Tennessee's trip to Nashville was short-lived, as the 25th-ranked Volunteers found themselves outmatched by a red-hot Vanderbilt squad led by Duke Miles. After a comeback win over Auburn on Thursday, Tennessee couldn't keep the momentum going, falling to Vanderbilt on Friday.
Duke Miles was the star of the night, dropping 30 points and shooting an impressive 4-5 from beyond the arc and 11-14 overall. His performance was enough to overshadow the Volunteers, especially with Nate Ament struggling to find his rhythm.
Ament, who had a standout game against Auburn, was stifled by Vanderbilt's defense, managing just one field goal. He tried to make up for it at the free throw line but couldn't get his shots to fall from the field.
After the game, Tennessee's coach Rick Barnes reflected on the decision to play Ament, who had been nursing an ankle injury. “We talked about it last night,” Barnes said. “We even considered not playing him as a precaution for next week, but he insisted on playing.”
Ament had missed the final two games of the regular season due to the ankle injury he sustained against Alabama. Barnes acknowledged that playing three games in three days might not have been the best move for Ament's recovery as they head into the NCAA Tournament.
“Sometimes there’s a blessing in disguise,” Barnes noted. “You always want to win, but if we’d have won today and played tomorrow, would we have played him?
I don’t even know. He’s not 100%, but he wants to play.
Maybe today’s loss gives Ja’Kobi Gillespie a chance to rest and Nate a chance to recover.”
Now, Tennessee awaits their NCAA Tournament fate, which will be revealed on Sunday evening. The Volunteers have had an inconsistent season, and this finish adds to the unpredictability.
While they had opportunities to climb to a No. 4 seed, they’re now likely looking at a five or six seed. All eyes will be on the selection announcements tomorrow.