University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, January 6
Knoxville, TN
9 PM ET
University of Tennessee
11-4,1-1SEC
85
vs
71
Texas
9-6,0-2SEC
1
2
F
Texas
33
38
71
Tennessee
48
37
85
Gillespie’s 34 Points Lead #21/22 Vols to 85-71 Victory Against Texas
January 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team started its conference home slate Tuesday night with a commanding 85-71 defeat of Texas.
Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie dropped a career-high 34 points for No. 21/22 Tennessee (11-4, 1-1 SEC) at Food City Center in a game his team trailed for just 104 early seconds.
After the Volunteers raced out multiple early six-point advantages, Texas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) scored seven straight points in 60 seconds to take its first lead, 12-11, with 14:10 left in the opening half. However, following a split of the next four points, Tennessee went on a 15-3 run in 4:09—it included 10 consecutive points in 2:19—to go up by 11, 28-17, with 8:18 on the timer.
Late in the stanza, the home team scored eight unanswered points in 56 seconds—Gillespie capped the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers—to go up by 16 points, 44-28, with 1:27 to go in the session. Tennessee ultimately took a 45-33 edge into the locker room, with 22 of its points coming from Gillespie, who went 8-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 beyond the arc and 3-of-3 at the line.
The Greeneville, Tenn., native's play helped the Volunteers shoot 63.0 percent (17-of-27) in the opening 20 minutes, while the Longhorns had a 39.3 percent (11-of-28) ledger. Tennessee also doubled up Texas in paint points, 28-14, and near tripled up in fast-break points, 13-5.
The Volunteers scored the first eight points of the second half to go in front by a game-high 23, 56-33, with 17:44 left, making it an extended 20-5 run over 4:28 dating to the first stanza. They did not allow a point for the first 3:22 of the frame.
Aided by a 1-of-9 stretch from Tennessee following its dazzling 20-of-31 start the Longhorns—they made six of seven shots after a 12-of-34 opening—clawed to within 10, 61-51, at the 10:34 mark. The Volunteers, though, responded with a 7-0 burst in just 52 ticks to stretch the advantage back to 17, 68-51, with 9:13 remaining.
Texas never got any closer than 11 the rest of the way, as Tennessee held a double-digit margin for the final 24-plus minutes, despite four starters committing four fouls apiece.
Gillespie, who missed just four shots in the first 38 minutes, went 12-of-18 from the field to set a career best in makes. He shot 5-of-8 from 3-point range and hit all five of his free throws, plus notched five assists, four rebounds and a season-high-tying three steals, with only two turnovers.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder became just the second SEC player in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 34 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, alongside LSU's Ben Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, who did so in non-conference action. He also became the fifth Power Six competitor in that span to hit those marks in league play, joining a list that includes Washington's Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in 2017.
Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella amassed 11 points and a game-high six rebounds. He went 5-of-6 from the line to set career bests in both makes and attempts.
Freshman forward DeWayne Brown II put up 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Junior forward Jaylen Carey also recorded 10 points and four rebounds in the victory.
Graduate guard Tramon Mark paced the Longhorns with 20 points on 7-of-13 field-goal shooting, including hitting one of his three 3-pointers at the buzzer to make the final margin 14 instead of 17. Junior forward Camden Heide logged 16 points, finishing 4-of-9 beyond the arc, while junior guard Simeon Wilcher scored 10 points despite Tennessee limiting him to a 3-of-12 field-goal clip.
The Volunteers put forth a stellar defensive performance against junior guard/forward Dailyn Swain, the Longhorns' leading scorer on the year. He finished with a season-low five points on 1-of-3 shooting, as Tennessee forced him into a career-high seven turnovers, the most by any opposing player this season.
The victors shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) on the night, including 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range. The Longhorns had just a 38.6 percent (22-of-57) register, but it included a 37.9 percent (11-of-29) mark from deep, as Tennessee's excellent interior defense held them to a 39.3 percent (11-of-28) clip inside the arc.
In addition, the Volunteers concluded head coach Rick Barnes' fifth straight win against Texas, where he coached for 17 seasons, with a dominant 44-18 margin in paint points, a 27-13 count in points off turnovers and a 24-11 figure in fast-break points.
Tennessee is back in action Saturday at noon in Gainesville, Fla., where it faces Florida, live on ESPN from the Stephen C. O'Connell 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
• Barnes now owns 847 victories in his career, regaining sole possession of first place among all active Division I head coaches and of sole ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• With his 1,274th game coached, Barnes moved past Bob Knight for sole possession of No. 10 on the all-time leaderboard (min. 10 years in Division I).
