University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, March 7
Knoxville, TN
2 PM ET
University of Tennessee
21-10,11-7SEC
82
vs
86
Vanderbilt
24-7,11-7SEC
1
2
F
Vanderbilt
32
54
86
Tennessee
22
60
82
#23/25 Vols Fall to #24/22 Vanderbilt, 86-82, in Regular Season Finale
March 07, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team dropped an 86-82 decision Saturday afternoon to No. 24/22 Vanderbilt to conclude the 2025-26 regular season.
No. 23/25 Tennessee (21-10, 11-7 SEC) played without freshman forward Nate Ament, its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, for the second game in a row. Freshman guard Amari Evans paced the team with a career-high 24 points at Food City Center.
Vanderbilt (24-7, 11-7 SEC) started 7-of-11 from the floor—it scored the first six points and then, after allowing a basket, went a 9-0 run in 3:28—to claim a 15-2 lead at the 13:33 mark, with the Volunteers then just 1-of-5. Tennessee responded with nine of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to seven, 18-11, with 9:35 left in the frame.
After the visitors pushed the lead back to 13, Tennessee used a 7-0 surge over 2:24 to trim the margin to six, 26-20, with 3:35 to go before halftime. Vanderbilt tallied six of the last eight points of the session and took a 32-22 edge into the break, aided by a 20-8 cushion in paint points.
Vanderbilt logged eight of the first 10 points coming out of the locker room to go up by 16, 40-24, with 17:45 remaining and then, 3:52 later, stretched it to a game-best 17. The Volunteers responded an 8-1 burst in 1:12—it started with six straight points in 22 seconds—to make it 52-42 with 12:25 left.
The Commodores thrice extended their advantage to a baker's dozen, but Tennessee got it below double digits, to 65-57, with 7:22 on the clock. Vanderbilt logged the next four points, but the Volunteers answered with seven in a row over 42 seconds to get within five, 69-64, with 5:27 to go.
The visitors scored the next five points to go back up by double digits just 77 ticks later, but Tennessee continued to claw and got the number to six, 77-71, with 1:18 left. It got the deficit to four, 82-78, with 32 seconds to play and then forced a turnover in the backcourt, but could not convert and never got any closer.
Vanderbilt went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line in the final 87 seconds, including connecting on all six of its attempts in the last closing 47 ticks to seal the decision.
Evans, who eclipsed his prior career best in scoring by eight points, shot 9-of-18 from the field to also set a new career high in makes. He hit multiple 3-pointers for the second time, plus went 4-of-7 at the line to set new top tallies in both categories. The Pittsburgh native added six rebounds and a co-career-best three steals, the latter figure leading the team.
Redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including connecting on a 3-pointer. It marked the second straight 20-point showing off the bench for the Scarborough, Maine, native, who previously had just one 20-point performance as a collegian. He pulled down a co-game-high 10 rebounds to notch his fourth collegiate double-double.
Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 17 points and a co-game-best four assists, while senior forward Felix Okpara totaled eight points, 10 rebounds and a co-season-best four blocks, with the latter number pacing all players and the middle figure tying Estrella for the game lead.
Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner paced all players with 25 points for Vanderbilt, finishing 7-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-2 beyond the arc and 9-of-10 at the line. Graduate center A.K. Okereke notched 17 points on a 5-of-8 clip from the field and a 6-of-9 ledger at the stripe, while graduate guard Duke Miles added 13 points and a game-best four steals.
Tennessee scored 60 points—its most in a half in a league game in the Rick Barnes era—on 52.4 percent (22-of-42) shooting in the second half, but Vanderbilt amassed 54 on a 63.6 percent (14-of-22) line at the other end in the frame. In total, the Commodores shot 52.9 percent (27-of-51) overall, 50.0 percent (5-of-10) beyond the arc and 84.4 percent (27-of-32) on free throws.
With the regular season complete, the Volunteers will now head to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament. After tying for fourth place in the SEC standings, Tennessee will be the fifth seed in the event and begin play Thursday at 3 p.m. ET against a to-be-determined opponent.
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
• Prior to tipoff, Tennessee recognized four senior players (guard Amaree Abram, guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, guard Grant Hurst and forward Felix Okpara) and three additional behind-the-scenes seniors (student athletic training aide Leah Sanders, co-head student manager Bryce VanHuss and student manager Dalton Waggoner).
• The Volunteers fell to 133-78 all-time against Vanderbilt, with the 133 wins still good for 32 more than they have against any other opponent.
• Tennessee's eight-game home series winning streak—it went from Jan. 23, 2018, to Feb. 15, 2025—came to an end Saturday.
