KNOXVILLE — Josh Richardson walked to the locker room one final time wearing a Tennessee basketball jersey after the Volunteers ended the season more than a week ago with a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal loss to Arkansas.
Sure, the senior would have liked that final trip to come have in this week’s NCAA tournament.
The steep task of pulling off four wins in Nashville would have made that possible, but Richardson was more realistic in what he’d hoped for in the final games of his career.
His simple request for his team: Leave everything on the Bridgestone Arena court.
“I think both games we came out and left it all out there,” Richardson said after the Vols’ rally fell short against Arkansas one night after they pulled off a similar comeback against Vanderbilt. “I’m proud of the guys and how they played.