University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, January 3
Fayetteville, AR
3 PM ET
University of Tennessee
10-4,0-1SEC
75
at
86
Arkansas
11-3,1-0SEC
1
2
F
Tennessee
36
39
75
Arkansas
37
49
86
#19/20 Vols Drop SEC Opener at #18 Arkansas, 86-75
January 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team held a five-point second-half lead Saturday afternoon at No. 18 Arkansas in in first SEC action of the season, but finished on the short end of an 86-75 decision.
Freshman guard Amari Evans led No. 19/20 Tennessee (10-4, 0-1 SEC) with a career-high 16 points at Bud Walton Arena in the conference opener for both sides.
The Volunteers forced misses on the first five Arkansas (11-3, 1-0 SEC) field-goal attempts and claimed a 7-0 lead after just 2:25 of action. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Razorbacks went on a 9-0 run in 1:53 to earn an 11-9 advantage at the 14:44 mark of the first half.
Arkansas extended its edge to seven points, 27-20, with 5:43 left in the frame. Tennessee, though, soon made seven of nine field goals—it also added a free throw—to regain a 34-33 lead with 1:03 to go in the stanza. The Razorbacks, however, went on to take a 37-36 advantage at the break after freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., finished off his 12-point first half with a buzzer-beating midrange jump-shot.
The Volunteers shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and had a 14-5 cushion in fast-break points, but missed six of their eight free-throw tries.
Tennessee went ahead by four, 45-41, with 15:50 remaining, but Arkansas scored seven points on its next two possessions—sandwiched around a bucket for the visitors—to go back in front, 48-47, just 85 ticks later. The Volunteers countered with six straight points in 90 seconds to go up by five, 53-48, with 12:29 to play. Arkansas responded to tie the score at 53 just 41 ticks later and soon thereafter used an 11-0 run in 3:33 to go up by eight, 66-58, with 6:11 left.
The Volunteers scored eight of the next 10 points to get the margin down to two with 4:16 on the clock, but Acuff hit a 3-pointer 27 seconds later to push the number back to five. Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie made two free throws to slice the deficit to one possession, but the Razorbacks scored eight straight points, including hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 79-68 with just 2:09 to play. They extended their cushion to 14 before registering an 11-point final margin.
Evans' career-best 16 points came on a perfect 7-of-7 clip from the field, marking the first such shooting performance by a Division I freshman in a Power Five road game since Dec. 16, 2022. He became the first SEC freshman to make at least seven field goals without a miss in a road game since Feb. 16, 2019, and just the second to do so in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) against a Division I foe.
The Pittsburgh native added a game-high three steals to tie a career best and played a career-high 23 minutes while leading Tennessee in scoring for the first time.
Gillespie finished with 14 points and a co-game-high four assists, while freshman forward Nate Ament had 13 points. Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella scored nine points, making all three of his field goals and both his free throws.
Acuff dropped 29 points for the Razorbacks, the top total by a Tennessee foe since Nov. 13, 2024, and the highest mark by an SEC player versus the Volunteers since Feb. 3, 2024. He went 9-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the stripe, plus matched Gillespie for the game lead with four assists.
Fellow freshman guard Meleek Thomas totaled 18 points and went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Malique Ewin had 12 points, six rebounds and a perfect 8-of-8 free-throw clip. Sophomore wing Karter Knox added 11 points and a co-game-high seven rebounds.
Tennessee shot a superb 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) on 3-pointers. However, it notched a 52.2 percent (12-of-23) ledger from the line, compared to the Razorbacks' 87.9 percent (29-of-33) number.
The Volunteers open their conference home slate Tuesday at 9 p.m. when they host Texas, live on ESPN2 from Food City Center.
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
• The Volunteers fell to 8-3 in their last 11 games versus Arkansas after dropping each of the prior six contests.
• Saturday marked the fourth AP top-25 clash between Tennessee and Arkansas, including the second in a row, with the Volunteers now 2-2.
• Tennessee has faced Arkansas head coach John Calipari more than any other active coach, with this the 40th meeting, and own a 17-23 record against him, including a 1-1 ledger during his Arkansas tenure.
• Barnes dropped to 14-13 all-time versus Calipari, who is tied with him on the NCAA's all-time wins list, including 12-11 in the regular season.
• Tennessee fell to 6-5 in SEC openers in the Barnes era, including 3-4 on the road, after its three-game winning streak in openers came to an end.
• In addition, the Volunteers moved to 5-6 in SEC road openers in Barnes' tenure, dropping their third in a row.
• Over its 88-week streak in the AP Poll, since the start of the 2021-22 season, Tennessee has now played just 21 games as a lower-ranked team, posting a 12-9 record in those matchups, including a 2-1 ledger in 2025-26.
