Mississippi State beats No. 5 Tennessee 77-72 in a college basketball game. Mississippi State's Tolu Smith is back in the starting lineup. The game sees a hard-nosed battle with Tennessee erasing a 15-point deficit. Dalton Knecht scores 36 points, leading Tennessee to an 85-79 comeback win over Georgia. Tennessee's win streak extends to 10 games.
Georgia was on the verge of a huge upset win against No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the offense went cold and Dalton Knecht came up clutch in the final minutes to help the Vols get the last laugh. Instant takeaways: https://t.co/xLaswqNpeY
"This is my court!" Dalton Knecht finished with 36 points! #Vols https://t.co/4GDq9orGz3
Tennessee puts together a late-game comeback in the final minutes to survive vs. Georgia! https://t.co/ahOy1bxGjk
Tennessee was down 78-70, ends the game on a 15-1 run.. beat Georgia 85-79
Important road win for @Vol_Hoops at Georgia today. So much about that second half said โOne of those daysโ for Tennessee, and Vols hung in there and found a way. Helps when youโve got someone in Knecht who can go for 36 when the other team canโt miss.
No. 5 Tennessee puts together 15-1 run over last 4:49 for 85-79 comeback win over Georgia. Dalton Knecht with 36 points for Vols. Dogsโ 10-game win streak snapped.
Final in Athens: No. 5 Tennessee 85, Georgia 79. Vols closed the game on a 15-1 run. Buldogs 12-4, 2-1 SEC. Dalton Knecht 36 points. Jabri Abdur-Rahim 21. Next at South Carolina Tueday
FINAL: Georgia loses to No. 5 Tennessee 85-79. The Bulldogs gave the Volunteers all they could handle before the Vols rallied in the game's final five minutes. Instant takeaways coming shortly
Tennessee finished the game on a 21-4 run to bounceback with a road win at Georgia. Absolutely ridiculous offensive performance from Dalton Knecht: 36 points on 12-for-20 from the field, five 3s. Scored 10 points in the game-ending run. https://t.co/vCQUP52p0k
Dalton Knecht and Tennessee's great closing defense snatched a big win away from Georgia in Athens. Bulldogs are much improved, but their futile offense the last four minutes must have looked familiar to Florida fans.
FINAL IN ATHENS: No. 5 Tennessee 85, Georgia 79. Dalton Knecht leads #Vols with 36 points in a WILD game. Tennessee blew a 12-point lead, then it overcame an 11-point deficit with less than six minutes left.
Georgia was up 11 with 6:23 to go. Vols about to put away the comeback win. This is the type of offensive explosion they haven't had in the past. Very very impressive.
Knecht two more FTs. He's got 36. #Vols up four, less than 40 seconds left.
Dalton Knecht hits both free throws for Tennessee. Georgia trails by four with 40 seconds remaining
Dalton Knecht incredible work to put the Vols up. Mashack and Zeigler, elite winning-time defense. Then you have a possession to get separation where everyone stands around and Knecht launches from 25 at the end of the shot clock. Attack.
Tennessee 81, Georgia 79 | 0:56.6 Ball goes out of bounds, and it's ruled Georgia basketball. Play is being reviewed
Dalton Knecht hits another 3. Tennessee leads 81-79
Knecht for three. He's got 34. #Vols up two.
Dalton Knecht has brought Tennessee all the way back. Has 31 points with 2:20 to play in Athens and the score tied.
Dalton Knecht knocks down a pair of free throws. Tie game with 2:35 to go
Tennessee dialing up the pressure, have forced three straight ugly turnovers from Georgia. Knecht FTs tie us up at 78; he has 31 points and has done some impressive stuff on the ball in these last five minutes.
Dawgs leave a Tennessee player alone under the basket. Georgia's lead don to 78-76 with 3:20 to go in regulation
Georgia 78, Tennessee 74 | 2H, 3:54 Dawgs are shooting 9-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half. Let's see if they have enough offense left to take down Tennessee
Georgia 78, #Vols 74, 4:10/2ndH. Knecht drives to the bucket for a two. He's got 29. Georgia then calls timeout to avoid a turnover.
Georgia 75, Tennessee 70 | 2H, 5:33 Long way to go in this one. Tennessee's Dalton Knecht misses the second free throw, but the Vols turn that into an offensive board and a 3-pointer
Georgia 75, #Vols 70, 5:33/2ndH. Big offensive rebound three there from Vescovi. Tennessee needed that.
