NASHVILLE – The No. 25/RV Tennessee men’s basketball team (22-10, 11-7) is set to continue the 2025-26 slate Thursday, as it takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores (24-7, 11-7) in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Fans can watch Friday’s game on ESPN and stream on the ESPN App. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (color) and Alyssa Lang (reporter) will have the call.
Fans state-wide can tune in to their local Vol Network radio affiliate to hear Voice of the Vols Mike Keith and analyst Chris Lofton depict the action.
THE MATCHUP
• UT’s 133 wins over Vanderbilt are its most versus any team. Georgia (101) is the only other program it has defeated triple-digit times.
• The Volunteers are 15-3 in their last 18 games against Vanderbilt, since 1/9/18. All three defeats were by four points or fewer, including two on the road by one.
• The Vols are 9-1 versus Vanderbilt in SEC Tournament play, with five straight wins. That includes a 3-0 ledger in Tennessee, with a 2-0 tally in Nashville. The 9-1 mark is Tennessee’s best against any foe it has played multiple times.
• Both regular season clashes were decided by four, with each team winning on the other’s court. The second game had 34 more points.
• This is the 10th AP top-25 matchup in series history, including the second in seven days and the first in the SEC Tournament.
• Picked to finish No. 11 in the SEC preseason poll, the Commodores tied for fourth in the standings.
• Sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, a First Team All-SEC choice, tops Vanderbilt with 19.2 ppg, 5.2 apg and 2.5 spg.
NEWS & NOTES
• Playing for Vanderbilt last year, Jaylen Carey averaged 16.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.0 apg in 24.5 mpg versus UT. He shot 10-of-12 from the field and 11-of-15 at the line.
• The Vols are 37-8 against in-state foes under Rick Barnes, including 20-3 in their last 23 games.
• Tennessee is 77-59 (.566) in SEC Tournament play, with five titles. It is 14-8 (.636), with one crown, under head coach Rick Barnes.
• UT is 22-15 (.595) at Bridgestone Arena, including 14-12 (.538) in SEC Tournament action.
• The Volunteers finished top-four in the SEC for the eighth time in the last nine years (fifth in a row).
• Rick Barnes‘ 858 wins co-lead all active DI coaches and rank coninth all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• UT has played just three games (2-1) that did not include a lead of 10-plus either way. Only one (1-0) did not have a nine-point margin.
• The win over Auburn to open the SEC Tournament was UT’s fourth this year after trailing by 10-plus. Aided by a 20-0 run, UT outscored Auburn, 31-11, in the last 10:13. Nate Ament had 17 of the 31.
• Nate Ament, a Second Team All-SEC choice and Julius Erving Award finalist, is one of just 10 SEC freshmen in the last 20 years (2006-26) to score 27-plus points five times in a single season.
• With a 44.8 offensive rebounding percentage, UT is on pace to post, per KenPom, the fourth-best mark this century. It trails only 2000-01 Michigan State (47.0), 2000-01 Georgetown (45.3) and 2010-11 Old Dominion (44.9).
• UT has now won 22-plus games five years in a row, the first such occurrence in program history.
• 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 finished a program-best fifth in the AP Poll, Coaches Poll and KenPom in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
• The Volunteers’ 223 wins the last nine years (2017-26) place ninth in Division I. Only Houston (270), Gonzaga (269), Duke (250), Kansas (235), Purdue (230), Saint Mary’s (227), Liberty (224) and Arizona (224) possess more.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), Tennessee (223-84; .726) paces all SEC programs in total victories, overall winning percentage and postseason victories (24). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same period, the Volunteers are one of two SEC teams with even 210-plus wins and/or a winning percentage above .690, alongside Auburn (219-87; .716), which is a distant second in both.
• Over SEC play across the same span, Tennessee (109-52; .677) is first in both league victories and league winning percentage. The only other schools at even 100-plus wins and/or a .620 clip are Kentucky (107-54; .665), Alabama (104-58; .642) and Auburn (103-59; .636).
• In just the last five seasons (2021-26), the Vols own a 131-46 (.740) overall record. That is good for the most total wins and the best winning percentage in the SEC, far ahead of second-place Alabama (.720; 126-49).
• In that time, Tennessee (62-28; .689) is second in league victories and league winning percentage, behind only Alabama (64-26; .711).
SERIOUS STREAKS
• The Volunteers own 20 wins for the fifth season in a row. That ties the longest streak in program history, recorded both from 1980-81 to 194-85 and 2005- 06 to 2009-10. This is Tennessee’s seventh 20-win season in the last nine years and 32nd all-time.
• UT has reached 22-plus wins in all five years of its active streak. This is the first time the Vols have ever won at least 22 games in five straight seasons.
• Tennessee has double-figure SEC victories for the sixth straight year, good for the second-longest streak in program history. The Vols had 10-plus SEC wins 13 seasons in a row from 1964-65 to 1976-77.
• UT has notched 11-plus SEC wins in all six seasons of its active streak. That one shy of the top mark in program history, set from 1970-71 to 1976-77.
CONFERENCE ACCLAIM
• Three Volunteers earned postseason honors from the league’s coaches. Ja’Kobi Gillespie garnered First Team All-SEC status. Nate Ament received Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team nods. Felix Okpara earned SEC All-Defensive Team distinction.
• Tennessee and Florida were the only teams with a first- and second-team selection. This marked the fifth year in a row the Volunteers had multiple first and/or second-team designees, as well as the fifth year in a row they had a first-team selection.
• Okpara gave Tennessee an SEC All-Defensive Team choice for the seventh consecutive year. No other team in the league has even made the list the last two seasons.
• In the Associated Press honors released the next day, Gillespie won SEC Newcomer of the Year. It marked the third year in a row a Volunteer won the award from either the coaches or the AP.
• Additionally, Gillespie and Ament both collected AP Second Team All-SEC recognition.
THREE IN A ROW
• Tennessee has produced at least one Naismith Starting Five finalist in each of the last three years.
• In 2023-24, Dalton Knecht claimed the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s premier small forward.
• In 2024-25, Chaz Lanier won the Jerry West Award as the country’s top shooting guard and Zakai Zeigler was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
• This season, Nate Ament is one of the five finalists for the Julius Erving Award.
IN-STATE SUCCESS
• Tennessee is 37-8 (.822) against fellow Volunteer State foes in the Rick Barnes era, including 20-3 (.870) in its last 23 such games.
• The 37 wins are against Vanderbilt (17x), Tennessee Tech (6x), East Tenn. State (3x), Austin Peay (2x), Lipscomb (2x), UT Martin (2x), Tennessee State (2x), Chattanooga, Memphis and Middle Tenn. State.
• The Vols are 17-6 (.739) against Vanderbilt under Barnes, including 15-3 (.833) in the last 18 matchups.
