Men’s BasketballJanuary 10, 2025

AUSTIN, Texas – The top-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team is geared up for it second consecutive SEC road game, traveling west to face the Longhorns of Texas Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Texas Longhorns
Tipoff: Saturday, Jan. 11 | 6 p.m. ET
Venue: Moody Center
Watch Online: ESPN
Online: Listen Live | Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

TEXAS

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE VOLS

#1 Vols’ Undefeated Start Ends at #8 Florida Lanier, Zeigler on Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List Lanier Collects Two National Player of the Week Honors Lanier Claims Second SEC Player of the Week Recognition Vols Place No. 1 for Program Record Fifth Straight Week

Fans can catch Saturday’s game between the Volunteers (14-1, 1-1 SEC) and Longhorns (11-4, 0-2 SEC) on ESPN. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) will have the call. Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Steve Hamer describing the action.

In its most recent action, Tennessee dropped its first game of the 2024-25 campaign, falling at eighth-ranked Florida, 73-43, Tuesday night in its SEC road opener. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier and senior guard Zakai Zeigler scored 10 points apiece to lead UT at a sold-out, over-capacity Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

THE MATCHUP
• Tennessee is 5-4 all-time against Texas, including 4-2 over the last six matchups. This is the fourth straight season the sides have met—the last matchup before that was 11/24/07—and the first SEC affair ever between the two.
• Rick Barnes, the head coach at Texas for 17 years (1998-2015), is 4-3 in games between Texas and Tennessee. He went 2-2 with the Longhorns and is 2-1 with the Vols.
• Texas head coach Rodney Terry worked for Rick Barnes as an assistant from 2002-11, while assistant coach Frank Haith did so from 2001-04 and fellow assistant Chris Ogden did so from 2008- 16 (seven years at Texas, one at Tennessee). All three are among the 13 former Barnes assistants who have become head coaches.
• New SEC school Texas was picked seventh in the preseason poll after going 21-13 (9-9 B12) last year and losing to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
• Freshman guard Tre Johnson, the SEC’s third-leading scorer behind Chaz Lanier and Johni Broome, paces Texas at 18.4 ppg.

NEWS & NOTES
• The Volunteers are 14-3 all-time at No. 1 in the AP Poll, including 13-2 in Rick Barnes‘ tenure (6-1 in 2024-25, 7-1 in 2018-19). In addition, Tennessee is 28-5 all- time as an AP top-three team, including 24-3 under Barnes.
• Barnes is one of seven coaches (four active) to lead two DI schools to an AP No. 1 ranking. He guided Texas to its first and only spots atop the poll from Jan. 11- 24, 2010, posting a 2-2 record.
• Barnes is one of 19 coaches all- time—just six are active—to lead two DI schools to win 200-plus games at two DI schools. He achieved the feat at Tennessee (216) and Texas (402).
• UT director of sports performance Garrett Medenwald spent three years at Texas working for Barnes before coming to Tennessee with him. He was a graduate manager from 2012-14 and a strength intern in 2014-15.
• UT assistant coach Bryan Lentz worked for Barnes at Texas for four years, serving as the special assistant/video coordinator from 2010-14.
• Tennessee has two freshman walk-ons from Austin. Campbell Duncan attended Anderson, while Gavin Paull went to Westlake. Kris Clack, who played for Rick Barnes at Texas, graduated from Anderson. Brad Buckman and Chris Mihm, also among Barnes’ Texas players, attended Westlake.
• Tennessee (Chaz Lanier/Zakai Zeigler) and Rutgers (Ace Bailey/ Dylan Harper) are the only schools with two Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List selections.
• UT has won at least two of its first three SEC games in five of the last six years. The outlier is 2021-22.
• Igor Miličić Jr., is averaging 10.9 rpg over the last nine games, with nine-plus boards in seven of them.
• UT’s 24.6 3P% defense is 1.8 better than second-place Southeast Missouri State (26.4). That is the same gap as second to No. 17.
The Volunteers’ 185 wins over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank co-seventh nationally, alongside Saint Mary’s. Only Gonzaga (226), Houston (219), Kansas (202), Duke (198), Purdue (193) and San Diego State (187) possess more.

WINNING WAYS
• Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (185), plus is tied for first in postseason victories (18) and sits a close second in overall winning percentage (.734). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage above even .660, alongside Auburn (.736) and Kentucky (.703).
• In SEC play over the same eight-year period, Tennessee (87-40; .685) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (88-39; .693), in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (83-45; .648) and Alabama (79-48; .622) are above even 70 wins.
• Over just the last four seasons (2021-25), the Volunteers own a 93-29 (.762) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the second-best winning percentage (just .0004 behind Auburn) in the SEC over that span.
• In that same four-year stretch, Tennessee (40-16; .714) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.

RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee has an SEC-best 22 AP top-25 wins, good for fourth nationally,. It is behind just Kansas (24), Connecticut (23) and Iowa State (23). Only Purdue (21) is even within two of the Volunteers, while the closest SEC school is three behind (Alabama with 19).
• TOP 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 19 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Connecticut (22) and Kansas (21). The only other schools with even 17-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State (17). The closest SEC program is three shy (Alabama with 15).
• TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 16 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the country, trailing just Kansas (19). Only Iowa State (14) is even within two of Tennessee, while the closest SEC team is three behind (Alabama with 13).
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, second in the SEC and co- sixth nationally, alongside North Carolina. Only Connecticut (11), Iowa State (11), Kansas (11), Purdue (10) and Kentucky (nine) have more. The eight such wins in that time are against #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (2/26/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama, Arizona and Iowa State for the most in the country. Only two other schools, Gonzaga and Purdue, have even four.

