On the same day top-ranked Auburn narrowly survived at No. 23 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama topped No. 8 Kentucky on the road, No. 6 Tennessee fell to unranked Vanderbilt, 76-75 in Nashville, as the SEC continues to distinguish itself as the toughest conference in men’s college basketball this season.
Vols leading scorer Chaz Lanier missed a game-tying free throw with 2.8 seconds remaining, scuttling Tennessee’s last-ditch comeback effort as a 9-0 run to end the game came up short. Vanderbilt was led by Jason Edwards with 18 points and held on for the win despite the Vols shooting 10-for-21 from beyond the arc. The Commodores (15-3, 3-2 SEC) outrebounded Tennessee 12-to-8 on the offensive glass and finished with an 18-to-9 advantage in second-chance points. It’s Vanderbilt’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 2023.
The Vols (16-2, 3-2 SEC) face a gauntlet in the coming weeks, with four straight ranked matchups — vs. Mississippi State, at Auburn, vs. Kentucky and vs. Florida.
Elsewhere on Saturday, No. 7 Marquette lost 59-57 at home to Xavier, the Musketeers’ defense locking up the Golden Eagles on the game’s final possession. Marquette (15-3, 6-1 Big East) suffered its first conference loss of the season as Xavier (12-7, 4-4 Big East) won a third straight game and secured its first Quad 1 victory.
Zach Freemantle paced the Musketeers with a much-needed 14 points and 10 rebounds while the offense shot just 2-for-17 from 3-point range. David Joplin led Marquette with 18 points, but leading scorer and All-America candidate Kam Jones had just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field.
Marquette remains atop the Big East standings at 6-1, tied for the time being with a St. John’s team that faces Seton Hall on Saturday night. Earlier in the day, Creighton defeated No. 14 UConn 68-63, snapping the Huskies’ 28-game home winning streak and handing UConn its second Big East loss.
(Photo: Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)
