| Lineup | Tennessee | PG - Jonathan Leach (fresh) SG - Nathaniel Hatch (fresh) SF - Patrick Orcholski (fresh) PF - Mark Jones (fresh) C - Kenneth Smith (fresh) | |
| Lineup | Illinois | PG - Thomas Denny (fresh) SG - Jim Spurlock (fresh) SF - Mark Lynch (fresh) PF - Eddie Woods (fresh) C - William Smith (fresh) | |
| 20:00 | Tennessee | Kenneth Smith wins the tip | 0-0 |
| Game Plan | Tennessee | Tennessee is playing a motion offense (slowdown) and a 3-2 zone (0) | |
| Game Plan | Illinois | Illinois is playing a motion offense and a man to man (0) | |
| 19:42 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach clanks a 3pt shot from the right wing | 0-0 |
| 19:40 | Illinois | The rebound goes to William Smith | 0-0 |
| 19:23 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock comes up short on the jumpshot from the left wing | 0-0 |
| 19:21 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach pulls down the rebound | 0-0 |
| 19:01 | Tennessee | Mark Jones can't connect on a jump hook from the baseline | 0-0 |
| 18:59 | Tennessee | Mark Jones snags the offensive board | 0-0 |
| 18:39 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch misses short on a jumper from the left side but he's hacked by Jim Spurlock - foul #1 on Jim Spurlock, team foul #1 | 0-0 |
| 18:39 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch makes the 1st free throw | 1-0 |
| 18:39 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch makes the 2nd free throw | 2-0 |
| 18:22 | Illinois | William Smith hits a shot from the left block on a nice dish by Thomas Denny and the foul's on Kenneth Smith - foul #1 on Kenneth Smith, team foul #1 | 2-2 |
| 18:22 | Illinois | William Smith makes the free throw | 2-3 |
| 17:53 | Tennessee | Kenneth Smith misses badly on a jumper from the left side | 2-3 |
| 17:51 | Illinois | William Smith pulls down the rebound | 2-3 |
| 17:31 | Illinois | William Smith misses long on a fadeaway from the left side but he's fouled by Kenneth Smith - foul #2 on Kenneth Smith, team foul #2 | 2-3 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Manuel Spradling (C) Kenneth Smith | |
| Subs | Illinois | | |
| 17:31 | Illinois | William Smith makes the 1st free throw | 2-4 |
| 17:31 | Illinois | William Smith misses the 2nd free throw | 2-4 |
| 17:31 | Tennessee | Mark Jones pulls down the rebound | 2-4 |
| 17:14 | Tennessee | Manuel Spradling can't connect on a fadeaway from just outside the lane | 2-4 |
| 17:13 | Illinois | William Smith grabs the defensive rebound | 2-4 |
| 16:51 | Illinois | Nathaniel Hatch steals it from Thomas Denny | 2-4 |
| 16:49 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach's pass is off the mark and out of bounds in the backcourt | 2-4 |
| 16:38 | Illinois | William Smith loses the ball out of bounds | 2-4 |
| 16:16 | Tennessee | Mark Jones drills a shot from the baseline and he's hacked by Eddie Woods - foul #1 on Eddie Woods, team foul #2 | 4-4 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Devon Graham (SG) Jonathan Leach | |
| Subs | Illinois | | |
| 16:16 | Tennessee | Mark Jones makes the free throw | 5-4 |
| 15:50 | Illinois | Mark Lynch connects on the fadeaway jumper from the left wing on a great pass from William Smith | 5-6 |
| Lineup | Tennessee | PG - Nathaniel Hatch (fresh) 2 pts. SG - Devon Graham (fresh) SF - Patrick Orcholski (fresh) PF - Mark Jones (fairly fresh) 3 pts. 2 reb. C - Manuel Spradling (fresh) | |
| Lineup | Illinois | PG - Thomas Denny (fresh) 1 ast. SG - Jim Spurlock (fresh) SF - Mark Lynch (fresh) 2 pts. PF - Eddie Woods (fresh) C - William Smith (fresh) 4 pts. 3 reb. | |
| 15:24 | Tennessee | Mark Jones hits a floater from the left wing on a nice dish by Nathaniel Hatch | 7-6 |
