OXFORD, Miss. — No. 21 Lady Vols basketball went on the road to face No. 17 Ole Miss and, again, let things get way out of hand. Tennessee lost 94-81 in Oxford to drop to 16-8 (8-4 SEC) on the year.
Here are three quick takeaways from the loss.
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Different Game, Same Story
I’m starting to get some serious déjà vu.
Seemingly every time the Lady Vols go on the road for a ranked game, they leave not just with a loss, but an unexplainably bad one. Other notable results for Tennessee this year include a 22-point loss at UCLA, 24-point loss vs. Louisville in Brooklyn, 30-point loss at UConn and 43-point loss at South Carolina. Now, add a 13-point loss to Ole Miss
While that mark doesn’t look too bad on paper, it was never competitive. UT led for not a second of the game and was trailing by 26 points in the third quarter and 21 in the fourth.
If Tennessee lost all of those games, but by a normal margin, there’d still be some goodwill left. Those are really good teams, and the schedule had you playing away from home for most big games. The fashion in which they’ve lost has been unacceptable, though.
That’s why it feels like a different opponent and location, but the same exact story for Tennessee this year in these games.
Critical Loss for Seeding
There’s longterm implicaitons from this loss, as well. The Lady Vols and Ole Miss are both projected to be teams battling for a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The top-16 teams get homecourt advantage for the first two rounds, making a 4-seed or better critical.
While the overall body of work is the top priority in seeding, if two teams are close, like Tennessee and Ole Miss are, a head-to-head result could go a long way. When the margin of defeat isn’t very close either, it can carry some additional weight.
That’s what makes this loss sting even more than it already does. It could’ve been a great feather in the Lady Vols’ cap, but instead, it’s another brutal point for the committee to point to and drop Tennessee.
At Least Lauren Hurst Broke Out
Lauren Hurst’s strong true freshman campaign saw a new height in the loss to Ole Miss. She obliterated her previous career high of five points with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 from three.
She also dominated the glass. Her nine rebounds topped her previous career high of five, as well. She also contributed two assists and two steals in 24 minutes for a plus/minus of +3.
While it was far too little to make up for the overall nightmare of a game, that’s at least one thing you can hang your hat on. Hurst was the most consistent player throughout the game and showed a much-needed presence as a 3-point shooter.
Final Stats
Up Next
It’s a short turnaround for the Lady Vols. Tennessee is back in action on Thursday when Texas A&M comes to town. UT will play the Aggies at home at 6:30 p.m. ET on SECN+.
Then, it’s another big road bout. The Lady Vols play No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
