Hoops Central: #4 Tennessee vs. #15/16 Missouri

Knoxville, Tenn. And The fourth-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team stands No. 15/16 Missouri in his fifth consecutive competition against a top-15 sec. FOE Wednesday night at the Food City Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 19:00 one.

Fans can capture Wednesday’s games between the volunteers (18-4, 5-4 sec) and tigers (17-4, 6-2 sec) at SEC Network. Roy Philpott (Play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Volit Network -attached to hear Bob Kesling and Steve Hamer describes the action.

In Tennessee’s latest excursion, down two starters and played with only seven fellow competitors, turned it into a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon and overturned No. 5/6 Florida, 64-44.

Senior guard Zakai Zeigler (Right knee) and senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. (illness) both missed the competition for eighth-ranked Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 sec), but their teammates excelled in front of a sold-out Food City Center. Fifth -year guard Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 19 points for the volunteers who improved to 7-1 all the time in AP Top-10 Home Matchups, including 4-0 under the main coach Rick Barneswho also moved to 6-0 at home against AP-Fem enemies in Knoxville.

Matchup
• Since Tigers joined SEC in 2012-13, the volunteers are 10-6 in the series, including 10-5 in league competition.
• Tennessee is 11-6 in its last 17 games against Tigers, including 6-3 in the last nine affairs.
• This is the 10th time Tennessee is ranked in its last 11 matchups with Missouri (since 1/17/18) after it was not ranked in any of the first 12.
• The two sides meet as AP Top-25 enemies for the fourth time, with Missouri owning a 2-1 brand in the previous three competitions. This is the third AP Top-20 clash, where schools share the two previous matches, both in 2020-21.
• Vols has won five straight road games against Tigers, but fell their last two home competitions (2/11/23 and 1/23/21).
• The last three games in the series were decided with 14 total points.
• After an 8-24 (0-18) year in 2023-24, Missouri was elected No. 13 in Sec Preseason Poll.
Senior Guards Tamar Bates, which ranks third in DI with a 94.8 free-mast percentage, the tigers are by 13.5 ppg.

News and notes
• Fifth -year guards Chaz Lanier (Tennessee) and Jacob Crews (Missouri) were in the same recruitment class in 2020 in North Florida and spent two years as teammates.
• Tennessee assistants Rod Clark (Kansas City) and Gregg Polinsky (St. Louis) are both natives in Missouri, just as the beginner’s guard Ben Linneman (Columbia).
• Linnemyer, Junior Tips Felix Okpara and the other forward Cade Phillips All graduates from Link Academy in Branson, Mo.
• Missouri is the sixth consecutive team that visits the Food City Center dated 1/4/25.
• Tennessee is in the middle of its first stretch of five straight matches against AP Top-15 enemies. It has never previously played five consecutive AP Top-25 teams.
• On the last two Saturdays, Tennessee held two of Kenpom’s top six offenses to a combined 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) 3-point clips when Auburn went 3-of-20 and Florida was 4-of-27.
• At the defensive end, VOL’s nation leads in EFG% (42.1), FG% (36.1) and 3p% (26.0).
• Missouri is the eighth AP Top-25 Team Tennessee plays in its first 10 seconds. Its Final Four League excursions in 2023-24 were also against ranked teams, which means 12 of its last 14 such competitions are versus top-25 enemies. UT is 7-4 in the first 11 of this span.
• With their 64-44 win over No. 5 Florida, the volunteers became the first team in the SEC story per year. ESPN, winning five straight home matches over AP-Fem enemies. Everyone is below Rick BarnesThere are 6-0 in such games at Rocky Top.
• Zakai Zeigler (628) Only five assists are shy for Mississippi State’s Dee Bost (633 from 2008-12) for a top-10 place in SEC history. The five assists would also put him top-10 on UT’s single-season diagram and give him three of the program’s top 12 brands.
• UT’s 189 wins in the last eight seasons (2017-25) ranks ninth in DI. Gonzaga (229), Houston (225), Kansas (206), Duke (204), Purdue (199), San Diego State (192), Saint Mary’s (191) and Auburn (190) own more. Liberty (188) rounds the top 10.

Racking up ranked victories
• Top 25: In the last four years (2021-25) Tennessee’s 25 AP leads the top-25 wins the nation. Only Connecticut (24), Iowa State (24), Kansas (24) and Purdue (23) are even within two, while the closest SEC school is three behind (Alabama with 22).
• Top 20: Tennessee possesses a sec-high 21 AP top-20 winner of this span, the co-second-most for any DI school, tied with Kansas (21) and rear only Connecticut (23). Just Purdue (19), Alabama (closest SEC team with 18) and Iowa State (18) are even within three of the volunteers.
• Top 15: The volunteers own a sec-best 18 AP top-15 decisions during these four seasons, which are good for the second most in the country, behind just Kansas (18). Only Alabama (16), the closest SEC team and Iowa State (15) are even within three from Tennessee.
• Top 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns nine AP top-10 triumphs, co-second in SEC and together with Alabama, Co-Sixth nationally. Only Connecticut (12), Iowa State (12), Kansas (11), Kentucky (10) and Purdue (10) have more. The nine such wins in that time are against No. 1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (2/26/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15 /15/15/15/15/22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23), on #10 Kentucky ( 2/3/24) and #5 Florida (2/1/25).
• Top five: In the same four-year period, UT six AP-five has wins, tied with Arizona for the most in the country. Only four other schools even have four: Alabama (five), Iowa State (five), Gonzaga (four) and Purdue (four).