| 15:11 | Illinois | Eddie Woods's layup is rejected by Manuel Spradling | 7-6 |
| 15:10 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch grabs the board | 7-6 |
| 14:49 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski misses short on a shot from the baseline | 7-6 |
| 14:47 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch grabs the offensive board | 7-6 |
| 14:30 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch knocks in the fadeaway jumper from the right wing set up by Mark Jones | 9-6 |
| 14:09 | Illinois | Thomas Denny misses badly on a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line | 9-6 |
| 14:07 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock grabs the offensive rebound | 9-6 |
| 13:58 | Illinois | William Smith misses the floater from close range | 9-6 |
| 13:57 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski grabs the board | 9-6 |
| 13:43 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch connects on the shot from the free throw line set up by Mark Jones | 11-6 |
| 13:26 | Illinois | Mark Jones picks off the pass by Eddie Woods | 11-6 |
| 13:01 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski misses long on a turnaround from the right block | 11-6 |
| 12:59 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock grabs the board | 11-6 |
| 12:39 | Illinois | William Smith misses the pull-up jumper from the free throw line | 11-6 |
| 12:37 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski gets the rebound | 11-6 |
| 12:26 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski knocks in the jumper near the basket on a great pass from Manuel Spradling and he's fouled by Thomas Denny - foul #1 on Thomas Denny, team foul #3 | 13-6 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach (PG), Dustin Larrabee (PF) Devon Graham, Mark Jones | |
| Subs | Illinois | Scott Dollard (C) William Smith | |
| 12:26 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski misses the free throw | 13-6 |
| 12:26 | Illinois | Mark Lynch grabs the defensive rebound | 13-6 |
| 12:16 | Illinois | Eddie Woods buries a fadeaway jumper from the left wing on a great pass from Thomas Denny | 13-8 |
| 12:09 | Tennessee | Mark Lynch is called for the reach on Manuel Spradling - foul #1 on Mark Lynch, team foul #4 | 13-8 |
| 11:50 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach comes up short on the turnaround from the right block | 13-8 |
| 11:48 | Illinois | Thomas Denny snags the defensive board | 13-8 |
| Lineup | Tennessee | PG - Jonathan Leach (fresh) SG - Nathaniel Hatch (fairly fresh) 6 pts. 1 ast. SF - Patrick Orcholski (fairly fresh) 2 pts. 2 reb. PF - Dustin Larrabee (fresh) C - Manuel Spradling (fairly fresh) | |
| Lineup | Illinois | PG - Thomas Denny (fairly fresh) 2 ast. SG - Jim Spurlock (fairly fresh) SF - Mark Lynch (fairly fresh) 2 pts. PF - Eddie Woods (fairly fresh) 2 pts. C - Scott Dollard (fresh) | |
| 11:28 | Illinois | Dustin Larrabee steps in front of the Mark Lynch pass | 13-8 |
| 11:10 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach drills a pull-up jumper from just outside the lane set up by Nathaniel Hatch | 15-8 |
| 10:50 | Illinois | Eddie Woods is hacked by Dustin Larrabee - foul #1 on Dustin Larrabee, team foul #3 | 15-8 |
| Subs | Tennessee | William Johnson (SG), Anthony Rosenow (PF) Nathaniel Hatch, Patrick Orcholski | |
| Subs | Illinois | Steven Snyder (SG), Denis Banks (SF), Thomas Wainwright (PF) Jim Spurlock, Mark Lynch, Eddie Woods | |
| 10:37 | Illinois | Dustin Larrabee takes the ball from Scott Dollard | 15-8 |
| 10:25 | Tennessee | Denis Banks steals it from Jonathan Leach | 15-8 |
| 10:06 | Illinois | Scott Dollard banks in the layup on a great pass from Denis Banks | 15-10 |
