Texas A&M guard Alex Caruso (21) defends against Tennessee guard Josh Richardson (1) Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE – Just when it seems that Tennessee has got its men’s basketball season back on track, the Volunteers find a way to stumble and fall flat on their faces.
This time a second-half collapse turned into a crippling loss and the end of a four-game winning streak.
Texas A&M outplayed Tennessee in the second half after the hosts built a 14-point halftime lead, and Antwan Space hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4.4 seconds left to give the Aggies a stunning 57-56 win at Thompson-Boling Arena in the Vols’ SEC home opener.
“We got comfortable,” guard Antonio Barton said of Tennessee’s collapse. “We just thought the team was going to lay down and let us beat them. But a team like that, it wasn’t going to happen. They kept their control, stayed within their offense and they played their game, and they came out with the win.
“This is very surprising,” he continued. “I’ve never lost on a game-winning shot like that before, so it was surprising. It was surprising that we went into halftime up and allowed them to come back. That’s not Tennessee basketball.”