Strange: It was highlight reel (no gag) for JaJuan Smith

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Winning at Alabama would be good. That's the first order of business.

Hey, if you can win at Alabama and make the evening SportsCenter highlight reel to boot, that would be even better.

That was more of less JaJuan Smith's frame of mind Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum. College basketball players think that way.

Smith, Tennessee's irrepressible senior guard, made ESPN's highlights all right. Nobody this side of the NBA made three bigger, timelier 3-point baskets in the final five minutes of a game Tuesday night.

Tennessee 93, Alabama 86. Let's not go any further without mentioning the bottom line.

That done, we digress to the first half when the scoreboard read Tennessee 19, Alabama 12.

Smith flicked an Alabama pass away into the backcourt and was off to the races, all by his lonesome - or so he thought.

The crowd groaned, expecting him to throw down a dunk to make it 21-19. Instead, he got to thinking SportsCenter.

"I look back and see (teammate) Tyler (Smith),'' Smith explained later. "That's my boy.

"I thought I'd get a little highlight, but I might make it the opposite way.''

In other words, the bonehead way.

Instead of an easy score, JaJuan Smith decided to bounce the ball off the backboard for Tyler Smith to dunk. He hadn't accounted for a streaking Alabama defender, who interrupted the showboat play, whipped the ball the other way and watched the Tide's Brandon Hollinger bury a 3-point shot.

That's a five-point swing. Instead of 21-12, it's 19-15.

"I take all the credit,'' said JaJuan Smith, meaning responsibility, "it was a turnover on me.

"It was too early in the game. If it was a blowout, it would have been more acceptable.''

This wasn't the first time a showboat play backfired on Smith. Last year in the closing seconds of 64-61 win over South Carolina, Smith tried to throw the ball off the glass and dunk when a layup would have sufficed.

He flubbed it but there was no time for South Carolina to get off a shot.

Tuesday night, Smith spent the rest of the game hoping this flub wouldn't be the losing margin.

"That's one of those times you don't look over at the bench,'' Smith said with a laugh.

"We do it in practice, so he (coach Bruce Pearl) wasn't surprised. The only thing, the game was still close.

"But my teammates stuck behind me and we pushed through it.''

Nobody pushed harder than Smith down the stretch.

Alabama was hanging tough at 75-72 when Smith drilled a trey with 4:53 left.

Alabama was still hanging tough at 78-76, when Smith drilled another trey with 2:52 to play.

And yet Alabama was still hanging tough at 83-81 when Smith rose up and drilled one more 3-pointer with 1:25 to play.

There was a hole in the middle of Alabama's zone defense. Tennessee found it and the next step was the kick out to JaJuan Smith, Chris Lofton and Jordan Howell, who combined to hit eight 3-pointers in the second half.

"Both Smith and Lofton made some huge, huge shots,'' said Alabama coach Mark Gottfried, "and most of them were with a hand in their face. You've got to give them credit for that.

"You can dissect a game like a frog in science class, but the bottom line was they jumped up there and hit some big ones at key times.''

And, in the end, that's how JaJuan Smith made the highlight reel.

To his everlasting relief.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!