NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dropped a 75-62 result Saturday night in a top-15 clash with No. 14/15 Illinois at Bridgestone Arena.
No. 13 Tennessee (7-3) pulled down a season-best 23 offensive rebounds, but fell shy of a third win in as many years versus the Fighting Illini. Senior forward Ja’Kobi Gillespie paced the team with 15 points and a co-game-high five assists in the Music Ciy Madness setback.
Illinois (7-2) had a 6-of-7 shooting stretch midway through the first half that gave it a 9-of-14 start and a 20-14 lead with 9:42 on the timer, while the Volunteers were just 5-of-16 from the field. Tennessee managed to cut the deficit to one on four occasions, but each time the Fighting Illini answered.
The Volunteers pulled even with 1:29 left in the frame on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Bishop Boswell and then, just 38 seconds later, took its first lead since it was 2-0 on a layup by junior forward Cade Phillips. That proved to be the final basket of the half, as Tennessee entered the locker room with a two-point advantage behind a 13-4 advantage on the offensive glass that created a 12-5 margin in second-chance points.
Illinois regained a five-point lead, 42-37, with 16:17 remaining after back-to-back 3-pointers—sandwiched around a Tennessee free throw—by freshman guard Keaton Wagler. The Volunteers went back in front, 49-48, at the 11:03 mark on a dunk by redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, but Illinois countered with a 15-3 run to make it an 11-point game, 63-52, with 6:55 left.
Tennessee scored the next five points to trim the Illinois lead to six with 5:08 left, but junior forward Zvonimir Ivisic answered with a 3-pointer at the other end. Gillespie then hit a long-range shot for the Volunteers, but Ivisic answered with another on the next possession, stretching the cushion back to nine, 69-60, with 3:55 to go. The second shot began an 8-0 burst, helping the Fighting Illini push their margin as high as 14 in the closing minutes.
Gillespie finished as the lone Volunteer with double-digit points. Freshman forward Nate Ament had nine, while senior guard Amaree Abram had eight and sophomore guard Bishop Boswell had seven to go along with a co-team-best seven rebounds.
Wagler and junior center Tomislav Ivisic had 16 points apiece for the Fighting Illini, with the former notching a game-leading eight rebounds and a co-game-high five assists. Senior guard Kylan Boswell scored 15 points and freshman forward David Mirkovic added 10 points.
Tennessee concluded the affair with a 46-31 tally on the glass, but Illinois shot 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from 3-point range.
After nine days without a game, the Volunteers resume play Dec. 16 when they host sixth-ranked Louisville at 7 p.m., live on ESPN from Food City Center.
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
• The Volunteers are now 4-2 in their all-time series with Illinois, which includes meetings in each of the last three years.
• Tennessee and Illinois’ three clashes over the last three seasons are in three different locations, with the Volunteers winning the previous two.
• The Fighting Illini are the second straight opponent for the Volunteers whom they have played in three straight seasons in non-conference action, following Syracuse.
• Tennessee dropped to 37-45 all-time against Big Ten competition, including 10-9 in the 11-year tenure of head coach Rick Barnes, who has defeated nine different programs from the league in that time.
• The Volunteers fell to 3-1 against Big Ten schools over the last two seasons, with all four games away from home.
• Tennessee dropped to 21-15 all-time at Bridgestone Arena, including 8-3 in its regular season matchups there.
• The Volunteers played four games at Bridgestone Arena in 2025 and posted a 2-2 record, as they previously went 2-1 in the 2024-25 SEC Tournament, falling in the title game.
• Over its last 35 games versus AP top-15 opponents—the stretch dates to Dec. 22, 2021—Tennessee possesses a 23-12 record, including a 10-7 ledger in non-conference play and 8-6 against non-SEC teams.
• The Volunteers fell to 20-16 in AP top-15 matchups in Barnes’ tenure, including 19-13 since March 2, 2019, and 20-13 in regulation contests.
• This is the first time Tennessee has dropped three games in a row since Nov. 21-29, 2023, with that stretch—it came during a season the Volunteers went on to win the SEC regular season title and reach the Elite Eight—also featuring one matchup each against ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten schools, with two at neutral sites and one on the road.
• Tennessee has now played five consecutive games away from home, all against Power Five competition.
• Illinois did not take a single free throw in the first half, plus had fewer total rebounds (11) than Tennessee had offensive rebounds (13).
• The Fighting Illini logged their first free-throw attempts of the contest with 13:14 remaining in the second half.
• The Volunteers have now pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in each of their first 10 games of 2025-26, with 13-plus in eight, 15-plus in six, 18-plus in three and 20-plus in two.
• Tennessee’s 23 offensive rebounds set a new season high, eclipsing the 20 it had in a Nov. 12 victory over North Florida.
• The last time the Volunteers had 23-plus offensive boards in a game was Jan. 4, 2025, when they grabbed 24 in a home win over Arkansas.
