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Tennessee Vol fans pull off something not often heard during game against Vanderbilt
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee fans taking over stadiums on campus at Vanderbilt University when the Volunteers are in town is nothing new. Whether it's on the gridiron or the hardwood, Vol fans are always in attendance in huge numbers. 

However, the sea of orange inside Memorial Gymnasium made themselves heard in a way that you rarely witness during the Volunteers' clash with the Commodores on Saturday evening. 

Trailing Vanderbilt 31-26, Vandy guard Ezra Manjon drove the ball to the basket but was rejected by Josiah-Jordan James.   A whistle was blown and a foul was called on Zakai Ziegler, who appeared to avoid contact with Manjon, or at worst make very negligible contact.  The play was also reviewed for goaltending, even though James clearly blocked the ball well before it reached the backboard. 

Despite blowing the call, the officials added insult to injury by calling a technical foul on Tennessee's Rick Barnes, who was understandably irate.  

With the seemingly one-sided series of events, the multitude of fans in attendance belted out a chant of "refs you suck", which could be heard loudly on the broadcast. 

That's not something you normally hear an opposing team be able to do inside another team's stadium.  Occasionally, you might hear a faint chant in support of a road team, but not a loud chant heckling the officials as though it was coming from the home crowd itself.  

Tennessee has had its struggles against Vanderbilt in Nashville over the last several seasons. The trend continued on Saturday, as the Vols hit the locker room down 35-30.  

However, Vol fans are working this time to make Memorial Gymnasium feel more like Thompson-Boling Arena west. 

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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