CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tennessee basketball played 14 second-half minutes without Zakai Zeigler, lost Chaz Lanier late due to foul trouble, and played with lineups unimaginable entering Saturday.
It won anyway because Jordan Gainey was on the court.
Gainey went end to end, using every nanosecond remaining before spinning a layup off the backboard, around the rim and through the hoop for a game-winning layup. The Vols mobbed Gainey, who kept Tennessee unbeaten and in the No. 1 spot in the nation with a 66-64 win against Illinois at State Farm Center.
Gainey led Tennessee (10-0) with 23 points, including 18 in the second half. Lanier had 17 points before fouling out with 3:40 to play at Illinois (7-3).
Jordan Gainey stepped up for Tennessee
Gainey rose with Zeigler in foul trouble and did it again with Lanier joining Zeigler on the bench with four fouls. The senior guard hit back-to-back 3-pointers, the first tying the game 52-52 and the second giving the Vols a 55-54 lead.
He tied the game 62-62 with another 3-pointer with 2:27 to play.
Gainey was averaging 10.3 points entering Saturday.
Tennessee and Illinois featured a lot of fouls and free throws
Zeigler was whistled for a foul at the 4:53 mark of the first half, setting off a foul-calling bonanza for the rest of the half. Starting with Zeigler’s foul, the officials called 12 fouls in the rest of the half.
In total, the teams combined for 26 fouls and 45 free throws in the first half. Eleven players had two fouls each at halftime, including four of Tennessee’s five starters.
Zeigler picked up two fouls on the same possession in the second half, sending him to the bench with 18:13 to play. Illinois went on a 10-0 run after Zeigler sat.
Darlinstone Dubar returned and made a mark
Darlinstone Dubar returned after missing Tennessee’s 75-62 win against Miami on Tuesday in New York while in concussion protocol.
The senior guard checked in at the 8:43 mark of the first half. His minutes were essential with Felix Okpara picking up his second foul less than four minutes into the game.
Dubar made a floater after Illinois took a six-point lead, its largest of the game. He followed with a critical second-half sequence, blocking a shot, getting the rebound and then hitting a long 3-pointer to pull UT within three.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
