Tennessee Walks Off Alabama in Knoxville

Knoxville, Tenn. - The Alabama Crimson Tide faced the first of three immensely tough games to end its regular season, travelling to Knoxville, Tennessee for a date with the Volunteers.

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Tennessee has been a thorn in the side of Nate Oats and Alabama during Oats' historic start as the Alabama head coach, with a 4-3 record over the Crimson Tide during Oats' tenure as the Alabama head coach.

Barnes improved to 5-3 over Oats on Saturday, March 1, as the Tennessee Volunteers weathered the storm of the Alabama volley to secure the victory, 79-76 over Alabama.

Tennessee got off to a hot start, with the Crimson Tide reverting to the slower starts that plagued them in losses to Auburn and Missouri. Alabama clawed its way back into the contest, even taking a nine-point lead early in the second half. It looked like the Tide would roll in hostile territory thanks to big shooting nights by Mark Sears and Aden Holloway, with Labaron Philon contributing heavily in the paint.

However, one of Alabama's pitfalls on the night was free-throw shooting. The Crimson Tide shot 65% on the night, with key players having an uncharacteristic night at the charity stripe. Aden Holloway had a chance to add three points early in the game, but could not hit any of his free throws.

It was a tie game with just two minutes left, setting up a classic finish between bitter rivals Alabama and Tennessee.

Late in the shot clock on one of Alabama's final possessions, Alabama looked to be in trouble with nobody getting open. Then, the shortest player on the court - Mark Sears - rose above everyone else for a three-point shot that Sears knew would find the bottom of the net by the time it left his hand.

On the next possession, the true freshman Labaron Philon made a veteran savvy move to give Alabama a three-point lead with less than one minute to go.

Alabama's defense rose to the occasion to end the game for the Crimson Tide. Tennessee was held scoreless over almost six minutes of the game, giving Alabama a chance to push a big lead and overcome Rick Barnes' squad.

Tennessee tied the game with 30 seconds, potentially sending it to overtime on their home court. Alabama had 30 seconds to make a bucket to get out of Knoxville in regulation. A jump ball gave Alabama the possession arrow with 3.8 seconds left in the game. Alabama would have the ability to walk it off against one of its most hated rivals.

Alabama ended it with a five-second violation to shift the focus to Tennessee. The Volunteers went from heartbreak to jubilation, with Jahmai Mashack making a three-point shot from the parking lot to end the game for Tennessee.

The Crimson Tide fell to 23-6 (12-4) on the season, with the loss potentially costing a one-seed for Alabama in the NCAA tournament in two weeks.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.