The Tennessee Vols men's fell to the defending national champion North Carolina Tar Heels, 78-73, on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The loss came in front of a sellout crowd of 21,678 - which was checkered orange and white to support the home team.
“I appreciate the fans," Coach Rick Barnes said after the game. "I’ll be honest, I love our fans. One thing I’ve learned is Tennessee loves basketball, and the fans deserve to have a good basketball team.
"We would have loved to have gotten it done for them today because we need something good like that," Barnes said. "I think we had a lot of chances and we need to keep building. A game at this time in December won’t define us, and if it does, we’re not very good win or lose.”
The No. 20 Vols (7-2) had a nine-point lead over the No. 7 Tar Heels (10-1) with just over five minutes left in the first half, but were unable to hold on.
Five Vols scored in double digits, with Grant Williams' 15 points leading the charge.
The last time the Vols beat the Tar Heels was once back in 1949 when North Carolina made a stop in Knoxville. The Vols went 19-7 that season. Sunday marked the 11th time the Vols and Tar Heels met on the court.
“We knew we’ve been close, but the thing is that being close isn’t good enough," Williams said. "We said the same thing last year. We were close, losing to UNC by two. We were close losing to these guys, but to be the team we want to be, we shouldn’t have to say that anymore. We want to be there, but we aren’t there yet.”
Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer also made an appearance at the game.
The Vols are set to host Furman University on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET.