University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, December 21
Knoxville, TN
6:30 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Tarleton State
Hoops Central: #8/7 Tennessee vs. Tarleton State
December 20, 2023 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team puts a bow on 2023 with a home matchup Thursday night against Tarleton State, its final game of the calendar year. Tipoff from Food City Center is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
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Fans can catch Thursday's game between the Vols (8-3) and Texans (8-3) on SECN+. Andy Brock (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Sarah Detwiler (reporter) 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 registered a 79-70 victory Saturday night against NC State at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James notched a career-high-tying 23 points for the Vols, pacing all scorers. Junior Zakai Zeigler set season highs in points (20), made field goals (seven), made 3-pointers (four) and minutes (39), while tying his top mark in steals (four). His assist and minutes totals were both the top mark by a Volunteer this season.
THE MATCHUP
• Tarleton State is the second of three teams on Tennessee's schedule this season it has never faced before, alongside Georgia Southern (12/12/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• Picked sixth in the WAC preseason poll after going 17-17 (9-9) and playing in the CBI last year, Tarleton State is 6-1 in its last seven contests.
• Senior forward Jakorie Smith is the Texans' leading scorer, averaging 15.0 ppg and twice putting up 28-plus points.
• This is Tennessee's first meeting against a current WAC member. It has, though, played 11 games against prior WAC schools while they were members, going 7-4, including 3-1 at home. The Vols' last game against a then-WAC school was a 79-62 road win at SMU on 12/6/01 and its last such home game was an 85-76 victory over SMU on 12/7/00.
• Rick Barnes is 14-0 against current WAC schools. He is 9-0 against UT Arlington, 3-0 versus UTRGV and 2-0 against Stephen F. Austin, all while he was at Texas
WIN OVER THE WOLFPACK
• The 79-70 victory against NC State (12/16/23), gave Rick Barnes his 787th win, moving him past Lefty Driesell for sole possession of the No. 15 spot on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years DI).
• With nine points in the triumph, Santiago Vescovi eclipsed 1,400 in his career, becoming just the 23rd Volunteer ever to do so.
• Josiah-Jordan James (5-of-7) and Zakai Zeigler (4-of-8) became the first Tennessee duo to log four- plus made 3-pointers in a contest in over seven years. The last pair to do so was Lamonté Turner (7- of-11) and Jordan Bowden (5-of- 10) on 12/6/16 in a 90-50 home win against Presbyterian.
• Zakai Zeigler, named the Basketball Hall of Fame Series Player of the Game, set season highs in points (20), assists (eight), made field goals (seven), made 3-pointers (four) and minutes (39), while tying his top mark in steals (four).
• Jahmai Mashack recorded season bests in points (11), rebounds (five), assists (four) and made field goals (four).
NEWS & NOTES
• With a win over Tarleton State, Rick Barnes would own victories over 199 different current DI teams as a head coach.
• Josiah-Jordan James is three points away from becoming the 47th player in Tennessee history to reach 1,100 in a career.
• A victory against the Texans would give Tennessee an undefeated (5- 0) record in December. It would mark the third such occurrence for the Volunteers, all in Rick Barnes' tenure, over the past 16 seasons (2008-present), joining Dec. 2018 and Dec. 2020.
• After finishing top-five in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in each of the last three seasons, Tennessee currently ranks fourth in that category.
• The Volunteers are averaging 28.7 deflections per game and have posted 30-plus five times thus far, including 35-plus thrice.
• Per KenPom, Tennessee has played the 11th-hardest schedule in the nation this season, including the second-hardest among Power Six teams, trailing only fifth-place Purdue.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 16, a figure that is eighth nationally. It is also tied for with Arkansas for first among SEC schools in AP top-10 victories with seven, placing co-fifth nationally. UT's five AP top-five wins over that span pace the SEC and are tied for the most of any team in America.
• The seven AP top-10 triumphs during 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) and #10 Texas (1/28/23).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee has played a league-high 30 games against AP Top 25 opponents, going 16-14 (.533). The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span and no other program even has a .500 such mark.
• Tennessee (30), Arkansas (28) and Alabama (27) are the only SEC teams to play over 25 ranked opponents since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in total victories (152) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.717). During that span, the Vols have captured a pair of SEC championships, winning the regular season in 2018 and the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of at least .700, alongside Auburn (.719) and Kentucky (.702).
• In regular season SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (74-33) owns a league-best .706 winning percentage and joins Kentucky (72-35) as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only, 2021-24, UT owns a 60-22 (.732) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team during that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 178 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 132-46 (.742) record. Over 64.0 percent of the Volunteers' games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
• Furthermore, UT owns a 111-41 (.730) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 80-28 (.741) mark while in the top 15, a 60-19 (.759) ledger while in the top 10, a 25-7 (.781) tally while in the top five, a 17-2 (.895) record while in the top three and a 7-1 (.875) mark while ranked No. 1.