Blue Cain with a 3, and Georgia's up 11 with 6:20 to go. Dawgs shooting 67% from 3-point range in the second half
Jabri Abdur-Rahim gets a Tennessee defender to bite on the pump. The Vol goes flying by, and Abdur-Rahim drains another 3. Georgia leads Tennessee 72-62 with 7:04 to go
Georgia 69, Tennessee 60 | 2H, 7:38 Dawgs are outscoring the Vols 32-18 since halftime. Long ways to go, but if Georgia can keep shooting like this -- especially from 3-point range -- the upset is within reach
Georgia 69, #Vols 60, 7:38/2ndH. Tennessee ball after this media timeout on the floor. Lots of time left. If these Vols get back to playing basketball, they'll be right back in it. But ... who knows. Past half hour has been putrid.
Noah Thomasson with another 3-pointer after Tennessee missed a layup on the other end. Dawgs lead 69-58 with just over 8 to go
Silas Demary juuuuust beats the shot clock on a 3-pointer. Dawgs lead by 8 with 10:30 to go
Georgia uses a 15-0 run spanning 1st & 2nd halves and now has held #5 Tennessee without a FG for 2:40 to build a 61-54 with 11:56 to play.
Georgia 61, #Vols 54, 11:56/2ndH. Dawgs' Silas Demary Jr. just dunked on Josiah-Jordan James and loudly let him hear about it. Lots of time left, but Tennessee has put itself in a really bad position here. Had this game in control. Wild.
Georgia 61, Tennessee 54 | 2H, 11:56 Silas Demary Jr. decided he was getting to the rim no matter what. Pushed through a Volunteer defender and threw down the dunk. Blue Cain foul on the other end leads to the media timeout, but the Dawgs are feeling it right now
Tennessee 46, Georgia 43 | 2H, 17:19 Officials reviewing whether Jabri Abdur-Rahim was fouled on a 2-point or 3-point attempt. Rick Barnes was livid about the foul call and let the officials know as much
Georgia 43, Tennessee 42 | 2H, 19:11 Dawgs come out firing to open the second half with Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Noah Thomasson delivering 3-pointers. Tennessee opts for a timeout. Those shots give Georgia 13 unanswered points going back to the first half
Georgia was on the verge of being run out of its own gym. Many dumb Tennessee fouls, turnovers and shot choices later, the Vols trail in the second half.
Two very quick threes, and Georgia takes the lead early in the second half. Large deficit is erased. Timeout, #Vols.
HALFTIME STATS: - Georgia's field-goal percentage of 28.6% is the second-lowest in a half this season (1H in the season opener vs. Oregon) - Dawgs being outrebounded 30-17 and outscored in the paint 18-10. - Keeping Georgia alive: Dawgs shot 15 free throws. Vols shot 4 https://t.co/k4DCyV5jc0
Halftime in Athens: No. 5 Tennessee 42, Georgia 37. Bulldogs scored last 9 points of half. Vols shooting 45.7 percent from field and Bulldogs at 28.6. RJ Melendez 11 points. Dalton Knecht 16 points
Halftime: #5 Tennessee 42, Georgia 37. A really sloppy end to the first half by Tennessee let Georgia (and this crowd) back in the game. Dalton Knecht with 16 for Tennesee; R.J. Melendez leads Bulldogs with 11 off the bench.
HALFTIME IN ATHENS: No. 5 Tennessee 42, Georgia 37, Fascinating combination of very good play and shockingly dumb play by the #Vols in the first half. Saw a bit of everything the past 20 minutes. Dalton Knecht with a game-high 16 points.
HALFTIME: Georgia trails No. 5 Tennessee 42-37. Bulldogs finished the first half on a 9-0 run to get right back in the game. Impressive close, especially with Tennessee cooling off from 3-point range. Long way from over here in Stegeman
Tennessee 42, Georgia 35 | 1H, 1:07 Blue Cain drills a 3, and Tennessee calls timeout. Georgia on a 7-0 run. Give the Bulldogs credit: they're continuing to keep this close despite a really impressive 1H on offense by the Vols
Tennessee 42, Georgia 28 | 1H, 3:48 Zakai Zeigler steals the ball from Justin Hill and easily makes his way down the court for a layup. Vols can practically do no wrong today
Tennessee 33, Georgia 22 | 1H, 8:07 Georgia calls timeout after Dalton Knecht gets another open look from 3 and knocks it down. Vols are now 5-of-10 from deep
#Vols 33, Georgia 22, 8:06/1stH. Another three for Knecht. He's up to 14 points already. Timeout, Dawgs.
Georgia crowd groaning as Knecht started his catch-and-shoot motion. They knew how it would end. Vols up 33-22 so far.
