The Official #8 Tennessee vs. Texas Game Thread, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN

#1
YankeeVol

YankeeVol

Raise Hell, Praise Dale
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#1
SEC TOURNAMENT - QUARTERFINALS

#8 [4] Tennessee Volunteers: 25-6 (12-6 SEC)

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vs.

[13] Texas Longhorns: 19-14 (6-12 SEC) (#13)
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GAME 32 | TENNESSEE vs. TEXAS - Friday, March 14, 2025 | 3:30 p.m. ET | Nashville, Tenn. | Bridgestone Arena (18,500)

Line: UT -10.5
O/U: 135.5

TV: ESPN / Watch
Radio: Vol Network / Listen / Live Stats
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM: 106 &190 / Internet: ---
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Texas Game Notes

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#2
#2
THE MATCHUP

• Tennessee is 5-2 its the last seven games versus Texas. This is the teams' fifth meeting—at a fourth different location—in the last four seasons after they had not played at all since 11/24/07.
• Rick Barnes, the head coach at Texas for 17 years (1998-2015), is 5-3 in games between Texas and Tennessee. He went 2-2 with the Longhorns and is 3-1 with the Vols.
• Texas head coach Rodney Terry worked for Rick Barnes as an assistant from 2002-11, while assistant coach Frank Haith did so from 2001-04 and fellow assistant Chris Ogden did so from 2008- 16 (seven years at Texas, one at Tennessee). All three are among the 13 former Barnes assistants who have become head coaches.
• Rick Barnes is one of 19 coaches to win 200-plus games at two DI schools. He tallied 402 victories at Texas and has 227 at Tennessee.
• The Longhorns, 3-1 in their last four games, tied for No. 13 in their first year in the SEC.
• Freshman guard Tre Johnson, an AP First Team All-SEC pick, paces Texas with an SEC-best 20.1 ppg.
 
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#3
#3
NEWS & NOTES

• Tennessee's Bryan Lentz worked for Barnes at Texas for four years (2010-14) and Garrett Medenwald did so for three years (2012-15).
• Barnes is one of seven to lead two DI schools to an AP No. 1 ranking. He took Texas to its first/only spots atop the poll in Jan. 2010 and did it at UT in 2018-19 and 2024-25.
• UT made the final in three of the last six SEC Tournaments. It fell in 2018 and 2019, then won in 2022.
• The Vols are 74-58 (.561) in SEC Tournament play, with five titles. They are 11-7 (one title) under Rick Barnes. More info is on Page 9.
• Tennessee finished top-four in the SEC for the seventh time in eight years, including the fifth in a row.
• Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler are the lone teammates on the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot and on The Sporting News All-America Team. The only other All-America duo in UT history is Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King.
• Jahmai Mashack (Field of 68 NDPOY) and Zakai Zeigler (two- time SEC DPOY) form the lone teammate duo among the 10 Naismith NDPOY semifinalists.
• With 831 victories, Rick Barnes is tied with Cliff Ellis for No. 10 all- time (min. 10 years in DI).
• Zakai Zeigler needs four assists to break the UT single-season record of 227, set by Rodney Woods in 1974-75. The four would also give him 700 as a collegian and make him the fourth SEC player, including the second Vol—Johnny Darden had 715 from 1975-79—to hit that mark. He is seven away from entering the top 10 on the the SEC's single-season list (231).
• Tennessee has 25 wins for the ninth time, including the sixth under Rick Barnes and fourth in a row. This is UT's third time reaching 25 in the regular season alone. The only other schools with 25-plus wins each of the last four years are Drake, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston and Saint Mary's.
• Tennessee's 196 victories over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank No. 11 in DI. Only Gonzaga (238), Houston (235), Duke (213), Kansas (212), Purdue (203), Saint Mary's (199), San Diego State (198), Auburn (197), Drake (197) and Liberty (197) own more.
 
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#4
#4
ALL-SEC ACCOLADES

• Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier both won individual awards in the All-SEC voting from the league's head coaches. Zeigler earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year plaudits for the second straight season, while Chaz Lanier claimed the inaugural SEC Newcomer of the Year honor.
• The league's coaches tabbed Zeigler a First Team All-SEC competitor and Lanier a Second Team All- SEC designee. Zeigler is the 14th player in program history with at least three All-SEC nods that include two first-team choices. The others are Dale Ellis, Ernie Grunfeld, Allan Houston, Gilbert Huffman, Reggie Johnson, Bill Justus, Bernard King, Len Kosmalski, Chris Lofton, Dyron Nix, Paul "Lefty" Walther, Tony White and Ron Widby.
• Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack both made the cut for the coaches' SEC All-Defensive Team. This is just the ninth season—10th instance—with multiple players from the same team receiving SEC All-Defensive Team honors, including the second in a row for UT.
• Meanwhile, in the Associated Press voting, Lanier collected First Team All-SEC distinction and Zeigler garnered Second Team All-SEC status.
 
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#7
#7
movinonup said:
Texas will be tired today. I don’t care that they are 20 and in great shape. 3rd game in 3 days - especially double OT game yesterday should start showing in the second half.
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I want to sooo badly think that....but recovery treatments have come a long way in the past 20 years....and young people have quick recovery.

Saying that, I just do not see how their legs can carry them the second half. I do expect extremely competitive environment first half though. Second half will all depend upon their legs. Watch their 3 point attempts...if they are hitting the front of the rim, tired legs....
 
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#9
#9
movinonup said:
Texas will be tired today. I don’t care that they are 20 and in great shape. 3rd game in 3 days - especially double OT game yesterday should start showing in the second half.
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I agree, but I hope the players don't think Texas is tired, we just need to show up, that can bite you sometimes.
 
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#15
#15
VolFreakJosh said:
This game will come down to Tre Johnson.

If we can’t stop him, it’ll be closer than we think.
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Overall, Johnson had a good game against us during the regular season, but Tennessee dialed up some defense and shut him down the last 7 minutes of that game. It was probably the difference between winning and losing that game. Also, Darlingstone Dubar probably had the best game of his Tennessee career.
 
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#19
#19
MoCo_Vol said:
Team has been talking about winning the SECT and also the desire to get a 1 seed.

Today we'll see if that's really how they feel or if it's just talk. Come out aggressive and put Texas in a whole and then keep the foot on the gas in the 2nd half. Not sure "style" points matter, but don't leave it to chance.
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Do we still have a shot at a #1 seed?!
 
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#20
#20
This will be a tough game. A wounded team who pulls off a couple of upsets like they have gains a ton of confidence and gels quickly when they see what's possible. I hope our defense wears them down and we can hit enough shots to stay comfortably ahead wire to wire. A good start is critical for us - we have to take away the momentum they have and quickly put them on their heels.

Edit: Rodney Terry is also fighting for his job, so there's that. Trying to recreate what Kevin Keatts did last year when he was about to be fired.
 
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#24
#24
Thunder Good-Oil said:
In 1991 Wade Houston went into the SECT 9-21 and won 3 games in 3 days.

In 2014 Cuonzo won 3 in the NCAAT.

We don’t need to get overconfident. Texas University (TU) is probably going to be an NCAAT qualifier. 100% if they beat UT today.
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Yeah they'll be fighting for a bid...I don't expect anything to come easy today
 
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