Tenenssee’s Josh Richardson (1) drives into Arkansas’ Jabril Durham (4).KNOXVILLE — If only the Tennessee men’s basketball team could face more ranked opponents in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Volunteers first shocked the world this season when No. 15 Butler breezed into town on Dec. 15 but wheezed away with a 12-point defeat.
But that was nothing compared to what took place Tuesday night inside the Boling Alley when high-flying, No. 19 Arkansas brought its SEC-best 83.9 points per game into an arena where the Vols had scored only 38 points three days earlier in an 18-point loss to Alabama.
Given that Saturday stinker, one could reasonably have expected even the most loyal UT fans to pass on the probable carnage. First-year Vols coach Donnie Tyndall later admitted he half-expected a half-empty building.
“I was worried the fans wouldn’t come back,” he said. “But they were amazing.”