| 09:42 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach knocks in the fadeaway from the right block set up by Anthony Rosenow | 17-10 |
| 09:19 | Illinois | Thomas Wainwright comes up short on the floater from close range | 17-10 |
| 09:18 | Illinois | Denis Banks tips it in | 17-12 |
| 08:49 | Tennessee | Manuel Spradling misses badly on a fadeaway near the basket | 17-12 |
| 08:48 | Illinois | Steven Snyder grabs the defensive rebound | 17-12 |
| 08:34 | Illinois | Jonathan Leach steals it from Denis Banks | 17-12 |
| 08:08 | Tennessee | Dustin Larrabee is fouled on the floor by Thomas Wainwright - foul #1 on Thomas Wainwright, team foul #5 | 17-12 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch (PG), Devon Graham (SG), Patrick Orcholski (SF), Mark Jones (PF) Jonathan Leach, William Johnson, Dustin Larrabee, Anthony Rosenow | |
| Subs | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy (PG), Jim Spurlock (SG), Mark Lynch (SF), Eddie Woods (PF), William Smith (C) Thomas Denny, Steven Snyder, Denis Banks, Thomas Wainwright, Scott Dollard | |
| 07:41 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski's pass is intercepted by Clarence McCarthy | 17-12 |
| Lineup | Tennessee | PG - Nathaniel Hatch (fresh) 6 pts. 2 ast. SG - Devon Graham (fresh) SF - Patrick Orcholski (fairly fresh) 2 pts. 2 reb. PF - Mark Jones (fresh) 5 pts. 2 reb. C - Manuel Spradling (tiring) | |
| Lineup | Illinois | PG - Clarence McCarthy (fresh) SG - Jim Spurlock (fairly fresh) SF - Mark Lynch (fairly fresh) 2 pts. PF - Eddie Woods (fairly fresh) 2 pts. C - William Smith (fresh) 4 pts. 3 reb. | |
| 07:22 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock can't connect on a fadeaway from the right side | 17-12 |
| 07:21 | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch pulls down the rebound | 17-12 |
| 07:02 | Tennessee | Manuel Spradling knocks in the jump hook in the paint on a nice dish by Mark Jones | 19-12 |
| 06:42 | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy buries a 3pt shot from the left corner on a great pass from Mark Lynch | 19-15 |
| 06:24 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski can't connect on a jumper in the lane | 19-15 |
| 06:22 | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy grabs the defensive rebound | 19-15 |
| 06:10 | Illinois | Eddie Woods hits the front of the rim on the jumpshot from the free throw line | 19-15 |
| 06:08 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock misses the tip | 19-15 |
| 06:06 | Tennessee | Mark Jones pulls down the rebound | 19-15 |
| 05:49 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski misses short on a runner from the baseline but he's hacked by Mark Lynch - foul #2 on Mark Lynch, team foul #6 | 19-15 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach (PG), Anthony Rosenow (PF), Dustin Larrabee (C) Devon Graham, Mark Jones, Manuel Spradling | |
| Subs | Illinois | Thomas Denny (PG) Clarence McCarthy | |
| 05:49 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski makes the 1st free throw | 20-15 |
| 05:49 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski misses the 2nd free throw | 20-15 |
| 05:49 | Illinois | Eddie Woods grabs the board | 20-15 |
| 05:33 | Illinois | Mark Lynch double dribbles | 20-15 |
| 05:10 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski buries a fadeaway from the right wing | 22-15 |
| 04:47 | Illinois | Thomas Denny knocks in the 3pt attempt from the left corner on a great pass from Mark Lynch | 22-18 |
| 04:23 | Tennessee | Patrick Orcholski connects on the fadeaway from the left wing on a nice dish by Nathaniel Hatch | 24-18 |
| 04:03 | Illinois | Eddie Woods makes the 3pt attempt from straight away | 24-21 |