• Barnes registered his 113th victory in SEC play, moving past Hank Crisp for sole possession of No. 18 on the league's all-time leaderboard.
• The Volunteers moved to 8-4 against Texas, including 7-2 in their last nine games and a perfect 5-0 over the past four seasons (2022-26).
• Barnes, who served as the head coach at Texas for 17 years (1998-2015), is now 7-3 all-time in Tennessee/Texas matchups, as he is 5-1 with the Volunteers after going 2-2 with the Longhorns.
• The Volunteers improved to 6-4 in conference home openers in the Barnes era, including to a perfect 5-0 the past five seasons (2021-26)
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in all 15 games this year, with 15-plus in nine outings, 18-plus four times and 20-plus thrice, with a high of 23.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 13 of 15 contests, with 43-plus in eight, 47-plus in six and 50-plus in four, with a top tally of 54.
• With its 63.0 percent field-goal clip before the break, Tennessee—after not doing so in any game since Feb. 15, 2025, against Vanderbilt—shot over 60.0 percent for the second consecutive half on its home court, as it posted a 60.5 percent (26-of-43) mark Dec. 30 in the second session against South Carolina State.
• Additionally, the 63.0 percent ledger marked the best field-goal percentage by the Volunteers in a half this season, eclipsing the aforementioned 60.5 percent tally versus the Bulldogs.
• Tennessee's 27 points off turnovers set a season best, eclipsing the 24 it posted Nov. 20 against Tennessee State, while its plus-14 margin also set a season high, surpassing the mark it had against the Tigers and in the Nov. 24 matchup with Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• The Volunteers had 22-plus fast-break points for the third straight game after hitting that mark once previously and their 24 such points tied the season high set three days prior at Arkansas.
• Texas accumulated a 21-15 margin in second-chance points, becoming the first Tennessee opponent to post a positive differential this season and setting a new high mark in total second-chance points by a Tennessee foe, as the prior best was 15 by Illinois in a Dec. 6 game in Nashville.
• Before recording seven turnovers Tuesday, Swain's career high was five, posted just once, in a Dec. 12, 2025, game at Connecticut.
• The previous high mark for turnovers by a Tennessee opponent this season was five, logged both Nov. 20 by Aaron Nkrumah of Tennessee State and Dec. 2 by William Kyle III of Syracuse.
• The last player with seven turnovers against the Volunteers was Illinois' Kasparas Jakučionis on Dec. 14, 2024, at Illinois.
• Tennessee last forced an SEC player into seven turnovers on Jan. 20, 2024, when Alabama's Mark Sears hit that figure.
• Swain became the eighth SEC competitor with seven-plus turnovers against Tennessee in Barnes' 11-year tenure, joining the aforementioned Sears, along with Alabama's J.D. Davison (eight on Dec. 29, 2021), South Carolina's Keyshawn Bryant (seven on Feb. 17, 2021), Georgia's Sahvir Wheeler (seven on Feb. 10, 2021), Mississippi State's Quinndary Weatherspoon (eight on March 5, 2019), Auburn's Austin Wiley (seven on Jan. 31, 2017) and LSU's Ben Simmons (eight on Feb. 20, 2016).
• The eight first-half field goals by Gillespie tied for the most by a Volunteer in a frame in 2025-26, matching his own mark in the first half Nov. 24 versus Rutgers.
• Gillespie, with 22 points in the opening session, reached 20-plus points in a half for the third time this season, joining his 23-point showing before the break Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas and his 20-point performance after the intermission Dec. 16 versus Louisville.
• Gillespie, who recorded his 21st 20-point showing overall and seventh this season, eclipsed 25 points for the fifth time in his career, including the second in his lone season at Tennessee.
• The 34 points for Gillespie surpassed his prior career best of 32—his lone previous 30-point showing—that he notched earlier this season, Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• Gillespie's 12 made field goals also set a new career high, eclipsing the high mark of 11 he tallied thrice previously, once while at Tennessee (Nov. 24, 2025, against versus in Las Vegas), once at Maryland (Feb. 16, 2025, versus Iowa) and once at Belmont (Feb. 14, 2024, versus Southern Illinois).
