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WATCH: Tennessee's Jordan Gainey beats buzzer and Illinois 66-64

On3 imageby: Brent Hubbs12/15/24Brent_Hubbs
Jordan Gainey, Tennessee Basketball | Andrew Ferguson, Tennessee Athletics
Jordan Gainey, Tennessee Basketball | Andrew Ferguson, Tennessee Athletics

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —Top ranked Tennessee remains unbeaten and is now 10-0 after senior guard Jordan Gainey went coast-to-coast with a right-handed layup from the left side with just over five seconds to play to beat Illinois 66-64 Saturday at State Farm Center.

Tennessee was plagued by foul trouble all night and it was the sixth man Gainey who came to the rescue. He scored 18 second half points in 18 minutes as point guard Zakai Zeigler sat most of the second half with four fouls. 

Gainey was terrific in the second half going 6 of 10 from the floor including 3-for-5 from the 3-point line. He added two assists while finishing with a game-high 23 points to lead Tennessee.

The win was Tennessee’s 10th straight to start the season and it’s the best start for the Vols since the 1999-2000 season.

Up Next: No. 1 Tennessee vs. Western Carolina

Tennessee returns home to host Western Carolina on Tuesday, the start of four straight home games, including the start of SEC play January 4 against Arkansas at Food City Center. 

Tuesday’s game is a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start on SEC Network+. The Vols then host Middle Tennessee State on December 23, a 7 p.m. ET start on SEC Network, and close the non-conference schedule against Norfolk State on December 31, a 3 p.m. ET start on SEC Network+.

The Arkansas game on Saturday, January 4 is a 1 p.m. ET start on ESPN and marks the return of former Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo, who transferred to Arkansas during the spring to play for new Razorback head coach John Calipari.

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