Tennessee basketball fooled me. I didn’t believe Vols could play that bad | Adams

Tennessee Basketball Fooled Me. I Didn’t Believe the Vols Could Play That Bad | Adams

As the 2025 NCAA Tournament reached its pinnacle, the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team stood poised to make a serious run at the Final Four. They were a team filled with talent, discipline, and a no-nonsense approach, spearheaded by their head coach Kim Caldwell, whose defensive mindset had already earned the team widespread respect. With the Volunteers entering the tournament as one of the highest seeds, few could have imagined that their season would come to an abrupt end in such a disappointing fashion, especially in their Elite Eight matchup against Houston.

I’ll admit, like many other observers, I had been swept up in the momentum and belief that Tennessee was on the cusp of something special. They had executed a game plan that was effective in the earlier rounds, dominating weaker opponents and showing the type of grit and resilience that champions are made of. I didn’t just believe they could make a deep tournament run – I thought they had the tools to go all the way. But after watching them unravel against a talented Houston squad, I find myself questioning everything I thought I knew about this team.

Tennessee’s 67-54 loss to Houston was nothing short of a meltdown. The Volunteers, once a team known for their stifling defense and efficient offense, looked disjointed, uninspired, and completely out of sync in a game where they should have been poised to shine. For all their supposed grit and mental toughness, Tennessee crumbled under the spotlight. And for me, as a believer in their potential, this defeat was a sobering reality check.

In this article, I’ll explore how Tennessee failed to live up to expectations in their Elite Eight matchup against Houston, what went wrong during that fateful game, and how the Volunteers managed to fool me – and many others – into believing they were truly championship-caliber. I’ll reflect on the emotional rollercoaster of watching this game unfold, from the high hopes and optimism leading up to the matchup, to the crushing realization that this team just couldn’t get the job done.

Tennessee’s Season: From Hope to Heartbreak

Let’s rewind to the start of the 2025 season. From the opening tip-off of the year, Tennessee appeared to have everything it needed to compete at the highest level. Kim Caldwell, in her second season as head coach, had developed a program built on defense, discipline, and physicality. The team’s calling card was its defensive intensity. Tennessee had one of the best defenses in the nation, regularly suffocating opposing offenses, forcing turnovers, and making it difficult for teams to get clean looks. This defensive identity had earned them a reputation as one of the most feared teams in college basketball.

What stood out, however, was their balance. Tennessee was not a one-dimensional team. They had an array of offensive weapons, including Santiago Vázquez, a star guard capable of scoring in bunches and creating for others, and Zachary Horne, who had developed into one of the most versatile players in the SEC. Tennessee’s offense, while not as dominant as some of the high-powered teams in the nation, was efficient enough to complement their defense. Their depth and overall versatility made them dangerous. They were, by all accounts, a team capable of making a deep tournament run.

As the season progressed, Tennessee remained in the conversation as one of the top teams in the country. They ended the regular season strong, finishing near the top of the SEC standings and securing a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Their performance in the first few rounds of the tournament only reinforced the idea that they could be the team to watch. A solid victory over their first-round opponent was followed by a dominant performance in the Sweet 16, where they dispatched Kansas with ease, showcasing their defensive prowess and offensive balance.

Everything seemed to be falling into place. They had the players. They had the coaching. They had the defense. All that stood between Tennessee and the Final Four was Houston in the Elite Eight.

The Illusion of Confidence

I, like many others, bought into the illusion. I had watched Tennessee dismantle their opponents with ease, and I was convinced they could handle Houston’s athleticism and defense. Yes, Houston had its own identity as a defensive juggernaut, but Tennessee had faced adversity all season long and had weathered every storm thrown their way. With players like Vázquez and Horne, I figured the Vols had the tools to neutralize the Cougars’ threats and advance to the Final Four for the first time in years.

Moreover, Tennessee’s defense had been its biggest strength all season. Their relentless full-court press, suffocating half-court defense, and ability to turn defense into offense had kept their opponents off balance. They had stifled top-tier teams throughout the year, including several of their rivals in the SEC, and I figured that if they played to their strengths, they could outlast Houston. The idea that Tennessee might lose this game never crossed my mind. But looking back, perhaps I had been overly optimistic, too eager to believe that this team could do no wrong.

