The Murray State Racers didn’t come to Knoxville to mess around on Tuesday night. In just their second game without Ja Morant, Murray State rolled into Thompson-Boling Arena and punched Tennessee in the mouth.
The long-ball was dropping for the Racers, who jumped out to a 26-18 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game. Murray State was hitting 55 percent from three-point range, and the Tennessee offense simply couldn’t keep up early on.
There were plenty of dead moments for Rick Barnes’ team in the first half. The Vols struggled to find any rhythm, but were kept afloat by a few three-pointers from Yves Pons.