University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, December 12
Knoxville, TN
7 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Georgia Southern
Hoops Central: #12/10 Tennessee vs. Georgia Southern
December 11, 2023 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 12th-ranked Tennessee basketball team returns to action Tuesday night, facing Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. ET inside Food City Center.
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Fans can catch Tuesday's game between the Vols (6-3) and Eagles (0-9) on SEC Network. Tom Hart, (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
The Vols turned a five-point second-half deficit into a 12-point lead Saturday afternoon en route to an 86-79 victory over No. 20/18 Illinois in a top-20 showdown at Food City Center.
THE MATCHUP
• Georgia Southern is the first of three teams on Tennessee's schedule this season it has never faced before, alongside Tarleton State (12/21/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• The Eagles are also the second of four teams on the Volunteers' schedule Rick Barnes has not faced as a head coach, joining George Mason (12/5/23), Tarleton State (12/21/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• Georgia Southern was tabbed No. 13 in the Sun Belt preseason poll after losing three of its top four scorers from a group that finished 17-16 (9-9) last year.
• The Eagles' leading scorer in senior guard Tyren Moore, who is putting up 11.9 ppg.
• Tennessee is 31-5 all-time against current Sun Belt programs and has a winning record against every school it has faced. Rick Barnes is a perfect 31-0 against the league's current membership with wins over eight different schools, including owning a 5-0 mark with the Volunteers.
NEWS & NOTES
• Prior to joining the Volunteers as a volunteer assistant in 2021-22, current assistant coach Gregg Polinsky's last job in the college ranks was as the head coach at Georgia Southern for four years, 1995-99. He took the team from three wins in his first year to double-digit triumphs in each of the next three. Polinsky then worked in the NBA (Nets and Pistons) for the next 22 years before coming to Tennessee.
• Tennessee is on a 25-game non- conference home winning streak, dating back to the 2020-21 season opener (11/8/20), with victories over schools such as Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas during that stretch.
• A victory over Georgia Southern would give Rick Barnes wins over 199 DI teams in his head coaching career. The last two additions to the list, George Mason (12/5/23) and Texas (1/28/23), were places he coached at.
• With 785 career victories, Rick Barnes is one away from tying Lefty Driesell for No. 15 on the all- time wins list (min. five years DI).
• With its 86-79 victory over #20/18 Illinois (12/9/23), the Volunteers improved to 15-6 (.714) against ranked teams at Food City Center under Rick Barnes, including 13-5 (.722) versus AP top-20 foes. Tennessee has won 10 consecutive home games against ranked teams, dating back to 1/30/21 against #15/18 Kansas.
• Josiah-Jordan James posted 12 points, a career-high seven assists and six rebounds in the win over the Fighting Illini, becoming the first Volunteer with at least 12p/7a/6r against a top-20 foe since Lamonté Turner (16p/8a/7r) on 11/16/19 against #20/RV Washington at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
• Dalton Knecht, the SEC's second- leading scorer, has scored 16-plus points and paced Tennessee in scoring in seven of his first nine games as a Volunteer. He has tallied 20-plus points in three outings, including two of the past three. The fifth-year guard has totaled double-digit points in 10 of the 18 halves he has played as a Volunteer.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 176 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 130-46 (.739) record. Over 63.5 percent of the Volunteers' games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
• Furthermore, UT owns a 109-41 (.727) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, a 78-28 (.736) mark while in the top 15, a 60-19 (.759) ledger while in the top 10, a 25-7 (.781) tally while in the top five, a 17-2 (.895) record while in the top three and a 7-1 (.875) mark while ranked No. 1.
• The Vols are 22-20 (.524) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 17-13 (.567) with both teams in the top 20, 9-7 (.562) with both in the top 15 and 6-5 (.545) with both in the top 10.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 15, a figure that is eighth nationally. It is also tied for with Arkansas for first among SEC schools in AP top-10 victories with seven, placing co-fifth nationally. The Volunteers' five AP top-five wins over that span are tied for the most of any team in the country.
• The seven AP top-10 triumphs during that time are: #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) and #10 Texas (1/28/23).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee has played a league-high 30 games against AP Top 25 opponents, going 16-14 (.533). The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span, while only Alabama (13-13) is even .500.
• Tennessee (30), Arkansas (28) and Alabama (26) are the only SEC teams to play over two-dozen ranked opponents since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in total victories (150), postseason wins (15) and winning percentage (.714). During that span, the Vols have captured a pair of SEC championships, winning the regular season in 2018 and the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of at least .700, alongside Auburn (.713) and Kentucky (.700).
• In regular season SEC play over the same six-year period, the Vols own a league-best .706 winning percentage and stand alongside Kentucky as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only, 2021-24, UT owns a 58-22 (.725) overall record. No SEC team has a better winning percentage during that span, while only Texas A&M (59) has more victories.
HAPPY AT HOME
• Food City Center has proven to be one of the most difficult venues for opposing teams to win at in recent years. Over the last four seasons, since 2020- 21, the Vols are 47-5 (.904) at home.
• Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James owns a 58-11 (.841) mark at Food City Center during his career. Over half of those home setbacks (six) came during his freshman year in 2019-20. Fellow fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi is 52-9 (.852) at home since his first appearance on 1/4/20, following his midyear enrollmenmt. Four of his nine losses came during his freshman season in 2019-20.
• During eight seasons under head coach Rick Barnes, the Vols are 112-22 (.836) at Food City Center. Twice during the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Memphis, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only six DI teams with at least four 1,000-point scorers, while just 17 others have even three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,390), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,132) reached the 1K mark on 11/10/23 at Wisconsin in his 69th career outing and his second as a Volunteer. He scored 959 points in 67 games over two seasons at North Colorado.
• Josiah-Jordan James (1,071) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance.
• Jordan Gainey (1,022) entered quadruple digits on 11/29/23 at North Carolina in his 71st collegiate outing and his seventh at Tennessee. He scored 929 points across 64 games in two years at USC Upstate.
THE PRESEASON PICK
• Tennessee placed first in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
• This is the fifth time the Volunteers have been picked to win the league since polling began in 1989-90, with each nod coming since the turn of the century in advance of the 2000-01 season. UT's five first- place selections during that time are more than the combined total of every other program in the league except for Kentucky, as Florida (twice) and Alabama (once) are the only schools that have taken the pole position besides the Vols and Wildcats.
• The Volunteers have now been picked first in two of the last four seasons, as their prior such recognitions came in 2020-21, 2008-09, 2007-08 and 2000-01.
• The complete SEC preseason poll can be found below:
    1. Tennessee
    2. Texas A&M
    3. Arkansas
    4. Kentucky
    5. Alabama
    6. Auburn
    7. Mississippi State
    8. Florida
    9. Missouri
    10. Ole Miss
    11. Vanderbilt
    12. Georgia
    13. LSU
    14. South Carolina
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SEC PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler were both Preseason First Team All-SEC picks by the league's head coaches, the lone such teammate duo in the conference. Josiah-Jordan James collected Preseason Second Team All-SEC plaudits, making Tennessee the lone school with three honorees.
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Georgia Southern
- Tipoff:Â Tuesday, Dec. 12Â | 7Â p.m. ET
- Venue:Â Food City Center
- Watch Online:Â SEC Network
- Online:Â Listen Live |Â Live Stats
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets Game Day Information Follow @Vol_Hoops SEC ClubhouseTENNESSEE
Roster Schedule Game NotesGEORGIA SOUTHERN
Roster Schedule Game NotesTHE LATEST FROM THE VOLS
Vols Reenter Top 10 in Coaches Poll#17/13 Vols Upend #20/18 Illinois, 86-79Illinois Game Sold OutAidoo's Career Night Leads #17/13 Vols Past George Mason, 87-66Three SEC Games Sold Out; Limited Tickets Remain for Illinois and AuburnFans can catch Tuesday's game between the Vols (6-3) and Eagles (0-9) on SEC Network. Tom Hart, (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
The Vols turned a five-point second-half deficit into a 12-point lead Saturday afternoon en route to an 86-79 victory over No. 20/18 Illinois in a top-20 showdown at Food City Center.
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht scored 21 points, including 13 after halftime, to pace a quintet of double-digit scorers for Tennessee in front of a sold-out crowd.
THE MATCHUP
• Georgia Southern is the first of three teams on Tennessee's schedule this season it has never faced before, alongside Tarleton State (12/21/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• The Eagles are also the second of four teams on the Volunteers' schedule Rick Barnes has not faced as a head coach, joining George Mason (12/5/23), Tarleton State (12/21/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• Georgia Southern was tabbed No. 13 in the Sun Belt preseason poll after losing three of its top four scorers from a group that finished 17-16 (9-9) last year.
• The Eagles' leading scorer in senior guard Tyren Moore, who is putting up 11.9 ppg.
• Tennessee is 31-5 all-time against current Sun Belt programs and has a winning record against every school it has faced. Rick Barnes is a perfect 31-0 against the league's current membership with wins over eight different schools, including owning a 5-0 mark with the Volunteers.
NEWS & NOTES
• Prior to joining the Volunteers as a volunteer assistant in 2021-22, current assistant coach Gregg Polinsky's last job in the college ranks was as the head coach at Georgia Southern for four years, 1995-99. He took the team from three wins in his first year to double-digit triumphs in each of the next three. Polinsky then worked in the NBA (Nets and Pistons) for the next 22 years before coming to Tennessee.
• Tennessee is on a 25-game non- conference home winning streak, dating back to the 2020-21 season opener (11/8/20), with victories over schools such as Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas during that stretch.
• A victory over Georgia Southern would give Rick Barnes wins over 199 DI teams in his head coaching career. The last two additions to the list, George Mason (12/5/23) and Texas (1/28/23), were places he coached at.