• The Volunteers dropped to 15-3 over their last 18 meetings with Vanderbilt, with this the first loss in that stretch by greater than a point.
• The last time Tennessee fell to Vanderbilt by greater than a point was on Feb. 22, 2017, when it dropped a 67-56 decision.
• Saturday marked the ninth time Tennessee and Vanderbilt have met with both in the AP top 25 and the Volunteers fell to 2-7 in those contests, including 2-3 at home.
• Tennessee played without freshman forward Nate Ament, the team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, for the second straight game, due to a right leg injury.
• In addition, freshman guard Troy Henderson departed the contest with 1:06 left in the first half due to a left shoulder injury.
• Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), the Volunteers now sport a 28-12 (.700) record in the second leg of regular season home-and-homes.
• Tennessee dropped to 40-32 (.556) in AP top-25 clashes under Barnes, including 19-12 (.613) in its last 31 such games, dating to Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Volunteers are now 48-47 (.505) versus AP top-25 teams in the Barnes era, including 32-20 (.615) in their past 52 such affairs, dating to Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee fell to 24-10 (.706) versus AP top-25 teams at Food City Center with Barnes as the head coach, including 19-4 (.826) in its last 23 such games, since Jan. 30, 2021.
• The Volunteers' streak of allowing fewer than 75 points came to an end at 10 games and at 11 regulation contests.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 30 of 31 games this year, with 15-plus in 20 outings, 17-plus 12 times and 20-plus on six occasions, with a high of 26.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 27 of 31 contests, with 40-plus in 19, 42-plus in 17, 45-plus in 14 and 50-plus in six, with a top tally of 60.
• Through 31 outings thus far, Tennessee has amassed 13-plus assists on 27 occasions, with 17-plus in 18 games, 20-plus in eight and 23-plus in four.
• Across its 31 games this season, Tennessee has played just three (2-1) that did not feature a double-digit lead for either side.
• Saturday marked the first time all season the Volunteers played a game in which they did not hold a lead at any time.
• Tennessee, which posted its eighth 50-point half of the year, has now scored 50-plus points in a half 23 times in the past three seasons (2023-26) after doing so 11 total times in the prior four campaigns (2019-23) combined.
• The 60 second-half points marked the second-most Tennessee has scored in a frame in Barnes' 11 seasons (2015-26), trailing only the 64 it had after the break earlier this season in a Dec. 30 matchup with South Carolina State.
• The Volunteers' 22 points before the intermission marked their fewest in a half this season, as the prior low was 24 in the second stanza Feb. 7 at Kentucky.
• Estrella and Okpara became the first Tennessee duo to grab double-figure rebounds in the same outing since Jan. 28 at Georgia when Okpara (11) and sophomore guard Bishop Boswell (10) did so.
• Estrella has now amassed 20-plus points off the bench in back-to-back games after just one Volunteer—junior forward Jaylen Carey in a Dec. 2 contest at Syracuse—had done so all season.
• Evans became the sixth different Tennessee player to register 20-plus points in a contest during the 2025-26 campaign.
• The 24 points for Evans, half of which came in each stanza, far surpassed the 16 he scored Jan. 3 at Arkansas for a new career best.
• Evans' nine made field goals set a new career best, eclipsing the seven he connected on in the same contest versus the Razorbacks.
• Evans scored 10 points in the first 14:01 of the contest, already giving him his third double-figure outing of the season.
• The three steals for Evans tied the career high he has logged three prior times, most recently four days ago at South Carolina.
• Additionally, Evans attempted double-digit field goals for the first time as a Volunteer, reaching that mark in the first 15 minutes alone.
• On an alley-oop with 7:45 remaining in the contest, Okpara reached 200 made dunks in his career, 121 of which are at Tennessee. Â
• Saturday marked the 14th time Okpara has pulled down double-digit rebounds as a collegian, including the fourth this year.
• Okpara, who grabbed four offensive rebounds in a span of 25 seconds late in the first half, pulled down nine total boards in the first half.
• The four bocks for Okpara tied the season high he recorded Nov. 12 against North Florida and Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State, as well as matched his top total in SEC play as a Volunteer.
• After scoring 20-plus points once in the first 53 games of his career, Estrella has hit that mark in each of the last two outings.
• Estrella grabbed double-figure rebounds for the fourth time as a collegian, including for the first in SEC play, as his prior high in league action was nine on three separate occasions.
• Estrella amassed his fourth double-double, including his first SEC action, with all of them coming in 2025-26.
• Gillespie finished the regular season scoring eight-plus points in all 31 games, including tallying double digits in 29 contests.
