#9 Tennessee (11-2 | 1-0 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (11-2 | 0-1 SEC)
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2022 | 6:00pm CT/7:00pm ET
Knoxville, TN | Thompson-Boling Arena | TV: ESPN2
Knoxville, TN – After opening conference play with a win last week, the eighth-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team is back home for its SEC home opener—taking on Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6:00pm CT.
Fans can catch Tuesday’s game on ESPN2 and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. Tom Hart (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 (11-2, 1-0 SEC) opened conference play last week at Ole Miss, capturing a 63-59 comeback road win. Senior Santiago Vescovi led the way offensively for Tennessee with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting—his eighth career 20-point game and second this season.
Sophomore Jonas Aidoo had a standout performance on the boards for Tennessee with a career-high 13 rebounds—six offensive—and eight points in a career-high 29 minutes.
Tennessee carries a 23-game home win streak—the sixth-longest home win streak in program history—into Tuesday’s game against Mississippi State. Ten of those wins have been over SEC opponents. The UT Vols have won seven of the last eight meetings overall against the Bulldogs, including three straight at home.
Tickets and Parking
Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including men’s basketball, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Thompson-Boling Arena via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).
Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue.
The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
Tennessee Athletics APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app, which now houses the Coca-Cola GBO Zone. Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this link to download: utsports.com/app.
The Series
Tennessee leads its all-time series with Mississippi State, 88-44, dating to 1924.
When the series is contested in Knoxville, the Vols own a 47-11 advantage.
Tennessee has won seven of the last eight meetings overall, including three straight at home.
The Vols beat the Bulldogs twice last season, logging wins in Starkville and Tampa.
During the Barnes era, UT is 16-5 against the state of Mississippi’s SEC teams.
During Chris Jans’ tenure as an assistant coach at Wichita State, the Shockers faced the Vols twice, with each team winning on its home floor. Wichita State advanced to the 2013 Final Four after losing in Knoxville on December 13th, 2012. And after the Vols fell at Wichita on December 14th, 2013, the Shockers went on to earn a No. 1 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, which they entered undefeated.
Scouting Report
Tennessee ranks among the top 10 nationally in seven different stat categories—and top-five in six of those categories.
Tennessee ranks second in the nation in offensive rebounding, pulling down 14.8 per game.
The Volunteers have won 10 straight SEC home games and 23 consecutive home games overall.
Only three Division I freshmen have attempted more free throws than Julian Phillips (70), but he did not get to the line at Ole Miss.
Jahmai Mashack ranks sixth in the country in steal percentage (5.83). He is one of three Vols with at least 25 steals.
UT’s bench is giving the Vols 24.7 points per game despite the squad being regularly shorthanded.
The Associated Press issued 19 top-25 polls during the 2022 calendar year, and Tennessee appeared in each of them.
During the Rick Barnes era (2015-present), Tennessee has now made 32 appearances in the top 10 of the AP Top 25.
UT ranks fifth nationally in average home attendance (16,793).
The Nation’s Best Defense
For the sixth straight week, the Volunteers own the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country per KenPom, allowing only 80.7 points per 100 possessions.
Tennessee owns the best 3-point defense in Division I (.212) as well as the best overall field-goal percentage defense (.332).
In 13 games, Tennessee’s opponents have only managed to make 62 3-pointers—4.5 per game. Three Vols have combined to make 72.
Eight times this season, the Vols have held their opponents to 50 points or less. Tennessee has now done that 28 times during the Barnes era (2015-present).
Only two opposing players have scored 20 or more points against the Vols this season.
Tennessee trailed at the break only once this season and is outscoring its opponents 35.1 ppg to 24.2 ppg (+10.9 ppg) in first-half action.
About the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State (11-2, 0-1 SEC) has dropped two straight games after starting the season 11-0 and ascending to as high as No. 15 in the AP Poll.
In their final game before the start of SEC play, the Bulldogs fell to Drake at a neutral site, 58-52, then were defeated by No. 8 Alabama in their SEC opener on Wednesday, 78-67.
Currently slotted at No. 37 in the NET rankings, Mississippi State’s non-conference slate was highlighted by neutral-site wins over Marquette and Utah and a victory at Minnesota.Head coach Chris Jans is in his first season at the helm of the Mississippi State program after five seasons as the head coach at New Mexico State, where he guided the Aggies to a .792 winning percentage and three NCAA Tournament appearances while being a three-time WAC Coach of the Year.
