Tennessee player makes honest admission after the Vols' 76-75 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville
The Tennessee Vols couldn't get it done on the road on Saturday, falling 76-75 to the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville. Tennessee trailed for much of the second half, but they were in position to send the game to overtime with just a few seconds left to play. Unfortunately for the Vols, guard Chaz Lanier missed […]
The Tennessee Vols couldn't get it done on the road on Saturday, falling 76-75 to the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville.
Tennessee trailed for much of the second half, but they were in position to send the game to overtime with just a few seconds left to play.
Unfortunately for the Vols, guard Chaz Lanier missed a free throw that would've tied the game. Time expired as both teams scrambled for the rebound.
After the game, Vols senior forward Igor Milicic Jr admitted that crowd noise in Memorial Gymnasium played a factor in Tennessee's loss.
"We have a lot of guys that didn't know it was going to be like this," said Milicic. "A lot of new guys. Me, [Felix Okpara], Chaz — half the team is new. So we didn't know it was going to be — of course the coaches told us — but it's a new experience for all of us. And, you know, we gotta be ready next time. It don't matter if it's loud or if it's quiet, we gotta talk, we gotta be on the same page. And that's how we're going to win games."
There's no doubt that the loss to Vanderbilt is a tough one for Tennessee. It's a game that the Vols should've won. But it happened and now the Vols have to move past it. No amount of talking about what should've been is going to change it. Tennessee has to turn the loss into a positive.
And based on Milicic's comments, I think that's what will happen. Lessons were learned by a couple of players who didn't come into the season with SEC experience (Milicic transferred from Charlotte and Lanier transferred from North Florida).
Tennessee still has a championship-caliber team. They just can't let the loss to Vandy turn into multiple losses.
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