#7 Tennessee (6-0) vs. UT Martin (2-4)
Wednesday, November 27th, 2024 | 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm
Knoxville, TN | Food City Center | Online: SEC Network+
Knoxville, TN – Fresh off its Baha Mar Championship title and ensuing ascension into the top 10 of the national rankings, the seventh-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team returns home Wednesday for an in-state matchup versus UT Martin at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET.
Fans can catch Wednesday’s game between the Volunteers and Skyhawks on SECN+. Myan Patel (play-by-play) and Steve Hamer (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 scored 16 of the first 18 points Friday night against No. 13/14 Baylor in the Baha Mar Championship final and never looked back, en route to a commanding 77-62 triumph. The Volunteers claimed their second trophy in the Bahamas in the last three years—it won the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis—behind a game-high 25 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, all in the first half alone.
The Matchup
The Volunteers’ five wins against UT Martin are by an average of 21.0 ppg, with four by 17-plus and three by 28-plus.
The last matchup between the two schools was the 2021-22 season opener. Grant Hurst, now a redshirt junior at Tennessee, opened his college career by playing seven minutes for visiting UT Martin, logging one steal.
In that same contest, the Vols shot 17-of-40 (42.5 percent) from 3-point range to set a program single-game record for makes.
Following a 21-11 (14-4) campaign that included sharing the Ohio Valley regular season title, the Skyhawks placed No. 10 in the OVC preseason poll.
UT Martin is led by junior guard Josue? Grullon, who is averaging 18.2 ppg in his first year there.
The Volunteers are 43-2 against current Ohio Valley schools, including 39-1 versus the league’s three Tennessee institutions.
Rick Barnes owns an 8-0 record against the current Ohio Valley membership as a head coach, all during his Tennessee tenure.
News & Notes
Rick Barnes is 32-6 (.842) against in-state foes during his UT tenure, including 15-1 (.938) in his last 16 such contests. In his career, he is 37-7 (.841) against all schools in the state other than UT (2-2).
Tennessee beat Virginia (22) and #13/14 Baylor (15) by 37 combined points to win the Baha Mar Championship, its second in- season tournament crown in three years (2022 Battle 4 Atlantis). The Vols now own 15 non-home in- season tournament titles.
Chaz Lanier, the Baha Mar Championship MVP, scored 25 first-half points against Baylor, shooting 9-of-13 overall, including 7-of-8 from 3-point range to set a career high in makes and tie for the fifth-most in a full game in UT history. He went 5-of-5 from deep in the first four minutes alone.
Lanier, through 11/24/24, is the only player in the country with 23-plus made 3-pointers while shooting at least 54.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Zakai Zeigler (46) is sixth in DI, including second at the Power Six level, in assists through 11/24/24.
In Tennessee’s first six games, it led for 228:13 of a possible 240 minutes and trailed for only 4:39.
Through six outings, the Vols’ largest deficit is three points. Meanwhile, they have held a lead of at least 26 points in each game and won all of them by 15-plus.
Tennessee is seeking a 7-0 start for the fourth time since the turn of the century, including the second in the last five years. It would join 2020-21 (7-0), 2010-11 (7-0) and 2000-01 (9-0).
As announced 11/25/24, J.P. Estrella is out for the remainder of the season due to surgery on his left foot. In addition, as announced on 11/21/24, Cameron Carr is out 4-6 weeks with a left thumb injury. Tennessee thus has nine available scholarship players right now.
Ranked Up Victories
Top 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee has and SEC-best 21 AP top-25 wins, good for co- second nationally, alongside Connecticut and Iowa State, behind only Kansas (23). Only seven total schools are at even 17-plus such wins, with Purdue (20), Marquette (18) and Baylor (17) the others. The closest SEC school is five behind (Texas with 16).
Top 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 18 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Connecticut (20) and Kansas (20). The only other schools with even 16-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State). The closest SEC program is five shy (Texas with 13).
