#4 Vols Ride Hot Shooting to 85-81 Win over #15/16 Missouri
Courtesy / UT Athletics

#4 Vols Ride Hot Shooting to 85-81 Win over #15/16 Missouri

Posted on February 6, 2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Facing an 11-point deficit early in the second half, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dominated the final 19 minutes to defeat No. 15/16 Missouri, 85-81, Wednesday night in front of 20,002 fans at Food City Center.

Fourth-ranked Tennessee (19-4, 6-4 SEC) shot 10-of-15 from 3-point range in the triumph, its fourth of the year and second in a row over an AP top-15 foe. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., and senior guard Zakai Zeigler, both of whom missed the last game, co-led the victors with 21 points apiece

The Volunteers tallied the first five points of the night, holding Missouri (17-5, 6-3 SEC) scoreless for the opening 5:13 by forcing five missed field goals and a turnover. The Tigers, however, then posted a 13-2 run in just 3:24 to take a 13-7 advantage at the 11:22 mark. Graduate guard Tony Perkins scored 11 of the points, as he hit his first four shots of the night, including a trio from long range. Missouri went on to grab 16-9 lead with 10:35 on the clock after making five straight field goals.

Tennessee closed within two, 23-21, with 5:31 to go in the half after back-to-back dunks, but the Tigers responded with a 7-0 surge in 1:35 to go up by nine, 30-21, with 3:37 remaining. The home team twice cut the deficit to four, but Missouri pushed it back to six, 34-28, at the break.

The Volunteers shot 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from 3-point range through 20 minutes, but missed all four of their free throws, as well as committed eight turnovers while forcing only two. Missouri, meanwhile, shot 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from deep and hit both its attempts at the stripe.

The first minute of the second session featured two turnovers by Tennessee and five points for Missouri, which took a game-best 11-point edge, 39-28, with 19:03 to go. The Volunteers, though, countered with 18 of the next 23 points, including notching a 14-2 burst in just 1:55, to go in front, 46-43, with 15:27 to go. The span ended with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by three different Volunteers, pushing the team’s ledger to 7-of-8 at that time.

Missouri regained the lead, but Tennessee again hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to claim a 59-53 cushion at the 11:42 mark and extend its long-range clip to 10-of-13. All three shots came during a stretch of five consecutive makes from the floor.

The Tigers closed within three, but Tennessee answered with eight of the next nine points to go up by double digits, 68-58, with 7:05 to play. The onslaught continued from there, as the Volunteers went up by as many as 14 points, 75-61, with 4:30 to go during a stretch of 6:08 in which it did not allow a field goal.

Missouri held Tennessee scoreless for the next 2:50 and logged the next nine points, over just 2:37, to slice the deficit down to five, 75-70, with 1:40 left. The Volunteers made a trio of free throws to make it an eight-point game with 1:17 to go, but senior guard Tamar Bates drilled a 3-pointer at the other end 16 seconds later to again trim the margin to five, 78-73.

Over the next 36 seconds, the two sides combined for eight points, all at the stripe, with Tennessee logging five of them to make it 83-76 with 25.9 left. Missouri graduate guard/forward hit a 3-pointer to make it a four-point affair with 21.7 ticks left, but the Tigers did not score again until just one second remained and the Volunteers held on for the four-point comeback decision.

In addition to his 21 points, Miličić pulled down a co-game-leading 10 rebounds, dished out a career-high-tying five assists, blocked a season- and game-best four shots, tallied a team-leading two steals and posted shooting lines of 8-of-10 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 at the line. He became, per Stats Perform, the first player this century in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or WNBA to record 20, 10, five, four and two on a 75/50/75 line in a contest.

Zeigler’s season-best 21 points included perfect shooting from long range, as he went 4-of-4, and at the stripe, where he was 7-of-7. It was his first time achieving the former line and second registering the latter. The Long Island, N.Y., native also led all players with eight assists to move into the top 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard (636) and on Tennessee’s single-season list (164).

Junior forward Felix Okpara concluded the night with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks, plus went 4-of-5 at the line to tie a career best in makes. Senior guard Jordan Gainey had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier tallied 10 points and six rebounds, the latter mark one shy of his season high.

