Aggies Lose to Tennessee in SEC Championship: Live Game Log
Texas A&M is on a seven-game winning streak and has taken the SEC Tournament by storm. The Aggies have improved each time they've taken the court since Thursday, and according to coach Buzz Williams, that has been the plan all along.
“The NCAA allows you to work six days in a row, so we took our off day this week before we came here, and so we’ve been working six days a week all year long since the season started,” he said after the Aggies blew out No. 15 Arkansas 82-64 in the SEC semifinals. “So for our guys, they would rather play than practice. And for us to be able to play three games in a row instead of three days of practice, they think that’s more fun, so it was never a topic of conversation."
The Aggies continued their improbable run through the SEC Tournament by routing No. 15 Arkansas 82-64 Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship game. The Volunteers beat Kentucky 69-62 in the late game Saturday.
Texas A&M will face No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday for the SEC title, with the Aggies one victory away from their first SEC title and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 when they lost to Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen. Even with a loss on Sunday, there's a chance the Aggies could make the Big Dance. But with a win, the ticket is punched.
Texas A&M has never won the SEC Tournament. The regular season-champion Aggies reached the finals in 2016, losing to Kentucky.
MATCHUP: Texas A&M Aggies (23-11) vs No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers (25-7)
WHERE: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
WHEN: Sunday, March 13, 2022, 12 p.m. CT
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN, online with fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!
HOW TO LISTEN: Radio (Texas A&M Sports Network), 1620 AM / 94.5 FM (Locally)
BETTING (SI Sportsbook)
SPREAD: Tennessee -6.5
TOTAL: 131.0 (o -110, u -118)
MONEYLINE: Texas A&M +230, Tennessee -280
SERIES: Tennessee leads 10-6
LAST TIME: Feb. 1, 2022, Tennessee won 90-80 in Knoxville
SERIES TREND: The Aggies and Volunteers are an even 5-5 in their last 10 meetings
Tennessee won the tip.
14:42 First Half: Aggies 0, Volunteers 14
Kennedy Chandler began the scoring for the Vols with a 3-pointer assisted by Santiago Vescovi at the 18:49 mark. Josiah-Jordan James added a jumper and a free throw, then hit a 3-pointer for a Vols 9-0 lead to start the game.
Texas A&M timeout with 17:11 on the clock in an attempt to kill the Volunteers run.
Vescovi made another 3-pointer and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield hit a jumper to extend the Tennessee lead to 14-0 as A&M has missed its first eight shots to open the game.
11:57 First Half: Aggies 4, Volunteers 16
Henry Coleman III breaks the Aggies scoreless streak at the 14:01 mark of the first half with a layup. That's answered at the other end by Jones Aidoo for the Volunteers with a layup. Coleman hit another jumper assisted by Quenton Jackson for a 16-4 Vols lead.
7:16 First Half: Aggies 10, Volunteers 19
Manny Obaseki got on the board with two free throws after a Kennedy Chandler foul for the Volunteers. Henry Coleman III made a layup to get the Aggies to within eight at 16-8 with 9:34 on the clock. Quenton Jackson made a layup after a Coleman III defensive rebound.
Kennedy Chandler broke the Vols almost six-minute scoreless streak with a 3-pointer assisted by Josiah-Jordan James.
2:05 First Half: Aggies 18, Volunteers 27
Hayden Hefner hit one-of-two free throws after being fouled by Josiah-Jordan James, and John Fulkerson hit a layup for the Vols assisted by Kennedy Chandler. Fulkerson is fouled by Andre Gordon on the play and makes the extra foul shot for a 22-11 Vols lead with 7:01 left in the half.
Fulkerson added a dunk assisted by Santiago Vescovi, who fouled Hassan Diarra. Diarra hit both foul shots. Quenton Jackson made one-of-two free throws after being fouled by Uros Plavsic.
Henry Coleman III added a layup answered by a 3-pointer by Chandler at the other end. Coleman made a dunk off an assist by Wade Taylor IV that prompted a Tennessee timeout with 2:05 left and the Vols leading 27-18.
HALFTIME: Aggies 20, Volunteers 29
Quenton Jackson hit a pair of free throws off a Kennedy Chandler foul but Josiah-Jordan James hit a mid-range jumper at the opposite end to end the half.
A&M is at 27.3 percent from the field on 6-of-22 shooting while Tennessee is at 35.5 percent on 11-of-31 shooting. A&M is 0-for-9 from beyond the arc and the Vols are 33.3 percent on 5-of-15 shooting from 3-point range. The Aggies have made 8-of-12 free throws for 66.7 percent and the Vols have made 2-of-4 for 50 percent.
Henry Coleman leads the Aggies with 10 points and Kennedy Chandler leads the Vols with nine points.
15:46 Second Half: Aggies 29, Volunteers 37
Tyrece Radford and Uros Plavsic traded layups and Santiago Vescovi hit a 3-pointer. Radford added a pair of free throws after being fouled by Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, and Quenton Jackson hit a jumper inside and Radford added a 3-pointer to reduce the Vols lead to 34-29 with 16:43 on the clock.
Kennedy Chandler added a 3-pointer to extend the Vols lead.
10:47 Second Half: Aggies 38, Volunteers 52
Santiago Vescovi hit three foul shots after being fouled by Manny Obaseki on a 3-point attempt, then hit a 3-pointer assisted by Zakai Zeigler to increase the Vols lead to 14 at 43-29. That prompted a Buzz Williams timeout.
Henry Coleman III made two foul shots and Vescovi hit another 3-pointer. Wade Taylor IV added a mid-range jumper assisted by Quenton Jackson and John Fulkerson added a free throw.
Taylor IV made a 3-pointer assisted by Jackson and Josiah-Jordan James answered with a dunk off a dish from John Fulkerson. Taylor IV made another layup and Zeigler nailed a 3 for the Vols.
6:39 Second Half: Aggies 43, Volunteers 59
Uros Plavsic hit a free throw, and Josiah-Jordan James and Tyrece Radford traded 3-point buckets as the Volunteers led 56-41 with 9:01 remaining in the half.
James hit another 3-pointer and Aaron Cash tipped in his own miss underneath the basket.
2:12 Second Half: Aggies 48, Volunteers 61
John Fulkerson made a dunk and Quenton Jackson made a layup before A&M called a timeout with 4:34 left and the Aggies down 61-45.
Tyrece Radford hit a 3-pointer just before the TV timeout.
FINAL: Aggies 48, Volunteers 61
Santiago Vescovi hit a pair of foul shots and Hassan Diarra hit two of his own before Tennessee's Kennedy Chandler made a layup with 41 seconds remaining.
Tyrece Radford missed a 3-pointer with 33 ticks left and Tennessee ran the clock out for the 65-50 Vols victory.
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