• Across its last 48 games versus AP top-25 foes—that span dates to Jan. 22, 2022—Tennessee is now owns a 30-18 record.
• In their last 40 games against top-20 competition—the also extends to Jan. 22, 2022—the Volunteers now possess a 26-14 ledger.
• The Volunteers fell to 40-30 in AP top-25 matchups in Barnes' tenure, including 32-23 with both teams in the top 20.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in all 14 games this year, with 15-plus in eight outings, 18-plus four times and 20-plus thrice, with a high of 23.
• Prior to Saturday, Tennessee had 13 consecutive wins when posting a field-goal percentage better than its opponent, a streak that dated to the 2024-25 season.
• The Volunteers totaled 24 fast-break points to set a new season high, eclipsing their prior top figure of 22, recorded both Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State and Nov. 8 against Northern Kentucky.
• Arkansas' 10 blocks marked the most by a Tennessee foe in almost exactly one year, with Arkansas also the last team to hit that mark on Jan. 4, 2025.
• Thomas' four-point play with 15:26 left in the game marked the first by a Tennessee foe since Jan. 18, 2025, when Vanderbilt's Tyler Nickel converted one with three seconds left in the opening half.
• Acuff's 29 points surpassed, by four, the top total by a Tennessee opponent this season and marked the highest number the Volunteers have allowed since Montana's Money Williams scored 30 on Nov. 13, 2024.
• The last SEC player to score at least 29 points versus Tennessee was Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, who amassed 35 in a home loss on Feb. 3, 2024.
• Gillespie, in his 107th collegiate outing, reached 1,500 career points on a layup—his second basket of the game—with 12:41 left in the first half.
• Evans is the first Tennessee freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals in a game without a miss, while the last to go even 5-of-5 was Derrick Walker on Jan. 20, 2018, at South Carolina.
• Before Evans, the last Volunteer to make seven field goals in a game without a miss was Felix Okpara on Jan. 18, 2025, at Vanderbilt.
• Over the last three seasons (2023-26), the only other SEC freshman to go at least 7-of-7 from the field is Kentucky's Justin Edwards, who posted a 10-of-10 line against Alabama on Feb. 24, 2024.
• The only other SEC freshman to make seven-plus field goals in a road game against a Division I opponent in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) is Florida's Andrew Nembhard, who went 9-of-9 at Alabama on Feb. 16, 2019.
• Evans is just the seventh SEC freshman in the last 20 years (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals without a mis in a conference game, joining the aforementioned Edwards and Nembhard, as well as Florida's Omar Payne (9-of-9 on Jan. 18, 2020, against Auburn), Mississippi State's Nick Weatherspooon (7-of-7 on Feb. 17, 2018, against Ole Miss), Alabama's Dazon Ingram (7-of-7 on March 9, 2017, against Mississippi State) and South Carolina's Dominique Archie (7-of-7 on Jan. 31, 2007, against Auburn).
• Entering Saturday, just six other freshman had seven-plus makes in a game without a miss this season against Division I foes, including none on the road and/or against a Power Five opponent.
• The last Division I freshman to make seven-plus field goals without a miss versus a Power Five foe was Boston College's Jayden Hastings, who went 8-of-8 on March 5, 2025, against Clemson.
• Before Evans, the last Division I freshman to go at least 7-of-7 on the road was Lindenwood's Aly Tounkara with a 7-of-7 showing on Feb. 20, 2025, in an overtime game at Little Rock, while the last to do it in a regulation road contest was Sacramento State's Chudi Dioramma with a 9-of-9 performance on Feb. 8, 2025, at Sacramento State, with those two the only ones to do so all of last season.
• The last Division I freshman to make at least seven field goals without a miss on the road against a Power Five team was Creighton's Frederick King, who went 8-of-8 on Dec. 16, 2022, at Marquette.
• In total, Evans became just the 16th Division I freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals without a miss on the road against a Power Five foe.
• Evans' seven made field goals set a new career high, eclipsing the five he made—on six attempts—in Tennessee's last game, Tuesday versus South Carolina State.
• The 16 points for Evans eclipsed his prior career high of 14, which also came against the Bulldogs in the Volunteers' last outing.
• Before scoring 30 points on 12-of-13 shooting in the last two games, Evans had 18 total points on 7-of-19 shooting this season.
• Evans' three steals tied the highest mark of his career, which he previously registered Dec. 21 against Gardner-Webb.
• Ament's career-high 11 free-throw attempts marked the top total by a Volunteer this season, eclipsing the highwater mark of 10 recorded thrice.
