In the final minute of Tennessee’s basketball game at LSU on Saturday night, Tigers fans began chanting, “Overrated! Overrated!”
Given the week produced by the No. 18 Volunteers, being ranked Monday may not be an absolute given.
After trailing by as many as 19 points, the Vols pulled within five with three minutes remaining before falling 79-67 to the No. 21 Tigers. LSU improved to 14-1 overall and 2-1 in Southeastern Conference play with its 10th straight win at home, while Tennessee dropped to 10-4 and 1-2.
The Vols struggled once again from 3-point range, shooting just 6-of-24 for a 25% clip, and they committed 15 turnovers. Tennessee was outrebounded 41-33, and the positive of getting to the line for 37 free throws was soured by 14 misses.
“The free throws were extremely frustrating,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said on a Zoom call afterward. “As bad as we were on offense, we did enough if we just make some free throws and take away some of the really silly turnovers. They’re a good team, and they do a good job, but we’re a good team.