Bates paced all scorers with 22 points, all of which came during a second half in which he went 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 beyond the arc and 6-of-8 at the line. Perkins finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting—Tennessee held him to just five in the final 31 minutes—to go along with five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Graduate guard Caleb Grill chipped in 11 points for the Tigers, while graduate center Josh Gray matched Miličić with 10 rebounds.

Tennessee’s 85 points marked its fourth-most of the season and its top tally in SEC play this year. Its 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) mark from long range marked the fourth time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) making double-digit 3-pointers and connecting on at least two-thirds of its attempts, including its second time on just 15 attempts.

After a 1-of-6 start from the free-throw line, the Volunteers made 17 of their next 18 attempts, en route to capping the contest with a 21-of-30 (70.0 percent) line. At the other end, Missouri shot 19-of-29 (65.5 percent) at the stripe.
The Volunteers, who shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) overall, had zero shots blocked in the win, plus swatted eight on the defensive side of the floor.

Its three-game homestand complete, Tennessee now plays the first of two straight road tilts Saturday at noon ET against Oklahoma, live on ESPN from the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee is now 93-34 all-time when playing in front of 20,000-plus fans at Food City Center, including 34-10 under Barnes, with 29 of the latter 44 over the past four years (2021-25).
• Tuesday’s crowd of 20,002 marked the ninth time in 2024-25, all in Tennessee’s last 10 outings, over 19,000 fans have been in attendance at Food City Center.
• After the road team won each of the last six campus-site series meetings, Tennessee’s victory marked the first home triumph between the two schools since it won Feb. 5, 2019.
• The Volunteers improved to 12-6 in their last 18 games against Missouri, including 7-3 in the last 10 matchups.
• Tennessee and Missouri have now played four times—all in the last five seasons (2020-25)—with both ranked in the AP Poll, with the Volunteers moving to 3-1 in those outings.
• Wednesday marked the 10th time in the last 11 series matchups Tennessee was ranked, after it was unranked for each of its first 12 meetings with Missouri.
• Tennessee has now played five consecutive games versus AP top-15 foes for the first time ever, after it had never before met even five straight AP top-25 opponents.
• Each of the Volunteers’ last six home games have come against an AP top-25 team, dating to the Jan. 4 SEC opener.
• Twelve of Tennessee’s last 14 conference contests—the span dates to Feb. 28, 2024—have been against AP top-25 foes, including eight of 10 so far in 2024-25.
• The Volunteers improved to 34-25 (.576) in AP top-25 showdowns in the Barnes era, including 19-5 (.792) at home and 6-3 (.667) in 2024-25.
• The above overall mark in AP top-25 matchups in Barnes’ tenure features a 22-12 (.647) ledger since Feb. 26, 2022, and a 13-5 (.722) record since Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Volunteers’ record in AP top-15 clashes in the Barnes era improved to 17-12 (.586), including 8-2 (.800) at Food City Center.
• Tennessee moved to 22-8 (.733) at home versus AP top-25 opponents under Barnes, including 17-2 (.895) since Jan. 30, 2021.
• Barnes-led Tennessee teams now own a 14-5 (.737) ledger at home against AP top-15 squads, including a 12-2 (.857) record since Jan. 30, 2021.
• The Volunteers upped their record to 40-40 (.500) against AP top-25 teams in Barnes’ tenure, including 24-13 (.649) since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee is now 26-25 (.510) versus AP top-15 foes under Barnes, including 19-8 (.704) since Dec. 22, 2021.
• The Volunteers now own four AP top-15 wins this year, tied with 2023-24 and 1976-77 for its third-most ever, and have reached that mark in four consecutive seasons after doing so just once previously.
• After starting 1-of-9 from the field through six-plus minutes, Missouri made seven of its next 10 attempts to begin a 12-of-21 stretch.
• The Volunteers assisted all 12 of their field goals in the opening half, including Miličić doing so on four of the first seven through 12-plus minutes.
• In total, Tennessee’s first 14 baskets of the night were all assisted, as it did not record an unassisted field goal until an and-one layup by Zeigler with 17:20 to play.
• Through the first 26-and-a-half minutes, Miličić (17 points on 7-of-7 shooting) and Perkins (15 points on 5-of-5 shooting) combined for 32 points on a 12-of-12 field-goal clip for their respective teams, with the former 2-of-2 from deep and the latter 3-of-3.