And then the game began.

The First Half: Tennessee’s Missed Opportunities

From the opening minutes of the game, it was clear that something wasn’t right. Tennessee, known for its fast-paced defense and structured offense, came out flat. Houston, led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, set the tone early with their suffocating defense, but it wasn’t just their defense that gave Tennessee trouble – it was Tennessee’s inability to execute.

The Volunteers were sloppy from the get-go. Turnovers piled up quickly, with the team unable to hold onto the ball under pressure. Their offensive sets were forced and disjointed, lacking the fluidity that had characterized their earlier tournament games. Tennessee’s shots, once a reliable weapon, weren’t falling. Vázquez, the player who had been so crucial to the Vols’ success all year, struggled against Houston’s defensive schemes. He finished the first half with just 6 points, shooting a dismal 2-for-9 from the field. When Vázquez isn’t playing at his best, Tennessee’s offense tends to sputter, and that was evident in the first half.

Meanwhile, Houston’s defense was locking down on Tennessee’s other key players, forcing Horne into difficult shots and limiting the effectiveness of Jordan King and Miles Davis. Every shot Tennessee took seemed contested, every pass disrupted. The Volunteers were in a hole, and despite their best efforts to claw back into the game, they simply couldn’t generate any rhythm.

At halftime, Tennessee was trailing by 10 points, and it felt like the game was slipping away. But even then, I wasn’t ready to give up hope. Tennessee had been down before in the tournament, and they had shown resilience in the face of adversity. The Vols’ defense, still one of the best in the country, could provide the spark they needed to mount a comeback. But Houston had already imposed its will on the game, and Tennessee had no answer for it.

The Second Half: A Complete Collapse

As the second half began, the Volunteers made a brief push to get back into the game. They closed the gap to 6 points at one point, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like Tennessee might be able to salvage something from this game. But as quickly as they fought back, they faltered again. Missed opportunities on offense, coupled with critical turnovers, allowed Houston to reassert control.

Houston’s defense was relentless, and it seemed like every time Tennessee tried to get something going, the Cougars had an answer. With Marcus Sasser leading the charge, Houston remained calm and collected. They patiently worked their offense, and when the opportunity arose, they capitalized. Tennessee’s defense, which had been their calling card all season long, simply couldn’t keep up with Houston’s methodical offensive attack. Sasser finished the game with 19 points and 7 assists, orchestrating Houston’s offense to perfection.

Tennessee’s inability to make shots, compounded by their failure to handle the ball effectively, left them with few options. As the game progressed, it was evident that Tennessee just wasn’t going to find a way back into it. Their offense had gone stagnant, and their defense, while still competitive, wasn’t enough to overcome the Cougars’ efficiency.

By the time the buzzer sounded, Tennessee had suffered a 67-54 defeat. The Volunteers, a team that had been billed as a championship contender just days earlier, were now eliminated in the Elite Eight. The loss was not only disappointing – it was a crushing reminder of just how quickly things can fall apart in the high-stakes environment of the NCAA Tournament.

The Aftermath: Reflecting on the Fall

For me, as someone who had bought into Tennessee’s success story, the loss to Houston was a difficult pill to swallow. I had been convinced that this was the year the Volunteers would break through. I had believed that their defense, coupled with key contributions from their star players, would propel them to the Final Four. Instead, what I witnessed was a team that faltered under pressure, failed to execute when it mattered most, and ultimately crumbled in the face of a disciplined opponent.

In retrospect, Tennessee’s loss to Houston was a combination of poor shooting, lack of offensive execution, and a failure to adapt to the Cougars’ defense. The Volunteers were exposed as a team that relied too heavily on their defense and had little room for error when their shots weren’t falling. It was a reminder that even the best teams can fall short if they don’t execute in all areas of the game.

For Tennessee, this loss marks the end of a promising season and another year of unfulfilled potential. But it also serves as a learning experience. The Volunteers have the talent to compete at the highest level, but they’ll need to address their offensive inconsistency and their ability to perform in pressure-filled moments.

For me, this game was a sobering reminder that basketball is a game of fine margins. No matter how much you want to believe in a team, sometimes the pieces just don’t fit when it matters most.