University of Tennessee Athletics
Tuesday, February 3
Knoxville, TN
7 PM ET
University of Tennessee
16-6,6-3SEC
84
vs
66
Ole Miss
11-11,3-6SEC
1
2
F
Ole Miss
25
41
66
Tennessee
26
58
84
#25/RV Vols Thrash Ole Miss, 84-66, Behind 28 Points from Ament
February 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team used a dominant second half to collect an 84-66 victory Tuesday night over Ole Miss at Food City Center, its fourth straight win.
Despite playing without seniors Amaree Abram (illness) and Felix Okpara (injury), No. 25/RV Tennessee (16-6, 6-3 SEC) trailed for just 78 seconds and built a lead as high as 27. Freshman forward Nate Ament led all scorers with 28 points in the triumph, 26 of which he poured in after halftime.
The Volunteers used an early 9-0 run, over just 1:52, to claim a 12-5 advantage after just 5:29 of play, with redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella scoring half their points on 3-of-3 shooting, including hitting a pair of putbacks. Tennessee upped the edge to nine, 18-9, at the 12:18 mark after five consecutive made field goals, three of which came from beyond the arc.
Ole Miss (11-12, 3-6 SEC) countered with eight points in a row over 2:25 to trim the margin to one, 18-17, with 9:21 left in the stanza. Tennessee upped it back to six, but then gave up the last five points of the half to make it 26-25 at the intermission.
Although the Volunteers followed their 7-of-11 start from the field with a 2-of-16 stretch that included six straight misses over 6:30, they did not concede the lead. Neither side made greater than a third of its first-half field goals, but Tennessee shot 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from deep and allowed just a 31.3 percent (5-of-16) ledger at the other end, plus had an 8-2 cushion in fast-break points.
The home team steadily increased its lead throughout the second half until reached 13 points, 55-42, on a second-chance 3-pointer by Ament with 9:25 remaining. That long-range make came during a stretch of 3:23 in which Tennessee held the Rebels without a made field goal.
Ole Miss twice pulled within 10, but Tennessee used a 7-1 run—it featured five points from Ament—in just 43 seconds to claim a then-game-best 16-point lead, 65-49, with 7:06 to play. The teams split the next four points, after which Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard received two technical fouls and got ejected. That led to a six-point possession for Tennessee—three points at the line from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and a three-point play by Ament—to stretch the advantage to 22, 73-51, with 5:54 to go.
The Volunteers, though, were not done yet. After an Ole Miss free throw, Ament drilled a 3-pointer—the team's sixth straight made field goal—and then freshman guard Amari Evans hit two free throws, after which Ament hit one more to make it a 14-1 spurt in 2:13 to put Tennessee ahead by 27, 79-52, with 4:27 left.
The lead remained 23 with under two minutes to go, but the Rebels—they made their last four field goals and final three free throws—logged seven of the last nine points to make it an 18-point decision.
Ament added six rebounds and four assists, the latter his most in an SEC game, to go along with the second-highest point total of his career. He made his first seven attempts from both the field and the line in the second half, en route to finishing 8-of-10 in both areas in the second session.
The 26 second-half points for Ament marked the most by a Tennessee player in any frame in nearly two years, since Feb. 28, 2024.
Gillespie, who went 5-of-10 from 3-point range, gave the Volunteers a pair of 20-point scorers, as he had that exact count. He reached that number for the 11th time this season.
Estrella totaled 12 points and a game-best nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Bishop Boswell stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, a game-high five assists and a game-best three steals. The assists mark set a new personal best in SEC play and put him one shy of his overall top tally, while the steals figure tied his career high.
Freshman guard Patton Pinkins and senior guard A.J. Storr co-led Ole Miss with 15 points apiece. Senior guard Ilias Kamardine chipped in 11 points, while sophomore guard Eduardo Klafke added 10.
The Volunteers' 58 second-half points marked their third-most in any frame in the 11-year tenure of Rick Barnes, who reclaimed sole possession of first place on the active wins list (min. 10 years in Division I) with the 852nd victory of his career.
