Tennessee remains perfect. Jordan Gainey is why.

The Vols' fifth-man off the bench, who just weeks ago head coach Rick Barnes said he considered a starter, took on his biggest role yet in No. 1 Tennessee's game at Illinois on Saturday and he delivered on the final shot to keep it unbeaten, 66-64 at State Farm Center.

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Kasparas Jakucionis had a chance to put the Fighting Illini ahead in the final seconds, but missed on the front end of two free throws. The second fell through to even the score. Then Gainey took the inbounds pass as the clock quickly ticked away.

Gainey was already the hero of the second half as the Vols' two biggest contributors in Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler set critical stretches on the bench with foul trouble. He made shot after shot to keep Tennessee (10-0) at arm's length when Illinois (7-3) inched closer to pulling away.

As it turned out, Gainey had one more shot to make. He dribbled up the floor, beating the Illini defense and the clock with lay in at the buzzer. It was his 23rd point of the game and 18th of the half.

It was the first time the Vols have been seriously challenged in their first 10 games, but they came away from Champaign showing that they can win on an off night.

Here is how it happened.

The kind of early statements that Tennessee had made in its first nine games escaped it early against Illinois.

The Vols shot just 12% in the first five minutes, their only points coming off of a Chaz Lanier 3-pointer that fell through more than three minutes. The Fighting Illini, meanwhile, came out swinging.

Ben Humrichous opened the scoring with a three to pave the way for an 8-0 start for Illinois before Lanier's basket. Tennessee found life out of the first timeout, though.

Igor Milicic Jr. hit a pair of free throws to trim the Vols' deficit and Lanier hit a jumper to pull them within three at 10-7. Both teams struggled to hit shots for a stretch. Tennessee's lasted nearly three minutes, its only points coming at the free throw line, which was enough to keep it within striking distance at 14-11.

Lanier laced a three to draw even with Illinois for the first time at 14-14 and was up to 12 points by the eight-minute mark, accounting for nearly all of the Vols' scoring--which few and far between at times in the first half.

Lanier allowed Tennessee hang around enough to take the lead for the first time from Jordan Gainey free throws and Zakai Zeigler followed it up with a a layup to pull ahead 20-19.

From there, nearly every point over the last 10 minutes of the half came from the charity stripe, both teams trading shots and trading the lead back-and-forth. In fact, 21 of the last 32 points in that span were free throws and Tennessee held a 31-30 edge at the intermission.

The teams combined for 26 fouls and 45 free throws, with Illinois 81.0% and the Vols going 70.8% from the free throw line.

For the first time since the 2:31 mark of the first half, points came from the floor, this one a Jahmai Mashack layup less than a minute into the second to extend Tennessee's lead to 33-30.

Foul trouble continued to plague the Vols. In a matter of seconds, Zeigler was whistled for two fouls, upping his total four with still more than 17 minutes left, forcing Rick Barnes to put him on the bench for a stretch.

Felix Okpara picked up his fourth amid a 6-0 Illinois run that put the Illini back in front, 39-37 with 14:42 remaining. Illinois extended that run to 10-0 and upped its lead out of a timeout, but Tennessee answered back.

Milicic tipped in a shot and Gainey, whose minutes increased with Zeigler on the bench, scored to get the Vols back within one at 43-42. Illinois threatened to pull away a number of times, but Gainey kept Tennessee within reach.

Kasparas Jakucionis hit a three and was fouled in the process, pushing the Illini advantage to 50-44 after the free throw. Darlinstone Dubar was the first Vols player in four minutes not named Gainey to score. He scored again, this one a 3-pointer a few possessions later to draw closer at 52-49.

Then Gainey came through again. He hit a three and Tennessee had drawn even at 52-52 with under nine minutes to go. After Illinois regained the lead a few minutes later, Gainey side-stepped a defender a buried another 3-pointer to give the Vols a 57-56 edge.

Illinois took the lead again inside of four minutes left and whatever Tennessee was going to do down the stretch it was going to have to do it without Lanier, who fouled out with 3:42 on the clock.

And enter Gainey again. He came in the clutch another time with a three that tied the score at 62-62 with 2:27 left. Milicic gave the Vols the lead with a dunk with nearly a minute to go.

Jakucionis, appropriately, had a chance to put Illinois in front in the final seconds after he was fouled by Zeigler, but he went 1-for-2 at the line, seemingly sending the game to overtime before Gainey drove the length of the floor and laid in the game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Tennessee returns home next week for its final non-conference stretch through the end of December.

The Vols host Western Carolina on Tuesday at Food City Center (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+) before playing MTSU and Norfolk State leading up to the start of SEC play against Arkansas at home.

KenPom projects Tennessee to beat the Catamounts, 87-53.

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