This past Saturday, the Tennessee Volunteers stunned the Alabama Crimson Tide with a thrilling game-winner.
In Wednesday night’s road game against the unranked Ole Miss Rebels, the tides turned against the No. 4 Volunteers.
With 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Volunteers trailing the Rebels 76-72, Tennessee senior forward Igor Milicic Jr. drilled a three-pointer and was fouled. Milicic subsequently made his free throw, tying the game.
However, Ole Miss would respond on the ensuing possession.
The Rebels inbounded the ball to senior guard Sean Pedulla with 12 seconds left. He quickly fired a three-pointer and missed, but Ole Miss forward Jaemyn Brakefield grabbed a rebound and scored.
Brakefield’s bucket sealed a 78-76 win for the Rebels. Ole Miss has won two of its last three games and improved to 21-9 and 10-7 in conference play. Tennessee, meanwhile, is now 24-6 and 11-6 in SEC play.
Along with the clutch putback, Brakefield had one of his best games this season. In 24 minutes, he scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He also had two assists and two rebounds.
This matchup shouldn’t have significant NCAA Tournament implications for either team. In his latest bracket, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi lists Tennessee as a No. 1 seed in the West region and Ole Miss as a No. 8 seed.
However, they could meet again in the SEC Tournament, which is scheduled for March 12-16 in Nashville, Tennessee, at Bridgestone Arena. If they do, perhaps they’ll produce another exciting matchup.