Twice as nice
• Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler Both made John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on 1/7/25. The only other school with two choices was Rutgers (Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper).
• Lanis and Zeigler also did both USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on 2/3/25.
• Lanier also earned three mid-season All-American Heads: Other teams from Fox Sports and the Athletic Plus Third Teams from Sporting News.

Especially potent at home
• Under Rick BarnesTennessee is 21-8 (.724) Versus AP Top-25 teams in the Food City Center, including 16-2 (.889) in its last 18 such games (since 1/30/21).
• The volunteers are 16-7 (.696) at home against AP Top-20 teams in the Barnes era, including 12-2 (.857) in their last 14 such competitions (since 1/30/21).
• UT has a 13-5 (.722) brand when he hosts AP Top-15 troops under Barnes, including an 11-2 (.846) record in his last 13 such affairs (since 1/30/ 21).
• Barnes has led Vols to an 8-1 (.889) headbok at the Food City Center against AP Top-10 teams with seven consecutive wins (since 3/2/19).
• UT is a perfect 6-0 when hosting AP top-five teams in the Barnes era (all since 1/24/17). The six equal wins are a SEC record per ESPN, which surpasses the mark of five of Kentucky in 1978-84 and 1956-59.
• Vols won 12 straight home matches against AP Top-25 enemies from 1/30/21 to 28/24/24. It is a SEC record per CBS SPORTS and the longest in DI, since Kansas had 17 from 1/11/14 to 2/13/17. Nine of these wins were versus top-15 enemies, with five against the top 10 and three over top-five teams.
• Tennessee is 18-5 (.783) in AP Top-25 Home Matchups under Barnes, including 12-5 (.706) with both teams in top 20, 7-2 (.778) with both in top 15 and 4 -0 (1,000) with both in the top 10.

1.3k Club
• Tennessee, Alabama (five) and Ole Miss-Alle are in SEC-are the only schools with at least four 1,300-point scores. Just 11 other programs even have three.
• In total, it is only 25 teams 10 in sec- has four-plus players with even 1,000 collegial points.
• Darlinstone Dubar Has 1,426 points in 133 excursions, good for 10.7 ppg across five seasons.
• Jordan Gainey Possess 1,418 points in 122 competitions, an average of 11.6 ppg over four years.
• Chaz LanierThe only member of the quartet who entered the season below 1K now has 1,332 points in 126 excursions, a 10.6 ppg headbok across five campaigns.
• Zakai Zeigler owns 1,310 points in 122 appearances, giving him an average of 10.7 ppg for four seasons.

Top-level triumphs
• Tennessee is 39-40 (.494) against AP Top-25 enemies under Rick BarnesIncluding 23-13 (.639) in its last 36 such games (since 1/22/22).
• The volunteers are 33-32 (.508) Versus AP Top-20 teams during Barnes’ term of office, including 19-9 (.679) in their last 28 such affairs (since 1/22/22).
• UT is 25-25 (.500) against AP Top-15 teams in the Barnes era, including 18-8 (.692) in its last 26 such games (since 12/22/21).
• Vols owns a 14-15 (.483) record versus AP Top-10 enemies under Barnes, including a 12-9 (.571) mark in their last 21 such competitions (since 3/2/19) and a 9- 9- 6 (.600) match in their last 15 (since 12/22/21).
• UT is 10-9 (.526) against AP top-five opponents in Barnes’ tenure, including 6-4 (.600) in its last 10 such affairs (since 2/15/22). It is 8-2 (.800) versus AP top-five SEC team, including 7-1 (.875) in the last seven such excursions (since 3/2/19).

20,000 strong
• i Rick Barnes10 seasons Tennessee has played in front of a home crowd of at least 20,000 on 43 apartments (33-10), with 31 sales (24-7).
• By 2022-23, the volunteers had five sale crowds, at that time to tie an arena one-season record.
• Tennessee well darkened the field last season by selling eight home matches – including seven of nine in SEC games – good for its most ever at the Food City Center. Four of them were crowds over capacity with the last three over 22,000.
• This season Tennessee has already clucked six sales: Syracuse (12/3/24), Arkansas (1/5/25), Mississippi State (1/21/25), Kentucky (1/28/25), Florida (2 /1/25) and Alabama (3/1/25).

Happy at home
• Over the past four seasons (2021-25), Vols’ .918 (56-5) is home-containing percentage co-eighth in DI (co-fucking in power five, number two in SEC).
• In the last eight years (2017-25) is out of .874 (111-16), No. 11 in DI (sixth at power five level, second in SEC).
• Total is UT 134-25 (.843) at the Food City Center in Rick Barnes10 years and has twice gone undefeated at home (18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22).