HOOPS CENTRAL: Tennessee vs. Oklahoma

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men’s basketball team (18-7, 8-4) is set to continue the 2025-26 slate Wednesday, facing the Oklahoma Sooners (13-12, 3-9) at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Fans can watch Wednesday’s game on ESPN2 and stream on the ESPN App. Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (color) 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
• Last year was the first SEC contest between the two sides. The Vols shot 60.4% in a 70-52 road win on 2/8/25. Chaz Lanier had 21 points.
• UT won, 55-49, in the Volunteer Classic at Stokely Athletics Center in the teams’ lone prior meeting in Knoxville (12/13/68).
• Tennessee is 5-4 all-time against DI schools from Oklahoma, while Rick Barnes is 48-37.
• Oklahoma is the second-most frequent foe for Rick Barnes in his head coaching career. His 42 matchups—40 came while at Texas—versus the Sooners trail just his 45 against Texas A&M. The only other schools Barnes has met 40-plus times are Baylor (40) and Oklahoma State (40).
• Rick Barnes‘ 22 victories over Oklahoma are his fifth-most versus any school, behind Texas A&M (34), Texas Tech (33), Baylor (31) and Oklahoma State (23).
• Coming off a 20-14 (6-12) year that included an NCAA Tournament bid, the Sooners placed No. 12 in the 2025-26 SEC preseason poll.
• Junior guard Xzayvier Brown tops Oklahoma at 16.1 ppg and 1.3 spg.

NEWS & NOTES
• Rick Barnes‘ 854 wins co-lead all active DI coaches and rank co-ninth all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• UT’s victory over LSU made Rick Barnes the ninth coach all-time (third active) with 250 wins at two DI schools. The others are Dana Altman, Fran Dunphy, Lou Henson, Bob Huggins, Jim Larrañaga, Kelvin Sampson, Eddie Sutton and Roy Williams.
• Nate Ament scored 16-plus points in each of UT’s last 10 outings, with 22-plus in six of them and 28-plus in three. He is averaging a team-best 22.2 ppg in that span, while shooting 44.4% from the floor, 38.5% from deep and 83.0% at the stripe. He has 88 free-throw attempts over that stretch (8.8 per game), with nine-plus in six.
• Tennessee has made a 3-pointer in 499 consecutive games, one away from 500. The stretch dates to 11/22/11, over 14 years ago.
• The Volunteers have played just six regular season games in the last six years (2021-26) as an unranked team and won all six of them. UT went 1-0 in 2020-21 and owns a 5-0 such tally in 2025-26.
UT’s 44.9 offensive rebounding percentage is on pace to be, per KenPom, the co-third-best mark this century. It trails only 2000-01 Michigan State (47.0) and 2000- 01 Georgetown (45.3), while tying 2010-11 Old Dominion (44.9).
• The Volunteers have played just two games this year that did not include a lead of 10-plus either way, an overtime win at Georgia (1/28/26) and a loss at Syracuse (12/2/25). Of UT’s 24 contests, 18 have featured a lead of 14-plus, with 13 at 23-plus.
• 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’ 219 wins the last nine years (2017-26) rank eighth in Division I. Only Houston (266), Gonzaga (264), Duke (243), Kansas (231), Purdue (227), Saint Mary’s (223) and Liberty (221) possess more. Arizona (217) is next on the list.

WINNING WAYS
• Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), Tennessee (219-81; .730) paces all SEC programs in total victories, overall winning percentage and postseason victories (23). 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 205-plus wins and/or a winning percentage above .695, alongside Auburn (216-82; .725).
• Over SEC play across the same period, Tennessee (106-49; .684) is first in both league victories and league winning percentage. The only other schools at even 95-plus wins and/or a .605 clip are Kentucky (105-50; .677), Auburn (101-55; .647) and Alabama (99-57; .635).
• In just the last five seasons (2021-26), the Vols own a 127-43 (.747) overall record. That is good for the most total wins and the best winning percentage in the SEC, far ahead of Auburn (.735; 122-44).
• In that time, Tennessee (59-25; .702) ties Alabama (59-25; .702) for first in league victories and league winning percentage.

NUMBER 850
• An overtime win at Georgia on 1/28/26 gave Rick Barnes the 850th victory of his 39-year career. He is the 10th DI coach all-time (min. 10 years in DI) with 850-plus wins.
• Barnes, John Calipari and Adolph Rupp are the only three SEC coaches ever to amass 850 career wins.
• Just 17 coaches all-time, at any level, have hit 850 victories (min. five years in NCAA). Barnes, John Calipari (Arkansas) and Dave Holmquist (DII Biola) are the only three active members of the elite group.

