Both teams must have missed the memos.
Tennessee, a half-game out of first place in Southeastern Conference standings, was favored by 17 over Georgia. Rick Barnes, after the victory over Auburn, said his team is a genuine contender for the national championship.
The Bulldogs, losers 17 times in the previous 18 adventures, were supposed to lose as usual. Georgia fans had so little hope of an upset, most stayed home.
The first half was a little too close for comfort – 35 to 35.
The Vols surged ahead after intermission. They built a 15-point lead. Instead of flying the white flag and announcing unconditional surrender, the Bulldogs rallied and reduced the deficit to four. Tennessee’s highly regarded defense looked like it just might take the night off.
John Fulkerson, of all people, hit the two clutch shots that restored order. Josiah-Jordan James finished with a career-high 23 points and a lot of other positive statistics. Uros Plavsic had 10 rebounds. Santiago Vescovi didn’t shoot very well but scored 11 and did other things to win. Kennedy Chandler made a few too many mistakes but scored 16.
Zakai Zeigler
Zakai Zeigler had his worst game as a Volunteer, 1-for-7 from the floor and something less than shutdown defense. He had an excuse. The Zeigler family home in Queens was destroyed by fire on Saturday night. All belongings were lost. Only injuries were broken hearts.
Zakai’s mother, Charmane, was in Athens to help Ziggy however she could. The University of Tennessee and Big Orange fans are going to help the Zeiglers.
Barnes said the UT administration is off to a fantastic start.
The basketball team did enough to win the game, 75-68. It shot 44.8 percent. It won the rebound battle, 39-28. Tennessee had more turnovers. Both teams had 11-0 runs in the second half. Georgia did not look like its 1-16 league record.
The record looks like a coaching change is forthcoming. Barnes delivered what support he could, a vote of confidence for his old friend, Tom Crean.
“Georgia was terrific. It is so well-coached.”
Barnes said the Vols weren’t properly locked in. He said the defensive performance was not very good. He did say Fulkerson’s goals came at an important time. The score was 64-60.
The Vols made it back to 10 ahead but closed awkwardly. They had trouble with an in-bounds pass. ZZ lost the ball on a dribble. Vescovi fouled and stopped the clock.
Barnes will have a few things to say about that.
He had more to say about Zeigler.
“Halftime was a very emotional time for him. He’s extremely competitive and he knew he hadn’t played very well. Never looked like he was in sync at all.”
Ziggy was far more concerned about his mother, father and extended family than personal losses – his trophies and awards and other keepsakes.
Barnes: “He did say all he has is what he brought to Tennessee.”
James hit eight of 12, claimed eight rebounds, had five assists and other positives.
“Nothing comes easy on the road. We didn’t play very well in the first half. Better defense was the point of emphasis at halftime.”
James recognized what Fulkerson did to stop Georgia’s momentum.
“Fulky is Old Reliable. That’s what I call him.”
Landmark: Tennessee doesn’t play every year at Georgia but it last won in Athens in 2011. This victory stopped a six-game losing streak.
Saturday: The regular-season finale against Arkansas, set for a noon start, is a sellout.
Marvin West welcomes reader comments or questions. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com