…AND DOING SO EFFICIENTLY
• Tennessee, at 22-15 (.595), has the SEC’s best record versus AP top-25 opponents over the last four seasons (2021-25). Auburn (13-10 .565) ranks second, while no one else has a mark above .520.
• The Volunteers are nine games over .500 (19-10; .655) against AP top-20 teams in that span, while just one other SEC team, Auburn (11-8; .579), is even at a .500 clip.
• UT is also nine games over .500 (16-7; .696) versus AP top-15 foes in that time, while the next closest SEC team in winning percentage, Auburn (8-6; .571), has half as many wins with just one fewer loss.
• At 8-6 (.571), the Volunteers have the best record in the SEC against AP top-10 foes over those four seasons. Kentucky (9-8; .529) places second and no one else is at even a .500 mark.
• Tennessee (5-4; .556) is the only SEC team with a winning record versus AP top-five teams in that four-year stretch. Arkansas (3-3; .500) ranks second, while all others are under a .500 tally.
• The Volunteers, despite their excellent winning percentage, have played the co-third-most games (37) against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team in the last four years (2021-25). They are tied with Alabama (37) in such outings, trailing just Texas (44) and Oklahoma (41). No other SEC school is above 32.

POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 218 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a 165-53 (.757) record. Over 68.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 318 games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (218 of 252, 86.5 percent).
• UT is 144-48 (.750) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 113-35 (.764) while top-15, 87-26 (.770) while top-10, 43-13 (.768) while top-five, 24-3 (.889) while top-three and 13-2 (.867) while No. 1.
• The Vols are 30-23 (.566) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 23-16 (.590) with both teams in the top 20, 14-10 (.583) with both in the top 15 and 7-7 (.500) with both in the top 10.

DYNAMITE “D” A UT TRADEMARK
• Tennessee, through 1/8/25, ranks third in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (86.9), just shy of Duke (86.1) and Houston (86.7).
• The Volunteers finished third in 2023-24 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (90.2) and placed fifth in DI in field-goal percentage defense (39.4).
• In 2022-23, Tennessee led the nation in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (87.5), holding the top spot for 15 total weeks. The Vols also led all DI teams in 3-point defense (26.5) that year, as well as ranked third in both scoring defense (57.9) and field-goal percentage defense (37.3).
• In five of the last seven seasons (2017-24), UT has finished top-10 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: third in 2023-24, first in 2022-23, third in 2021-22, fifth in 2020-21 and sixth in 2017-18.
• UT, through 1/5/25, has won 42 times in a row when holding its foe under 60 points, including posting a dazzling 22-0 mark in 2022-23.
• The Vols, through 1/5/25, have won 49 straight when allowing 50 points or fewer, since 12/29/12. That includes 12 such victories in 2022-23, matching Houston for the most of any team that season.

HIGH-CALIBER COMPANY
• Tennessee and Kansas are the only two schools to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25). Only two others, Arizona and Purdue, entered 2024-25 with a three-year streak.
• The Volunteers are one of only four teams to reach the AP top six in each of the past five seasons, alongside Alabama, Houston and Kansas.
• UT is one of just five programs to reach the AP top six in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018- 25), alongside Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky. Those are also the only five schools to enter the AP top five in at least five different years in that stretch.
• The Vols are among only seven teams to reach the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll in at least two of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
• Over that same seven-year stretch (2018-25), UT is also one of seven teams to claim an AP top-two position in at least three seasons, alongside Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Purdue.
• Tennessee is one of just seven schools to earn an AP top-20 ranking in each of the past eight years (2017- 25), alongside Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina. Just two others— Houston and Purdue—have even reached the AP top 25 in each of those seasons.
• Additionally, over the last three seasons (2022- 25), the Vols are one of just five teams to reach the AP top two in multiple seasons, joining Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas and Purdue.

POLL VOLS
• Tennessee has appeared in every AP Poll since the 2021-22 preseason rankings, a total of 69 releases in a row, vastly surpassing the prior program record of 37 from March 1999 to Feb. 2001. The Volunteers have been in the top 10 in 39 of those 69 releases, including the top five on 19 occasions.
• UT’s 69-week streak is the third-longest in the country, behind only Houston (95) and Kansas (74). No other team is at even 50-plus, while the closest in the SEC, Kentucky (31), is 38 weeks behind.
• Dating to the 2020-21 preseason poll, UT has made 83 of 86 releases (not the final three of 2020-21), with 45 top-10 spots and still 19 in the top five.
• UT reached No. 1 in the nation this season, peaked at fourth last year, ascended to second in 2022-23, ended 2021-22 at a season-best fifth and placed as high as sixth in 2020-21.
• The Vols, who hit No. 1 in 2018-19, have been in the AP top six in six of the past seven years (2018-25). It hit that mark an equal six times in program history before Rick Barnes‘ tenure (2007-08, 2000-01, 1999-2000, 1969-70, 1967-68 and 1958-59).
• UT has been in the AP top five in five of the last seven seasons (2018-25). It achieved that feat an equal five times before Barnes’ arrival (each of the above six seasons except for 1969-70).
• The 2024-25 campaign marks the eighth in a row Tennessee has earned an AP top-20 ranking. The prior such program record was seven straight seasons (1966-67 to 1972-73).
• UT’s 15-week AP top-10 streak (12/18/23 to 4/9/24) to close the 2023-24 campaign was the second- longest in program history. Three of the Vols’ five all-time double-digit streaks have come since 2018- 19 under Rick Barnes.