• With 785 career victories, Rick Barnes is one away from tying Lefty Driesell for No. 15 on the all- time wins list (min. five years DI).
• With its 86-79 victory over #20/18 Illinois (12/9/23), the Volunteers improved to 15-6 (.714) against ranked teams at Food City Center under Rick Barnes, including 13-5 (.722) versus AP top-20 foes. Tennessee has won 10 consecutive home games against ranked teams, dating back to 1/30/21 against #15/18 Kansas.
• Josiah-Jordan James posted 12 points, a career-high seven assists and six rebounds in the win over the Fighting Illini, becoming the first Volunteer with at least 12p/7a/6r against a top-20 foe since Lamonté Turner (16p/8a/7r) on 11/16/19 against #20/RV Washington at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
• Dalton Knecht, the SEC's second- leading scorer, has scored 16-plus points and paced Tennessee in scoring in seven of his first nine games as a Volunteer. He has tallied 20-plus points in three outings, including two of the past three. The fifth-year guard has totaled double-digit points in 10 of the 18 halves he has played as a Volunteer.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 176 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 130-46 (.739) record. Over 63.5 percent of the Volunteers' games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
• Furthermore, UT owns a 109-41 (.727) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, a 78-28 (.736) mark while in the top 15, a 60-19 (.759) ledger while in the top 10, a 25-7 (.781) tally while in the top five, a 17-2 (.895) record while in the top three and a 7-1 (.875) mark while ranked No. 1.
• The Vols are 22-20 (.524) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 17-13 (.567) with both teams in the top 20, 9-7 (.562) with both in the top 15 and 6-5 (.545) with both in the top 10.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 15, a figure that is eighth nationally. It is also tied for with Arkansas for first among SEC schools in AP top-10 victories with seven, placing co-fifth nationally. The Volunteers' five AP top-five wins over that span are tied for the most of any team in the country.
• The seven AP top-10 triumphs during that time are: #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) and #10 Texas (1/28/23).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee has played a league-high 30 games against AP Top 25 opponents, going 16-14 (.533). The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span, while only Alabama (13-13) is even .500.
• Tennessee (30), Arkansas (28) and Alabama (26) are the only SEC teams to play over two-dozen ranked opponents since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in total victories (150), postseason wins (15) and winning percentage (.714). During that span, the Vols have captured a pair of SEC championships, winning the regular season in 2018 and the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of at least .700, alongside Auburn (.713) and Kentucky (.700).
• In regular season SEC play over the same six-year period, the Vols own a league-best .706 winning percentage and stand alongside Kentucky as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only, 2021-24, UT owns a 58-22 (.725) overall record. No SEC team has a better winning percentage during that span, while only Texas A&M (59) has more victories.
HAPPY AT HOME
• Food City Center has proven to be one of the most difficult venues for opposing teams to win at in recent years. Over the last four seasons, since 2020- 21, the Vols are 47-5 (.904) at home.
• Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James owns a 58-11 (.841) mark at Food City Center during his career. Over half of those home setbacks (six) came during his freshman year in 2019-20. Fellow fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi is 52-9 (.852) at home since his first appearance on 1/4/20, following his midyear enrollmenmt. Four of his nine losses came during his freshman season in 2019-20.
• During eight seasons under head coach Rick Barnes, the Vols are 112-22 (.836) at Food City Center. Twice during the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Memphis, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only six DI teams with at least four 1,000-point scorers, while just 17 others have even three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,390), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,132) reached the 1K mark on 11/10/23 at Wisconsin in his 69th career outing and his second as a Volunteer. He scored 959 points in 67 games over two seasons at North Colorado.
• Josiah-Jordan James (1,071) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance.
• Jordan Gainey (1,022) entered quadruple digits on 11/29/23 at North Carolina in his 71st collegiate outing and his seventh at Tennessee. He scored 929 points across 64 games in two years at USC Upstate.
THE PRESEASON PICK
• Tennessee placed first in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
• This is the fifth time the Volunteers have been picked to win the league since polling began in 1989-90, with each nod coming since the turn of the century in advance of the 2000-01 season. UT's five first- place selections during that time are more than the combined total of every other program in the league except for Kentucky, as Florida (twice) and Alabama (once) are the only schools that have taken the pole position besides the Vols and Wildcats.
• The Volunteers have now been picked first in two of the last four seasons, as their prior such recognitions came in 2020-21, 2008-09, 2007-08 and 2000-01.
• The complete SEC preseason poll can be found below:
    1. Tennessee
    2. Texas A&M
    3. Arkansas
    4. Kentucky
    5. Alabama
    6. Auburn
    7. Mississippi State
    8. Florida
    9. Missouri
    10. Ole Miss
    11. Vanderbilt
    12. Georgia
    13. LSU
    14. South Carolina
Â
SEC PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler were both Preseason First Team All-SEC picks by the league's head coaches, the lone such teammate duo in the conference. Josiah-Jordan James collected Preseason Second Team All-SEC plaudits, making Tennessee the lone school with three honorees.
Players Mentioned
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