Chaz Lanier earned the big headlines but Zakai Zeigler won the game.
Chaz hit eight three-pointers, scored 30 and led the Vols to a dramatic and important 77-69 victory at Texas A&M on Saturday.
Jordan Gainey hit a pair of threes and two free throws during crunch time. For at least a short-short, their success calmed concerns about Tennessee not being able to beat good teams on the road.
There was interesting strategy and a smart adjustment in the crucial closing seconds. With the outcome very much at risk, Rick Barnes called an out-of-bounds play that was supposed to be a Gainey lob to Feliz Okpara for a slam. The really tough Aggies guessed right, clogged up the lane and denied access to the rim.
Zakai Zeigler #5 versus the Aggies. Ziegler scored 16 points but led the Vols as point guard and nailed a crucial three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining. “It was a dagger, one of the clutch shots of the season,” writes Marvin West
Ziggy read the dilemma correctly and executed plan B. Barnes saw what was happening and said to those around him “Watch this.”
The great little guard made a sharp cut, broke away from solid coverage to the deep wing, caught a crisp pass from Gainey and nailed a three-pointer of his own.
It was a dagger, one of the clutch shots of the season. It doubled the Tennessee lead with 21 seconds remaining. It was the unofficial finish of a street fight politely labeled as a typical Southeastern Conference basketball game between top 10 teams.
This one really mattered in the race for national honors and favorable seeding for the conference tournament. The Vols are 9-5. They play at LSU on Tuesday. Alabama comes to Food City Center on Saturday.
Barnes said he was very proud of what his guys did in College Station. The start wasn’t what he wanted but the team was resilient. It kept its poise. The coach said the Aggies are “really hard to play against.”
The teams are similar. Both play fiercely determined defense. Texas A&M is stronger in rebounding. Tennessee has inconsistent shooters but they are sometimes sensational.
Lanier was. He scored 22 in the first half. He hit six of seven long shots. He made it sound so easy.
“A&M was really sinking into the paint on defense and our guys were just finding me at the 3-point line. And they were making great passes and I just knocked them in.”
Zeigler didn’t do all that much while Lanier owned the show. He had three points at halftime but finished with 16. The Aggies couldn’t stay in front of his drives. He made 10 of 12 free throws. Gainey scored 14, all but four in the second half.
Tennessee connected on 13 of 27 three-point attempts. Texas A&M made five of 30. Star Aggie Wade Taylor was hitless on nine tries. Zhuric Phelps made one of seven.
Texas A&M was tougher inside. It got nine more rebounds. It outscored the Vols, 30-18, in the paint.
Tennessee started with three turnovers. A&M started with a 6-0 lead. The alarming moment was 17-8. The full house was fired up. The Vols weathered the storm. Once they recovered, the game was close. There were 11 lead changes. The score was tied eight times.
The Vols were up 36-32 at intermission. They were not sharp at the start of the second half but there were some highlights. Jahmai Mashack won two fights around the goal and twice scored on tip-ins. Barnes thought the four points were important and the competitive spirit was worth a fortune.
Tennessee was outstanding in the final five minutes. It scored on eight of nine possessions. It made four threes.
The Vols had a 63-62 lead after three free throws by Taylor with 3:24 remaining. The Aggies never could get the lead. Zeigler made four free throws in the finishing run. Gainey hit his second three and two free throws.
It was 72-69 when the Aggies trapped Ziggy beneath the backboard, a double-team by two big bullies. The shot clock was running out. Barnes prevented a disaster with a timeout. That’s when he set up the lob that A&M anticipated.
Zeigler sensed there might be trouble.
“Oh, I knew. I knew the play and I told Jordan, I said, ‘Yo, if you got to pass it to me, it’s going up and it’s going in. Simple as that. I knew it was going in from the jump.”
A&M coach Buzz Williams had a clear understanding of when the Aggies lost the game.
“The out-of-bounds, five seconds on the shot clock, No. 5 hits the three … it’s chess, it’s checkmate.”
Ziggy has an opinion of where the Vols now stand.
“I feel like we’re playing good basketball, great basketball right now. I feel like guys are getting more and more confident. I still feel like we haven’t played our best basketball … our best on both ends of the floor … once we put a game together like that, it’s gonna be even scarier.”
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com
As always Sir West….great insight. You invariably give us fortunate readers some “inside dope” no one else either knows or shares. THANKS. Sure hate to see Ziggy graduate. This game went from what looked like an Aggie runaway to a tight game with Tennessee out-playing them at all critical times. As an old-timer it seems that comming back from significant deficits to a decisive win is the new wave of SEC hoops. Hopefully, the Vols are approaching their peak at the right time and we go all the way.
Arguably the best stem to stern game of the season with the away beatdown at Florida a close second. Every player seems to bring what he does best to the match. I hope we come out of the SEC tournament with some true grit left. There aren’t that many of us.
Thank you, Mr. West! The two teams had the same number of made baskets, but Tennessee’s were more valuable baskets than TAMU’s. Have a great week.
Well, threes and free throws beat twos and rebounds…sometimes. Good ending to a great chess match. It’s satisfying when it’s the other guy who says “Checkmate.”