NUMBERS 250, 205 & 200
• Just 17 days after reaching 850 overall, Rick Barnes hit 250 at Tennessee with a victory against LSU on 2/14/26. He became just the ninth coach (third active) to log 250-plus wins at two DI schools.
• Barnes is also among 29 coaches (eight active) with 100-plus victories at three DI institutions. He is one of three coaches on that list also in the 250 two-school group, alongside Jim Larrañaga and Kelvin Sampson.
• Previously, with an 11/13/24 triumph over Montana, Barnes reached 205 UT wins to pass Don DeVoe for sole possession of second on the Vols’ all-time list.
• Before that, in an NCAA Tournament victory against Saint Peter’s on 3/21/24, Barnes became just the third coach to amass 200 wins at Tennessee.

HAPPY AT HOME
• Over the last five seasons (2021-26), the Volunteers’ .924 (73-6) home winning percentage is fifth in Division I. That mark trails only Houston (.951, 78-4), Gonzaga (.933; 70-5), Akron (.932; 69-5) and Duke (.926; 75-6).
• The tally includes a 37-0 (1.000) ledger in non-conference home affairs and a 36-6 (.857) figure in SEC home contests. It also features an 18-2 (.900) home record versus AP top-25 foes, including a 13-2 (.867) count against AP top-15 teams and a perfect 7-0 (1.000) mark versus AP top-10 opponents.
• In total, UT is 151-26 (.853) at Food City Center in Rick Barnes‘ 11 years and has twice gone undefeated at home (18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22).

BEASTS ON THE BOARDS
• Tennessee leads the nation, according to KenPom, with a 44.9 offensive rebounding percentage. That is 2.3 percent above second-ranked Florida (42.6) and 5.2 ahead of third-place Virginia (39.7).
• UT is on pace, per KenPom, to be the co-third-best offensive rebounding team this century. The Vols trail only 2000-01 Michigan State (47.0) and 2000- 01 Georgetown (45.3), while matching 2010-11 Old Dominion (44.9).
• The Volunteers have logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 24 of 25 games, with 13-plus in 20, 15- plus in 16, 20-plus in five and 23-plus in three. Their top tally is 26.
• UT is second in DI in rebounding margin (13.4), second in offensive rebounds per game (15.80) and third in total rebounds per game (43.28).
• The Vols have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 22 of 25 contests, with 40-plus in 16, 45-plus in 13 and 50-plus in six. Their highest mark is 60.
• Jaylen Carey (four times), J.P. Estrella (three), Felix Okpara (three), Bishop Boswell (two), DeWayne Brown II (two) and Nate Ament (one) have all amassed 10 total rebounds in a game this season.
• Per KenPom, Jaylen Carey is sixth in the country with his 18.1 offensive rebounding percentage.
• In his second start, versus Gardner-Webb (12/21/25), DeWayne Brown II had 14 rebounds. He tied Grant Williams (3/1/17), Jarnell Stokes (3/3/12) and Brian Williams (12/15/07) for the most by a UT freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26). He also tied the fifth-highest total by any Vol in the Rick Barnes era.
• The Volunteers pulled down 60 rebounds in the double-overtime victory against Texas A&M (1/13/26) and conceded just 35 (plus-25). It marked their first time with 55-plus rebounds since grabbing 58 on 11/18/08 versus UT Martin. UT had 24 offensive boards and allowed only 10 (plus-14). Jaylen Carey (10p, 9r) was one rebound away from giving Tennessee three players with double-digit boards and double-doubles, as Bishop Boswell (13p, 11r) and Felix Okpara (10p, 12r) both hit that mark.
• In the overtime win at Georgia (1/28/26), Tennessee grabbed 52 rebounds and allowed only 27 (plus-25). It also pulled down an astounding 26 offensive boards while giving up just seven (plus-19). Two Vols, J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara, had as many offensive boards individually as the Bulldogs did as a team. Bishop Boswell (13p, 10r) tallied a double-double, while Estrella (17p, 9r) and Okpara (6p, 11r) nearly did so.
• In the victory against Auburn (1/31/26), Tennessee had four players—Nate Ament, Bishop Boswell, Jaylen Carey and Amari Evans—grab eight rebounds. It marked the second such instance for the Volunteers in the last 20 seasons (2006-26), alongside a 12/23/13 game versus Morehead State. DeWayne Brown II gave UT five players with seven-plus boards, the first such occurrence for UT in the last two decades and just the fourth by any SEC team in league play.
• At Kentucky (2/7/26), DeWayne Brown II pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds. That tied for the third-most by a Tennessee freshman in an SEC game the last 20 seasons (2006-26). The only others to hit that mark are Grant Williams (14 on 3/1/17 at LSU), Jarnell Stokes (14 on 3/3/12 against Vanderbilt), Tobias Harris (12 on 1/29/11 at Ole Miss) and Wayne Chism (12 on 2/10/07 against Vanderbilt).