• The Vols are 22-20 (.524) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 17-13 (.567) with both teams in the top 20, 9-7 (.562) with both in the top 15 and 6-5 (.545) with both in the top 10.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Memphis, New Mexico, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only seven DI teams with at least four 1,000-point scorers, while just 16 others have even three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,401), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,141) reached the 1K mark on 11/10/23 at Wisconsin in his 69th career outing and his second as a Volunteer. He scored 959 points in 67 games over two seasons at North Colorado.
• Josiah-Jordan James (1,097) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance.
• Jordan Gainey (1,034) entered quadruple digits on 11/29/23 at North Carolina in his 71st collegiate outing and his seventh at Tennessee. He scored 929 points across 64 games in two years at USC Upstate.
• That group owns a combined 4,673 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,168 each.
THE PRESEASON PICK
• Tennessee placed first in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
• This is the fifth time the Volunteers have been picked to win the league since polling began in 1989-90, with each nod coming since the turn of the century in advance of the 2000-01 season. UT's five first- place selections during that time are more than the combined total of every other program in the league except for Kentucky, as Florida (twice) and Alabama (once) are the only schools that have taken the pole position besides the Vols and Wildcats.
• The Volunteers have now been picked first in two of the last four seasons, as their prior such recognitions came in 2020-21, 2008-09, 2007-08 and 2000-01.
• The complete SEC preseason poll can be found below:
    1. Tennessee
    2. Texas A&M
    3. Arkansas
    4. Kentucky
    5. Alabama
    6. Auburn
    7. Mississippi State
    8. Florida
    9. Missouri
    10. Ole Miss
    11. Vanderbilt
    12. Georgia
    13. LSU
    14. South Carolina
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SEC PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler were both Preseason First Team All-SEC picks by the league's head coaches, the lone such teammate duo in the conference. Josiah-Jordan James collected Preseason Second Team All-SEC plaudits, making Tennessee the lone school with three honorees.
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Tarleton State
- Tipoff:Â Thursday, Dec. 21Â | 6:30Â p.m. ET
- Venue:Â Food City Center
- Watch Online:Â SECN+
- Online:Â Listen Live |Â Live Stats
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets Game Day Information Follow @Vol_Hoops SEC ClubhouseTENNESSEE
Roster Schedule Game NotesTARLETON STATE
Roster Schedule Game NotesTHE LATEST FROM THE VOLS
Vols Ascend to No. 8/7 in Polls#12/10 Vols Defeat NC State, 79-70, in San AntonioAidoo Scores 29 in 74-56 Win Over Georgia Southern#17/13 Vols Upend #20/18 Illinois, 86-79Aidoo's Career Night Leads #17/13 Vols Past George Mason, 87-66Fans can catch Thursday's game between the Vols (8-3) and Texans (8-3) on SECN+. Andy Brock (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Sarah Detwiler (reporter) 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 registered a 79-70 victory Saturday night against NC State at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James notched a career-high-tying 23 points for the Vols, pacing all scorers. Junior Zakai Zeigler set season highs in points (20), made field goals (seven), made 3-pointers (four) and minutes (39), while tying his top mark in steals (four). His assist and minutes totals were both the top mark by a Volunteer this season.
THE MATCHUP
• Tarleton State is the second of three teams on Tennessee's schedule this season it has never faced before, alongside Georgia Southern (12/12/23) and Norfolk State (1/2/24).
• Picked sixth in the WAC preseason poll after going 17-17 (9-9) and playing in the CBI last year, Tarleton State is 6-1 in its last seven contests.
• Senior forward Jakorie Smith is the Texans' leading scorer, averaging 15.0 ppg and twice putting up 28-plus points.
• This is Tennessee's first meeting against a current WAC member. It has, though, played 11 games against prior WAC schools while they were members, going 7-4, including 3-1 at home. The Vols' last game against a then-WAC school was a 79-62 road win at SMU on 12/6/01 and its last such home game was an 85-76 victory over SMU on 12/7/00.
• Rick Barnes is 14-0 against current WAC schools. He is 9-0 against UT Arlington, 3-0 versus UTRGV and 2-0 against Stephen F. Austin, all while he was at Texas
WIN OVER THE WOLFPACK
• The 79-70 victory against NC State (12/16/23), gave Rick Barnes his 787th win, moving him past Lefty Driesell for sole possession of the No. 15 spot on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years DI).
• With nine points in the triumph, Santiago Vescovi eclipsed 1,400 in his career, becoming just the 23rd Volunteer ever to do so.
• Josiah-Jordan James (5-of-7) and Zakai Zeigler (4-of-8) became the first Tennessee duo to log four- plus made 3-pointers in a contest in over seven years. The last pair to do so was Lamonté Turner (7- of-11) and Jordan Bowden (5-of- 10) on 12/6/16 in a 90-50 home win against Presbyterian.
