Tennessee Escapes Illinois With Last Second Layup

Caleb Sisk | 2 Hours Ago

Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ben Humrichous (3) and Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler (5) reach for a loose ball during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Tennessee just wrapped up their matchup with Illinois on the road. Tennessee narrowly escaped Illinois with a 66-64 win as Gainey drilled a game winning layup.

The game started off slow in terms of scoring as both of these teams are heavy defensive styles. The Vols would struggle to shoot and not find much success shooting percentage wise from Chaz Lanier who is their leading scorer this season.

Defense would be asked to fulfill a huge task in the second half as part of a tough game and would be dominated on a big stretch from Illinois. This stretch included two four-point plays.

Majority of the Vols stars would have over three fouls or more as nearly every Vol was in foul trouble.

The Vols will be tasked with a very winnable contest on Tuesday as they play Western Carolina. They will play Western Carolina, Middle Tennessee State, and Norfolk State before their first SEC matchup against Arkansas on January 8th.