INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team’s fantastic 2024-25 campaign concluded Sunday afternoon in the Elite Eight, as the second-seeded Volunteers fell to second-ranked, top-seeded Houston, 69-50, at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Sixth-ranked Tennessee (30-8, 12-6 SEC) fell to a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional Final for the second straight year, this time at Lucas Oil Stadium to wrap up the third 30-win campaign in program history. Senior guard Jordan Gainey and fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier co-led all scorers with 17 points apiece in their final collegiate outings.

Houston (34-4, 19-1 B12) raced out to a 17-4 lead in the opening 8:50, forcing eight straight misses by the Volunteers, who went scoreless for 3:50 during a 1-of-12 start from the field. The Cougars extended their edge to 29-8 with 4:00 left in the frame, at which time Tennessee was 3-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-12 beyond the arc, and was in a 4:42 scoreless drought.

The margin reached 34-12 in the final minute of the frame. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler then hit a 3-pointer at the other end, the team’s first make after 14 misses to begin the contest, to send the teams into the intermission with a 34-15 score.

Tennessee had a strong defensive performance in the opening frame, limiting Houston to 41.7 percent (15-of-36) shooting from the floor, a 30.0 percent (3-of-10) clip from deep and just one (made) free-throw attempt. However, it posted lesser numbers of its own against the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense.

After a 1-of-18 start from long range, the Volunteers buried back-to-back 3-pointers on the way to cutting the deficit to 14, 41-27, with 14:10 to play. They trimmed it down to 13, 46-33, with 9:50 remaining amidst a stretch of 2:59 during which they did not allow a point.

Tennessee continued to chip away and dropped the deficit to 10, 50-40, with 5:42 left during a span of 2:16 in which it held Houston scoreless. However, the Cougars made 3-pointers on four consecutive trips past midcourt and the 12-4 run upped their cushion back to 18, 62-44, with 3:13 to go and ended any hopes of a comeback.

Gainey scored his 17 points on a 6-of-12 field-goal clip that included a 2-of-5 ledger from deep, plus made all three of his free throws. The NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team honoree scored 13 of his point in the second half.

Lanier went 7-of-7 at the line, his second-most makes without a miss as a collegian, with each attempt in a second half during which he scored 15 of his 17 points. The Nashville, Tenn., native added seven rebounds, tied for the third-most of his lone campaign as a Volunteer. Junior forward Felix Okpara co-led all players with nine rebounds and two blocks, plus made his lone field-goal attempt and both his free throws.

Graduate guard L.J. Cryer scored 17 points to pace the Cougars, although Tennessee did hold him to a 6-of-17 field-goal clip. Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp, who buried three of 3-pointers during Houston’s 12-4 surge, had 16 points and went 4-of-10 beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Joseph Tugler pulled down nine rebounds to lead all players.

Houston committed just five turnovers and had a 10-2 advantage in points off giveaways. Tennessee, which shot 75.0 percent (15-of-20) from the free-throw line, scored the lone three fast-break points in the contest

The Volunteers, for the first time ever, made the Elite Eight and won 30 games in the same season. Their 30 victories marked the third-most in campaign in program history.