Tennessee shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from deep and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) at the line in the final 20 minutes. It also finished the game with a 16-6 margin in fast-break points and an 18-9 tally in points off turnovers, despite committing just one fewer (eight) than it forced (nine).
The Volunteers now head to Lexington, Ky., where they meet Kentucky at Rupp Arena, with action slated for Saturday at 8:30 p.m., live on ESPN.
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
• Barnes now owns 852 victories in his career, surpassing John Calipari for sole possession of first among all active Division I head coaches and for ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• The Volunteers improved to 80-46 in their all-time series with Ole Miss, now sitting 34 games over .500 versus the Rebels.
• Ole Miss is the fifth team Tennessee has defeated 80-plus times, alongside Vanderbilt (132), Georgia (101), Mississippi State (91), Auburn (83) and Florida (82).
• Tennessee moved to 10-2 in its last 12 games with Ole Miss—that stretch dates to Feb. 3, 2018—after going 1-6 in the prior seven.
• The Volunteers are now 22-8 against the SEC's two Mississippi schools—that includes a 10-3 record since 2021-22—under the leadership of Barnes, who is 25-8 versus those teams in his career.
• As announced prior to tip-off, senior guard Amaree Abram, one of four Volunteers to play in each of the first 21 games of the season, did not play due to flu-like symptoms.
• In addition, senior forward Felix Okpara missed his second consecutive game with a left calf injury, after starting his first 58 contests at Tennessee.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 21 of 22 games this year, with 15-plus in 14 outings, 17-plus eight times and 20-plus on five occasions, with a high of 26.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 19 of 22 contests, with 40-plus in 13, 42-plus in 12, 46-plus in 10 and 50-plus in six, with a top tally of 60.
• Tennessee's 26 first-half points marked its fewest in a frame this year, as its prior low was 28, recorded three times.
• Beard became the first coach ejected in a Tennessee game, for either side, since Georgia's Mark Fox almost exactly 14 years ago, on Feb. 4, 2012.
• The Volunteers' 58 points after the break marked their second-highest in any session this season, trailing only the 64 they scored in the second half Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State.
• The last time Tennessee scored 50-plus points in a half in SEC play was Feb. 15, 2025, when it notched 50 after the break against Vanderbilt.
• Tennessee, which posted its seventh 50-point half of the year, has now scored 50-plus points in a half 22 times in the past three seasons (2023-26) after doing so 11 total times in the prior four campaigns (2019-23) combined.
• The last time Tennessee scored at least 58 points in a half versus an SEC foe was exactly eight years ago, when it notched 59 after the intermission against Ole Miss.
• The 58 second-half points marked the third-highest total for Tennessee in any half in the Barnes era, trailing just the 64 in the second half against South Carolina State on Dec. 30, 2025, and the 59 in the second half against Ole Miss on Feb. 3, 2018.
• The last time Tennessee had two 20-point scorers was Jan. 24 at Alabama, also with Ament (29) and Gillespie (24) hitting that mark.
• Ament scored 17-plus points for the 13th time this season, including reaching that number for the seventh consecutive game.
• Ament amassed his seventh 20-point performance of the season, hitting that figure for the fourth time in the last six games.
• The 28 points for Ament put him just one shy of the carer-high 29 he scored Jan. 24 in a road win at Alabama.
• Ament now owns two of the five 28-point showings by a Tennessee freshman over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), as Jaden Springer (Feb. 10, 2021, versus Georgia) and Grant Williams (both Feb. 11, 2017, versus Georgia and Dec. 15, 2016, versus Lipscomb) are the only others to do so.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), Ament is now one of just 24 SEC freshmen with multiple 28-point performances in a single campaign, including one of only 15 to do it twice in conference play.
• The other 14 SEC freshmen with at least two 28-point games in league competition over the last 20 years are as follows: Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (2025-26), Texas' Tre Johnson (four in 2024-25), Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard (three in 2023-24), Alabama's Brandon Miller (three in 2022-23), Auburn's Jabari Smith (2021-22), Auburn's Sharife Cooper (2020-21), Arkansas' Moses Moody (three in 2020-21), LSU's Cameron Thomas (four in 2020-21), Georgia's Anthony Edwards (three in 2019-20), Alabama's Jaden Shackelford (2019-20), Kentucky's Malik Monk (three in 2016-17), LSU's Antonio Blakeney (2015-16), LSU's Ben Simmons (2015-16) and Kentucky's Jamal Murray (three in 2015-16).
