University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Montana
Hoops Central: #11/9 Tennessee vs. Montana
November 12, 2024 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off a convincing 22-point road triumph at Louisville Saturday, the 11th-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team returns home for a meeting with the Montana Grizzlies Wednesday night at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Montana Grizzlies
- Tipoff:Â Wednesday, Nov. 13Â | 7Â p.m. ET
- Venue:Â Food City Center
- Watch Online:Â SEC Network+
- Online:Â Listen Live |Â Live Stats
RELATED LINKS
Buy Tickets Game Day Information Follow @Vol_Hoops SEC ClubhouseTENNESSEE
Roster Schedule Game NotesMONTANA
Roster Schedule Game NotesTHE LATEST FROM THE VOLS
Vols Ascend to No. 11/9 in National Polls #12 Vols Roll to 77-55 Wire-to-Wire Road Win at Louisville Men's Basketball Games vs. Kentucky and Alabama Games Sold Out #12 Vols Defeat Gardner-Webb, 80-64, in Season Opener Zeigler Voted a Preseason First Team All-SEC Pick by League's CoachesFans can catch Wednesday's game between the Volunteers and Grizzlies on SECN+. Andy Brock (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.
THE MATCHUP
• Montana is the only definite team on Tennessee's 2024-25 schedule it has never played before. The Volunteers could also face Baylor for the first time Nov. 22 in the Baha Mar Championship.
• Coming off a 24-12 (12-6) showing in 2023-24 that included a CBI second-round berth, Montana was picked first in the Big Sky preseason poll by the league's coaches and second by the media.
• The Grizzlies are led by senior guard Kai Johnson's 16.3 ppg, while graduate guard Brandon Whitney was a Preseason All-Big Sky selection.
• Tennessee is just 3-0 all-time versus current Big Sky schools: 2-0 against Montana State (12/19/69 and 12/16/83) and 1-0 versus Idaho State (11/24/84).
• The Vols' only game in the last 39 seasons against a then-Big Sky school was on 11/17/98, an 83-64 win over Cal State Northridge, which is now in the Big West.
• The Big Sky is the only league in the country without a team Rick Barnes has ever coached against in his 38-year career.
NEWS & NOTES
• Montana junior forward Jalen Foy is a transfer from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., the same school VFL Dalton Knecht, the 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year, attended from 2019-21.
• In Tennessee's first two games, it led for 78 of a possible 80 minutes and did not trail for even a second.
• Sophomore forward Cade Phillips has played 41 minutes in the Volunteers' first two games after totaling 78 minutes during his entire freshman campaign in 2023-24. He is 6-of-9 from the field this year after going 2-of-3 last season.
• Tennessee is 29-0 in home non- conference games over the last five seasons. Only two other schools, Texas Tech (33-0) and Baylor (29-0), have that many such wins with zero losses over that time period
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Volunteers' 29-game non-conference home winning streak is tied with Connecticut and Providence for the eighth-longest active streak in the nation. More information can found on Page 5.
• Zakai Zeigler entered the top five on UT's career steals list in the season opener. He needs three assists to enter the top five on that leaderboard, too. Full lists can be found on Page 9.
• Rick Barnes (204-101) is one win away from passing Don DeVoe (204-137 from 1978-89) for sole possession of second place on UT's all-time leaderboard.
• The 173 wins for Tennessee over the last eight years (2017-25) rank co-eighth nationally alongside Liberty and Saint Mary's. Only Gonzaga (215), Houston (209), Kansas (193), Duke (187), Purdue (184), San Diego State (178) and Virginia (177) have more.
• Tennessee claimed the outright SEC regular season title and made the Elite Eight in 2023-24, finishing 27-9. It marked the the third time in the last six years (2018-24) under Rick Barnes UT won 27-plus games. It hit that tally just twice before his arrival.
• The Volunteers finished fifth in KenPom, the Coaches Poll and AP Poll last season, setting or tying a program record in each category.
TENNESSEE TABBED THIRD
• Tennessee placed third in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of league and national media members.
• Only the two Yellowhammer State schools, Alabama and Auburn, finished above Tennessee in the voting.
• This is the third straight year the Volunteers took a top-three position in the preseason media poll, the only school that can make such a claim. Tennessee held the top spot in 2023-24 and indeed went on to win the league title. In 2022-23, UT took third-place in the voting.
• Tennessee has claimed a top-five spot in the preseason media poll seven consecutive years, dating back to the 2018-19 edition.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (173) and is tied for first in postseason victories (18), while placing a narrow second in winning percentage (.724). In that span, UT has three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, as well as the 2022 tournament.
• In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only two SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of over .700, alongside Auburn (.726).
• 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.
• Over just the last four seasons (2021-25), UT owns an 81-28 (.7431) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn ranks second at 78-27 (.7429) during that time.
• In that same four-year span, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.
PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Zakai Zeigler collected Preseason First Team All-SEC recognition from the media, alongside Auburn's Johni Broome, Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., Alabama's Mark Sears and Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV.
• In addition, Zeigler was one of five individuals to earn votes for SEC Preseason Player of the Year, joining Sears (the designee), Broome, Taylor and Georgia's Asa Newell.
• This is the third year in a row Zeigler, a second-team choice in advance of both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 campaigns, garnered Preseason All-SEC honors from the media. He is the fourth such three-time selection in UT history, joining Allan Houston (first team in each of 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93), Tony Harris (first team in each 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01) and Tyler Smith (second team in 2007-08, first team in both 2008-09 and 2009-10).
• The league's coaches also labeled Zeigler a Preseason First Team All-SEC choice, placing him alongside the same four players. It marked his third consecutive year receiving that distinction, the only such player in the league.
• Zeigler earned Preseason Second Team All-America plaudits from the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The other second-team choices were Broome, Taylor, Duke's Cooper Flagg and Purdue's Braden Smith. He was named a Preseason Third Team All-American by ESPN's Jay Bilas.
• After finishing as a Midseason Top 10 List selection last year, Zakai Zeigler was named to the Bob Cousy Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List this season. In addition, Chaz Lanier earned a spot on the Jerry West Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List.
• Zeigler also earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List. He was one of nine SEC players to make the cut.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 205 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes' tenure, posting a 153-52 (.746) record. Over 67.0 percent of the Volunteers' 305 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (205 of 239, 85.8 percent).
• UT is 132-47 (.737) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 101-34 (.748) 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 28-22 (.560) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 22-15 (.595) with both teams in the top 20, 13-9 (.591) with both in the top 15 and 7-6 (.538) with both in the top 10.
1K CLUB
• Tennessee has three with over 1,000 points, each of whom entered the season above that mark, and another who is just 53 away from quadruple digits.
• Darlinstone Dubar owns 1,359 points in 116 outings, good for 11.7 ppg across four seasons.
• Jordan Gainey possesses 1,200 points in 102 contests, an average of 11.8 ppg over four years.
• Zakai Zeigler has 1,084 points in 103 appearances, giving him a 10.5 ppg average in four seasons.
• Chaz Lanier is closing in on 1,000 points, as he owns 966 points in 106 outings, a 9.1 ppg ledger across five campaigns.
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).
• The Volunteers posted 20-plus assists 11 times in 2023-24 and reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
• Tennessee recorded 20-plus assists 23 times in 2021-22, logging 25-plus on 10 occasions, with a high of 29 versus USC Upstate (12/14/21).