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
• Gainey collected NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team distinction, alongside Houston’s Cryer, Sharp (MVP) and Milos Uzan, as well as Purdue’s Braden Smith.
• The Volunteers dropped to 31-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 27-27 in regulation, 0-3 in the Elite Eight, 12-7 under head coach Rick Barnes, 4-6 in Indiana, 3-5 in Indianapolis and 0-1 against Houston.
• Tennessee is now 11-5 as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as well as 0-7 against No. 1 seeds, 14-22 versus singles-digit seeds and 4-13 against higher seeds.
• The Volunteers moved to 3-3 all-time versus Houston, including 0-2 at neutral sites, with this the sides’ first meeting a Tennessee home win on Dec. 19, 1995.
• Tennessee is now 32-32 all-time against the current Big 12 membership, including 10-9 under Barnes, who is 168-100 in his career versus those schools.
• Sunday’s matchup featured the two programs with the longest active AP top-25 streaks, as Houston has a 105 mark and Tennessee has a tally of 79.
• This is the first time in program history Tennessee has played 38 games in a single season, eclipsing the prior high of 37 set in 2018-19, 2013-14, 2009-10 and 1984-85.
• Tennessee fell to 38-28 (.576) in AP top-25 showdowns in the Barnes era, including 10-6 (.625) in 2024-25.
• The above overall record features a 26-15 (.634) ledger since Feb. 26, 2022, and a 17-8 (.680) count since Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Volunteers are now 11-10 (.524) in AP top-10 matchups during Barnes’ tenure at the helm.
• Tennessee moved to 44-43 (.506) versus AP top-25 foes under Barnes, including 28-16 (.636) since Jan. 22, 2022.
• The Volunteers dropped to 17-17 (.500) versus AP top-10 opponents in the Barnes era, including 15-11 (.577) since March 2, 2019, and 12-8 (.600) since Dec. 22, 2021.
• Tennessee now has an 11-11 (.500) record against AP top-five foes under Barnes, including a 7-6 (.538) ledger since Feb. 15, 2022.
• Across their last 33 contests against AP top-15 teams—that dates to Dec. 22, 2021—the Volunteers are now 22-11 (.667).
• During its 79-week AP top-25 streak, Tennessee has played just 18 of 145 games as a lower-ranked team, now owning a 10-8 record in those contests, including a 9-6 figure since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee’s 15 points before the break tied its fewest in a session this season, matching the total it had in the first half Jan. 7 at Florida.
• The 21.4 percent (6-of-28) first-half field-goal clip for the Volunteers marked their lowest in a session since a 28.0 percent (7-of-25) ledger Jan. 25 at Auburn.
• The two sides combined for just seven fouls and five free-throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes, as Tennessee committed just two and went 2-of-4 at the line, while Houston had five fouls and went 1-of-1 from the stripe.
• The second half featured 18 fouls and 19 free-throw attempts, as Tennessee committed eight and went 13-of-16 at the stripe, while the Cougars committed 11 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.
• Tennessee conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 31 of its 38 contests, including 29 or fewer on 18 occasions and 23 or fewer eight times.
• Zeigler’s 38 minutes increased his 2024-25 count to 1,266, passing Allan Houston (1,236 in 1991-92) for the third most in a single campaign in program history.
• Lanier’s 17 points upped his mark this year to 684, eclipsing Allan Houston (669 in 1992-93), Bernard King (672 in 1976-77) and Ernie Grunfeld (683 in 1975-76) to move from No. 12 up to ninth on the Tennessee single-season leaderboard.
• Lanier’s 35 minutes of action increased his 2024-25 figure to 1,191, jumping him from No. 15 all the way to co-ninth, alongside Jordan McRae (2013-14), on the program’s single-season list.
• Lanier attempted 12 3-pointers, stretching his 2024-25 total to 311, passing Chris Lofton (307 in 2007-08) for the most in a season in Tennessee history.
• The seven made free throws for Lanier set a new season high, eclipsing the 6-of-8 mark he posted Dec. 3, 2024, against Syracuse.
• Lanier’s seven free-throw attempts marked his third-most of the year and his second-most without a miss as a collegian, the latter trailing only his 8-of-8 figure Feb. 8, 2024, versus North Alabama during his North Florida tenure.
• Okpara’s two blocked shots extended his 2024-25 total to 64, matching Kyle Alexander (2018-19) for fourth place on the program’s single-season list.
• Okpara pulled down two offensive rebounds to give him 93 this year, good for sole possession of the No. 11 spot on the Volunteers’ single-season list and just one shy of a tie for eighth.
• Senior guard Jahmai Mashack notched two steals to give him 64 on the year, moving into a tie with Ian Lockhart (1989-90) for ninth on the Tennessee single-season list.