• Ament notched just the third instance over the last two seasons (2024-26) of an SEC freshman scoring 28-plus points on 60-plus percent field-goal shooting in a league contest, joining Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (Jan. 24, 2026, versus LSU) and Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears (March 5, 2025, versus Missouri).
• Ament's 26 second-half points marked the top figure in any half by a Tennessee player since Dalton Knecht dropped 27 after the break on Feb. 28, 2024, versus Auburn.
• The last time a Volunteer scored even 25-plus points in a half was when Chaz Lanier did so in the first half on Nov. 22, 2024, against Baylor in Nassau, Bahamas.
• The prior season-high single-half point total by a Volunteer this season was 23 by Gillespie, who achieved it before the break against Rutgers in a Nov. 24 matchup in Las Vegas.
• Additionally, the previous top figure in the second half by a Tennessee player in 2024-25 was 20 by Gillespie in a Dec. 16 game versus Louisville.
• Ament's 9-of-15 clip from the field put him just one off his career high of 10 makes he recorded Jan. 24 at Alabama, when he shot 10-of-20.
• Boswell recorded double-digit points for the fourth time as a collegian, including the third in Tennessee's last six outings.
• Boswell posted the third five-assist outing of his career, including the first in SEC play, as his prior high in conference action was three on six occasions, most recently three days ago versus Auburn.
• The three steals for Boswell set a new high in SEC play and tied his career best, matching the marks he set in back-to-back-to-back days in the Players Era Men's Championship in Las Vegas from Nov. 24-26, respectively against Rutgers, Houston and Kansas.Â
• Gillespie scored 20-plus points for the 25th time in his career, including the 11th this season and fourth time in the last five games.
Despite playing without seniors Amaree Abram (illness) and Felix Okpara (injury), No. 25/RV Tennessee (16-6, 6-3 SEC) trailed for just 78 seconds and built a lead as high as 27. Freshman forward Nate Ament led all scorers with 28 points in the triumph, 26 of which he poured in after halftime.
The Volunteers used an early 9-0 run, over just 1:52, to claim a 12-5 advantage after just 5:29 of play, with redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella scoring half their points on 3-of-3 shooting, including hitting a pair of putbacks. Tennessee upped the edge to nine, 18-9, at the 12:18 mark after five consecutive made field goals, three of which came from beyond the arc.
Ole Miss (11-12, 3-6 SEC) countered with eight points in a row over 2:25 to trim the margin to one, 18-17, with 9:21 left in the stanza. Tennessee upped it back to six, but then gave up the last five points of the half to make it 26-25 at the intermission.
Although the Volunteers followed their 7-of-11 start from the field with a 2-of-16 stretch that included six straight misses over 6:30, they did not concede the lead. Neither side made greater than a third of its first-half field goals, but Tennessee shot 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from deep and allowed just a 31.3 percent (5-of-16) ledger at the other end, plus had an 8-2 cushion in fast-break points.
The home team steadily increased its lead throughout the second half until reached 13 points, 55-42, on a second-chance 3-pointer by Ament with 9:25 remaining. That long-range make came during a stretch of 3:23 in which Tennessee held the Rebels without a made field goal.
Ole Miss twice pulled within 10, but Tennessee used a 7-1 run—it featured five points from Ament—in just 43 seconds to claim a then-game-best 16-point lead, 65-49, with 7:06 to play. The teams split the next four points, after which Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard received two technical fouls and got ejected. That led to a six-point possession for Tennessee—three points at the line from senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and a three-point play by Ament—to stretch the advantage to 22, 73-51, with 5:54 to go.
The Volunteers, though, were not done yet. After an Ole Miss free throw, Ament drilled a 3-pointer—the team's sixth straight made field goal—and then freshman guard Amari Evans hit two free throws, after which Ament hit one more to make it a 14-1 spurt in 2:13 to put Tennessee ahead by 27, 79-52, with 4:27 left.
