How Darlinstone Dubar was the unsung hero in Tennessee basketball's victory

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rick Barnes thought of three outstanding plays after Tennessee basketball defeated Illinois on Saturday.

Jordan Gainey’s game-winning layup was an obvious choice. He picked Igor Milicic Jr.’s steal of an inbounds shot with less than two minutes to play.

Darlinstone Dubar scored the third goal of the second half, which Barnes greatly appreciated.

“We had bleeding right there,” Barnes said. “He had this little float.”

Dubar was the unsung hero for No. 1 Tennessee, which remained undefeated with a 66-64 win over Illinois (7-3) at State Farm Center. He had five points and five rebounds in a season-high 16 minutes for the Vols (10-0).

How Darlinstone Dubar helped Tennessee win at Illinois

Three times Illinois led by six. Dubar responded to two of those moments with a key shot.

The senior guard dribbled upfield and hit a right-handed floater early in the second half. At the time, Illinois’ lead appeared to be larger at six points. Guard Zakai Zeigler was on the bench with four fouls and Illinois dictated the game. Then Dubar scored at 11:01 to cut the lead to four.

“At that point we were reeling,” Barnes said.

Dubar missed UT’s 75-62 win Tuesday against Miami in New York City because he suffered a concussion. He returned to practice activities on Thursday and then was cleared to play on Friday – and Tennessee was glad he did.

Illinois led by six again when 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic faced Dubar. With the score at 6:6, Dubar blocked Ivisic’s shot and grabbed the defensive rebound. He confidently shot a long 3-pointer at the other end, hit it and brought UT within a three-pointer with 9:37 to play.

Barnes clapped. Tennessee never trailed by more than three points again.

“Crazy,” said Milicic. “I was on the pitch with him. I screamed. I screamed. I was so happy.”

WINNER:The story of the game that ended Tennessee with Jordan Gainey’s game-winning shot against Illinois

Darlinstone Dubar shows he can give Tennessee more

Dubar averaged 10.3 minutes on Saturday. He played 10 minutes as a key player for the Vols in the second half, playing 11:18 minutes and only being on the field for 49 seconds the rest of the game.

“DStone is the definition of a hooper,” guard Jahmai Mashack said. “You bring him into a game in an environment like that, give him the ball and tell him to go, he’s going to get a bucket.”

ESTES:The ugliest win yet for Tennessee’s No. 1 basketball was somehow its prettiest | Estes

Dubar has had a delayed impact since transferring from Hofstra, where he was a prolific scorer. He missed four games while attending to a personal matter and also missed Tuesday’s game. Saturday was his fifth game with the Vols.

The sparingly used guard showed why Barnes continues to emphasize that Tennessee’s strength extends to Dubar and freshman guard Bishop Boswell – who was also important in the second half.

Dubar showed it on Saturday with a series of significant plays that ensured Tennessee won.

“It’s something that’s always been in him,” Mashack said. “It’s no surprise to me how he hits hoops.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @By Mike Wilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you like Mike’s reporting, Consider a digital subscription This gives you access to everything.

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