Freshman guard Amari Evans led No. 19/20 Tennessee (10-4, 0-1 SEC) with a career-high 16 points at Bud Walton Arena in the conference opener for both sides.
The Volunteers forced misses on the first five Arkansas (11-3, 1-0 SEC) field-goal attempts and claimed a 7-0 lead after just 2:25 of action. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Razorbacks went on a 9-0 run in 1:53 to earn an 11-9 advantage at the 14:44 mark of the first half.
Arkansas extended its edge to seven points, 27-20, with 5:43 left in the frame. Tennessee, though, soon made seven of nine field goals—it also added a free throw—to regain a 34-33 lead with 1:03 to go in the stanza. The Razorbacks, however, went on to take a 37-36 advantage at the break after freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., finished off his 12-point first half with a buzzer-beating midrange jump-shot.
The Volunteers shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes and had a 14-5 cushion in fast-break points, but missed six of their eight free-throw tries.
Tennessee went ahead by four, 45-41, with 15:50 remaining, but Arkansas scored seven points on its next two possessions—sandwiched around a bucket for the visitors—to go back in front, 48-47, just 85 ticks later. The Volunteers countered with six straight points in 90 seconds to go up by five, 53-48, with 12:29 to play. Arkansas responded to tie the score at 53 just 41 ticks later and soon thereafter used an 11-0 run in 3:33 to go up by eight, 66-58, with 6:11 left.
The Volunteers scored eight of the next 10 points to get the margin down to two with 4:16 on the clock, but Acuff hit a 3-pointer 27 seconds later to push the number back to five. Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie made two free throws to slice the deficit to one possession, but the Razorbacks scored eight straight points, including hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 79-68 with just 2:09 to play. They extended their cushion to 14 before registering an 11-point final margin.
Evans' career-best 16 points came on a perfect 7-of-7 clip from the field, marking the first such shooting performance by a Division I freshman in a Power Five road game since Dec. 16, 2022. He became the first SEC freshman to make at least seven field goals without a miss in a road game since Feb. 16, 2019, and just the second to do so in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) against a Division I foe.
The Pittsburgh native added a game-high three steals to tie a career best and played a career-high 23 minutes while leading Tennessee in scoring for the first time.
Gillespie finished with 14 points and a co-game-high four assists, while freshman forward Nate Ament had 13 points. Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella scored nine points, making all three of his field goals and both his free throws.
Acuff dropped 29 points for the Razorbacks, the top total by a Tennessee foe since Nov. 13, 2024, and the highest mark by an SEC player versus the Volunteers since Feb. 3, 2024. He went 9-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the stripe, plus matched Gillespie for the game lead with four assists.
Fellow freshman guard Meleek Thomas totaled 18 points and went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Malique Ewin had 12 points, six rebounds and a perfect 8-of-8 free-throw clip. Sophomore wing Karter Knox added 11 points and a co-game-high seven rebounds.
Tennessee shot a superb 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) on 3-pointers. However, it notched a 52.2 percent (12-of-23) ledger from the line, compared to the Razorbacks' 87.9 percent (29-of-33) number.
The Volunteers open their conference home slate Tuesday at 9 p.m. when they host Texas, live on ESPN2 from Food City Center.
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
• The Volunteers fell to 8-3 in their last 11 games versus Arkansas after dropping each of the prior six contests.
• Saturday marked the fourth AP top-25 clash between Tennessee and Arkansas, including the second in a row, with the Volunteers now 2-2.
• Tennessee has faced Arkansas head coach John Calipari more than any other active coach, with this the 40th meeting, and own a 17-23 record against him, including a 1-1 ledger during his Arkansas tenure.
• Barnes dropped to 14-13 all-time versus Calipari, who is tied with him on the NCAA's all-time wins list, including 12-11 in the regular season.
• Tennessee fell to 6-5 in SEC openers in the Barnes era, including 3-4 on the road, after its three-game winning streak in openers came to an end.
• In addition, the Volunteers moved to 5-6 in SEC road openers in Barnes' tenure, dropping their third in a row.
• Over its 88-week streak in the AP Poll, since the start of the 2021-22 season, Tennessee has now played just 21 games as a lower-ranked team, posting a 12-9 record in those matchups, including a 2-1 ledger in 2025-26.
• Across its last 48 games versus AP top-25 foes—that span dates to Jan. 22, 2022—Tennessee is now owns a 30-18 record.
• In their last 40 games against top-20 competition—the also extends to Jan. 22, 2022—the Volunteers now possess a 26-14 ledger.
• The Volunteers fell to 40-30 in AP top-25 matchups in Barnes' tenure, including 32-23 with both teams in the top 20.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in all 14 games this year, with 15-plus in eight outings, 18-plus four times and 20-plus thrice, with a high of 23.
