How Darlinstone Dubar was an unsung hero in Tennessee basketball’s victory

On December 15, 2024By Littum

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Rick Barnes thought about three important plays after Tennessee basketball beat Illinois on Saturday.

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

Darlinstone Dubar gave the third a floater in the second half which Barnes loved.

“We were bleeding right there,” Barnes said. “He had that little floater.”

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

How Darlinstone Dubar Lifted Tennessee to Victory at Illinois

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

The senior guard dribbled in the paint and heaved a right-handed floater early in the second half. Illinois’ six-point lead seemed bigger at the time. Guard Zakai Zeigler was benched with four fouls and Illinois dictated the game. Then Dubar connected with 11:01 to play to trim the lead to four.

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

Dubar missed UT’s 75-62 win Tuesday against Miami in New York City while in the concussion protocol. He returned to practice Thursday, then was cleared to play Friday — and Tennessee was glad he was.

Illinois again led by six when 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic posted on Dubar. 6-6 Dubar blocked Ivisic’s shot and collected the defensive rebound. He confidently shot a long 3-pointer at the other end, nailed it and got UT within three with 9:37 left.

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

“Insane,” Milicic said. “I was on the field with him. I screamed. I yelled. I was so happy.”

Darlinstone Dubar shows he can give Tennessee more

Dubar averaged 10.3 minutes entering Saturday. He played 10 in the second half as a key player for the Vols, checked in with 11:18 to play and sat for just 49 seconds the rest of the game.

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

Dubar has had a delayed impact since transferring from Hofstra, where he was a high-scoring shooter. He missed four games while attending to a personal matter in addition to missing Tuesday’s game. Saturday was his fifth game with the Vols.

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

Dubar showed that on Saturday with a series of key plays that got Tennessee the win.

“It’s something that’s always been in him,” Mashack said. “It’s not a surprise to me how he jumps.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him at X @By Mike Wilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription which gives you access to it all.