• After taking its game-best 14-point lead with 4:30 to go, Tennessee did not make a field goal the rest of the contest, missing all three of its attempts, but went 10-of-14 at the line in the final 100 seconds.
• Tennessee’s highest point total in SEC play before Wednesday was 76 in the league opener Jan. 4 against Arkansas.
• Missouri’s 81 points marked the most by a Tennessee foe since March 9, 2024, when Kentucky had 85 in the regular season finale.
• The prior top point total by a Tennessee opponent this season was 78 by Kentucky eight days ago, Jan. 28.
• Missouri had a 16-0 margin in fast-break points, but Tennessee accumulated an equal plus-16 margin in paint points, 34-18.
• The Volunteers’ 57 second-half points marked their most in a frame this season, eclipsing the 52 they had both Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay (first half) and Nov. 13, 2024, versus Montana (second half).
• Missouri is the third team to record zero blocks against Tennessee this season, joining UT Martin (Nov. 27, 2024) and Montana (Nov. 13, 2024).
• Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 21 of its 23 contests thus far, including 29 or fewer on 13 occasions and 22 or fewer seven times.
• The last time Tennessee made double-digit 3-pointers on 15 or fewer attempts was Feb. 19, 2013, when it shot an equal 10-of-15 at LSU.
• Just thrice previously in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) has Tennessee made 10-plus 3-pointers and connected on two-thirds of its tries: March 5, 2022, against Arkansas (12-of-28); Feb. 19, 2013, versus LSU (10-of-15); and Jan. 8, 2006, at South Carolina (12-of-18).
• According to SEC Network, Miličić and Zeigler became the first Tennessee duo to log 20-plus points and five-plus assists in the same game since 1998.
• Miličić logged the 15th double-double of his career, including his fourth in his lone campaign as a Volunteer.
• Miličić has now pulled down double-figure rebounds 22 times as a collegian, including doing so on eight occasions in 2024-25.
• In addition, Miličić recorded 20-plus points for the sixth time in his career, including the second at Tennessee.
• The five assists for Miličić marked his fourth time reaching that number as a collegian, with three of those occasions this year as a Volunteer.
• Just thrice previously has Miličić tallied four-plus blocks in a game, all during the 2023-24 campaign while at Charlotte.
• Miličić’s 21 points put him two shy of his season high, 23, set Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay, as well as marked the fifth-highest total of his career.
• As aforementioned, Miličić is the first player, per Stats Perform, in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or the WNBA this century to amass at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in a game while shooting at least 75.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent beyond the arc and 75.0 percent at the line.
• Across his 23 outings thus far in his lone seasons as a Volunteer, Lanier has registered double-digit points 21 times, including 18 of the past 19 contests.
• Okpara’s four made free throws matched a career-best figure he has posted four prior times, three of which came earlier this season, most recently Jan. 21 versus Mississippi State, his only other collegiate outing with four makes on just five attempts.
• Zeigler’s 21 points eclipsed his previous season best of 19, which he recorded both Nov. 17, 2024, versus Austin Peay and Nov. 9, 2024, at Louisville.
• Wednesday marked the 13th time Zeigler has connected on at least four 3-pointers in a game, with his best prior mark in those outings a 4-of-5 clip both Feb. 17, 2024, against Vanderbilt and Feb. 5, 2022, at South Carolina.
• Before Wednesday, the only time Zeigler hit multiple 3-pointers in his career without a miss was a 3-of-3 performance Feb. 28, 2024, against Auburn.
• Zeigler is the first Volunteer to make four-plus 3-pointers without a miss since Santiago Vescovi went 5-of-5 on Dec. 21, 2022, versus Austin Peay.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2005-25), Zeigler is now the 12th Volunteer—13th occurrence—to hit at least four 3-pointers in a game without a miss.
• The lone previous time Zeigler hit seven free throws in a game without a miss was also this year, as he did so Nov. 4, 2024, in the season opener versus Gardner-Web, giving him the lone two such outings by a Volunteer in 2024-25.
• With his fifth assist of the night at the 16:28 mark of the second half, Zeigler tied Mississippi State’s Dee Bost (2008-12) for No. 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard and then 61 seconds later he recorded his sixth—giving him 634 as a collegian—to solely take over 10th place, eventually finishing the night with 636.
• Zeigler’s eight assists upped his total this year from 156 to 164, moving him from co-No. 13 to co-ninth, alongside Johnny Darden (1975-76), on the program’s single-season leaderboard and giving him three of the top 12 marks ever by a Volunteer.

