Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall reacts against Vanderbilt during their game in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on, March 12, 2015, in Nashville.NASHVILLE – One business suit down, three to go.
“Yes, I’ve still got three more in my suitcase,” said Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall after his Vols came from 12 points down with 7:18 to play to shock Vanderbilt 67-61 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday night.
“And I think I need them. This one I’m wearing is pretty sweaty.”
The Commodores had certainly turned up the heat heading into that final 7:18 inside Bridgestone Arena, much to the chagrin of a surprisingly vocal Big Orange Nation. At that point, VU big man Damian Jones had 18 points and 13 rebounds and UT had three players with four fouls from attempting to guard him. Just after that point, UT senior guard Josh Richardson was also turning up the heat on his teammates at the under-eight minute media timeout, using words neither the player nor his coach felt comfortable repeating afterward.
But Tyndall had felt very comfortable talking about his reason for bringing four suits to the Music City for the SEC tourney, despite his team having lost eight of its last 10 to end the regular season.
“I wanted to let my team know that I expected to win and that I was confident that we would win,” he told the media on Wednesday of his plan to dress for success. “I don’t mean that arrogantly, but I think you have to put that in their minds.”
What he wanted to erase from the minds of Vanderbilt and Tennessee fans alike was the (hopefully) fleeting image of Tyndall in the pale orange sport coat he wore during both regular-season games against the Commodores.
“I had too many negative comments about my physique in that jacket,” he said.
There should be no negative comments about Tyndall’s work on the UT sideline against the Commodores. After all, while UT was losing eight of its final 10, dandy Vandy was winning eight of 10, including a stunning triumph at Ole Miss this past Saturday night.
A far worse Commodore group had reached the SEC semifinals in this same building two years ago. The year before that, Vanderbilt had won the league tourney in New Orleans, coming from seven down in the final 10 minutes to shock eventual national champion Kentucky.
Much like those ‘Dores, this Kevin Stallings team could shoot it from all corners of the globe, hitting over 50 percent of its 3-pointers over the regular-season’s final four games. Seven-foot sophomore Luke Kornet had been so impressive that he’d hit 14 of his last 21 from behind the arc, or 66 percent.
Yet he hit none Thursday night against Tyndall’s menacing matchup zone. He was 0-for-4. Wade Baldwin IV, who had been even hotter than Kornet in bagging nearly 70 percent of his triples, hit but 2 of 6. In fact, despite knocking in 39.3 percent of their 3-pointers on the season, VU would hit but 6 of 26 against UT (23.1 percent), which was made more dramatic by the seven 3-pointers the Commodores missed in seven attempts over that final 7:18.
The one shot they would hit? A layup by freshman guard Riley LaChance, which was the only reason the Vols ended this game on a 20-2 run instead of a 20-0 blitz.
“I know I’ve had teams make big comebacks before,” Tyndall said, “but I don’t think I’ve ever had a team close on a 20-2 run.”
Said losing coach Kevin Stallings, “We played pretty well for 33 minutes, and then we just couldn’t buy a shot at the end.”
Nor could sophomore guard Robert Hubbs miss one for the Vols when it mattered most. His 3-pointer with 6:20 to go pulled the Vols within nine points at 59-50. His layup tied it at 59. Then his deep 3 from the left corner off a beautiful pass from Richardson gave the Vols a 64-61 lead with 2:13 to go. Bridgestone Arena suddenly shook with orange. Vanderbilt was suddenly all shook up.
“I was real emotional after this loss,” said Baldwin. “I don’t want to think this is the last game I’ll play my freshman year.”
Chances are it won’t be. The Commodores are 19-13 overall. They finished the SEC regular season with a 9-9 lead mark. They’re a team on the rise, given that 8-2 streak heading into the tournament. The NIT is all but certain to call.
But now Tennessee is going to play at least one more game, too. SEC runner-up Arkansas awaits the Vols at 7 EDT tonight.
“This time of year, you don’t have time to enjoy it,” Tyndall said. “You just move onto the next one.”
And perhaps the next one after that and the next one after that, hopeful that your team will remain as fresh and sharp as the next business suit in your suitcase.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com