The 1982 Tenn vs LSU basketball game at the Assembly Center.One of the wildest games ever

This was the year following the 81 Final Four team.With a virtual new squad and a tough non-conference schedule LSU's record wasn't very good. But they hit their stride in late January and made a push for the SEC title getting to 10-3 in the SEC. A home loss to Georgia, first at home in two years basically eliminated the Tigers.

But the Vols, who had won the Knoxville game in January rather easily, were a veteran team led by Dale Ellis who were still in the hunt for the SEC Title and were in the top 20 most of the season.

The game was the "TVS Game of the Week" (think 1990's JP except this was basketball). As for the game, LSU started on fire getting up 9-0 and then 17-2 six minutes into the game. But LSU cooled off and Tennessee woke up and the Vols closed it to 5 at halftime. Tennessee took their first lead with a little under 4:00 left and it was back and forth for the rest of the game. Leonard Mitchell made a shot with :08 to put LSU up 53-52 and Tennessee called time out. And this is where it went off the rails.

The Vols' point guard, Michael Brooks proceeded up court surprisingly in not too big of a hurry.As he neared midcourt he glanced up at the overhead scoreboard. Like a corny tv show or movie, the Assembly Center crowd looked up at the scoreboard. :08. The clock had not started but finally did when the whole arena noticed the screw up. Brooks passed to Steve Ray who shot an air ball, but Tennessee center Dan Federmann tipped the ball in at "the buzzer" for a 54-53 Tennessee "win."

The scorekeeper,Tommy Henry, wimped out saying he tried to start it but it wouldn't work. However at no time did he try to get one of the officials' attention. Dale and Tennessee coach Don DeVoe gathered at the scorers table for sometime and suddenly DeVoe pointed to the lockerroom and the entire Tennessee team sprinted to the lockerroom like a jailbreak. The crowd, not sold out as it was Mardi Gras weekend, was livid and not leaving,either. Brown was livid and not satisfied with what he was hearing.

Finally after about 30 minutes LSU chancellor James Wharton got on the PA and said the last eight seconds couldn't be replayed because Tennessee had a plane to catch (no disrespect to Chancellor Wharton,but that was horse hockey and everyone knew it.Its hard to fathom a charted plane to Knoxville leaving without the Vols. Also word got out that Tennessee went straight to their bus sans showering and changing clothes knowing full well they had stolen one.)

For a day or so it was believed the last 8 second would be replayed in Lexington at the SEC Tournament two weeks later, but the SEC said that wasn't so. Tennessee won a game where they got an extra three seconds.