Jahmai Mashack gave his all for Tennessee
The Tennessee Basketball Volunteers notched a win on Saturday night that will never be forgotten. A top-10 matchup in TBA versus the Alabama Crimson Tide was always going to be a good one, but add in the winner being in firm control of the final 1-seed, and the stakes were even higher. Many first-hand accounts from yesterday said it was the loudest they have ever heard TBA, and no doubt the loudest moment came courtesy of Jahmai Mashack as he drained a 35-foot buzzer beater to send the Tide home with a loss.
Jahmai’s shot put an exclamation point on one of the gutsiest final-minute performances from a Tennessee player that I have ever witnessed. Chaz Lanier missed a free throw that would have gotten the Vols within one point with 30 seconds left, but Mashack fought for a rebound and got fouled which sent him to the line for 2 shots. He drains both to tie the game at 76-76. Alabama then was in position to take the last shot, but Mashack forced a jump ball on Alabama guard Labaron Philon which gave Alabama an under the basket out of bounds play with 3.8 seconds to play. The Vols then forced a 5-second violation on the inbound play, before Mashack dribbled up the floor and made history.
Every team needs a guy like Jahmai Mashack in games like this. A guy who will fight to the buzzer with relentless effort. A guy who isn’t afraid to make the plays that don’t get as much glory as they should. A guy who will leave everything he has out on the floor every night. After all the talk last week about what lineup is “the most efficient” offensively for these Vols, it’s nice to see Jahmai prove his worth so emphatically in a marquee game. He knows his role and plays it perfectly, and for him to sink the final shot was nothing short of poetic. Especially after working on his shot so much in the offseason.
Other standouts Saturday for the Vols included Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey with 18 points apiece, Zakai Zeigler with 15 points and 4 assists, and even Dubar sinking two 3-pointers in the first half while Tennessee was struggling to find offense with Zeigler on the bench in foul trouble. Joe Lunardi has Tennessee as his final 1-seed with 2 games left in the regular season. A trip to Ole Miss on Wednesday night and Senior Day versus South Carolina on Saturday.