The lead remained 23 with under two minutes to go, but the Rebels—they made their last four field goals and final three free throws—logged seven of the last nine points to make it an 18-point decision.
Ament added six rebounds and four assists, the latter his most in an SEC game, to go along with the second-highest point total of his career. He made his first seven attempts from both the field and the line in the second half, en route to finishing 8-of-10 in both areas in the second session.
The 26 second-half points for Ament marked the most by a Tennessee player in any frame in nearly two years, since Feb. 28, 2024.
Gillespie, who went 5-of-10 from 3-point range, gave the Volunteers a pair of 20-point scorers, as he had that exact count. He reached that number for the 11th time this season.
Estrella totaled 12 points and a game-best nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Bishop Boswell stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, a game-high five assists and a game-best three steals. The assists mark set a new personal best in SEC play and put him one shy of his overall top tally, while the steals figure tied his career high.
Freshman guard Patton Pinkins and senior guard A.J. Storr co-led Ole Miss with 15 points apiece. Senior guard Ilias Kamardine chipped in 11 points, while sophomore guard Eduardo Klafke added 10.
The Volunteers' 58 second-half points marked their third-most in any frame in the 11-year tenure of Rick Barnes, who reclaimed sole possession of first place on the active wins list (min. 10 years in Division I) with the 852nd victory of his career.
Tennessee shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the field, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from deep and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) at the line in the final 20 minutes. It also finished the game with a 16-6 margin in fast-break points and an 18-9 tally in points off turnovers, despite committing just one fewer (eight) than it forced (nine).
The Volunteers now head to Lexington, Ky., where they meet Kentucky at Rupp Arena, with action slated for Saturday at 8:30 p.m., live on ESPN.
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
• Barnes now owns 852 victories in his career, surpassing John Calipari for sole possession of first among all active Division I head coaches and for ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• The Volunteers improved to 80-46 in their all-time series with Ole Miss, now sitting 34 games over .500 versus the Rebels.
• Ole Miss is the fifth team Tennessee has defeated 80-plus times, alongside Vanderbilt (132), Georgia (101), Mississippi State (91), Auburn (83) and Florida (82).
• Tennessee moved to 10-2 in its last 12 games with Ole Miss—that stretch dates to Feb. 3, 2018—after going 1-6 in the prior seven.
• The Volunteers are now 22-8 against the SEC's two Mississippi schools—that includes a 10-3 record since 2021-22—under the leadership of Barnes, who is 25-8 versus those teams in his career.
• As announced prior to tip-off, senior guard Amaree Abram, one of four Volunteers to play in each of the first 21 games of the season, did not play due to flu-like symptoms.
• In addition, senior forward Felix Okpara missed his second consecutive game with a left calf injury, after starting his first 58 contests at Tennessee.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 21 of 22 games this year, with 15-plus in 14 outings, 17-plus eight times and 20-plus on five occasions, with a high of 26.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 19 of 22 contests, with 40-plus in 13, 42-plus in 12, 46-plus in 10 and 50-plus in six, with a top tally of 60.
• Tennessee's 26 first-half points marked its fewest in a frame this year, as its prior low was 28, recorded three times.
• Beard became the first coach ejected in a Tennessee game, for either side, since Georgia's Mark Fox almost exactly 14 years ago, on Feb. 4, 2012.
• The Volunteers' 58 points after the break marked their second-highest in any session this season, trailing only the 64 they scored in the second half Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State.
• The last time Tennessee scored 50-plus points in a half in SEC play was Feb. 15, 2025, when it notched 50 after the break against Vanderbilt.
• Tennessee, which posted its seventh 50-point half of the year, has now scored 50-plus points in a half 22 times in the past three seasons (2023-26) after doing so 11 total times in the prior four campaigns (2019-23) combined.
• The last time Tennessee scored at least 58 points in a half versus an SEC foe was exactly eight years ago, when it notched 59 after the intermission against Ole Miss.
