With 15 seconds remaining in overtime, Felix Okpara hit a free throw to put Tennessee basketball up three points on the road at Georgia. Following the make, the Bulldogs went down the floor, needing either a very quick two or a 3-pointer to keep the game alive.
However, after not finding any openings to get a shot off, Georgia guard Marcus ‘Smurf’ Millender drove the rim and took a wide-open layup to cut the lead to one. The issue was that there was less than a second left on the clock at this point, eliminating any reasonable chance for the Bulldogs to extend the game.
The result of the head-scratching blunder from Millender was Tennessee winning 86-85 on the road. While UT fans enjoyed the victory, those who were rooting for the Vols to cover the 1.5-point spread couldn’t believe what happened. If Georgia launched a contested three and missed, Tennessee would’ve covered. Instead, the late and inconsequential bucket had the Bulldogs covering.
TENNESSEE -1.5 THIS MAKES ME SICK 🤮
Georgia takes a LAYUP at the buzzer down 3 (they didn’t know the time and score 😬)
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO pic.twitter.com/EHF7r8HQqa
— br_betting (@br_betting) January 29, 2026
More From RTI: What Georgia HC Mike White Said Following Loss Against Tennessee
“I didn’t even talk to him about it. I know Smurf was as down as anybody in the locker room after the game,” Georgia head coach Mike White said after the game. “And I told him, I told all these guys, I thought Smurf played as well as anybody on our team tonight. Everyone in our locker room made mistakes during that game, including myself. We preach growth every day. If we had a quick two with Blue Cain getting downhill, we would have taken it in some time. You know, it’s big moments. It’s young people, right? I know late in games, with the clock running down, he’s made probably a dozen huge positive plays for our program, so I thought he was really good tonight. We’ve got to execute down the stretch a little bit better, of course. But I believe in Smurf.”
Millender finished with 19 points in 28 minutes of action off the bench. He shot 8-for-10 from the field, including 1-for-2 from distance. He also contributed four assists and two rebounds with just one turnover.
Next, Tennessee will return to Knoxville for a highly anticipated matchup. Auburn, coached by former UT player and Bruce Pearl’s son, Steven Pearl, will bring his Tigers to Food City Center. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