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#4 Vols Ride Hot Shooting to 85-81 Win over #15/16 Missouri
Courtesy / UT Athletics

#4 Vols Ride Hot Shooting to 85-81 Win over #15/16 Missouri

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Facing an 11-point deficit early in the second half, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dominated the final 19 minutes to defeat No. 15/16 Missouri, 85-81, Wednesday night in front of 20,002 fans at Food City Center.

Fourth-ranked Tennessee (19-4, 6-4 SEC) shot 10-of-15 from 3-point range in the triumph, its fourth of the year and second in a row over an AP top-15 foe. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., and senior guard Zakai Zeigler, both of whom missed the last game, co-led the victors with 21 points apiece

The Volunteers tallied the first five points of the night, holding Missouri (17-5, 6-3 SEC) scoreless for the opening 5:13 by forcing five missed field goals and a turnover. The Tigers, however, then posted a 13-2 run in just 3:24 to take a 13-7 advantage at the 11:22 mark. Graduate guard Tony Perkins scored 11 of the points, as he hit his first four shots of the night, including a trio from long range. Missouri went on to grab 16-9 lead with 10:35 on the clock after making five straight field goals.

Tennessee closed within two, 23-21, with 5:31 to go in the half after back-to-back dunks, but the Tigers responded with a 7-0 surge in 1:35 to go up by nine, 30-21, with 3:37 remaining. The home team twice cut the deficit to four, but Missouri pushed it back to six, 34-28, at the break.

The Volunteers shot 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from 3-point range through 20 minutes, but missed all four of their free throws, as well as committed eight turnovers while forcing only two. Missouri, meanwhile, shot 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from deep and hit both its attempts at the stripe.

The first minute of the second session featured two turnovers by Tennessee and five points for Missouri, which took a game-best 11-point edge, 39-28, with 19:03 to go. The Volunteers, though, countered with 18 of the next 23 points, including notching a 14-2 burst in just 1:55, to go in front, 46-43, with 15:27 to go. The span ended with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by three different Volunteers, pushing the team’s ledger to 7-of-8 at that time.

Missouri regained the lead, but Tennessee again hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to claim a 59-53 cushion at the 11:42 mark and extend its long-range clip to 10-of-13. All three shots came during a stretch of five consecutive makes from the floor.

The Tigers closed within three, but Tennessee answered with eight of the next nine points to go up by double digits, 68-58, with 7:05 to play. The onslaught continued from there, as the Volunteers went up by as many as 14 points, 75-61, with 4:30 to go during a stretch of 6:08 in which it did not allow a field goal.

Missouri held Tennessee scoreless for the next 2:50 and logged the next nine points, over just 2:37, to slice the deficit down to five, 75-70, with 1:40 left. The Volunteers made a trio of free throws to make it an eight-point game with 1:17 to go, but senior guard Tamar Bates drilled a 3-pointer at the other end 16 seconds later to again trim the margin to five, 78-73.

Over the next 36 seconds, the two sides combined for eight points, all at the stripe, with Tennessee logging five of them to make it 83-76 with 25.9 left. Missouri graduate guard/forward hit a 3-pointer to make it a four-point affair with 21.7 ticks left, but the Tigers did not score again until just one second remained and the Volunteers held on for the four-point comeback decision.

In addition to his 21 points, Miličić pulled down a co-game-leading 10 rebounds, dished out a career-high-tying five assists, blocked a season- and game-best four shots, tallied a team-leading two steals and posted shooting lines of 8-of-10 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 at the line. He became, per Stats Perform, the first player this century in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or WNBA to record 20, 10, five, four and two on a 75/50/75 line in a contest.

Zeigler’s season-best 21 points included perfect shooting from long range, as he went 4-of-4, and at the stripe, where he was 7-of-7. It was his first time achieving the former line and second registering the latter. The Long Island, N.Y., native also led all players with eight assists to move into the top 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard (636) and on Tennessee’s single-season list (164).

Junior forward Felix Okpara concluded the night with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks, plus went 4-of-5 at the line to tie a career best in makes. Senior guard Jordan Gainey had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier tallied 10 points and six rebounds, the latter mark one shy of his season high.

Bates paced all scorers with 22 points, all of which came during a second half in which he went 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 beyond the arc and 6-of-8 at the line. Perkins finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting—Tennessee held him to just five in the final 31 minutes—to go along with five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Graduate guard Caleb Grill chipped in 11 points for the Tigers, while graduate center Josh Gray matched Miličić with 10 rebounds.

