University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, January 2
Knoxville, TN
7 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Norfolk State
Hoops Central: #6/7 Tennessee vs. Norfolk State
January 01, 2024 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The sixth-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team returns to the hardwood for its first action of the new year, facing Norfolk State Tuesday night at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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Fans can catch Tuesday's game between the Vols (9-3) and Spartans (9-6) on SEC Network. Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (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.
In its most recent outing on Dec. 21, Tennessee defeated Tarleton State, 65-46, at Food City Center. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler paced the Vols with a game-high 13 points as UT capped a perfect December.
THE MATCHUP
• Norfolk State is the last of three teams on UT's schedule it has never faced before, alongside Georgia Southern (12/12/23) and Tarleton State (12/21/23).
• After competing in the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2022 and then finishing 22-11 (9-5) last year, Norfolk State was picked second in the MEAC preseason poll.
• Junior guard Jamarii Thomas, who has six 20-point games this season and has thrice scored 27- plus, leads the Spartans in ppg (18.0), apg (4.1) and spg (2.5).
• Tennessee's lone prior game against a current MEAC school was a 99-65 home victory over Coppin State on 11/19/06.
• The Volunteers have also played four prior games, all at home, against then-MEAC members: 1-0 vs. Florida A&M (under Rick Barnes), 2-0 vs. North Carolina A&T and 1-0 vs. Savannah State (in the NIT).
• Rick Barnes is 7-0 against current MEAC schools: 3-0 vs. Coppin State, 2-0 vs. Morgan State and 2-0 vs. South Carolina State.
MAKING HISTORY
• Rick Barnes was named a 2024 first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, among just 17 new names on the North American list, alongside individuals such as Vince Carter and Bill Laimbeer. He is now one of only three active college coaches, at any level, on the ballot, joining Miami's Jim Larrañaga (2023 nominee) and Memphis' Penny Hardaway (2024 nominee for his playing career).
• Santiago Vescovi is one assist away from joining Allan Houston as the only Volunteers with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. Both tallied over 1,400 in the first category.
• Vescovi is also just three made 3-pointers away from becoming the 10th player in SEC history and third Vol to hit 300 in a career.
• Josiah-Jordan James' next start will make him the 15th UT player with 100, while Santiago Vescovi's next such nod will make him the fourth Volunteer with 123.
• In addition, James is just one rebound away from becoming the 18th player with 700 at Tennessee.
NEWS & NOTES
• With a win over Norfolk State, Rick Barnes would own victories over 200 different current DI teams as a head coach.
• Tennessee is on a 27-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 Norfolk State would clinch a fourth straight perfect non-conference home slate.
• The Volunteers have been ranked in 100 separate AP Poll releases under Rick Barnes after being featured 74 times in the 14 seasons prior to his arrival.
• UT went undefeated (5-0) in December, its third time in the last 16 seasons (2008-present) doing so, alongside Dec. 2018 and Dec. 2020, both of which also came during Rick Barnes' tenure.
• The Vols limited Tarleton State (12/21/23) to 30.0 percent field- goal shooting and 9.1 percent 3-point shooting, the third time in the last 14 seasons it held a foe to both 30 or below and 10 or below.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 16, 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. UT's five AP top-five wins over that span pace the SEC and are tied for the most of any team in America.
• 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 Alabama is second at 13-15 (.464).
• Tennessee (30), Alabama (28) and Arkansas (28) are the only SEC teams to play over 25 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 teams in total victories (153; T-1st) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.718). In that span, the Vols have claimed 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 schools with an overall winning percentage over .700, alongside Auburn (.722) and Kentucky (.705). No other SEC team is at even .670.
• In regular season SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (74-33) owns a league-best .706 winning percentage and joins Kentucky (72-35) as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only (2021-24), UT owns a 61-22 (.735) overall record. That is good for the co- most victories (tied with Texas A&M) and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 178 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 133-46 (.743) record. Over 64.0 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 112-41 (.732) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 81-28 (.743) mark while in the top 15, a 61-19 (.763) 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.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Auburn, Memphis, New Mexico, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only eight DI teams with four -plus 1,000-point scorers, while just 19 others have three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,413), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures and one of 23 1,400-point scorers in UT history, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,147) 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 (1,107) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance and is now one of 48 Vols with 1,100-plus points.
• Jordan Gainey (1,043) 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.
• That group owns a combined 4,710 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,178 each.
