Hoops Central: #6 Tennessee vs. #23 Georgia

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Returning from a two-game road trip, the sixth-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team will face No. 23 in Georgia on Wednesday night at the Food City Center. Tips are set for 8 p.m. ET.

Fans can watch Wednesday’s game between the Volunteers (15-1, 2-1 SEC) and the Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1 SEC) on SEC network. Brian Custer (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (analyst) will have the call.

Fans can also tune in live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describes the action.

In Tennessee’s most recent outing, it earned a hard-fought, 74-70, road win Saturday night at Texas. Older guard Zakai Zeigler paced UT with 16 points and a game-high eight assists in a triumph in which neither side led by more than seven in front of a near-capacity crowd of 10,195 at the Moody Center.

THE MATCHUP
• The Volunteers’ 99 wins over Georgia are their second most against any school, trailing only their 131 against Vanderbilt.
• This is the first time in series history that both sides are in the AP top 25. It’s also the first time UT has faced a ranked Georgia team since 2/8/03, a 78-72 home win.
• UT is 6-1 in its last seven outings against Georgia after going 2-9 in the previous 11 (with losses in each of the five prior to the current seven games). The Vols were ranked in all six wins in that stretch and unranked in the lone loss.
• Last season, on 1/13/24 at Georgia, Tennessee trailed by 11 with under seven minutes remaining but closed on a 21-4 run in the final 6:08, including a 15-1 ledger in the final 4: 49, to win by six, 85-79. Dalton Knecht dropped 36 points, including 20 in the second half.
• With a 20-17 (6-12) showing that included an NIT semifinal berth, Georgia became the No. 12 in the SEC preseason poll.
• Freshman forward Asa Newell leads the Bulldogs with 15.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg.

NEWS & NOTES
• Tennessee’s 12 matchups with Mike White are sixth-most against any active head coach.
• UT vice-chancellor/athletics director Dr. Daniel J. White (Danny) is the younger brother of Georgia head coach Mike White. Both played college basketball: Danny at Towson and Notre Dame, Mike at Ole Miss. The Volunteers fell to Florida, where Mike then worked, two days before Danny was hired on 1/21/21, but are 5-1 against him since then . More information about the White family can be found on page 7.
• Rick Barnes and Mike White both joined the SEC in 2015-16. Barnes is 10-2 against White, posting an 8-2 ledger during the latter’s time at Florida (2015-22), winning both matchups between their current schools.
• Georgia sophomore guard Blue Cain is a native of Knoxville, Tenn., and attended Knoxville Catholic for his first three years of high school.
• Tennessee is 18-7 (.720) against AP top-25 teams at home during Rick Barnesincluding 13-1 (.929) in last 14 such games since 1/30/21.
• Tennessee looks to start at least 3-1 in SEC play for the fifth time in seven years, including the third straight.
• UT is also looking for a 2-0 start in SEC home games for the fifth time in seven years and fourth in a row.
• Zakai Zeigler is seven assists shy of 600, while his 209 steals put him three shy of Santiago Vescovi‘s program record (212).
• UT’s DI-best 24.8 3P% defense is 1.8 percent better than second-place Southeast Missouri State (26.6). It is the same hole as no. 2 to no. 19 Kentucky (4/28).
• Igor Miličić Jr., is one of 10 Power Five players averaging at least 10.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.0 apg. The others are Oumar Ballo, Brooks Barnhizer, Johni Broome, Hunter Dickinson, Collin Murray-Boyles, Great Osobor, Ian Schieffelin, Thomas Sorber and Danny Wolf.
• The Volunteers’ 186 wins over the last eight seasons (2017-25) are tied for seventh nationally with Saint Mary’s. Only Gonzaga (227), Houston (220), Kansas (203), Duke (199), Purdue (195) and San Diego State (187) have more.

HIGH CALIBER COMPANY
• Tennessee and Kansas are the only two schools to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25). Only two others, Arizona and Purdue, entered 2024-25 with a three-year streak.
• The Volunteers are one of only four teams to reach the AP top six in each of the past five seasons, joining Alabama, Houston and Kansas.
• UT is one of just five programs to reach the AP top six in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky. It is also the only five schools to enter the AP top five in at least five different years in that stretch.
• The Vols are among just eight teams to reach No. 1 in the AP poll in at least two of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
• Over the same seven-year stretch (2018-25), UT is also one of seven teams to claim an AP top-two finish for at least three seasons, along with Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Purdue.
• Tennessee is one of just seven schools to earn an AP top-20 ranking in each of the past eight years (2017-25), along with Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina. Only two others — Houston and Purdue — have even cracked the AP top 25 in each of those seasons.
• Additionally, over the past three years (2022-25), the Vols are one of just five teams to reach the AP top two for multiple seasons, joining Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas and Purdue.