Tennessee 20, Georgia 13 | 1H, 11:52 Silas Demary Jr. drives hard to the rim, draws the foul, and makes the layup. He'll head back to the free-throw line after the media timeout. Dawgs hanging tough early, but Tennessee is riding high from its 3-point shooting (4/6 from deep)
That's 5 turnovers for Tennessee so far, including 3 in the last 1:47 of action. Georgia's defense really messing with Tennessee early
Tennessee 13, Georgia 6 | 1H, 15:03 Georgia scrambling a bit on offense right now. Haven't made a shot from the field in nearly four minutes of game time. Tennessee's Dalton Knect headed to the free-throw line to try and deliver on an and-1 opportunity
Tennessee not messing around. Rude spike by Jonas Aidoo leads to bucket-and-one by Knecht in transit. 11-6 Vols, 8 points already for Knecht.
Dalton Knecht is back, just tearing up Georgia so far. Now the Vols just need their graybeards to see a few go down and this team will be cooking.
#Vols 13, Georgia 6, 15:03/2ndH. Hot start from Dalton Knecht, who has 8p and will look to finish an and-1 after this media timeout on the floor.
Good morning from the cradle of civilization, where a surprising Georgia team will take on No. 5 Tennessee today. My first look at Vols potential first-rounder Dalton Knecht. https://t.co/s1Ijx6BloH
Arkansas women's basketball rallied late against Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs hung on to beat the Razorbacks 66-63. More on Arkansas' second SEC loss: https://t.co/4h8JdK7mwV @EthWestNWA
FINAL: Mississippi State beats Arkansas, 66-63. Jessika Carter had a monster night with 22 points and 19 rebounds. She capped it off with a block on the biggest possession of the game. During Purcell's tenure, MSU is 17-0 when she has a double-double. https://t.co/JI5T1G16ZR
Final - Mississippi State 66, Arkansas 63 The Razorbacks fall to 13-5 overall and 1-2 in SEC play. https://t.co/5xFCRcwaGd
0:15, 4Q - Mississippi State 65, Arkansas 63 Lauren Park-Lane split a pair of free throws to leave the door open for Arkansas. The Razorbacks will have the ball out of a timeout.
0:19, 4Q - Mississippi State 64, Arkansas 63 Maryam Dauda made 2 foul shots to pull Arkansas within 1. She has 17 points and 13 rebounds.
3:40 - Arkansas 59, Mississippi State 57 Two free throws by Samara Spencer have given Arkansas its first lead of the game.
5:15, 4Q - Arkansas 55, Mississippi State 55 Carly Keats completed and and-1 opportunity to tie the game.
2:49, 3Q - Arkansas 45, Mississippi State 45 Back-to-back threes from Carly Keats and Samara Spencer have tied the game.
5 takeaways from Arkansas basketball's 76-66 loss at Georgia https://t.co/dzWLkUQ1QX
From last night: Mississippi State out-performed Tennessee, the nationโs No. 5 team, by playing a game the Vols typically win. But MSU was the tougher, more physical team. https://t.co/zd5BGJ87UV
ICYMI: Georgia never trailed Arkansas on Wednesday night to set the stage for the Bulldogs' first 2-0 start in SEC play in 10 years https://t.co/EDPBmiosCQ
"I told our guys after the game that we didn't really flinch, and this is the fifth or sixth game like that ... I don't know where we finish or how good this team will ultimately be, but we're getting better." Georgia handles Arkansas for 2nd SEC win https://t.co/EDPBmiosCQ
Georgia extended its win streak to 10 games and handed Arkansas its second consecutive loss with a 76-66 outcome at Stegman Coliseum. https://t.co/fP82DB2Gjo
FINAL: Georgia defeats Arkansas 76-66. The Bulldogs never trailed and held off the Razorbacks late. As a result, Georgia is 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2014. Instant takeaways: https://t.co/EDPBmiosCQ
Final: Georgia 76, Arkansas 66. Bulldogs go to 12-3, 2-0 SEC. 10 wins in a row for UGA. Justin Hill 19 points, 3-7 3s. Noah Thomasson 15 points, 3-5 3s. RJ Melendez 10 points, 8-8 FT. Next: vs. No. 5 Tennessee Saturday
Also: Arkansas is just legit bad, apparently. About to lose to Georgia (way better than expected!) and fall to 9-6, 0-2. Mike White's Bulldogs about to be a very surprising 12-3, 2-0. https://t.co/rDi305W1zg
Silas Demary Jr. buries a 3, and that should do it. Dawgs lead Arkansas by 8 with a minute to go
Russel Tchewa fouls out. Georgia leads Arkansas 69-62 with 1:41 to go
Georgia 69, Arkansas 62 | 2H, 2:14 Russel Tchewa just beats the shot clock, and RJ Melendez comes through with a crucial put-back for another Bulldogs basket. Mike White calls timeout
Georgia 65, Arkansas 59 | 2H, 3:47 Noah Thomasson draws a foul on a drive to the basket. The Bulldogs have another chance to extend the lead at the free-throw line, where they've shot 13/16 tonight
Two clutch free throws by Jalen DeLoach, and Georgia leads Arkansas 62-57 with 5:30 to go
Justin Hill with a hard drive to the basket. He draws the foul and makes the layup. Hill misses the and-1, and Georgia leads Arkansas 60-55 with 6:25 to go
Arkansas just can't close the gap, with Georgia answering every punch. Trevon Brazile just had a chance to cut the deficit to 4 but lost the ball going up and now the Dogs have two free throws to make it an 8-point game.