• The last time a Tennessee player made at least a dozen field goals in a game was March 31, 2024, when Dalton Knecht tallied 14 against Purdue in an NCAA Tournament contest in Detroit.
• Gillespie registered at least five made 3-pointers for the fourth time in his career, including the second as a Volunteer.
• Gillespie is the only SEC player in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 34 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in a game, with LSU's Ben Simmons the lone other such individual to do in any contest in that stretch, achieving the feat on Dec. 2, 2015, versus North Florida.
• Across the last 20 seasons (2006-26), Gillespie is one of only five Power Six competitors to post that four-stat line in a conference game, including the first in nearly nine years and just the second in regulation, joining Seton Hall's Khadeen Carrington (Feb. 15, 2017, against Creighton), Washington's Markelle Fultz (Jan. 18, 2017, against Colorado in overtime), Rutgers' Corey Sanders (Feb. 3, 2016, against Illinois in triple-overtime) and South Florida's Dominique Jones (Jan. 23, 2010, at Providence in overtime).
• Just three other Division I players have recorded that four-stat line in 2025-26, as Gillespie follows South Alabama's Chaze Harris (Dec. 17 at UL Monroe in double-overtime), Duke's Cameron Boozer (Nov. 14 versus Indiana State) and Texas Tech's Christian Anderson (Nov. 4 versus Lindenwood).
• Estrella's previous top tally in made free throws was four in a Nov. 24, 2025, matchup with Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• Estrella's prior career best in free-throw attempts was also four, recorded four times, most recently in that same game versus the Scarlet Knights.
• Freshman guard Amari Evans' streak of 11 consecutive made field goals, spanning three halves, came to an end with his first attempt Tuesday night, a 3-pointer with 6:36 left in the first half.
• Evans' three steals tied his top mark that recorded twice previously, both within the last three games, as he hit that figure Dec. 21 versus Gardner-Webb and Jan. 3 at Arkansas.
• Freshman forward Nate Ament registered four steals to match the highest mark of his career, which came Nov. 20 against Tennessee State.
• Ament also posted his first multiple-block performance, swatting two shots against the Longhorns to double his season total.
Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie dropped a career-high 34 points for No. 21/22 Tennessee (11-4, 1-1 SEC) at Food City Center in a game his team trailed for just 104 early seconds.
After the Volunteers raced out multiple early six-point advantages, Texas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) scored seven straight points in 60 seconds to take its first lead, 12-11, with 14:10 left in the opening half. However, following a split of the next four points, Tennessee went on a 15-3 run in 4:09—it included 10 consecutive points in 2:19—to go up by 11, 28-17, with 8:18 on the timer.
Late in the stanza, the home team scored eight unanswered points in 56 seconds—Gillespie capped the surge with back-to-back 3-pointers—to go up by 16 points, 44-28, with 1:27 to go in the session. Tennessee ultimately took a 45-33 edge into the locker room, with 22 of its points coming from Gillespie, who went 8-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 beyond the arc and 3-of-3 at the line.
The Greeneville, Tenn., native's play helped the Volunteers shoot 63.0 percent (17-of-27) in the opening 20 minutes, while the Longhorns had a 39.3 percent (11-of-28) ledger. Tennessee also doubled up Texas in paint points, 28-14, and near tripled up in fast-break points, 13-5.
The Volunteers scored the first eight points of the second half to go in front by a game-high 23, 56-33, with 17:44 left, making it an extended 20-5 run over 4:28 dating to the first stanza. They did not allow a point for the first 3:22 of the frame.
Aided by a 1-of-9 stretch from Tennessee following its dazzling 20-of-31 start the Longhorns—they made six of seven shots after a 12-of-34 opening—clawed to within 10, 61-51, at the 10:34 mark. The Volunteers, though, responded with a 7-0 burst in just 52 ticks to stretch the advantage back to 17, 68-51, with 9:13 remaining.
Texas never got any closer than 11 the rest of the way, as Tennessee held a double-digit margin for the final 24-plus minutes, despite four starters committing four fouls apiece.
Gillespie, who missed just four shots in the first 38 minutes, went 12-of-18 from the field to set a career best in makes. He shot 5-of-8 from 3-point range and hit all five of his free throws, plus notched five assists, four rebounds and a season-high-tying three steals, with only two turnovers.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder became just the second SEC player in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 34 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals, alongside LSU's Ben Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, who did so in non-conference action. He also became the fifth Power Six competitor in that span to hit those marks in league play, joining a list that includes Washington's Markelle Fultz, the No. 1 pick in 2017.
Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella amassed 11 points and a game-high six rebounds. He went 5-of-6 from the line to set career bests in both makes and attempts.
Freshman forward DeWayne Brown II put up 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Junior forward Jaylen Carey also recorded 10 points and four rebounds in the victory.
Graduate guard Tramon Mark paced the Longhorns with 20 points on 7-of-13 field-goal shooting, including hitting one of his three 3-pointers at the buzzer to make the final margin 14 instead of 17. Junior forward Camden Heide logged 16 points, finishing 4-of-9 beyond the arc, while junior guard Simeon Wilcher scored 10 points despite Tennessee limiting him to a 3-of-12 field-goal clip.
The Volunteers put forth a stellar defensive performance against junior guard/forward Dailyn Swain, the Longhorns' leading scorer on the year. He finished with a season-low five points on 1-of-3 shooting, as Tennessee forced him into a career-high seven turnovers, the most by any opposing player this season.
The victors shot 52.7 percent (29-of-55) on the night, including 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range. The Longhorns had just a 38.6 percent (22-of-57) register, but it included a 37.9 percent (11-of-29) mark from deep, as Tennessee's excellent interior defense held them to a 39.3 percent (11-of-28) clip inside the arc.
In addition, the Volunteers concluded head coach Rick Barnes' fifth straight win against Texas, where he coached for 17 seasons, with a dominant 44-18 margin in paint points, a 27-13 count in points off turnovers and a 24-11 figure in fast-break points.
Tennessee is back in action Saturday at noon in Gainesville, Fla., where it faces Florida, live on ESPN from the Stephen C. O'Connell 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
• Barnes now owns 847 victories in his career, regaining sole possession of first place among all active Division I head coaches and of sole ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• With his 1,274th game coached, Barnes moved past Bob Knight for sole possession of No. 10 on the all-time leaderboard (min. 10 years in Division I).
• Barnes registered his 113th victory in SEC play, moving past Hank Crisp for sole possession of No. 18 on the league's all-time leaderboard.
• The Volunteers moved to 8-4 against Texas, including 7-2 in their last nine games and a perfect 5-0 over the past four seasons (2022-26).
• Barnes, who served as the head coach at Texas for 17 years (1998-2015), is now 7-3 all-time in Tennessee/Texas matchups, as he is 5-1 with the Volunteers after going 2-2 with the Longhorns.
• The Volunteers improved to 6-4 in conference home openers in the Barnes era, including to a perfect 5-0 the past five seasons (2021-26)
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in all 15 games this year, with 15-plus in nine outings, 18-plus four times and 20-plus thrice, with a high of 23.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 13 of 15 contests, with 43-plus in eight, 47-plus in six and 50-plus in four, with a top tally of 54.
• With its 63.0 percent field-goal clip before the break, Tennessee—after not doing so in any game since Feb. 15, 2025, against Vanderbilt—shot over 60.0 percent for the second consecutive half on its home court, as it posted a 60.5 percent (26-of-43) mark Dec. 30 in the second session against South Carolina State.
• Additionally, the 63.0 percent ledger marked the best field-goal percentage by the Volunteers in a half this season, eclipsing the aforementioned 60.5 percent tally versus the Bulldogs.
• Tennessee's 27 points off turnovers set a season best, eclipsing the 24 it posted Nov. 20 against Tennessee State, while its plus-14 margin also set a season high, surpassing the mark it had against the Tigers and in the Nov. 24 matchup with Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• The Volunteers had 22-plus fast-break points for the third straight game after hitting that mark once previously and their 24 such points tied the season high set three days prior at Arkansas.
• Texas accumulated a 21-15 margin in second-chance points, becoming the first Tennessee opponent to post a positive differential this season and setting a new high mark in total second-chance points by a Tennessee foe, as the prior best was 15 by Illinois in a Dec. 6 game in Nashville.
• Before recording seven turnovers Tuesday, Swain's career high was five, posted just once, in a Dec. 12, 2025, game at Connecticut.
• The previous high mark for turnovers by a Tennessee opponent this season was five, logged both Nov. 20 by Aaron Nkrumah of Tennessee State and Dec. 2 by William Kyle III of Syracuse.
• The last player with seven turnovers against the Volunteers was Illinois' Kasparas Jakučionis on Dec. 14, 2024, at Illinois.
