Tennessee stumbles in opener as Ohio State pulls off upset

No. 5 Tennessee was surprised in Columbus by No. 14 Ohio State on Tuesday evening, as Buckeyes followers stormed the court docket following a dramatic 87-75 upset in each groups’ season opener.

It was the primary season-opening loss by an Related Press top-five workforce towards both an unranked squad or a ranked workforce exterior the highest 5 since 2008, when No. 3 Maryland fell to unranked TCU, based on ESPN Stats & Info analysis. Earlier than Tuesday, such groups had received 69 consecutive contests, together with No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 Iowa on Monday evening.

“I wasn’t certain who would present up by way of how good we might be as a result of we hadn’t performed anyone but, however I am actually pleased with our youngsters, particularly the primary half,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff instructed Huge Ten Community after the sport. “We did not play very nicely. However we sort of acquired ourselves collectively at halftime and performed an incredible second half.”

The Woman Vols, whose eight nationwide titles are second-most in girls’s faculty basketball historical past, entered the season as a Remaining 4 contender. Led by fourth-year head coach Kellie Harper, they’re hoping to return there for the primary time since Candace Parker’s senior 12 months in 2008.

And whereas Tuesday’s outcome will not halt their long-term objective, there have been downside areas they will definitely want to scrub as much as make it to Dallas. The Woman Vols could not take care of Ohio State’s press and dedicated 29 turnovers, yet another than their complete made discipline objectives. It marked probably the most turnovers for Tennessee because it had 31 in March 2013 towards No. 10 Kentucky.

“I believed we have been relentless within the press and actually sped them up and acquired them uncomfortable,” McGuff mentioned.

“We knew they have been going to press the entire sport,” Tennessee senior guard Jordan Horston mentioned. “We simply could not execute.”

After trailing by 12 within the first half, the Buckeyes outscored Tennessee 54-34 within the ultimate 20 minutes to take management, together with 30-13 within the third quarter.

“Particularly within the third quarter, we turned actually passive, and the extra passive we turned, the extra aggressive Ohio State turned,” Harper mentioned. “And we simply could not get that again.”

“We made some pictures,” McGuff mentioned. “I instructed them at halftime, ‘I just like the pictures we’re getting. We’re getting nice pictures. … We’re simply not making pictures we’re able to making. So hold taking part in exhausting within the press, hold the tempo going. I feel we will put on them down and the pictures are gonna fall.'”

Buckeyes senior guard Taylor Mikesell acquired scorching as the sport went on, ending with a game-high 25 factors on 9-of-18 capturing. Fellow senior guard Jacy Sheldon had 14 factors, eight steals and 7 assists.

Showing in her homecoming sport and taking the ground for the primary time since mid-February after struggling a season-ending harm her junior 12 months, Horston led Tennessee with 20 factors, whereas Minnesota switch Jasmine Powell, additionally a senior guard, added 19.

The matchup was simply the second between top-25 groups early on this season. No. 21 Creighton beat No. 23 South Dakota State on Monday.

Tennessee’s schedule will not totally let up, with upcoming nonconference matchups towards defending Atlantic 10 match champion UMass and Indiana. Ohio State has Boston Faculty and Ohio up subsequent.

Harper says she deliberately put her workforce by means of a troublesome schedule so it may develop.

“We would have liked to play a troublesome workforce,” she mentioned. “If we do some higher job taking good care of the basketball for a small stretch, then this might have been a unique final result. I feel that is the place we’ve got to grasp the small print. Hopefully this can create somewhat bit extra sense of urgency for our basketball workforce with these particulars.”

Added Horston: “With the ability to see that early what we have to work on proper now, I really feel like it’ll make us higher. So we have simply acquired to study from it. … I am not rattled. We’re not frightened in any respect. It was the primary sport.”

Ohio State — coming off successful a share of the Huge Ten regular-season title earlier than falling to Texas within the Candy 16 — now hopes to show Tuesday’s win into even larger momentum transferring ahead.

“I feel we’ve got a ‘by no means say die’ mentality and we all the time prefer to be the underdog,” Mikesell instructed Huge Ten Community. “On the finish of the day, we prefer to be underrated. That is what we come out and do, and I feel that we’ve got a very unimaginable workforce.”