OXFORD, Miss. — No. 19 Tennessee will play its first of back-to-back road games on Saturday, taking on the Rebels at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. The game will tip at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SEC Network and streamed online via WatchESPN.
The Vols (20-7, 10-5 SEC) are coming off their 20th regular-season win of the year, the first time achieving that mark since 2009-10 (23), after defeating Florida at home on Wednesday night. Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams fueled Tennessee’s offense, combining for 39 of UT’s 62 points (63 percent) in the matchup. Williams, who finished with game-high 23 points, scored 11 of UT’s final 18 points. Schofield chipped in 16 points.
In the first meeting between Tennessee and the Rebels, the Vols shot 71 percent (20-of-28) from the floor in the second half and connected on a season-high 13 treys en route to their highest scoring performance of the season with a 94-61 win. Five different players reached double-digit scoring, with Schofield leading the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Since the first matchup, Ole Miss (12-16, 5-10 SEC) has experienced a lot of changes, as Andy Kennedy announced his plans to resign at the conclusion of the season on Feb. 12. But he then stepped aside on Feb. 18. Tony Madlock is now the acting head coach and helped lead the Rebels to an overtime win at Missouri on Tuesday, 90-87. Deandre Burnett, a preseason All-SEC first-team selection, has been Ole Miss’s best player this year. He currently ranks 15th in the SEC in scoring (14.3 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.1 apg).
After Saturday’s showdown, the Vols stay on the road for a game at Mississippi State on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. ET. UT then returns home for its regular-season finale in a rematch against Georgia on March 3 at 6 p.m. Both games will be televised on SEC Network.
THE SERIES
Overall: UT leads, 72-44
In Knoxville: UT leads, 42-12
In Oxford: Series tied, 25-25
Neutral Sites: UM leads, 7-5
Current Streak: Tennessee has won two straight
Last Meeting: Tennessee won, 94-61, in Knoxville, 2/3/18
Rick Barnes vs. Ole Miss: 2-2
Rick Barnes vs. Tony Madlock: No meetings
RIGHT NOW
The Vols are rated No. 11 in the NCAA RPI. Ole Miss is No. 107.
Jordan Bone has a 3.4 assist/turnover ratio in SEC road games this season (24 assists, seven turnovers).
Per KenPom, Tennessee rates seventh nationally in defensive efficiency.
Tennessee ranks 31st nationally with 4.8 blocked shots per game.
A WIN WOULD…
Give the Vols 11 SEC victories for the first time since 2013-14.
Snap the Vols’ three-game losing streak in Oxford and sand as UT’s first victory at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Leave Rick Barnes nine wins shy of passing the legendary John Wooden on the NCAA’s all-time Division I wins list. Wooden totaled 664 wins in 29 seasons.
ABOUT OLE MISS
• A lot has changed in Oxford since the first matchup between UT and the Rebels just three weeks ago. One of the longest-tenured head coaches in the SEC, Andy Kennedy, announced his plans to resign at the conclusion of the season on Feb. 12. But he then stepped aside on Feb. 18. Tony Madlock has stepped in as the acting head coach at Ole Miss (12-16, 5-10 SEC) for the remainder of the season.
• Although the Rebels boast wins over Alabama, Florida and Missouri, all of which are currently tied for third in the league standings, Ole Miss has struggled over the past month, dropping seven of its last eight games.
• The lone win came on Tuesday night in overtime at Missouri in Madlock’s first game as head coach. Breein Tyree scored 25 points, including a game-tying basket with three seconds left to force overtime. The Rebels upset the Tigers, 90-87.
• Deandre Burnett, a preseason All-SEC first-team selection, has been Ole Miss’s best player this year. He currently ranks 15th in the SEC in scoring (14.3 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.1 apg). The senior guard has been the team’s leading scorer in 10 games this season, more than any other player.