Georgia 56, Arkansas 50 | 2H, 7:53 Dawgs could really, really use some offense. Georgia has missed 3 of its last 5 from the field as the Razorbacks have closed the gap. Big minutes coming up
Arkansas cuts the Georgia lead to 56-50 with 8:38 to go. Can the Dawgs get enough offense to finish the job?
Georgia 48, Arkansas 41 | 2H, 11:59 Both teams pretty much playing to a draw in the second half. Noah Thomasson leading all scorers since the break with 8 points, 6 of which came from 3-point range
Georgia 40, Arkansas 32 | 1H, 15:58 Dawgs are 2/7 from the field since the break, but those Noah Thomasson 3's were pretty big
Noah Thomasson with consecutive 3's, and Georgia's lead on Arkansas is up to 40-29. Nice response for the Bulldogs after the Razorbacks started to close the gap
Georgia leads Arkansas 34-24 at the half. Hogs' defense was fine, but the offense was atrocious and the Bulldogs scored 14 points off Arkansas turnovers.
Halftime: Georgia 34, Arkansas 24. Justin Hill 11 points, 3-4 on 3s. Noah Thomasson 7 points. Arkansas 10-30 FG with 9 turnovers
HALFTIME: Georgia leads Arkansas 34-24. Really strong first half from the Bulldogs, which played strong defense and got the offense going about midway through the half
Georgia 32, Arkansas 22 | 1H, 1:22 Dawgs call a timeout. Looking to close strong after leading for 17:40 of the first half
Georgia 30, Arkansas 17 | 1H, 3:25 Jalen DeLoach double-dribble stands as Georgia's 5th turnover of the first half. Bulldogs are rolling right along and getting the job done defensively, as they're on a 14-2 run and have forced the Razorbacks to miss 7 of their last 8 shots
Georgia 21, Arkansas 15 | 1H, 7:41 Razorbacks began to close the gap before Noah Thomasson banked in a 3-pointer. Arkansas has started to show some life on offense, but Georgia is still out in front
A near steal by Arkansas results in a banked three-pointer for Georgia. Perfectly sums up the Hogs season.
Mississippi State's first win over an AP Top 5 team since 2002 ๐คฏ @HailStateMBK https://t.co/zfnPgg4CVu
Georgia 16, Arkansas 9 | 1H, 11:09 Nice offensive rebound by RJ Melendez, who gets it down low for Silas Demary Jr. who finishes with the layup. Arkansas turns it over with a travel on the other end. Solid start for the Dawgs, who are shooting 44% from the field
Tonight's win over Tennessee was Mississippi State's first victory over a top-five opponent since Dec. 28, 2002 vs. Oklahoma, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
BULLDOGS KNOCK OFF NO. 5 TENNESSEE ๐ถ Mississippi State hangs onto a massive home victory over the Vols ๐ฎ https://t.co/cASKOv4MbB
Mississippi State beats No. 5 Tennessee for it's first win vs. an AP Top 10 team since 2002 ๐ฅ https://t.co/55v1GEbyde
Nothing like playing on the road in college hoops. Vols almost stole it but too much bad ball in the first half created the hole. Knecht and Zeigler: 54 points, 19 of 33 FG, 8 of 18 3FG Everyone else: 18 points, 8 of 26 FG, 0 for 11 3FG
Georgia 6, Arkansas 2 | 1H, 15:46 Razorbacks looking at an and-1 opportunity when play resumes. Solid play early from Georgia, but the 3-ball is not falling to start this game. Dawgs are 0/3 from deep
MISSISSIPPI STATE UPSETS NO. 5 TENNESSEE ๐จ That is @HailStateMBK's 1st win over a Top 5 team since 2002โผ๏ธ https://t.co/MUiRzuGS9u
FINAL IN STARKVILLE: Mississippi State 77, No. 5 Tennessee 72. #Vols erase 15-point second half deficit but come up short. State did enough in the second half to hold on. A fair result. Wasn't quite enough from Tennessee.