DYNAMITE “D” ET UT TRADEMARK
• Through 1/12/25, Tennessee ranks third in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (88.1), just shy of Houston (86.3) and Duke (87.8).
• The Volunteers finished third in 2023-24 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (90.2) and ranked fifth in DI in field goal percentage defense (39.4).
• In 2022-23, Tennessee led the nation in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (87.5), holding the top spot for 15 total weeks. The Vols also led all DI teams in 3-point defense (26.5) that year, as well as ranking third in both scoring defense (57.9) and field-goal percentage defense (37.3).
• In five of the last seven seasons (2017-24), UT has finished top-10 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: third in 2023-24, first in 2022-23, third in 2021-22, fifth in 2020-21 and sixth in 2017-18.
• Through 5/1/25, UT has won 42 straight when it has held its foe under 60 points, including a dazzling 22-0 mark in 2022-23.
• Through 5/1/25, the Vols have won 49 straight when allowing 50 points or fewer since 12/29/12. That includes 12 such wins in 2022-2023, matching Houston for the most of any team that season.

COLLECTION OF RANKED WINS
• TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee has an SEC-best 22 AP top-25 wins, good for fourth nationally. That’s behind only Kansas (24), Connecticut (23) and Iowa State (23). Only Purdue (21) is even within one of the Volunteers, while the closest SEC school is two behind (Alabama with 20).
• TOP 20: Tennessee owns an SEC-high 19 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Connecticut (22) and Kansas (21). The only other schools with even 17-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State (17). The closest SEC program is two shy (Alabama with 16).
• TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 16 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the nation, trailing only Kansas (19). Only Alabama (14) and Iowa State (14) are even within two of Tennessee.
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, second in the SEC and sixth nationally, tied with Alabama and North Carolina. Only Connecticut (11), Iowa State (11), Kansas (11), Purdue (10) and Kentucky (nine) have more. The eight such wins in that span are against #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (26/22/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/ ) 22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama, Arizona and Iowa State for the most in the nation. Only two other schools, Gonzaga and Purdue, even have four.

…AND DO IT SO EFFICIENTLY
• Tennessee, at 22-15 (.595), has the SEC’s best record vs. AP top-25 opponents over the past four seasons (2021-25). Auburn (13-10 .565) is tied for second, while no one else has a mark above .530.
• The Volunteers are nine games over .500 (19-10; .655) against AP top-20 teams in that span, while only one other SEC team, Auburn (11-8; .579), is even at one . 500 clips.
• UT is also nine games over .500 (16-7; .696) versus AP top-15 foes in that span, while the next closest SEC teams in winning percentage are Auburn (8-6; .571) and Kentucky (12) -9; .571). No one else is over .500.
• At 8-6 (.571), the Volunteers have the best record in the SEC against AP top-10 foes over those four seasons. Kentucky (9-8; .529) ranks second and no one else is at .500.
• Tennessee (5-4; .556) is the only SEC team with a winning record against AP top-five teams in the four-year stretch. Arkansas (3-3; .500) is tied for second, while everyone else is under .500.
• The Volunteers, despite their excellent winning percentage, have played the fourth-most games (37) against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team over the past four years (2021-25). They trail only Texas (45), Oklahoma (41) and Alabama (38) in such outings, while no other SEC school is above 33.

WINNING WAYS
• Over the past eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee has led all SEC programs in total wins (186), plus is tied for first in postseason wins (18) and tied for second in overall winning percentage ( 0.735). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage above even .660, along with Auburn (.737) and Kentucky (.704).
• In SEC play over the same eight-year span, Tennessee (88-40; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (89-39; .695), in both wins and winning percentage. Only Auburn (84-45; .648) and Alabama (80-48; .622) have even 75-plus wins.
• Over just the last four seasons (2021-25), the Volunteers own a combined record of 94-29 (.764). That’s good for most wins and the second-best winning percentage (only .0005 behind Auburn) in the SEC over that span.
• In the same four-year stretch, Tennessee (41-16; .719) is tied with both Auburn Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.

POLLEN PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 219 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll i Rick Barnes‘ tenure, with a record of 166-53 (.758). Over 68.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 319 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (219 of 253, 86.6 percent).
• UT is 145-48 (.751) while in AP top 20 under Barnes, 114-35 (.765) while top-15, 88-26 (.772) while top-10, 44-13 (.772) while top-five, 25-3 (.893), while top-three and 14-2 (.875) while no. 1.
• The Vols are 30-23 (.566) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 23-16 (.590) with both teams in the top 20, 14-10 (.583) with both in the top 15 and 7- 7 (.500) with both in the top 10.

HAPPY HOME
• Over the past five seasons, since 2020-21, the Volunteers are 66-7 (.904) at home.
• For 10 seasons under head coach Rick BarnesTennessee is 131-24 (.845) in the Food City Center. Twice in the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.