• Junior guard Terence Davis, who is averaging 13.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg, stands as the team leader in rebounds (176) and blocks (27). Burnett and Davis are joined by Tyree (10.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.6 apg) and Bruce Stevens (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg) as the Rebels’ double-digit scorers.
• Like Tennessee, Ole Miss boasts a deep roster, with eight players averaging more than 15 minutes per game this season and six averaging at least 20 minutes a contest.
LAST MEETING WITH OLE MISS
• No. 18 Tennessee never trailed on its way to capturing its fourth straight SEC win, cruising by Ole Miss on Feb. 3, 2018, in Knoxville, 94-61.
• The win was the Vols’ fifth straight overall, giving them their longest winning streak of the season. Tennessee held its opponent to fewer than 65 points for the seventh straight game and led wire-to-wire for the third time this season.
• Ole Miss threatened to take the lead early in the second half with a 7-0 run that cut Tennessee’s advantage to three points, but the Vols immediately answered with a 14-3 run to break away. Following that stretch, the Rebels never got closer than 12 points.
• The Vols shot 71 percent in the second half. After missing their first two shots they went on to make 20 of their last 26 field goals.
• Tennessee shot 53 percent for the game, including 13-of-29 from beyond the 3-point arc. The 13 made 3-pointers tied a season-high.
• Lamonté Turner and Grant Williams each scored 17 points. Admiral Schofield logged his third career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Alexander tied a career-high with 14 points, and Jordan Bowden added 10.
• Bruce Stevens led Ole Miss with 17 points, and Terence Davis added 13. Deandre Burnett, who entered the game averaging 15.2 points per game, scored just seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
• The Vols opened the game on a 12-3 run, capped off by 3-pointers from Yves Pons and James Daniel III, but the Rebels were able to cut that deficit all the way down to two at 17-15 with 7:52 remaining in the half. UT answered with a 10-0 spurt.
VOLS PUT ON OFFENSIVE CLINIC DURING SECOND HALF vs. OLE MISS
• Tennessee put on a clinic during the second half of its 94-61 rout of Ole Miss on Feb. 3.
• The Vols scored 59 points in the half, during which they missed their first two field goals before making 20 of their last 26 attempts from the floor.
• The Vols shot .714 as a team during the half.
• The 59 points were UT’s most in a half since scoring 60 in the first half of a 114-75 season-opening win over Chattanooga on Nov. 25, 2008.
• Tennessee had 17 assists and just one turnovers during the half.
• UT’s 33-point margin of victory was its largest in a regular-season SEC game since beating Vanderbilt, 76-38, on March 1, 2014, by 38 points (in postseason play, UT beat Auburn by 38 points [97-59] in the first round of the 2016 SEC Tournament).
• During the final 20 minutes vs. Ole Miss Saturday, the Vols averaged 1.84 points per possession.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST OLE MISS
• Brandon Wharton scored 20 points, Rashard Lee added 17 and 10 rebounds, Isiah Victor poured in 16 points and C.J. Black totaled 15 and 13 rebounds as UT upset the 11th-ranked Rebels 77-67 in Knoxville on Jan. 17, 1998.
• Gene Tormohlen grabbed 31 rebounds at Ole Miss on Feb. 11, 1957, to lift UT to a 98-88 win in Oxford. The 31 boards still stand as the second-best single-game effort in school history.
• Carlus Groves went 11-for-12 (.917) from the floor, the fourth-best single-game average in UT annals, against the Rebels to lift Tennessee to a 98-86 win in Knoxville on Feb. 19, 1992.
• Jeronne Maymon grabbed an incredible 10 offensive rebounds as part of an 11-point, 17-rebound effort against Ole Miss in the 2012 SEC Tournament in Nashville. Despite 21 points from Trae Golden and 15 from Skylar McBee, the Vols fell in overtime, 77-72.
MISSISSIPPI LETTERMEN UNCOMMON
• Incredibly, Tennessee has had just one all-time letterman from the state of Mississippi. Sardis, Mississippi, native Torrey Harris played for the Vols from 1995-99.
