University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, January 6
Knoxville, TN
6 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Ole Miss
Hoops Central: #5 Tennessee vs. #22/19 Ole Miss
January 05, 2024 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The fifth-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team opens SEC play Saturday night at Food City Center in a matchup against undefeated Ole Miss. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
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Fans can catch Saturday's game between the Vols (10-3) and Rebels (13-0) on SEC Network. John Schriffen (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 Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
• Tennessee is 8-1 in its last nine games against Ole Miss, dating back to 2/3/18. The Volunteers went 1-6 in the prior seven matchups before that, from 3/9/12 to 1/17/17.
• UT is 16-2 in its last 18 home games versus Ole Miss, a stretch that extends back to 2/19/92 when the Vols started an 11-game home winning streak in the series.
• The Rebels, one of three undefeated teams left in the country, have tied the best start and longest winning streak in program history. The other such occurrence came in 2007-08 when, in its 14th game, #16/15 Ole Miss opened SEC play with an 85- 83 road loss at #8/9 Tennessee (1/9/08).
• Ole Miss, picked No. 10 in the SEC preseason poll, has already eclipsed its win total from last year (12-21) and matched its mark from the prior campaign (13-19).
• Senior guard Matthew Murrell, at 17.0 ppg, leads a trio of Rebels averaging over 14.5 ppg, with all three also tallying at least 2.9 apg.
NEWS & NOTES
• Rick Barnes and Chris Beard are both former head coaches at Texas. Barnes went 402-180 (.691) across 17 seasons, while Beard posted a 29-13 (.690) ledger over two campaigns.
• Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey and Ole Miss assistant coach Al Pinkins were teammates at NC State in 1996-97, aiding first-year head coach Herb Sendek to a 17-15 record.
• Santiago Vescovi is the fourth SEC player in the last 20 years to record at least 1,400 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists, joining Georgia's Sundiata Gaines (2004- 08), Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon (2005-08) and Georgia's Charles Mann (2012-16). The only other Vol ever to hit those marks is Allan Houston (1989-93).
• Zakai Zeigler has posted four- plus made 3-pointers in two of the last three games after doing so twice in his first 75 outings. In that same span, Tobe Awaka has twice grabbed 10-plus rebounds after doing so twice in his first 43 games and also posted his first collegiate double-double.
• The Vols are 15-6 at home against AP top-25 teams under Rick Barnes, including 12-3 while also ranked. UT has won 10 such games in a row, going back to 1/30/21.
• Tennessee finished off a fourth consecutive undefeated non- conference home slate. It has now won 28 such games in a row, dating back to the 2020-21 season opener (11/8/20). The Vols have wins over schools such as Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas during that stretch.
• In non-conference action, Dalton Knecht averaged 18.6 ppg in seven games against Power Six teams, posting 16-plus six times and 20-plus thrice, while shooting 14-of-33 (42.4%) from deep. In the other six outings, he averaged 12.2 ppg with 16-plus points twice and a high of 18, while going 7-of-25 (28.0%) from long range.
• In the win over Norfolk State (1/2/24), Tennessee became the first team to hold a DI foe without multiple assists while recording at least 21 (for a plus-20 margin) since Gonzaga on 2/9/19 against Saint Mary's.
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 co-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 in 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 (154; T-1st) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.720).
• 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 (.723) 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 62-22 (.738) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Furthermore, UT owns a 113-41 (.734) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 82-28 (.745) mark while in the top 15, a 62-19 (.765) ledger while in the top 10, a 26-7 (.788) 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.
• Tennessee has played 180 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 134-46 (.744) 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.
