Tennessee’s record of fewest points scored by both teams in NCAA history will forever stand

Clarence Lowe saved his ticket from the historic game.

By Jim Freeman

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – It was a Saturday night, 50 years ago tonight, someone was sitting in their car in front of La Follette High School listening to the Tennessee-Temple basketball game on WLAF, and as I walked out of the gym, I asked him the score. The man said, “Eleven to six.” I said, I thought that game started at 7pm. He said, “It did. Temple froze the ball.” Who won? “Tennessee. 11-6,” he said.

Lowe scribbled the score on the back of his ticket. Tennessee finished in first place for the Vol Classic.

The Vol Classic field was comprised of the Vols and Temple along with DePaul and Utah State.

In 2010, David Pincus with SBNATION wrote a story about the game that featured the fewest points scored by both teams in NCAA History as Tennessee defeated Temple 11-6. Scroll down this link to the second story. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/15/2023-6AM)

2 Replies to “Vols 11-point basketball game marks 50th year, 11-6 win over Temple”

  1. This reminds me of A Campbell County game against Farragut in I believe late 1982 or early 1983. I was a junior and we had traveled to Farragut who was number 1 in the State at the time. They had a Carpenter boy who was 7ft 1 inch tall. Campbell County had an average team that year and Farragut was destroying everyone led by Mr. 7ft tall. I remember Coach Pierce telling the team how we were going to address Farragut on the court at the practice the day before. We had even had players diagraming plays on a sheet drawn out like a ball court earlier and the team was certainly going to give them everything they had. That night the house was standing room only, every time one of our seniors got the ball a whole section of the gym got up and screamed his name. Campbell County froze the ball and we held them off pretty good in the first half. They got us in the second but our players sure put up a great defensive battle. It was the most intense game I had ever been too. I remember sitting next to Robbie Heatherly that night and we were both hoarse from screaming. I also remember having on a dark suit that night and it was wet clean through from sweat . One of the most exciting games I can remember even though a large part of it was freeze ball. We might have lost but they didn’t run away with it and our guys could certainly hold their heads high from the effort. I wonder if anyone else remembers that game.

    Mark A. Wells

    1. Thanks for the memories, Mark. I was at that game. It was the night Cougar Mark Taylor took Mike Carpenter to school.

      Best,
      Jim
      WLAF

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