CURRENT VOLS’ CAREER STATS VS. OLE MISS
• In his three career games against Ole Miss, point guard Jordan Bone owns a 5.0 assist/turnover ratio (15 assists, three turnovers) in 54 total minutes.
• In his three career games against Ole Miss, Jordan Bowden averages 12.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
• Admiral Schofield has played four previous games against the Rebels, averaging 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range (6-for-12).
• Lamonté Turner has had success in his three previous outings vs. Ole Miss, averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 assists while shooting .500 from the field and .529 from 3-point range (9-for-17).
• In three career games against Ole Miss, Grant Williams averages 13.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting .538 from the field (14-for-26).
TENNESSEE HAS BEEN A BIG DRAW ON THE ROAD THIS SEASON
• Tennessee has played in front of four road sellouts this season. Three of those came in SEC play (Missouri, South Carolina and Alabama), while the other came at Iowa State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
• While UT’s game at Kentucky wasn’t technically a “sellout,” the crowd of 23,332 filled Rupp Arena to 99.3 percent capacity.
• Through Tennessee’s 10 true road games this season, the crowd has been at an average capacity of 92.6 percent.
• Tennessee’s average true road game attendance this season: 14,427 (26.5 percent increase from last season’s 11,402 per game average).
20 WINS AND COUNTING
• With 20 triumphs thus far, Tennessee has already exceeded last season’s total of 16 wins, and the Vols still have three regular-season games remaining.
• Tennessee has logged its 25th all-time 20-win season and its first since 2013-14, when the Vols finished with 24 victories and advanced to their seventh Sweet Sixteen.
• Tennessee also recorded 20 regular-season victories for the first time since 2034-14 (20).
• In 31 seasons as a Division I head coach, Rick Barnes has now led his teams to 20 or more wins 20 times.
THREE VOLS COULD MAKE 50+ 3-POINTERS
• Tennessee could boast three players with 50 or more made 3-pointers for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
• Lamonté Turner already has 52 made triples, while Admiral Schofield has 46, and Jordan Bowden has 44.
• In 1999-2000, the three Vols who accomplished that feat were: Tony Harris (73), Jon Higgins (53) and Vincent Yarbrough (53).
• That 1999-2000 squad finished with a 26-7 (12-4 SEC) record, won a share of the SEC regular-season championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to North Carolina in Austin, Texas.
BARNES A SEMIFINALIST FOR NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR
• Rick Barnes is one of 10 semifinalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s College Coach of the Year.
• In his third season at Tennessee, Barnes has taken a team picked in the preseason to finish 13th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference to a 20-7 (10-5 SEC) record and second-place in the current league standings. The Volunteers are rated No. 11 in the NCAA’s RPI listing and have spent 12 consecutive weeks in the AP top-25 poll. Tennessee has won eight games away from home and defeated five “Power Five” opponents during non-conference play (Purdue, NC State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Iowa State).
• Four finalists will be announced on March 15.
BARNES APPROACHING WOODEN’S CAREER WINS TOTAL
• Rick Barnes owns 655 Division I wins in his 31 seasons as a head coach. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden totaled 664 victories during his 29-year career.
• Barnes needs only 10 more wins to ascend past Wooden into 26th place on the all-time D-I wins list.
• After Barnes passes Wooden, the next coach whose wins total he could exceed is Gary Williams (668). Ironically, Barnes was an assistant under Williams at Ohio State in 1986-87.
TENNESSEE SECOND IN LEAGUE WITH EIGHT WINS AWAY FROM HOME
• Tennessee’s eight wins away from home are second-most among SEC teams this season (Auburn has 10). The Volunteers have six true road wins (in 10 tries) and a pair of neutral-site wins (Purdue and NC State).
• UT’s true road wins have come at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Iowa State and Kentucky.
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