Top 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 16 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the country, trailing just Kansas (18). Only Purdue (13) and Iowa State (13) are even within three of UT, while the closest SEC team is seven behind (Alabama with 11).
Top 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, tops in the SEC and co-fifth nationally, alongside North Carolina. Only Kansas (11), Connecticut (10), Iowa State (10) and Purdue (10) have more. The eight such wins in 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), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24). The closest SEC team is one shy (Kentucky with seven).
Top Five: In that same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama and Arizona for the most in the nation. Only three other schools have even four: Gonzaga, Iowa State and Purdue.
…And Doing So Efficiently
Tennessee, at 21-14 (.600), is the only school in the SEC with a record greater than one game over .500 versus ranked opponents over the last four seasons (2021-25). Auburn (10-9; .526) ranks a distant second, while no one else has a mark of better than two games under .500.
The Volunteers are 10 games over .500 (16-6; .727) against AP top-15 teams in that span, while just one other SEC team, Auburn (6-5; .545), is even one game above .500 in that time.
At 8-5 (.615), the Volunteers are the only team in the SEC with a winning record against AP top-10 foes over those four seasons. Kentucky (7-8; .467) and Texas A&M (5-6; .455) place a distant second and third, respectively.
The Volunteers, despite their excellent winning percentage, have played the third-most games against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team in the last four years (2021-25). They trail just Texas (41) and Oklahoma (37) in such outings, while the only other school at even 30-plus is Alabama (34).
Winning Ways
Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (177) and overall winning percentage (.7284), plus is tied for first in postseason victories (18). In that span, UT has three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, plus the 2022 tournament.
In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of over .700, alongside Auburn (.7280) and Kentucky (.703).
In SEC play over the same eight-year period, Tennessee (86-39; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696), in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) have even 70-plus wins.
In that same four-year span, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.
Poll Presence
Tennessee has played 209 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a 157-52 (.751) record. Over 67.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 309 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (209 of 243, 86.0 percent).
UT is 136-47 (.743) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 105-34 (.755) while top-15, 79-25 (.760) while top-10, 36-12 (.750) while top-five, 17-2 (.895) while top-three and 7-1 (.875) while No. 1.
The Vols are 29-22 (.569) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 23-15 (.605) with both teams in the top 20, 14-9 (.609) with both in the top 15 and 7-6 (.538) with both in the top 10.
1K Club
Four Volunteers own over 1,000 points, three of whom entered the season already past that mark.
Darlinstone Dubar owns 1,366 points in 118 outings, good for 11.6 ppg across five seasons.
Jordan Gainey possesses 1,240 points in 106 contests, an average of 11.7 ppg over four years.
Zakai Zeigler has 1,123 points in 107 appearances, giving him a 10.5 ppg average in four seasons.
Chaz Lanier, who entered the year 81 points shy of 1K, now owns 1,035 in 110 outings, a 9.4 ppg ledger across five campaigns.
Happy At Home
Over the last five seasons, since 2020-21, the Volunteers are 60-7 (.896) on their home court.
In 10 seasons under head coach Rick Barnes, the Vols are 125-24 (.839) at Food City Center. Twice during the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.
INAM: “It’s Not About Me”
In each of Zakai Zeigler’s three full seasons, Tennessee finished top-15 nationally in assist rate, per KenPom. It ranked No. 13 in 2023-24 (61.0), second in 2022-23 (66.2) and sixth in 2021-22 (63.0).
Thus far in 2024-25, the Volunteers have twice notched 20-plus assists. Their high mark is 24 versus Montana (11/13/24).
Tennessee posted 20-plus assists 11 times in 2023- 24 and reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
In 2022-23, Tennessee amassed 20-plus assists in seven contests, with 25-plus four times. It posted a high of 29 versus South Carolina (2/25/23).
The Volunteers recorded 20-plus assists 10 times in 2021-22, logging 25-plus on four occasions. They had a high of 29 versus Longwood (3/17/22) in the NCAA Tournament opener and against USC Upstate (12/14/21).
