Ole Miss fans protest last-second call in Vols’ win
OXFORD, Miss. — No. 7 Tennessee hit a last-second shot to hang on for a 73-71 win over Ole Miss on Wednesday night, but Rebels fans were enraged by an offensive foul called in the final second and threw garbage onto the court in protest.
After Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree missed the front end of a one-and-one with 17 seconds left and the Rebels up 71-70, Tennessee guard Admiral Schofield grabbed the rebound and forward Grant Williams hit a driving layup to make it 72-71 with 4.4 seconds left.
Ole Miss guard Devontae Shuler got the ball on the ensuing in-bounds play and got set for a deep 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, but was called for a charge on Schofield.
Eight Ole Miss players protested pro-Confederate rallies on Saturday by kneeling during the anthem before a game. Prior to Wednesday’s game, all of the players stood.
Rebels coach Kermit Davis threw his jacket to the ground in protest and was given a technical foul. Williams hit one of two free throws to clinch the game.
After the officials signaled that the game was over, Ole Miss fans began showering the floor with drinks, shirts, shakers and other trash.
At least two Tennessee players — guard Lamonte Turner and forward D.J. Burns — were hit in the face with objects thrown by fans.
Turner raised his right fist in the air and looked toward the Ole Miss student section as he exited the floor and was struck in the face with an object before walking through the tunnel toward the Vols’ locker room.
Burns was hit in the face with a red shirt as he left the floor. He unfolded the shirt and held it toward the Ole Miss students as he walked through the tunnel under fans.
“It was close,” Davis said of the charge call on Shuler. “Our fans were unbelievable and I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I threw my jacket and I think that might have enticed the crowd, so I apologize for that. I was just being competitive in the moment.”
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes lauded the Rebels’ effort, saying, “Nobody will look forward to playing Ole Miss. That is like a Sweet 16, Elite Eight-type game. It gets down to one possession, two possessions, both teams played so hard. … Kermit has done a great job with his team.”
After surviving a hard-fought game with Ole Miss, the Vols next face No. 4 Kentucky in Knoxville on Saturday. Barnes didn’t want to think about that yet.
“I’m just eager to get home right now, to be honest with you,” Barnes said. “We’ll start talking about them tomorrow.”