It was a finish never to be forgotten by this living Vol fan. With 3.8 seconds to go, Jahmai Mashack took the ball the length of the court and nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to put Tennessee ahead 79 to 76 at the final horn. Beth, myself, and 20,000+ other fans erupted in jubilant celebration.
Our tickets were part of a continuing tradition whereby Beth treats me to a couple UT Basketball games as a Christmas present. This one was particularly momentous as Tennessee is currently battling Alabama and Florida for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The game was highly entertaining (despite the first-half whistle-happy officials) with neither team pulling away. Tennessee was down 76 to 72 with 36 seconds to go when Chaz Lanier drove, got fouled, and made the basket. He missed the ensuing free throw, but Mashack was fouled trying to get the rebound. Mashack hit both attempts to tie the game. That setup the final possession and Mashack securing a jump ball with 3.8 seconds to go. However, the possession arrow favored Alabama. But Tennessee was able to force a 5-second call on the inbounds play. Finally, Zakai Zeigler’s only option on the inbounds was to throw it to Mashack who raced down the court and launched a three from the “The” on “The Summit Court”. All the while, Rick Barnes and Zeigler were trying to call a timeout. Fortunately the officials didn’t see them, and Mashack forever cemented himself into UT history. He’ll never have to pay for a meal in this town again.
We saw it all live from our vantage point in Row 13, Section 317. The crowd was amped up all game. Down the stretch we were all on our feet for every defensive possession and urging the ball into the basket while on offense. After Mashack hit the game winner, the band played Rocky Top. Then they played Dixieland Delight as everyone stayed in the stadium to soak up the magic. It was a thrilling beginning to March Madness.