Redshirt junior forward Tolu Smith, a preseason first-team All-SEC selection, has been a force this season for the Bulldogs—averaging team-high totals of 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Smith’s 59.3 field-goal percentage ranks second in the SEC, while he is also elite at getting to the free-throw line—ranking sixth in the nation and first in the SEC in free-throw attempts this season (96).
Just behind Smith statistically for the Bulldogs is senior forward D.J. Jeffries, who averages 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Jeffries is coming off an 11-point, 15-rebound effort against Alabama. He averaged 12.5 ppg in Mississippi State’s two games against Tennessee last season.
Tennessee Director of Video and Analytics Luke Schapker served as a manager at Bowling Green during Jans’ lone season as BGSU’s head coach in 2014-15.
Last Time Tennessee faced Mississippi State
Stifling second-half defense and a flurry of threes from Josiah-Jordan James to open the second half propelled Tennessee to an SEC Tournament quarterfinal win on March 11, 2022, as the No. 2 seed and ninth-ranked Vols defeated Mississippi State, 72-59.
James finished with a game-high 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, 14 of which came in the second half. James also had five rebounds and four assists.
James was one of five Vols to score in double figures. SEC All-Freshman Teamers Zakai Zeigler and Kennedy Chandler had 11 points apiece. Zeigler also had a career-high eight assists, while Chandler tallied six.
Freshman forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (now at Louisville) and first-team All-SEC selection Santiago Vescovi scored 10 points each for UT.
With Tennessee leading by just two coming out of the halftime break, James hit four 3-pointers in a row—all in a span of 3:22—to spark a 12-3 Big Orange run that put Tennessee in front 51-40.
The Vols never led by less than eight after that, pulling away with a 12-4 run that extended the lead from eight points to 16 with 7:28 remaining—capped off by six straight points from Zeigler.
Defensively, Tennessee (24-7) limited Mississippi State to 6-for-25 (.240) shooting in the second half after the Bulldogs shot 56.5 percent from the field in the first half. Mississippi State made just three of its first 16 shots to start the second half.
Despite forcing 11 Mississippi State turnovers by the 8:28 mark of the first half, Tennessee was unable to pull away in the opening period and took a 39-37 lead into halftime.
Perfect Attendance: 2022 AP Poll
The Associated Press issued 19 college basketball top-25 polls during the 2022 calendar year, and Rick Barnes‘ Tennessee Vols were included in all 19.
UT was ranked in the top 10 five times in 2022.
Tennessee’s best 2022 ranking was No. 5 in last season’s year-end poll. This season, the Vols have been ranked as high as No. 6, the week of December 12th.
Volunteers Riding 23-Game Home Win Streak
Dating to their final home game of the 2020-21 campaign, the Vols are riding an active 23-game home win streak (the sixth-longest active streak in the country).
Last season’s perfect record at home included five wins over top-15 teams, including three top-10 opponents—No. 14 Arkansas, No. 13 LSU, No. 6 Arizona, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 3 Auburn. Tennessee was one of only five major-conference programs to post a perfect record at home last season, joining Arizona, Auburn, Kentucky and Texas Tech.
Only five times in program history has Tennessee strung together more than 20 consecutive home wins, most recently from 2018-2019 (31 straight).
Sophomores Splitting A 20-Piece
As freshmen, last season, Jonas Aidoo and Jahmai Mashack combined for just 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
This season, that duo’s production has increased to 9.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Adding in the contributions of SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee’s sophomore trio accounts for 20.6 points per game—all off the bench.
Phillips Crashing The Glass
Vols true freshman Julian Phillips ranks ninth in the SEC in offensive rebounding with 2.4 per game.
Among all Division I freshmen on major-conference teams, he ranks second in offensive rebounds per game.
RANK PLAYER, TEAM ORPG MPG
1 Kyle Filipowski, Duke 2.64 26.6
T-2 Julian Phillips, Tennessee 2.38 25.6
T-2 Brandon Miller, Alabama 2.38 33.5
Comprehensive Excellence
Tennessee’s men’s hoops squad isn’t the only team enjoying routine success on Rocky Top.
During the 2021-22 academic year, Tennessee won the SEC Men’s All-Sports Trophy and finished second in the SEC Women’s All-Sports standings. The Vols and Lady Vols captured five SEC team titles in 2021-22.
Tennessee football defeated No. 7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, 31-14. With that triumph, the Vols’ 2022 season featured victories over three of the previous four national champions (Clemson, Alabama and LSU).
Next Up For UT Men’s Basketball
Following Tuesday’s SEC home opener, the Tennessee Vols basketball team is back on the road this weekend—traveling to take on South Carolina Saturday in Columbia. Tip-off is set for 2:30pm CT on SEC Network.
