the Vols, but they made buckets when they had to. Jordan McRae had just one point at the half, but scored 14 in the second half on 4-7 shooting. His ability to score when his shot isn’t falling is perhaps the area where he’s seen the most growth this season. The bucket that gave the Vols a lead they wouldn’t relinquish was a McRae putback off a Jarnell Stokes missed layup. Earlier in the season, that’s not a play McRae makes. He’s been crashing the boards with regularity the past few months, and grabbed six rebounds against the Tigers.

Jarnell Stokes continues to push people around in the paint. Missouri entered the game as the No. 2 rebounding team in the nation, yet the Vols outrebounded them by a 45-32 margin. Stokes grabbed 13 boards to go along with 13 points, and kept Missouri’s bigs off the offensive glass. Trae Golden proved that his performance at Georgia was an aberration with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and just one turnover. The Vols don’t need 20 points from him every game, and if he can score within the flow of the offense like he did today, Tennessee will continue to be tough to beat.

Josh Richardson’s game was his best in months. He recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in 30 minutes of action. Skylar McBee hit two 3s in his last game in Thompson-Boling Arena for his six total points, and Quinton Chievous scored a career-high seven against the team his father played for. Kenny Hall didn’t score, but pulled down three rebounds on senior night

Defense: Tennessee held Missouri to 41.4% shooting, and kept Phil Pressey in check. Missouri’s deadly point guard had 10 points, but was just 1-6 from beyond the arc. With Richardson on Pressey, Tennessee had no one who could matchup with Laurence Bowers. He scorched the Vols for 20 points on 8-12 shooting, but Cuonzo’s gameplan to put Tennessee’s best defender on Pressey paid off in the end. The Tigers were just 4-17 (23.5%) from 3-point range.

Final Take: First off, the Vols sent their seniors out with a victory. Even more importantly, the victory improves the chances these seniors will play their last game in the NCAA Tournament. With a win over a team that’s a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, the Vols’ tournament resume looks much more convincing.

Cuonzo Martin believes his team deserves to make the field of 68, “I think the job is done. The next phase is to go try to compete in a tough SEC Tournament in Nashville. As far as the NCAA Tournament is concerned I feel like the work is done, that just solidified it.”

Up Next: Tennessee heads to Nashville for the SEC Tournament next week as a No. 5 seed. They’ll play the winner of South Carolina vs. Auburn/Mississippi State Thursday at 3:30 p.m. If the Vols advance, they’ll play Alabama Friday at 3:30 p.m. in a game each team will need to win to secure an NCAA bid.