Rick Barnes recalls what went wrong for Tennessee in Vanderbilt buzzer-beater

The Volunteers suffered a back-breaking loss to the Commodores in the final moments, as a Vanderbilt buzzer-beater lifted the team to a 66-65 win over No. 6 Tennessee.

There will be plenty of regret on the Tennessee end.

For a missed wide open dunk. For a missed front end of a one-and-one. For what coach Rick Barnes described simply as “a defensive breakdown.”

There were ample chances to win it. At every turn, Tennessee came up on the wrong end of things in the final 20 seconds or so.

First, forward Julian Philips got free heading toward the rim with about 14 seconds remaining. And with no Vanderbilt players between him and the basket, Phillips pulled up, seemingly attempting to run more clock instead of putting Tennessee up 67-63 with the dunk.

“C’mon, he’s got to do that. I told him you don’t turn down a 100% shot,” coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s got to do that. And he’ll learn from it, but he’s got to do that. With 18 seconds they’ve got five fouls they have to give, so they’re going to have to foul. When you get a wide open dunk you’ve got to get it.”

That was one mistake. Another would prove even more costly seconds later.

Vanderbilt buzzer-beater stuns Tennessee

After Vanderbilt fouled a couple times to get into the bonus, Tennessee sharpshooter Santiago Vescovi stepped to the line for the front end of a one-and-one.

A 79.2% free-throw shooter, Vescovi hit the back iron and had it rim out and Vanderbilt’s Tyrin Lawrence snagged the rebound with eight seconds left in the game and Tennessee leading 65-63.

Ezra Manjon took the ball on the ensuing possession and drove down the left side of the lane, with three Tennessee defenders collapsing on him.

Reaching with all his might, he managed to hook a pass out to the 3-point line in the corner for Lawrence. Lawrence sighted up and swished home the 3-pointer for the Vanderbilt buzzer-beater.

“Well, the one thing we said: We can’t give up a 3-point shot,” Barnes said. “We felt like they would either try to go inside to Liam (Robbins) or they would get it downhill and we’ve got to make it a tough shot at the rim. But under no circumstances can we give up a 3-point shot, and we did. And they made it, so give them credit.”

Lawrence’s 3-pointer went through and the buzzer expired on a game that Tennessee will surely felt it should have won.