Mississippi State 77, No. 5 Tennessee 72 Huge victory for Chris Jans and the Bulldogs. Freshman Josh Hubbard with 25 points and Tolu Smith adds 23 in the win.
FINAL: Mississippi State beats No. 5 Tennessee, 77-72. They wouldn't let fans storm the court, but it was a performance worthy of it. Gutsy win for MSU.
FINAL: Mississippi State 77, No. 5 Tennessee 72 The third top-five team to lose in the last 24 hours. Huge win for Chris Jans and Mississippi State. Tolu Smith scores 23 points and hits the game-winning bucket with 14 seconds left. Josh Hubbard with 25 off the bench.
DOWN GOES NUMBER 5 TENNESSEE Mississippi State beats the Vols 77-72 at home. What an effort.
Welcome back, Tolu Smith. Mississippi State's star big man missed the first 12 games with a foot injury. Third game, first start tonight: 23 points, game-winning and-one with 14.7 seconds left against Tennessee. Huge win for the Bulldogs.
MissState 72, #Vols 70, 52.5 seconds/2ndH. State has the ball.
Zeigler and Knecht just trying to drag Tennessee to this comeback at Mississippi State. Down six with 1:39 to go, Zeigler jumper, Zeigler steal, Zeigler layup. Zeigler and Knecht have 51 combined.
Georgia and Arkansas tip off at top of hour https://t.co/lUl8A14HYi
Mississippi State led Tennessee by 14 with 16:30 to go. 11 minutes and 13 seconds later: 62-all. Zeigler and Knecht with 29 of 35 Vols points in the run to tie it.
That Knecht jumper would have given Tennessee its first lead in forever, and it did everything but go down. Some voodoo stuff there.
#Vols 62, MissState 62, 4:55/2ndH. Tennessee has erased State's 15-point lead, but Jonas Aidoo just fouled out. Barnes is furious.
If you're Tennessee, you obviously want to capitalize on this second half fight and win the game. We'll see if the Vols do that. Either way, Dalton Knecht becoming Dalton Knecht again is more important in the big picture. Just sayin.
MissState 60, #Vols 55, 7:28/2ndH. Tough two by State's Shakeel Moore to just beat the shot clock. #Vols huffing and puffing, but Bullies answering enough to stay in front. Tennessee ball after this media timeout on the floor.
Got ourselves a real interesting matchup tonight between Georgia and Arkansas. Weโre about 30 minutes away from opening tip as the Bulldogs look to extend their current win streak to 10 games https://t.co/YXwNkFaOMO
MissState 51, #Vols 46, 11:49/2ndH. State's 15-point lead went to three in a hurry. Now back to five. Tennessee ball after this media timeout on the floor.
MissState 49, #Vols 46, 13:56/2ndH. Three quick Tennessee threes. Whoa.
MissState 49, #Vols 46, 13:56/2ndH. Three quick Knecht threes. Whoa.
MissState 49, #Vols 43, 13:56/2ndH. Two quick Knecht threes. Game on.
Tennessee really needs Dalton Knecht to get going again and give the Vols a backcourt mate to pair with a surging Zeigler. Knecht 2 of 7 shooting, 4 points tonight. Since dropping 21 on Illinois, he's scored single digits in 4 of 5 games.
#Vols have quickly gotten it back within single digits in the first two minutes of the second half.
Dalton Knecht will turn back into Dalton Knecht at some point. Tennessee would love this second half in Starkville to be that point. But we'll see. He seems to be in his own head a bit.
HALFTIME IN STARKVILLE: Mississippi State 35, No. 5 Tennessee 22. Completely unacceptable half of basketball from the #Vols, who have put themselves in a deep hole. Ten turnovers for Tennessee. That's the worst part.
HALF: Mississippi State leads Tennessee, 35-22. Defensively, MSU has made things a living hell for the nation's No. 5 team. Vols are shooting 33% from the field and are 2-13 from deep. Hubbard and Smith with 12 points each.
MissState 30, #Vols 18, 2:40/1stH. Tennessee being outfought and outplayed so far. Simple as that. Media timeout on the floor.
MissState 12, #Vols 10, 11:40/1stH. State ball after this media timeout on the floor. Hard-nosed game so far.
#Vols 8, MissState 7, 15:27/1stH. State ball after this first media timeout on the floor.
Meanwhile ... No. 5 #Vols hoops is tipping off at Mississippi State in about five minutes. UPDATES ๐ https://t.co/CRDizuZfGM
Tolu Smith is back in the starting lineup.