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 (1,422), 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 (1,162) 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 (1,115) 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 (1,047) 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 4,746 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,187 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: Ole Miss
- Tipoff:Â Saturday, Jan. 6Â | 6Â 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 NotesOLE MISS
Roster Schedule Game NotesTHE LATEST FROM THE VOLS
#5 Vols End Non-Conference Play with 87-50 Win over Norfolk StateVols Enter Top Five in National Polls#8/7 Vols Cap 2023 with 65-46 Victory over Tarleton State Barnes Named a Naismith Hall of Fame First-Time NomineeFans can catch Saturday's game between the Vols (10-3) and Rebels (13-0) on SEC Network. John Schriffen (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 Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee wrapped up its non-conference slate Tuesday night with a dominant 87-50 victory over Norfolk State at Food City Center. The Vols, behind a game-high 17 points from junior guard Zakai Zeigler, earned their sixth consecutive triumph.
THE MATCHUP• Tennessee is 8-1 in its last nine games against Ole Miss, dating back to 2/3/18. The Volunteers went 1-6 in the prior seven matchups before that, from 3/9/12 to 1/17/17.
• UT is 16-2 in its last 18 home games versus Ole Miss, a stretch that extends back to 2/19/92 when the Vols started an 11-game home winning streak in the series.
• The Rebels, one of three undefeated teams left in the country, have tied the best start and longest winning streak in program history. The other such occurrence came in 2007-08 when, in its 14th game, #16/15 Ole Miss opened SEC play with an 85- 83 road loss at #8/9 Tennessee (1/9/08).
• Ole Miss, picked No. 10 in the SEC preseason poll, has already eclipsed its win total from last year (12-21) and matched its mark from the prior campaign (13-19).
• Senior guard Matthew Murrell, at 17.0 ppg, leads a trio of Rebels averaging over 14.5 ppg, with all three also tallying at least 2.9 apg.
NEWS & NOTES
• Rick Barnes and Chris Beard are both former head coaches at Texas. Barnes went 402-180 (.691) across 17 seasons, while Beard posted a 29-13 (.690) ledger over two campaigns.
• Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey and Ole Miss assistant coach Al Pinkins were teammates at NC State in 1996-97, aiding first-year head coach Herb Sendek to a 17-15 record.
• Santiago Vescovi is the fourth SEC player in the last 20 years to record at least 1,400 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists, joining Georgia's Sundiata Gaines (2004- 08), Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon (2005-08) and Georgia's Charles Mann (2012-16). The only other Vol ever to hit those marks is Allan Houston (1989-93).
• Zakai Zeigler has posted four- plus made 3-pointers in two of the last three games after doing so twice in his first 75 outings. In that same span, Tobe Awaka has twice grabbed 10-plus rebounds after doing so twice in his first 43 games and also posted his first collegiate double-double.
• The Vols are 15-6 at home against AP top-25 teams under Rick Barnes, including 12-3 while also ranked. UT has won 10 such games in a row, going back to 1/30/21.
• Tennessee finished off a fourth consecutive undefeated non- conference home slate. It has now won 28 such games in a row, dating back to the 2020-21 season opener (11/8/20). The Vols have wins over schools such as Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas during that stretch.
• In non-conference action, Dalton Knecht averaged 18.6 ppg in seven games against Power Six teams, posting 16-plus six times and 20-plus thrice, while shooting 14-of-33 (42.4%) from deep. In the other six outings, he averaged 12.2 ppg with 16-plus points twice and a high of 18, while going 7-of-25 (28.0%) from long range.
• In the win over Norfolk State (1/2/24), Tennessee became the first team to hold a DI foe without multiple assists while recording at least 21 (for a plus-20 margin) since Gonzaga on 2/9/19 against Saint Mary's.
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 co-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 in 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 (154; T-1st) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.720).
• 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 (.723) 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 62-22 (.738) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Furthermore, UT owns a 113-41 (.734) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 82-28 (.745) mark while in the top 15, a 62-19 (.765) ledger while in the top 10, a 26-7 (.788) 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.
• Tennessee has played 180 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 134-46 (.744) 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.
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 (1,422), 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 (1,162) 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 (1,115) 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 (1,047) 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 4,746 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,187 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.
Players Mentioned
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