Tennessee’s 85 points marked its fourth-most of the season and its top tally in SEC play this year. Its 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) mark from long range marked the fourth time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) making double-digit 3-pointers and connecting on at least two-thirds of its attempts, including its second time on just 15 attempts.

After a 1-of-6 start from the free-throw line, the Volunteers made 17 of their next 18 attempts, en route to capping the contest with a 21-of-30 (70.0 percent) line. At the other end, Missouri shot 19-of-29 (65.5 percent) at the stripe.
The Volunteers, who shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) overall, had zero shots blocked in the win, plus swatted eight on the defensive side of the floor.

Its three-game homestand complete, Tennessee now plays the first of two straight road tilts Saturday at noon ET against Oklahoma, live on ESPN from the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee is now 93-34 all-time when playing in front of 20,000-plus fans at Food City Center, including 34-10 under Barnes, with 29 of the latter 44 over the past four years (2021-25).
• Tuesday’s crowd of 20,002 marked the ninth time in 2024-25, all in Tennessee’s last 10 outings, over 19,000 fans have been in attendance at Food City Center.
• After the road team won each of the last six campus-site series meetings, Tennessee’s victory marked the first home triumph between the two schools since it won Feb. 5, 2019.
• The Volunteers improved to 12-6 in their last 18 games against Missouri, including 7-3 in the last 10 matchups.
• Tennessee and Missouri have now played four times—all in the last five seasons (2020-25)—with both ranked in the AP Poll, with the Volunteers moving to 3-1 in those outings.
• Wednesday marked the 10th time in the last 11 series matchups Tennessee was ranked, after it was unranked for each of its first 12 meetings with Missouri.
• Tennessee has now played five consecutive games versus AP top-15 foes for the first time ever, after it had never before met even five straight AP top-25 opponents.
• Each of the Volunteers’ last six home games have come against an AP top-25 team, dating to the Jan. 4 SEC opener.
• Twelve of Tennessee’s last 14 conference contests—the span dates to Feb. 28, 2024—have been against AP top-25 foes, including eight of 10 so far in 2024-25.
• The Volunteers improved to 34-25 (.576) in AP top-25 showdowns in the Barnes era, including 19-5 (.792) at home and 6-3 (.667) in 2024-25.
• The above overall mark in AP top-25 matchups in Barnes’ tenure features a 22-12 (.647) ledger since Feb. 26, 2022, and a 13-5 (.722) record since Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Volunteers’ record in AP top-15 clashes in the Barnes era improved to 17-12 (.586), including 8-2 (.800) at Food City Center.
• Tennessee moved to 22-8 (.733) at home versus AP top-25 opponents under Barnes, including 17-2 (.895) since Jan. 30, 2021.
• Barnes-led Tennessee teams now own a 14-5 (.737) ledger at home against AP top-15 squads, including a 12-2 (.857) record since Jan. 30, 2021.
• The Volunteers upped their record to 40-40 (.500) against AP top-25 teams in Barnes’ tenure, including 24-13 (.649) since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee is now 26-25 (.510) versus AP top-15 foes under Barnes, including 19-8 (.704) since Dec. 22, 2021.
• The Volunteers now own four AP top-15 wins this year, tied with 2023-24 and 1976-77 for its third-most ever, and have reached that mark in four consecutive seasons after doing so just once previously.
• After starting 1-of-9 from the field through six-plus minutes, Missouri made seven of its next 10 attempts to begin a 12-of-21 stretch.
• The Volunteers assisted all 12 of their field goals in the opening half, including Miličić doing so on four of the first seven through 12-plus minutes.
• In total, Tennessee’s first 14 baskets of the night were all assisted, as it did not record an unassisted field goal until an and-one layup by Zeigler with 17:20 to play.
• Through the first 26-and-a-half minutes, Miličić (17 points on 7-of-7 shooting) and Perkins (15 points on 5-of-5 shooting) combined for 32 points on a 12-of-12 field-goal clip for their respective teams, with the former 2-of-2 from deep and the latter 3-of-3.
• After taking its game-best 14-point lead with 4:30 to go, Tennessee did not make a field goal the rest of the contest, missing all three of its attempts, but went 10-of-14 at the line in the final 100 seconds.
• Tennessee’s highest point total in SEC play before Wednesday was 76 in the league opener Jan. 4 against Arkansas.
