NEW YORK – Facing a non-conference opponent as the No. 1 men’s basketball team in the nation for the first time in program history, the University of Tennessee defeated Miami, 75-62, Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 22 points for top-ranked Tennessee (9-0), which trailed for just 35 seconds, in the Jimmy V Classic.
Both sides got off to blistering starts from 3-point range, connecting on four attempts in the first six minutes and six in the first 11. The Volunteers opened 4-of-6 and 6-of-11, while Miami (3-7, 0-1 ACC) was 4-7 and 6-of-12.
Tennessee built a 24-18 edge at the 9:25 mark, but the Hurricanes soon responded with seven points in 65 seconds to take their only lead, 25-24, with 7:57 on the first-half timer. The Volunteers then held Miami without a point for the rest of the half, forcing eight straight misses and five turnovers, while scoring the last 14 points of the frame to take a 38-25 advantage into the intermission.
Behind a 13-6 surge early in the second half that included seven points from sophomore forward Cade Phillips, Tennessee extended its margin to 18, 53-35, with 13:04 to go. It held the Hurricanes without a field goal for 4:35.
The Volunteers’ edge remained 15-plus until fewer than nine-and-a-half minutes remained, when Miami scored nine consecutive points in 1:06 to get it down to eight, 59-51, with 8:14 on the clock. The Hurricanes got the margin to seven, 63-56, with 5:39 to go, but Tennessee closed on a 12-6 run—it featured seven points by Lanier—over the final 4:41 to claim its ninth victory by 13-plus points in as many opportunities.
Lanier shot 8-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-7 beyond the arc, for his fourth 20-point performance in the last five contests. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., totaled 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a team-best nine rebounds. Like Miličić, senior guard Zakai Zeigler, playing approximately 38 miles from his Long Island hometown of Wyandanch, N.Y., also finished just shy of a double-double, amassing 13 points and a game-leading nine assists.
Graduate student center Lynn Kidd paced the Hurricanes with 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half, and a game-high 12 rebounds. Graduate student guard Nijel Pack scored 12 points on 4-of-9 long-range shooting, while redshirt junior guard A.J. Staton-McCray tallied 11 points.
Tennessee shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from the floor, including 40.0 percent (10-of-25) on 3-pointers, as well as 83.3 percent (15-of-18) at the line. Meanwhile, it held Miami to a 39.3 percent (24-of-61) clip overall, with a 24.2 percent (8-of-33) ledger from beyond the arc.
After allowing Miami’s 6-of-12 start on 3-pointers, Tennessee forced 17 consecutive misses before Pack hit two in the last four minutes.
Tennessee now heads to Champaign, Ill., where it faces Illinois, its third straight Power Five opponent, Saturday at 5:30 p.m., live on FOX from the State Farm Center. Coverage begins at 5pm on 103.1FM WIKQ.