No. 23/25 Tennessee (21-10, 11-7 SEC) played without freshman forward Nate Ament, its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, for the second game in a row. Freshman guard Amari Evans paced the team with a career-high 24 points at Food City Center.
Vanderbilt (24-7, 11-7 SEC) started 7-of-11 from the floor—it scored the first six points and then, after allowing a basket, went a 9-0 run in 3:28—to claim a 15-2 lead at the 13:33 mark, with the Volunteers then just 1-of-5. Tennessee responded with nine of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to seven, 18-11, with 9:35 left in the frame.
After the visitors pushed the lead back to 13, Tennessee used a 7-0 surge over 2:24 to trim the margin to six, 26-20, with 3:35 to go before halftime. Vanderbilt tallied six of the last eight points of the session and took a 32-22 edge into the break, aided by a 20-8 cushion in paint points.
Vanderbilt logged eight of the first 10 points coming out of the locker room to go up by 16, 40-24, with 17:45 remaining and then, 3:52 later, stretched it to a game-best 17. The Volunteers responded an 8-1 burst in 1:12—it started with six straight points in 22 seconds—to make it 52-42 with 12:25 left.
The Commodores thrice extended their advantage to a baker's dozen, but Tennessee got it below double digits, to 65-57, with 7:22 on the clock. Vanderbilt logged the next four points, but the Volunteers answered with seven in a row over 42 seconds to get within five, 69-64, with 5:27 to go.
The visitors scored the next five points to go back up by double digits just 77 ticks later, but Tennessee continued to claw and got the number to six, 77-71, with 1:18 left. It got the deficit to four, 82-78, with 32 seconds to play and then forced a turnover in the backcourt, but could not convert and never got any closer.
Vanderbilt went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line in the final 87 seconds, including connecting on all six of its attempts in the last closing 47 ticks to seal the decision.
Evans, who eclipsed his prior career best in scoring by eight points, shot 9-of-18 from the field to also set a new career high in makes. He hit multiple 3-pointers for the second time, plus went 4-of-7 at the line to set new top tallies in both categories. The Pittsburgh native added six rebounds and a co-career-best three steals, the latter figure leading the team.
Redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including connecting on a 3-pointer. It marked the second straight 20-point showing off the bench for the Scarborough, Maine, native, who previously had just one 20-point performance as a collegian. He pulled down a co-game-high 10 rebounds to notch his fourth collegiate double-double.
Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie had 17 points and a co-game-best four assists, while senior forward Felix Okpara totaled eight points, 10 rebounds and a co-season-best four blocks, with the latter number pacing all players and the middle figure tying Estrella for the game lead.
Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner paced all players with 25 points for Vanderbilt, finishing 7-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-2 beyond the arc and 9-of-10 at the line. Graduate center A.K. Okereke notched 17 points on a 5-of-8 clip from the field and a 6-of-9 ledger at the stripe, while graduate guard Duke Miles added 13 points and a game-best four steals.
Tennessee scored 60 points—its most in a half in a league game in the Rick Barnes era—on 52.4 percent (22-of-42) shooting in the second half, but Vanderbilt amassed 54 on a 63.6 percent (14-of-22) line at the other end in the frame. In total, the Commodores shot 52.9 percent (27-of-51) overall, 50.0 percent (5-of-10) beyond the arc and 84.4 percent (27-of-32) on free throws.
With the regular season complete, the Volunteers will now head to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Tournament. After tying for fourth place in the SEC standings, Tennessee will be the fifth seed in the event and begin play Thursday at 3 p.m. ET against a to-be-determined opponent.
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
• Prior to tipoff, Tennessee recognized four senior players (guard Amaree Abram, guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, guard Grant Hurst and forward Felix Okpara) and three additional behind-the-scenes seniors (student athletic training aide Leah Sanders, co-head student manager Bryce VanHuss and student manager Dalton Waggoner).
• The Volunteers fell to 133-78 all-time against Vanderbilt, with the 133 wins still good for 32 more than they have against any other opponent.
• Tennessee's eight-game home series winning streak—it went from Jan. 23, 2018, to Feb. 15, 2025—came to an end Saturday.
• The Volunteers dropped to 15-3 over their last 18 meetings with Vanderbilt, with this the first loss in that stretch by greater than a point.
• The last time Tennessee fell to Vanderbilt by greater than a point was on Feb. 22, 2017, when it dropped a 67-56 decision.
• Saturday marked the ninth time Tennessee and Vanderbilt have met with both in the AP top 25 and the Volunteers fell to 2-7 in those contests, including 2-3 at home.
• Tennessee played without freshman forward Nate Ament, the team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, for the second straight game, due to a right leg injury.