• Missouri’s 81 points marked the most by a Tennessee foe since March 9, 2024, when Kentucky had 85 in the regular season finale.
• The prior top point total by a Tennessee opponent this season was 78 by Kentucky eight days ago, Jan. 28.
• Missouri had a 16-0 margin in fast-break points, but Tennessee accumulated an equal plus-16 margin in paint points, 34-18.
• The Volunteers’ 57 second-half points marked their most in a frame this season, eclipsing the 52 they had both Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay (first half) and Nov. 13, 2024, versus Montana (second half).
• Missouri is the third team to record zero blocks against Tennessee this season, joining UT Martin (Nov. 27, 2024) and Montana (Nov. 13, 2024).
• Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 21 of its 23 contests thus far, including 29 or fewer on 13 occasions and 22 or fewer seven times.
• The last time Tennessee made double-digit 3-pointers on 15 or fewer attempts was Feb. 19, 2013, when it shot an equal 10-of-15 at LSU.
• Just thrice previously in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) has Tennessee made 10-plus 3-pointers and connected on two-thirds of its tries: March 5, 2022, against Arkansas (12-of-28); Feb. 19, 2013, versus LSU (10-of-15); and Jan. 8, 2006, at South Carolina (12-of-18).
• According to SEC Network, Miličić and Zeigler became the first Tennessee duo to log 20-plus points and five-plus assists in the same game since 1998.
• Miličić logged the 15th double-double of his career, including his fourth in his lone campaign as a Volunteer.
• Miličić has now pulled down double-figure rebounds 22 times as a collegian, including doing so on eight occasions in 2024-25.
• In addition, Miličić recorded 20-plus points for the sixth time in his career, including the second at Tennessee.
• The five assists for Miličić marked his fourth time reaching that number as a collegian, with three of those occasions this year as a Volunteer.
• Just thrice previously has Miličić tallied four-plus blocks in a game, all during the 2023-24 campaign while at Charlotte.
• Miličić’s 21 points put him two shy of his season high, 23, set Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay, as well as marked the fifth-highest total of his career.
• As aforementioned, Miličić is the first player, per Stats Perform, in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or the WNBA this century to amass at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in a game while shooting at least 75.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent beyond the arc and 75.0 percent at the line.
• Across his 23 outings thus far in his lone seasons as a Volunteer, Lanier has registered double-digit points 21 times, including 18 of the past 19 contests.
• Okpara’s four made free throws matched a career-best figure he has posted four prior times, three of which came earlier this season, most recently Jan. 21 versus Mississippi State, his only other collegiate outing with four makes on just five attempts.
• Zeigler’s 21 points eclipsed his previous season best of 19, which he recorded both Nov. 17, 2024, versus Austin Peay and Nov. 9, 2024, at Louisville.
• Wednesday marked the 13th time Zeigler has connected on at least four 3-pointers in a game, with his best prior mark in those outings a 4-of-5 clip both Feb. 17, 2024, against Vanderbilt and Feb. 5, 2022, at South Carolina.
• Before Wednesday, the only time Zeigler hit multiple 3-pointers in his career without a miss was a 3-of-3 performance Feb. 28, 2024, against Auburn.
• Zeigler is the first Volunteer to make four-plus 3-pointers without a miss since Santiago Vescovi went 5-of-5 on Dec. 21, 2022, versus Austin Peay.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2005-25), Zeigler is now the 12th Volunteer—13th occurrence—to hit at least four 3-pointers in a game without a miss.
• The lone previous time Zeigler hit seven free throws in a game without a miss was also this year, as he did so Nov. 4, 2024, in the season opener versus Gardner-Web, giving him the lone two such outings by a Volunteer in 2024-25.
• With his fifth assist of the night at the 16:28 mark of the second half, Zeigler tied Mississippi State’s Dee Bost (2008-12) for No. 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard and then 61 seconds later he recorded his sixth—giving him 634 as a collegian—to solely take over 10th place, eventually finishing the night with 636.
• Zeigler’s eight assists upped his total this year from 156 to 164, moving him from co-No. 13 to co-ninth, alongside Johnny Darden (1975-76), on the program’s single-season leaderboard and giving him three of the top 12 marks ever by a Volunteer.