'It just flipped everybody': How Darlinstone Dubar changed the game in Tennessee's win at Texas

Darlinstone Dubar knew what was about to happen. Zakai Zeigler, after dribbling into the Texas defense, was going to pass him the ball in the corner. And Dubar knew exactly what he was going to do with it.

“I told myself as soon as he gave it to me,” Dubar said Saturday night, “that I’m going to go take the lead.”

With three minutes, 57 seconds left at the Moody Center in Austin, Dubar did just that. He hit the corner three for a 61-60 lead, one that Tennessee wouldn’t give up on the way to a 74-70 win over the Longhorns.

“I’m always ready,” Dubar said, “playing with confidence. And we got the job done.”

Dubar sparked Tennessee (15-1, 2-1 SEC) by scoring nine of his 12 points in the second half. He finished 4-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-5 from the 3-point line, and added six rebounds. 

He made three shots in the second half, with all three either tying the game or giving his team the lead. And each time he turned to the crowd to let Texas fans know about it. 

“Today I was just like let me just go out there, have fun,” Dubar said. “And that’s what I did. And I just had to show emotions today.” 

Darlinstone Dubar averaged 17.6 points in 34.6 minutes per game last season at Hofstra

The go-ahead three wasn’t Zakai Zeigler’s favorite moment from Dubar Saturday night. It wasn’t the moment that changed the game for Tennessee, either.

When it all flipped, according to Zeigler, was with 6:24 left, when Dubar ran down the lane, leaped high above the rim and finished a Jordan Gainey missed 3-pointer with a two-hand dunk to tie the game.

“I feel like that dunk was really a turning point in the game,” Zeigler said. “It was. JG, we felt like the ball was about to go in, but it came off the rim (and) D-Stone just came flying in with the big dunk. Man, it just flipped everybody.”

Tennessee needed a sign of life after trailing much of the second half. The Vols needed to find some extra energy to close the game in winning time. 

Dubar’s dunk did it all.

“I was saying that to him like, ‘Yo, you just changed the game,’” Zeigler said. “‘You don’t even know. You just changed the game. Changed the game.’ But his minutes, he gave us big minutes.”

Dubar scored a season-high 13 points against Western Carolina three weeks ago, but his 12 points at Texas were by far the most meaningful of the season. His 17 minutes matched a season high, too. 

That kind of production not only changes games, but changes what this Tennessee team looks like.

“I always talk to him,” Zeigler said. “I talk to him a lot. Like, ‘Yo, when it comes down to games like that, it comes down to execution, but it’s gonna be games that we just need to hoop and play ball. And you’re gonna have to just hoop and play.’ 

“A couple days ago we were telling him, like, ‘Yo, just play, play more free. Don’t go play so tense.’ And I feel like he did a great job with that tonight.”

Dubar, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing, was Tennessee’s first addition out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in April. Last season at Hofstra he averaged 17.8 points per game in 34.6 minutes per game. In three seasons at Hofstra he shot 38.3% from the 3-point line, making 153 threes in 100 career games. 

“We know what he’s capable of,” Zeigler said. “And I’m just glad that he went out there tonight and did his thing.”

Rick Barnes on Darlinstone Dubar: ‘He can really shoot it’

Rick Barnes pointed back to December 12, 2023 to show exactly what Dubar is capable of. Hofstra went to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke and Dubar went off, scoring 24 points while going 8-for-13 from the field and 7-for-11 from the 3-point line. 

“He can really shoot it,” Barnes said during his postgame press conference. “One of the things that when we looked at him in the portal, anybody that can go into Cameron Indoor Stadium, make (seven) threes in a game there, tells you that he’s not afraid to play.” 

At Texas, Dubar made necessary in-game adjustments that Barnes and the Vols discussed during timeouts. He defended and rebounded, showing signs of progress in all the areas Barnes wanted to see progress made. 

“He just played with a force that we need him to,” Barnes said

“And I hope,” Barnes added later, “this is will be a way that he can say, hey, you know, I can even get it to another level.”