• Prior to Saturday, Tennessee had 13 consecutive wins when posting a field-goal percentage better than its opponent, a streak that dated to the 2024-25 season.
• The Volunteers totaled 24 fast-break points to set a new season high, eclipsing their prior top figure of 22, recorded both Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State and Nov. 8 against Northern Kentucky.
• Arkansas' 10 blocks marked the most by a Tennessee foe in almost exactly one year, with Arkansas also the last team to hit that mark on Jan. 4, 2025.
• Thomas' four-point play with 15:26 left in the game marked the first by a Tennessee foe since Jan. 18, 2025, when Vanderbilt's Tyler Nickel converted one with three seconds left in the opening half.
• Acuff's 29 points surpassed, by four, the top total by a Tennessee opponent this season and marked the highest number the Volunteers have allowed since Montana's Money Williams scored 30 on Nov. 13, 2024.
• The last SEC player to score at least 29 points versus Tennessee was Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, who amassed 35 in a home loss on Feb. 3, 2024.
• Gillespie, in his 107th collegiate outing, reached 1,500 career points on a layup—his second basket of the game—with 12:41 left in the first half.
• Evans is the first Tennessee freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals in a game without a miss, while the last to go even 5-of-5 was Derrick Walker on Jan. 20, 2018, at South Carolina.
• Before Evans, the last Volunteer to make seven field goals in a game without a miss was Felix Okpara on Jan. 18, 2025, at Vanderbilt.
• Over the last three seasons (2023-26), the only other SEC freshman to go at least 7-of-7 from the field is Kentucky's Justin Edwards, who posted a 10-of-10 line against Alabama on Feb. 24, 2024.
• The only other SEC freshman to make seven-plus field goals in a road game against a Division I opponent in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) is Florida's Andrew Nembhard, who went 9-of-9 at Alabama on Feb. 16, 2019.
• Evans is just the seventh SEC freshman in the last 20 years (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals without a mis in a conference game, joining the aforementioned Edwards and Nembhard, as well as Florida's Omar Payne (9-of-9 on Jan. 18, 2020, against Auburn), Mississippi State's Nick Weatherspooon (7-of-7 on Feb. 17, 2018, against Ole Miss), Alabama's Dazon Ingram (7-of-7 on March 9, 2017, against Mississippi State) and South Carolina's Dominique Archie (7-of-7 on Jan. 31, 2007, against Auburn).
• Entering Saturday, just six other freshman had seven-plus makes in a game without a miss this season against Division I foes, including none on the road and/or against a Power Five opponent.
• The last Division I freshman to make seven-plus field goals without a miss versus a Power Five foe was Boston College's Jayden Hastings, who went 8-of-8 on March 5, 2025, against Clemson.
• Before Evans, the last Division I freshman to go at least 7-of-7 on the road was Lindenwood's Aly Tounkara with a 7-of-7 showing on Feb. 20, 2025, in an overtime game at Little Rock, while the last to do it in a regulation road contest was Sacramento State's Chudi Dioramma with a 9-of-9 performance on Feb. 8, 2025, at Sacramento State, with those two the only ones to do so all of last season.
• The last Division I freshman to make at least seven field goals without a miss on the road against a Power Five team was Creighton's Frederick King, who went 8-of-8 on Dec. 16, 2022, at Marquette.
• In total, Evans became just the 16th Division I freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make seven-plus field goals without a miss on the road against a Power Five foe.
• Evans' seven made field goals set a new career high, eclipsing the five he made—on six attempts—in Tennessee's last game, Tuesday versus South Carolina State.
• The 16 points for Evans eclipsed his prior career high of 14, which also came against the Bulldogs in the Volunteers' last outing.
• Before scoring 30 points on 12-of-13 shooting in the last two games, Evans had 18 total points on 7-of-19 shooting this season.
• Evans' three steals tied the highest mark of his career, which he previously registered Dec. 21 against Gardner-Webb.
• Ament's career-high 11 free-throw attempts marked the top total by a Volunteer this season, eclipsing the highwater mark of 10 recorded thrice.
Team Stats
UT
AR
FG%
.492
.424
3FG%
.385
.304
FT%
.522
.879
RB
33
36
TO
14
14
STL
11
8
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballMBB | Tennessee 75, Arkansas 86
Sunday, January 04
MBB | Ja'Kobi Gillespie Postgame vs. Arkansas (1.3.25)
Saturday, January 03
MBB | Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Arkansas (1.3.26)
Saturday, January 03
MBB | Rick Barnes Media Availability (1.2.26)
Friday, January 02