• The 58 second-half points marked the third-highest total for Tennessee in any half in the Barnes era, trailing just the 64 in the second half against South Carolina State on Dec. 30, 2025, and the 59 in the second half against Ole Miss on Feb. 3, 2018.
• The last time Tennessee had two 20-point scorers was Jan. 24 at Alabama, also with Ament (29) and Gillespie (24) hitting that mark.
• Ament scored 17-plus points for the 13th time this season, including reaching that number for the seventh consecutive game.
• Ament amassed his seventh 20-point performance of the season, hitting that figure for the fourth time in the last six games.
• The 28 points for Ament put him just one shy of the carer-high 29 he scored Jan. 24 in a road win at Alabama.
• Ament now owns two of the five 28-point showings by a Tennessee freshman over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), as Jaden Springer (Feb. 10, 2021, versus Georgia) and Grant Williams (both Feb. 11, 2017, versus Georgia and Dec. 15, 2016, versus Lipscomb) are the only others to do so.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), Ament is now one of just 24 SEC freshmen with multiple 28-point performances in a single campaign, including one of only 15 to do it twice in conference play.
• The other 14 SEC freshmen with at least two 28-point games in league competition over the last 20 years are as follows: Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (2025-26), Texas' Tre Johnson (four in 2024-25), Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard (three in 2023-24), Alabama's Brandon Miller (three in 2022-23), Auburn's Jabari Smith (2021-22), Auburn's Sharife Cooper (2020-21), Arkansas' Moses Moody (three in 2020-21), LSU's Cameron Thomas (four in 2020-21), Georgia's Anthony Edwards (three in 2019-20), Alabama's Jaden Shackelford (2019-20), Kentucky's Malik Monk (three in 2016-17), LSU's Antonio Blakeney (2015-16), LSU's Ben Simmons (2015-16) and Kentucky's Jamal Murray (three in 2015-16).
• Ament notched just the third instance over the last two seasons (2024-26) of an SEC freshman scoring 28-plus points on 60-plus percent field-goal shooting in a league contest, joining Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. (Jan. 24, 2026, versus LSU) and Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears (March 5, 2025, versus Missouri).
• Ament's 26 second-half points marked the top figure in any half by a Tennessee player since Dalton Knecht dropped 27 after the break on Feb. 28, 2024, versus Auburn.
• The last time a Volunteer scored even 25-plus points in a half was when Chaz Lanier did so in the first half on Nov. 22, 2024, against Baylor in Nassau, Bahamas.
• The prior season-high single-half point total by a Volunteer this season was 23 by Gillespie, who achieved it before the break against Rutgers in a Nov. 24 matchup in Las Vegas.
• Additionally, the previous top figure in the second half by a Tennessee player in 2024-25 was 20 by Gillespie in a Dec. 16 game versus Louisville.
• Ament's 9-of-15 clip from the field put him just one off his career high of 10 makes he recorded Jan. 24 at Alabama, when he shot 10-of-20.
• Boswell recorded double-digit points for the fourth time as a collegian, including the third in Tennessee's last six outings.
• Boswell posted the third five-assist outing of his career, including the first in SEC play, as his prior high in conference action was three on six occasions, most recently three days ago versus Auburn.
• The three steals for Boswell set a new high in SEC play and tied his career best, matching the marks he set in back-to-back-to-back days in the Players Era Men's Championship in Las Vegas from Nov. 24-26, respectively against Rutgers, Houston and Kansas.Â
• Gillespie scored 20-plus points for the 25th time in his career, including the 11th this season and fourth time in the last five games.
Team Stats
UM
UT
FG%
.423
.448
3FG%
.360
.375
FT%
.619
.676
RB
23
40
TO
9
8
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
8
Pts
20
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballMBB | Highlights: Tennessee 84, Ole Miss 66
Tuesday, February 03
MBB Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Ole Miss (2.3.26)
Tuesday, February 03
MBB | Nate Ament & J.P. Estrella Postgame vs. Ole Miss (2.3.26)
Tuesday, February 03
MBB | Ole Miss Postgame (2.3.26)
Tuesday, February 03
