No. 1 Tennessee Escapes Upset Against Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, IL– After beating the No. 20 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, on Tuesday the Illini looked to continue their momentum vs the No. 1 ranked team Tennessee. The volunteers, nearing their 10th straight victory, knew it would be a tough game playing away in a tough away stadium. The Illini draw an incredible crowd each home game, especially when they play top-ranked opponents- this game was no different.

Each quarter was neck and neck, Tennessee was only up by one at the half. Both teams ran high-powered offenses. Each offense was matched with aggressive defense that combated against two tough offensive scoring programs. Igor Milicic Jr. of Tennessee had 14 total rebounds, leading the way for the Volunteers. This was a very fast and high-paced game, the Tennessee defense was very poised against a solid offensive attack from Brad Underwood’s offense.

Key Highlights

The Volunteers were able to take control due to Illinois’s own mistakes. Illinois had 11 turnovers, to Tennessee’s 6. Each turnover in this close game, resulted in points for the Volunteers which allowed for separation causing the Illini to be playing catch-up ball for a good half of the game. Without these 5 extra turnovers, we would’ve seen a different ending tonight. There would have been an upset. As Illinois held the largest lead tonight by 8 points, take away the turnovers and we would’ve witnessed the greatest upset of the season thus far. 

The senior guard for the Volunteers, Jordan Gainey, led the way for Tennessee with 23 points. He is a true scorer and ball handler, he reads the court incredibly and reads the defensive opposition with precision. Led the way in points and leadership as he drove him team to victory hitting the winning buzzer-beater shot to secure the tough victory for the Volunteers.

Illinois’s 6’6 freshman guard, Kasparas Jakucionis, showed some real promise throughout his freshman season thus far. But versus the top ranked team in the country he proved himself to the entire program. He led the way in scoring with 22, his high-powered play style was hard for Tennessee to stop, which almost resulted in an upset loss for the Volunteers. 

Post-Game Presser

At the postgame press conference, Tennessee’s head coach, Rick Barnes, mentioned that going into this game it would be a tough one knowing Illinois’s play style. Here’s what he had to say; 

“That was a high level game man…hard fought, hard to get a basket, and hard to guard…”

Coach Barnes was right, Illinois is a young but very tough hard squad to beat… they will definitely be a team to watch out for to sneak into March Madness as the season progresses. As for Tennessee, they will be the team with the targets on their back this year. Pure dominance, strength, and grit will make it hard for any opponent to beat them. They will be a powerhouse throughout the season and in March Madness. 

Looking Ahead

Tennessee lands their 10th straight win to open up the season, they will face Western Carolina on Tuesday. Illinois sitting at (7-3) will have a week off before they are set to face off Missouri on December 22. 

Cameron Williams

DiSportsPhotoAgency

Senior Writer