KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No.18/17 Tennessee men’s basketball team is set to open the 2025-26 slate at Food City Center Monday as it hosts the Mercer Bears. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can stream Monday’s game on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Myan Patel (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (color) and Sarah Detwiler (reporter) will have the call.
Fans state-wide can tune in to their local Vol Network radio affiliate to hear New Voice of the Vols Mike Keith and analyst John Wilkerson depict the action.
Tennessee is coming off an exceptional 2024-25 campaign which included 30 victories, a fifth-place finish in the AP Poll, 10 AP top-25 wins–a program record—and a Trip to the Elite Eight. The Vols spent the entire season in the AP top-12, including Five weeks at No. 1 to match their prior all-time total.
The Vols dropped an Oct. 26 preseason matchup against Duke in Food City Center, 83-76. Senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie paced the home team with 19 points and a game-best eight assists in the hard-fought defeat.
THE MATCHUP
• Tennessee is 4-1 in its last five games against the Bears after starting 0-3. The three seriesopening losses were all between 1913 and 1924, including the lone two series games in Macon, Ga.
• This is the sixth time in the last seven meetings the teams are playing in Knoxville. The lone exception was an 83-63 UT win on 3/23/14 in Raleigh, N.C., in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
• Tennessee and Mercer played three straight seasons from 2012- 13 to 2014-15. The first matchup was in the NIT, the second in the NCAA Tournament and the third in the regular season.
• This is the ninth series meeting between the two sides and the first with either team ranked.
• Coming off a 14-19 (6-12) year in 2024-25, Mercer placed eighth in the SoCon preseason poll.
• With its top five scorers gone from last season, sophomore guard Brady Shoulders is Mercer’s leading returnee at 5.8 ppg.
• UT is 100-17 all-time against the current SoCon membership. Rick Barnes is 26-1 in such games
NEWS & NOTES
• The Vols fell to #6/5 Duke, 83-76, in a season-opening exhibition. Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 19 points and eight assists, while Nate Ament had 14 points and 10 boards. • UT’s 10 AP top-25 wins and seven AP top-15 victories last year set school records. Its four AP top-10 triumphs—all were over top-seven foes—tied a program best.
• Tennessee, Alabama and Houston are the only schools to make the last three Sweet 16s. Tennessee, Alabama and Duke are the only three in the last two Elite Eights.
• UT is coming off its second fifthplace KenPom finish in a row. It was sixth in 2022-23 and ninth in 2021-22. Before these four years, the Vols’ best mark in the KenPom era (since 1996-97) was No. 10 in 2018-19 and 2013-14.
• The Vols also finished fifth in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll for the second consecutive season, tying the program best set/tied just one year prior. They were in the AP top 12 all year, with 18 straight top-eight nods to end the year. UT was in the top five 11 times and held the No. 1 spot for five weeks
• The Volunteers are 35-3 (.921) all-time in home openers at Food City Center, dating to 1987-88. They are 32-1 (.970) over their last 33 such games, including 9-1 (.900) under Rick Barnes. The average attendance in the 37 non-COVID-season home openers is 16,813, with eight over 20,000.
• Last season was the first time UT won 30-plus games and made the Elite Eight in the same year.
• Tennessee was picked third in the SEC media preseason poll. It marked the Volunteers’ fourth straight top-three selection—no other school has even a two-year streak—and eighth consecutive top-five pick.
• With 836 wins, Rick Barnes leads active DI coaches and ranks ninth all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• Tennessee’s 201 victories over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank seventh in DI. Only Houston (243), Gonzaga (239), Duke (220), Kansas (212), Purdue (206) and Auburn (202) own more. After the Vols, the rest of the top 10 is Saint Mary’s (200), Liberty (199), Drake (198) and San Diego State (198).
WINNING WAYS • Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in postseason victories (23), plus sits a close second in total victories and overall winning percentage with a 201-74 (.731) mark. In that period, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same span, the Vols are one of two SEC teams with 190-plus wins or an overall winning percentage above .700, alongside Auburn (202-71; .740).
• Over SEC play across the same eight-year period, Tennessee (98-45; .685) is first in league victories and league winning percentage. Only Kentucky (97- 46; .678), Auburn (96-48; .667) and Alabama (91- 53; .632) are also at 85-plus wins and/or a .600 clip.
• In just the last four seasons (2021-25), the Vols own a 109-36 (.752) overall record. That is good for the most wins and the second-best winning percentage in the SEC, ahead of Auburn (108-33; .766) in the former and closely behind it in the latter.
• In that same four-year span, Tennessee (51-21; .708) is co-second, alongside Alabama (51-21; .708), in the SEC in both league victories and league winning percentage. It is behind only Auburn (53-19; .736).
TENNESSEE TABBED THRID
• Tennessee placed third in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of league and national media members.
• Only Florida, the reigning NCAA champion, and Kentucky finished above Tennessee in the voting. • This was the fourth straight year the Volunteers took a top-three position in the media poll. UT was picked third in 2024-25, first in 2023-24 (it won the league) and third in 2022-23. No other school has a streak of even two years or greater than two total nods across those four campaigns.
• Tennessee has received a top-five position in the preseason media poll eight consecutive years, dating back to the 2018-19 edition. That is the longest streak in the league, with only Alabama (six) and Arkansas (five) also owning an active mark of even two.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 241 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Barnes’ tenure, posting a 181-60 (.751) record. Over 70.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 341 games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (241 of 275, 87.6 percent).
• UT is 159-55 (.743) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 128-42 (.753) while top-15, 102-33 (.756) while top-10, 50-15 (.769) while top-five, 25-3 (.893) while top-three and 14-2 (.875) while No. 1.
• The Vols are 38-28 (.576) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 30-21 (.588) with both teams in the top 20, 20-15 (.571) with both in the top 15 and 11-10 (.524) with both in the top 10.
PRESEASON PLAUDITS
•Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie were both named Preseason Second Team All-SEC selections by the media, alongside Florida’s Boogie Fland, Florida’s Thomas Haugh and Missouri’s Mark Mitchell. The Volunteers and Gators were the only teams with multiple first- or second-team designees.
• In addition, Ament was one of eight individuals to earn votes for SEC Preseason Player of the Year, joining Kentucky’s Otega Oweh (honoree), Florida’s Alex Condon, Ole Miss’ Malik Dia, Florida’s Boogie Fland, Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard and Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford.
• Ament garnered Preseason Third Team All-America recognition from the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. Duke’s Cameron Boozer, BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson (all second-team picks) were the only other freshmen on any of the four teams.