• In addition, freshman guard Troy Henderson departed the contest with 1:06 left in the first half due to a left shoulder injury.
• Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), the Volunteers now sport a 28-12 (.700) record in the second leg of regular season home-and-homes.
• Tennessee dropped to 40-32 (.556) in AP top-25 clashes under Barnes, including 19-12 (.613) in its last 31 such games, dating to Dec. 9, 2023.
• The Volunteers are now 48-47 (.505) versus AP top-25 teams in the Barnes era, including 32-20 (.615) in their past 52 such affairs, dating to Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee fell to 24-10 (.706) versus AP top-25 teams at Food City Center with Barnes as the head coach, including 19-4 (.826) in its last 23 such games, since Jan. 30, 2021.
• The Volunteers' streak of allowing fewer than 75 points came to an end at 10 games and at 11 regulation contests.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 30 of 31 games this year, with 15-plus in 20 outings, 17-plus 12 times and 20-plus on six occasions, with a high of 26.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 27 of 31 contests, with 40-plus in 19, 42-plus in 17, 45-plus in 14 and 50-plus in six, with a top tally of 60.
• Through 31 outings thus far, Tennessee has amassed 13-plus assists on 27 occasions, with 17-plus in 18 games, 20-plus in eight and 23-plus in four.
• Across its 31 games this season, Tennessee has played just three (2-1) that did not feature a double-digit lead for either side.
• Saturday marked the first time all season the Volunteers played a game in which they did not hold a lead at any time.
• Tennessee, which posted its eighth 50-point half of the year, has now scored 50-plus points in a half 23 times in the past three seasons (2023-26) after doing so 11 total times in the prior four campaigns (2019-23) combined.
• The 60 second-half points marked the second-most Tennessee has scored in a frame in Barnes' 11 seasons (2015-26), trailing only the 64 it had after the break earlier this season in a Dec. 30 matchup with South Carolina State.
• The Volunteers' 22 points before the intermission marked their fewest in a half this season, as the prior low was 24 in the second stanza Feb. 7 at Kentucky.
• Estrella and Okpara became the first Tennessee duo to grab double-figure rebounds in the same outing since Jan. 28 at Georgia when Okpara (11) and sophomore guard Bishop Boswell (10) did so.
• Estrella has now amassed 20-plus points off the bench in back-to-back games after just one Volunteer—junior forward Jaylen Carey in a Dec. 2 contest at Syracuse—had done so all season.
• Evans became the sixth different Tennessee player to register 20-plus points in a contest during the 2025-26 campaign.
• The 24 points for Evans, half of which came in each stanza, far surpassed the 16 he scored Jan. 3 at Arkansas for a new career best.
• Evans' nine made field goals set a new career best, eclipsing the seven he connected on in the same contest versus the Razorbacks.
• Evans scored 10 points in the first 14:01 of the contest, already giving him his third double-figure outing of the season.
• The three steals for Evans tied the career high he has logged three prior times, most recently four days ago at South Carolina.
• Additionally, Evans attempted double-digit field goals for the first time as a Volunteer, reaching that mark in the first 15 minutes alone.
• On an alley-oop with 7:45 remaining in the contest, Okpara reached 200 made dunks in his career, 121 of which are at Tennessee. Â
• Saturday marked the 14th time Okpara has pulled down double-digit rebounds as a collegian, including the fourth this year.
• Okpara, who grabbed four offensive rebounds in a span of 25 seconds late in the first half, pulled down nine total boards in the first half.
• The four bocks for Okpara tied the season high he recorded Nov. 12 against North Florida and Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State, as well as matched his top total in SEC play as a Volunteer.
• After scoring 20-plus points once in the first 53 games of his career, Estrella has hit that mark in each of the last two outings.
• Estrella grabbed double-figure rebounds for the fourth time as a collegian, including for the first in SEC play, as his prior high in league action was nine on three separate occasions.
• Estrella amassed his fourth double-double, including his first SEC action, with all of them coming in 2025-26.
• Gillespie finished the regular season scoring eight-plus points in all 31 games, including tallying double digits in 29 contests.
Team Stats
VU
UT
FG%
.529
.443
3FG%
.500
.250
FT%
.844
.667
RB
31
40
TO
14
11
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Highlights: Tennessee 82, Vanderbilt 86
Saturday, March 07
MBB | Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Vanderbilt (3.7.36)
Saturday, March 07
MBB | J.P. Estrella and Amari Evans Postgame vs. Vanderbilt (3.7.26)
Saturday, March 07
MBB | Vanderbilt Postgame (3.7.26)
Saturday, March 07
