March 1, 2025 Game of the Day Recap
Alabama 76 – Tennessee 79
This game did not start as if it was going to go well. Zakai Zeigler (ZZ) had 2 early fouls, both in different transition scenarios, with about 16 minutes left in the first, so the offense had to find their spark without their best playmaker on the court for most of the quarter. Zeigler did end up going back in during that quarter, and that took some balls by not only him, but coach Rick Barnes as well.
Chaz Lanier extended his streak of 10+ point games before the quarter was up. He started off with Tennessee’s first 7 points of the game in lieu to 12 in the half and 18 on the game. Without his offensive production, and the big help off the bench with Jordan Gainey, the Volunteers surely would have slipped while ZZ was not in the game.
Alabama played a very hard first half as Mark Sears was able to get going early and continued that through the whole game scoring 24 points. That number would have been lower if Zakai played more minutes in the first half. As I mentioned yesterday, the Alabama guard play was going to be the factor that kept them in the game and I was correct. Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon were pushing the ball up the court and getting to the rim well. Philon was also a stud on defense collecting 5 steals throughout the ballgame.
As mentioned earlier, Jordan Gainey did a tremendous job in this game. He was probably not expecting to play in as big of a role as he ended up doing, but he stepped up in a tremendous way to fill in for one of the best guards in college basketball. Gainey finished the game with 18 points, while going 6 for 13 from the field. In the most games he had scored since the Illinois game in December, he made a play that made you think it could have been the same game.
Flashback to the Illinois game in December:
This game:
Felix Okpara was looking to keep his strong offensive performance up after Tennessee’s last game versus LSU when he was perfect from the field and from the free throw line in a 15 point 7 rebound performance. This game, he was heavier on the boards getting 9 for the Volunteers and his offense was not as good, but still was able to make a couple of big shots when it mattered.
The Tennessee defense was the reason for this win. Alabama had possession with less than 5 seconds to go on an inbounds pass with the game all tied up. The Volunteers played the perfect defense on the inbound forcing Alabama to a 5-second violation. The inbound play for Tennessee looked similar to that of the Illinois game, but it ended up being a different play in the end. Jahmai Mashack ended up getting the ball in the frontcourt dribbling it just past the logo on the Tennessee side of the court. He launches a 3.
Another buzzer beater during a Game of the Day leaves me in shock and awe.
Zeigler did not pick up another foul for the rest of the game and ended up scoring 13 points in the second half for Tennessee. He will be one of the bigger players in the NCAA tournament when it comes to impact for a team, so keeping him confident in all aspects of the game will be important as these last couple of games finish out. Don’t get me wrong, him going out that early scared me, but seeing how well the team played without him, and then was able to just get right back to business in the second half when he was ready to go, made me more prepared as a fan for March. The door to the potential first 1 seed in the history of the Volunteer basketball program opens a bit more for the boys in orange. I am starting to feel pressure to give a good Game of the Day given some of these endings as of late.
Mark Sears: 24 points, 7-16 FG, 4-9 3P
Jordan Gainey: 18 points, 6-13 FG, 6-6 FT
Chaz Lanier: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7-16 FG, 2-8 3P
Zakai Zeigler: 15 points, 4 assists, 4-10 FG, 2-3 3P
March 2, 2025 Game of the Day Preview
Wisconsin – Michigan State
Michigan State is up 2 games on Wisconsin and are tied for first in the conference with Michigan heading into this game. With Michigan and Michigan State playing next week, the Big 10 will be in for 2 great games for the next 2 Sunday’s.
Michigan State has been featured a few times here as you know. I will keep the portion for them brief.
Their last win versus Maryland ended in mayhem. Tre Holloman chucking a halfcourt shot up and in to put the Spartans ahead with time at 0. They shot awful throughout that whole game but that did not matter because they played defense good enough to stay in the game the whole time. If their offense gets going before the tournament starts, they will be a team that no one on the country should want to run into. The size, playmaking ability, and effort this team gives at all times is pure enjoyment. Look for Jase Richardson to keep up a great streak of games since entering the starting lineup. Also, look for #55 Coen Carr to give the Spartans some energy at some point in the game by throwing down an athletic dunk of some sorts.
The Badgers are a little bit more hot when it comes to past games, as they had a tremendous month of February losing only 1 game, which was in overtime versus Oregon. Led by John Tonje, averaging around 23 points for the month, and is also one of the top free throw shooters in the nation percentage wise. I hope to see a Jase Richardson, John Tonje matchup in the backcourt. I think the team with the winner in that matchup will be the team that ends the game on top.
Both teams are locks to get in the tournament and this game in particular would go a long way for the confidence of either side. I think it is more important for Wisconsin to play well because they have two of the lower level Big 10 teams, Minnesota and Penn State, remaining on their schedule. This game will be the Badgers last true test before the conference and NCAA tournaments. Finishing your ranked schedule on a high note is important.