• Zakai Zeigler, named the Basketball Hall of Fame Series Player of the Game, set season highs in points (20), assists (eight), made field goals (seven), made 3-pointers (four) and minutes (39), while tying his top mark in steals (four).
• Jahmai Mashack recorded season bests in points (11), rebounds (five), assists (four) and made field goals (four).
NEWS & NOTES
• With a win over Tarleton State, Rick Barnes would own victories over 199 different current DI teams as a head coach.
• Josiah-Jordan James is three points away from becoming the 47th player in Tennessee history to reach 1,100 in a career.
• A victory against the Texans would give Tennessee an undefeated (5- 0) record in December. It would mark the third such occurrence for the Volunteers, all in Rick Barnes' tenure, over the past 16 seasons (2008-present), joining Dec. 2018 and Dec. 2020.
• After finishing top-five in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in each of the last three seasons, Tennessee currently ranks fourth in that category.
• The Volunteers are averaging 28.7 deflections per game and have posted 30-plus five times thus far, including 35-plus thrice.
• Per KenPom, Tennessee has played the 11th-hardest schedule in the nation this season, including the second-hardest among Power Six teams, trailing only fifth-place Purdue.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams in AP top-25 wins with 16, a figure that is eighth nationally. It is also tied for with Arkansas for first among SEC schools in AP top-10 victories with seven, placing co-fifth nationally. UT's five AP top-five wins over that span pace the SEC and are tied for the most of any team in America.
• The seven AP top-10 triumphs during 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) and #10 Texas (1/28/23).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee has played a league-high 30 games against AP Top 25 opponents, going 16-14 (.533). The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span and no other program even has a .500 such mark.
• Tennessee (30), Arkansas (28) and Alabama (27) are the only SEC teams to play over 25 ranked opponents since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in total victories (152) and postseason wins (15), while placing a close second in winning percentage (.717). During that span, the Vols have captured a pair of SEC championships, winning the regular season in 2018 and the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of at least .700, alongside Auburn (.719) and Kentucky (.702).
• In regular season SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (74-33) owns a league-best .706 winning percentage and joins Kentucky (72-35) as the only programs to log at least 70 league victories.
• Over the last three seasons only, 2021-24, UT owns a 60-22 (.732) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team during that span.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 178 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 132-46 (.742) record. Over 64.0 percent of the Volunteers' games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
• Furthermore, UT owns a 111-41 (.730) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes' tenure, an 80-28 (.741) mark while in the top 15, a 60-19 (.759) ledger while in the top 10, a 25-7 (.781) tally while in the top five, a 17-2 (.895) record while in the top three and a 7-1 (.875) mark while ranked No. 1.
• The Vols are 22-20 (.524) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 17-13 (.567) with both teams in the top 20, 9-7 (.562) with both in the top 15 and 6-5 (.545) with both in the top 10.
4x1,000
• Tennessee, Memphis, New Mexico, St. Bonaventure, St. John's (six), TCU (five) and Villanova are the only seven DI teams with at least four 1,000-point scorers, while just 16 others have even three.
• Santiago Vescovi (1,401), the lone Volunteer to enter 2023-24 in quadruple figures, hit that figure on 12/17/22 at Arizona in his 90th contest.
• Dalton Knecht (1,141) reached the 1K mark on 11/10/23 at Wisconsin in his 69th career outing and his second as a Volunteer. He scored 959 points in 67 games over two seasons at North Colorado.
• Josiah-Jordan James (1,097) reached the milestone on 11/14/23 versus Wofford in his 111th appearance.
• Jordan Gainey (1,034) entered quadruple digits on 11/29/23 at North Carolina in his 71st collegiate outing and his seventh at Tennessee. He scored 929 points across 64 games in two years at USC Upstate.
• That group owns a combined 4,673 points at the Division I level, an average of 1,168 each.
THE PRESEASON PICK
• Tennessee placed first in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
• This is the fifth time the Volunteers have been picked to win the league since polling began in 1989-90, with each nod coming since the turn of the century in advance of the 2000-01 season. UT's five first- place selections during that time are more than the combined total of every other program in the league except for Kentucky, as Florida (twice) and Alabama (once) are the only schools that have taken the pole position besides the Vols and Wildcats.
• The Volunteers have now been picked first in two of the last four seasons, as their prior such recognitions came in 2020-21, 2008-09, 2007-08 and 2000-01.
• The complete SEC preseason poll can be found below:
    1. Tennessee
    2. Texas A&M
    3. Arkansas
    4. Kentucky
    5. Alabama
    6. Auburn
    7. Mississippi State
    8. Florida
    9. Missouri
    10. Ole Miss
    11. Vanderbilt
    12. Georgia
    13. LSU
    14. South Carolina
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SEC PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler were both Preseason First Team All-SEC picks by the league's head coaches, the lone such teammate duo in the conference. Josiah-Jordan James collected Preseason Second Team All-SEC plaudits, making Tennessee the lone school with three honorees.
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