Tennessee basketball didn’t get the rebound it needed most Wednesday.
Ole Miss forward Jaemyn Brakefield snared a missed 3-pointer and made a putback with 7.5 seconds to play and Tennessee couldn’t match it with late-game magic, losing 78-76 in what was a crucial game for its hopes of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 4 Tennessee, playing in Oxford, Mississippi, was dominated on the interior by Ole Miss, allowing 15 offensive rebounds to a team ranked among the worst in the nation in that category. Ole Miss outscored Tennessee 46-20 in the paint.
Brakefield’s putback followed Igor Milicic Jr. making a game-tying 4-point play with 40 seconds to go.
Jordan Gainey led Tennessee (24-6, 11-6 SEC) with 17 points. He made four 3-pointers. Zakai Zeigler had 15 assists against the Rebels (21-9, 10-7) to match his career high.
Tennessee completes the regular season against South Carolina at Food City Center on Saturday before heading to the SEC Tournament.
Auburn is the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament as the conference champions. Florida secured the No. 2 seed with its 99-94 win at Alabama on Wednesday.
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Tennessee vs. Ole Miss is streaming on ESPN2. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Tennessee vs Ole Miss injury updates
Forward J.P. Estrella is out for the season due to surgery on a left foot injury that started in the offseason.
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Record: 24-5
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Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] 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.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball dropped by Ole Miss in woeful rebounding effort
