On the same day, top-ranked Auburn narrowly escaped No. 23 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama and topped No. 8 Kentucky on the road, and No. 6 Tennessee fell to unranked Vanderbilt, 76-75 in Nashville, as the SEC continues And stock exchange discrimination. In itself as the toughest conference in men’s college basketball this season.
The Vols’ leading scorer, Chaz Lanier, missed a game-tying free throw with 2.8 seconds left, thwarting Tennessee’s last-ditch comeback attempt as it went on a 9-0 run to end the game. Jason Edwards led Vanderbilt 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) outgained Tennessee 12-to-8 on the offensive glass and finished with an 18-to-9 advantage on second-chance points. It is Vanderbilt’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2023.
The Vols (16-2, 3-2 SEC) face a big challenge in the coming weeks, with four straight seeding matchups — against Mississippi State, at Auburn, against Kentucky and against Florida.
Elsewhere on Saturday, No. 7 Marquette lost 59-57 at home to Xavier, as the Knights’ defense dominated the Golden Eagles in the final. Marquette (15-3, 6-1 Big East) suffered its first conference loss of the season as Xavier (12-7, 4-4 Big East) won its third straight game and picked up its first Quadrant 1 win.
Zach Freemantle led the Knights with 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 Cam Jones had just 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field.
Marquette remains atop the Big East standings at 6-1, currently tied 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 loss in the Big East.
(Photo: Johnny Izquierdo/Getty Images)