• Tennessee last forced an SEC player into seven turnovers on Jan. 20, 2024, when Alabama's Mark Sears hit that figure.
• Swain became the eighth SEC competitor with seven-plus turnovers against Tennessee in Barnes' 11-year tenure, joining the aforementioned Sears, along with Alabama's J.D. Davison (eight on Dec. 29, 2021), South Carolina's Keyshawn Bryant (seven on Feb. 17, 2021), Georgia's Sahvir Wheeler (seven on Feb. 10, 2021), Mississippi State's Quinndary Weatherspoon (eight on March 5, 2019), Auburn's Austin Wiley (seven on Jan. 31, 2017) and LSU's Ben Simmons (eight on Feb. 20, 2016).
• The eight first-half field goals by Gillespie tied for the most by a Volunteer in a frame in 2025-26, matching his own mark in the first half Nov. 24 versus Rutgers.
• Gillespie, with 22 points in the opening session, reached 20-plus points in a half for the third time this season, joining his 23-point showing before the break Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas and his 20-point performance after the intermission Dec. 16 versus Louisville.
• Gillespie, who recorded his 21st 20-point showing overall and seventh this season, eclipsed 25 points for the fifth time in his career, including the second in his lone season at Tennessee.
• The 34 points for Gillespie surpassed his prior career best of 32—his lone previous 30-point showing—that he notched earlier this season, Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• Gillespie's 12 made field goals also set a new career high, eclipsing the high mark of 11 he tallied thrice previously, once while at Tennessee (Nov. 24, 2025, against versus in Las Vegas), once at Maryland (Feb. 16, 2025, versus Iowa) and once at Belmont (Feb. 14, 2024, versus Southern Illinois).
• The last time a Tennessee player made at least a dozen field goals in a game was March 31, 2024, when Dalton Knecht tallied 14 against Purdue in an NCAA Tournament contest in Detroit.
• Gillespie registered at least five made 3-pointers for the fourth time in his career, including the second as a Volunteer.
• Gillespie is the only SEC player in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 34 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in a game, with LSU's Ben Simmons the lone other such individual to do in any contest in that stretch, achieving the feat on Dec. 2, 2015, versus North Florida.
• Across the last 20 seasons (2006-26), Gillespie is one of only five Power Six competitors to post that four-stat line in a conference game, including the first in nearly nine years and just the second in regulation, joining Seton Hall's Khadeen Carrington (Feb. 15, 2017, against Creighton), Washington's Markelle Fultz (Jan. 18, 2017, against Colorado in overtime), Rutgers' Corey Sanders (Feb. 3, 2016, against Illinois in triple-overtime) and South Florida's Dominique Jones (Jan. 23, 2010, at Providence in overtime).
• Just three other Division I players have recorded that four-stat line in 2025-26, as Gillespie follows South Alabama's Chaze Harris (Dec. 17 at UL Monroe in double-overtime), Duke's Cameron Boozer (Nov. 14 versus Indiana State) and Texas Tech's Christian Anderson (Nov. 4 versus Lindenwood).
• Estrella's previous top tally in made free throws was four in a Nov. 24, 2025, matchup with Rutgers in Las Vegas.
• Estrella's prior career best in free-throw attempts was also four, recorded four times, most recently in that same game versus the Scarlet Knights.
• Freshman guard Amari Evans' streak of 11 consecutive made field goals, spanning three halves, came to an end with his first attempt Tuesday night, a 3-pointer with 6:36 left in the first half.
• Evans' three steals tied his top mark that recorded twice previously, both within the last three games, as he hit that figure Dec. 21 versus Gardner-Webb and Jan. 3 at Arkansas.
• Freshman forward Nate Ament registered four steals to match the highest mark of his career, which came Nov. 20 against Tennessee State.
• Ament also posted his first multiple-block performance, swatting two shots against the Longhorns to double his season total.
Team Stats
TX
UT
FG%
.386
.527
3FG%
.379
.400
FT%
.800
.724
RB
31
37
TO
16
13
STL
8
12
Game Leaders
Pts
34
FGM
12
3FGM
5
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Texas (1.6.26)
Wednesday, January 07
MBB | DeWayne Brown II & Ja'Kobi Gillespie Postgame vs. Texas (1.6.26)
Wednesday, January 07
MBB | Texas Postgame (1.6.26)
Wednesday, January 07
MBB | Highlights: Tennessee 85, Texas 71
Wednesday, January 07