| 03:48 | Tennessee | Anthony Rosenow is called for traveling | 24-21 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Devon Graham (SG), Mark Jones (PF), Kenneth Smith (C) Jonathan Leach, Anthony Rosenow, Dustin Larrabee | |
| Subs | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy (PG), Steven Snyder (SG), Denis Banks (SF), Thomas Wainwright (PF), Scott Dollard (C) Thomas Denny, Jim Spurlock, Mark Lynch, Eddie Woods, William Smith | |
| 03:30 | Illinois | Scott Dollard makes the shot from the right block on a nice dish by Clarence McCarthy and he's hacked by Mark Jones - foul #1 on Mark Jones, team foul #4 | 24-23 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Jack Mijares (SF) Patrick Orcholski | |
| Subs | Illinois | | |
| 03:30 | Illinois | Scott Dollard misses the free throw | 24-23 |
| 03:30 | Tennessee | The rebound goes to Kenneth Smith | 24-23 |
| Lineup | Tennessee | PG - Nathaniel Hatch (fairly fresh) 6 pts. 3 ast. SG - Devon Graham (fresh) SF - Jack Mijares (fresh) PF - Mark Jones (fresh) 5 pts. 3 reb. C - Kenneth Smith (fresh) | |
| Lineup | Illinois | PG - Clarence McCarthy (fresh) 3 pts. 1 ast. SG - Steven Snyder (fresh) SF - Denis Banks (fresh) 2 pts. PF - Thomas Wainwright (fresh) C - Scott Dollard (fresh) 4 pts. | |
| 03:05 | Tennessee | Jack Mijares's pass is intercepted by Denis Banks | 24-23 |
| 02:49 | Illinois | Thomas Wainwright makes the jumper near the basket set up by Clarence McCarthy and he's fouled by Devon Graham - foul #1 on Devon Graham, team foul #5 | 24-25 |
| Subs | Tennessee | William Johnson (SG) Nathaniel Hatch | |
| Subs | Illinois | Thomas Denny (PG) Clarence McCarthy | |
| 02:49 | Illinois | Thomas Wainwright makes the free throw | 24-26 |
| 02:20 | Tennessee | William Johnson is whistled for a carry | 24-26 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach (PG), Patrick Orcholski (SF) William Johnson, Jack Mijares | |
| Subs | Illinois | Jim Spurlock (SG), Mark Lynch (SF) Steven Snyder, Denis Banks | |
| 02:03 | Illinois | Jim Spurlock makes the floater from the left wing | 24-28 |
| 01:39 | Tennessee | Kenneth Smith misses badly on a fadeaway from close range | 24-28 |
| 01:38 | Illinois | Thomas Wainwright grabs the board | 24-28 |
| 01:21 | Illinois | Thomas Wainwright misses the driving attempt near the basket | 24-28 |
| 01:20 | Tennessee | Devon Graham grabs the board | 24-28 |
| 01:02 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach is fouled on the floor by Thomas Denny - foul #2 on Thomas Denny, team foul #7 | 24-28 |
| Subs | Tennessee | Nathaniel Hatch (SG), Dustin Larrabee (PF), Manuel Spradling (C) Devon Graham, Mark Jones, Kenneth Smith | |
| Subs | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy (PG), Eddie Woods (PF), William Smith (C) Thomas Denny, Thomas Wainwright, Scott Dollard | |
| 01:02 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach makes the 1st free throw | 25-28 |
| 01:02 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach misses the 2nd free throw | 25-28 |
| 01:02 | Illinois | The rebound goes to William Smith | 25-28 |
| 00:50 | Illinois | Clarence McCarthy misses badly on a 3pt shot from straight away | 25-28 |
| 00:48 | Tennessee | The rebound goes to Patrick Orcholski | 25-28 |
| 00:28 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach hits the finger roll set up by Patrick Orcholski and he's hacked by Eddie Woods - foul #2 on Eddie Woods, team foul #8 | 27-28 |
| Subs | Tennessee | | |
| Subs | Illinois | Steven Snyder (SG), Denis Banks (SF) Jim Spurlock, Mark Lynch | |
| 00:28 | Tennessee | Jonathan Leach misses the free throw | 27-28 |
| 00:28 | Illinois | William Smith grabs the board | 27-28 |
| 00:00 | Illinois | William Smith's layup is rejected by Dustin Larrabee | 27-28 |