Tennessee Basketball went into Fayetteville, AR, on Saturday afternoon to kick off SEC play and came out with an 86-75 loss. The majority of the contest was an entertaining, back-and-forth battle between the two Top 20-ranked teams, but a scoring drought from Tennessee and a hot stretch from Arkansas helped pave the way for the Razorbacks to balloon the lead in the final minutes.
The jarring stat from Saturday’s SEC opening loss was the Vols’ inability to be efficient at the free-throw line. Tennessee went just 12-of-23 from the line throughout the game, but at least improved to a 10-of-15 mark in the final 20 minutes. Still, though, it’s tough to leave so many points on the floor in a tough road game inside the conference.
A bright spot of the game was undoubtedly freshman guard Amari Evans. As a guy known to make the hustle plays and work hard, Evans showed up on the scoreboard in a big way on Saturday. He had a team-high 16 points on an astounding 7-of-7 shooting with one three-pointer. In a game where Ja’Kobi Gillespie shot just 33% and Nate Ament only scored three points in the first half, Evans provided a big spark for Rick Barnes’ team.
With the loss now behind them, Tennessee will return to Knoxville to host Texas on Wednesday night in the Food City Center. It’ll be a good chance for the Vols to avenge Saturday’s loss and pick up their first win in conference play.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Basketball Falls At Arkansas In SEC Opener
After the game, Tennessee had head coach Rick Barnes and Ja’Kobi Gillespie speak to the media. Check out the full interview below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Tennessee G Ja’Kobi Gillespie
