Kansas basketball vs. Tennessee recap: Kansas loses 64-50 in Battle 4 Atlantis final

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Kansas men's basketball's 2022-23 season continued Friday with a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament matchup inside the Imperial Arena against Tennessee.

The No. 3 Jayhawks came in off of a 69-68 win against Wisconsin. The No. 21 Volunteers came in off of a 73-66 win against USC. Kansas was looking to continue the success it's had in its first appearance in this tournament since 2013.

Did coach Bill Self's Jayhawks' squad remain undefeated? Did coach Rick Barnes' Volunteers squad leave with an upset victory? This was a matchup of Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference programs.

Here's what happened:

FINAL: Tennessee 64, Kansas 50

Tennessee leads 59-45 against Kansas with 3:07 left in 2nd half

This just isn't the Jayhawks' night. They're down 14 points with about three minutes left. The shots aren't falling enough.

Freshman guard MJ Rice has been getting some good minutes in, though. He hasn't been perfect by any means, but considering how much time he's missed this season having him able to play and him holding his own is important. He'll be key for Kansas later this season.

Tennessee leads 53-38 against Kansas with 7:44 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks are in a tough spot now, down 15 with less than eight minutes left in the second half. And they're going to be without Dajuan Harris Jr. the rest of the way. Harris fouled out.

Look for Jalen Wilson to try to take this game over for Kansas. However, it may be too tall of a task for him tonight. He's 1-for-11 from the field shooting the ball.

Tennessee leads 45-36 against Kansas with 11:59 left in 2nd half

The Jayhawks are still trying to claw their way back, and trail by nine with about 12 minutes left in the second half. They're going to need to do a much better job at the free-throw line. They're going to need to just shoot the ball better in general.

Santiago Vescovi's play so far for Tennessee isn't helping Kansas' cause, either. Vescovi has 17 points to lead all scorers. He's 5-for-11 from behind the arc.

Tennessee leads 37-31 against Kansas with 15:24 left in 2nd half

Kansas has had the edge here in the second half so far, but not by much. The Jayhawks trail by six now instead of eight. It's a 37-31 score with 15:24 left in the second half.

Joseph Yesufu has continued to give Kansas good minutes off the bench, with Bobby Pettiford Jr. still out. Pettiford is now wearing slides, not his shoes. So, one would not expect him to return in this one.

HALFTIME: Tennessee 33, Kansas 25

Tennessee leads 26-18 against Kansas with 4:00 left in 1st half

The Volunteers are now 6-for-12 on 3s after their latest bucket, and lead by eight points with four minutes left before halftime. Santiago Vescovi is leading the way at 3-for-4 on 3s. The Jayhawks' defense there will have to improve, or they'll get left behind.

Right now, Kansas is shooting 26.3% from the field and 25% from behind the arc. The free throws the Jayhawks are hitting are helping, but not enough. Kansas needs to attack the rim.

Tennessee leads 15-9 against Kansas with 8:26 left in 1st half

Bobby Pettiford Jr. appeared to suffer an injury during this latest stretch, and limped as he went back toward the locker room. With Pettiford unavailable, and now Dajuan Harris Jr. in foul trouble, Joseph Yesufu may need to be relied upon significantly for the Jayhawks. For a time, he was the only small guard on the floor for Kansas.

After this break, Gradey Dick will be at the free-throw line with a chance to cut into Tennessee's lead. He's 0-for-4 from the field, including 0-for-2 from behind the arc, so far. But he's a quality free throw shooter.

Tennessee leads 12-5 against Kansas with 11:51 left in 1st half

There are already a combined 11 turnovers in this game. Tennessee has six, which Kansas has two points off of. Kansas has five, which Tennessee has two points off of.

The shots aren't falling as regularly for the Volunteers anymore, but the Jayhawks haven't done much to take advantage. Bill Self went with a two-small-guard lineup that featured Dajuan Harris Jr. and Bobby Pettiford Jr., but it didn't solve Kansas' problems. Look for some plays run to get Gradey Dick an open 3-pointer to get this team going.

Tennessee leads 10-2 against Kansas with 14:59 left in 1st half

It took about four and a half minutes for Kansas to score. That came on a lay-up by Kevin McCullar Jr. And at the first timeout, the Jayhawks trail 10-2 against Tennessee.

The Volunteers have hit a couple of 3s to help extend their lead, while the Jayhawks haven't been able to make any shots from behind the arc. Overall, Kansas is 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-3 on 3s. After the break, Ernest Udeh Jr. came in for KJ Adams Jr. for the Jayhawks' first substitution.

It begins

Tennessee won the opening tip, and this game is underway.

A key Tennessee player won't be playing

Here are the starters

Could Tennessee have one of its stars back?

No surprises

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball loses to Tennessee in Battle 4 Atlantis final