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: Norfolk State
- Tipoff:Â Tuesday, Jan. 2Â | 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 NotesNORFOLK STATE
Roster Schedule Game NotesTHE LATEST FROM THE VOLS
Vols Place Sixth in AP Poll#8/7 Vols Cap 2023 with 65-46 Victory over Tarleton StateBarnes Named a Naismith Hall of Fame First-Time Nominee#12/10 Vols Defeat NC State, 79-70, in San AntonioFans can catch Tuesday's game between the Vols (9-3) and Spartans (9-6) on SEC Network. Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (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.
In its most recent outing on Dec. 21, Tennessee defeated Tarleton State, 65-46, at Food City Center. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler paced the Vols with a game-high 13 points as UT capped a perfect December.
THE MATCHUP
• Norfolk State is the last of three teams on UT's schedule it has never faced before, alongside Georgia Southern (12/12/23) and Tarleton State (12/21/23).
• After competing in the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2022 and then finishing 22-11 (9-5) last year, Norfolk State was picked second in the MEAC preseason poll.
• Junior guard Jamarii Thomas, who has six 20-point games this season and has thrice scored 27- plus, leads the Spartans in ppg (18.0), apg (4.1) and spg (2.5).
• Tennessee's lone prior game against a current MEAC school was a 99-65 home victory over Coppin State on 11/19/06.
• The Volunteers have also played four prior games, all at home, against then-MEAC members: 1-0 vs. Florida A&M (under Rick Barnes), 2-0 vs. North Carolina A&T and 1-0 vs. Savannah State (in the NIT).
• Rick Barnes is 7-0 against current MEAC schools: 3-0 vs. Coppin State, 2-0 vs. Morgan State and 2-0 vs. South Carolina State.
MAKING HISTORY
• Rick Barnes was named a 2024 first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, among just 17 new names on the North American list, alongside individuals such as Vince Carter and Bill Laimbeer. He is now one of only three active college coaches, at any level, on the ballot, joining Miami's Jim Larrañaga (2023 nominee) and Memphis' Penny Hardaway (2024 nominee for his playing career).
• Santiago Vescovi is one assist away from joining Allan Houston as the only Volunteers with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists. Both tallied over 1,400 in the first category.
• Vescovi is also just three made 3-pointers away from becoming the 10th player in SEC history and third Vol to hit 300 in a career.
• Josiah-Jordan James' next start will make him the 15th UT player with 100, while Santiago Vescovi's next such nod will make him the fourth Volunteer with 123.
• In addition, James is just one rebound away from becoming the 18th player with 700 at Tennessee.
NEWS & NOTES
• With a win over Norfolk State, Rick Barnes would own victories over 200 different current DI teams as a head coach.
• Tennessee is on a 27-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 Norfolk State would clinch a fourth straight perfect non-conference home slate.
• The Volunteers have been ranked in 100 separate AP Poll releases under Rick Barnes after being featured 74 times in the 14 seasons prior to his arrival.
• UT went undefeated (5-0) in December, its third time in the last 16 seasons (2008-present) doing so, alongside Dec. 2018 and Dec. 2020, both of which also came during Rick Barnes' tenure.
• The Vols limited Tarleton State (12/21/23) to 30.0 percent field- goal shooting and 9.1 percent 3-point shooting, the third time in the last 14 seasons it held a foe to both 30 or below and 10 or below.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 16, 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. UT's five AP top-five wins over that span pace the SEC and are tied for the most of any team in America.
• 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 Alabama is second at 13-15 (.464).
• Tennessee (30), Alabama (28) and Arkansas (28) are the only SEC teams to play over 25 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 teams in total victories (153; T-1st) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.718). In that span, the Vols have claimed 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 schools with an overall winning percentage over .700, alongside Auburn (.722) and Kentucky (.705). No other SEC team is at even .670.
• In regular season SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (74-33) owns a league-best .706 winning percentage and joins Kentucky (72-35) as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only (2021-24), UT owns a 61-22 (.735) overall record. That is good for the co- most victories (tied with Texas A&M) and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 178 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 133-46 (.743) record. Over 64.0 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 112-41 (.732) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 81-28 (.743) mark while in the top 15, a 61-19 (.763) 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.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Auburn, Memphis, New Mexico, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only eight DI teams with four -plus 1,000-point scorers, while just 19 others have three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,413), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures and one of 23 1,400-point scorers in UT history, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,147) 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 (1,107) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance and is now one of 48 Vols with 1,100-plus points.
• Jordan Gainey (1,043) 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.
• That group owns a combined 4,710 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,178 each.
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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