KNOXVILLE - During the day, the outpouring of support on social media was overwhelming for Admiral Schofield and the rest of the Tennessee men's basketball seniors.
"Y'all are making me sad," Schofield tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "This isn't the end Vol Nation. But thank you."
When introduced during the senior night ceremony, Schofield was still emotional, crying as he waved to the crowd.
Then he and Kyle Alexander made sure the group went out in style.
Led by Alexander on the defensive end, the Volunteers followed up one of their best defensive performances with one just as good in a 71-54 Southeastern Conference win over Mississippi State at Thompson-Boling Arena. The win gave the Vols their first undefeated season at home since 2007-08, when Tennessee won 30 games and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
The Vols (27-3, 15-2) remained on pace in the SEC standings with LSU (24-5, 14-2), which plays at Florida Wednesday. Kentucky defeated Ole Miss to remain a game behind in the loss column at 14-3.
Tennessee held the Bulldogs (21-9, 9-8) to 33 percent shooting from the field while forcing 17 turnovers that they turned into 18 points. Offensively the Vols weren't crisp, shooting only 43 percent from the field, but with the defensive effort they put together, it didn't matter.
Alexander and Schofield exited the game with 2:41 remaining and the Vols up 67-47. Schofield finished with 18 points, 11 in the first half. Alexander scored only six but had 10 rebounds and blocked four shots in 25 minutes. Senior walk-ons Lucas Campbell and Brad Woodson got in late, with Woodson knocking down a 3-point basket in the final minute.
Grant Williams had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh career double-double, while Jordan Bowden had 12 points to go with six rebounds. Jordan Bone and Lamonte Turner had six assists each.
The Vols assumed control of the game with a 10-0 first-half run, turning a one-point deficit into a 24-15 lead. Alexander was the catalyst of the run on both ends, blocking a pair of shots and grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds. He also capped the surge by taking a nice bounce pass in transition from Bone and finishing off a two-handed dunk that forced a Mississippi State timeout with 7:59 remaining in the first half.
Tennessee shot only 43 percent from the field in the first half but limited the Bulldogs to 35 percent in building a 31-25 lead at the break.
That lead grew to 43-27 as the Vols started the second half on a 12-2 run to assume control, and they led by as many as 24 before the finish.
Tyson Carter had 14 points to lead the Bulldogs. Reggie Perry had 10 points and 12 rebounds while Robert Woodard had 10 points and seven rebounds. Former Hamilton Heights standout Abdul Ado started and had two points and two rebounds in 24 minutes.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.