The Official #6 [2] Tennessee vs. #2 [1] Houston Game Thread, 2:20 PM ET, CBS

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YankeeVol

YankeeVol

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Men's Basketball Championship - Midwest Region - Elite 8

#6 [2] Tennessee Volunteers: 30-7 (12-6 SEC)
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vs.

#2 [1] Houston Cougars: 33-4 (19-1 B12)
houston-v-purdue.jpg



GAME 38 | TENNESSEE vs. HOUSTON - Sunday, March 30, 2025 | 2:20 p.m. ET | Indianapolis, Ind. | Lucas Oil Stadium (35,000)

Line: UT +2.5
O/U: 124.5

TV: CBS / Watch
Radio: Vol Network / Listen
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM: 209 & 202 / Internet: ---
Online: March Madness Live

Houston Game Notes

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#2
#2
THE MATCHUP

• Tennessee and Houston met twice in 1970-71, as well as once each in 1971-72, 1994-95 and 1995-96.
• Both teams' head coaches are from North Carolina. Rick Barnes (Hickory) and Kelvin Sampson (Pembroke) grew up 165 miles apart, plus are separated by just 15-plus months in age.
• Barnes (Texas) and Sampson (Oklahoma) squared off 20 times while both were in the Big 12 from 1998-99 to 2005-06. The Longhorns went 8-12, but were 6-3 in the last nine meetings.
• Tennessee is 32-31 against the current Big 12 members. Barnes is 168-99 versus such foes, including 10-8 with the Volunteers.
• UT beat #13/14 Baylor, 77-62, at Baha Mar on 11/22/24 in its lone games versus a Big 12 foe this year.
• The Cougars (105) and Volunteers (79) have the two longest active AP Top 25 streaks in the nation.
• Houston, which swept the Big 12 titles this year, is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022.
• Graduate guard L.J. Cryer, a Third Team All-American, paces the Cougars with 15.3 ppg.
 
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#3
#3
NEWS & NOTES

• This game features three of the four Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalists in Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler of UT and Joseph Tugler of Houston.
• Tennessee is one of just three schools in the Sweet 16 for at least the third straight year, alongside Alabama and Houston. It is also one of three in a second consecutive Elite Eight, joining Alabama and Duke.
• Before reaching the Elite Eight in 2024 and 2025, Tennessee had one such berth all-time (2010). The Volunteers are seeking their first Final Four appearance.
• The Vols are 31-27 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. That includes a 12-6 record under Rick Barnes, who has the most such wins in program history and more Elite Eight bids at UT than all other coaches combined.
• The Volunteers are among four SEC teams in the Elite Eight. Seven reached the Sweet 16 and 14 made the NCAA Tournament.
• This will be the first time the Vols play 38 games in a single season.
• With 836 wins, Rick Barnes leads all active coaches and ranks ninth all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• Zakai Zeigler's 270 assists are an SEC single-season best, breaking the mark of 260 set in 1979-80 by Ole Miss' Sean Tuohy. His 742 career assists place third in SEC history, just seven shy of second- place Kareem Reid, who had 749 from 1995-99 for Arkansas.
• Zeigler is averaging 15.0 ppg and 9.3 apg in the NCAA Tournament, while fellow All-American guard Chaz Lanier is averaging 22.0 ppg.
• During its active 79-week streak in the AP Poll, UT has played just 17 of 144 games as a lower-ranked team. It is 10-7 in those contests, including 9-5 since 1/22/22.
• This is the first time UT has won 30-plus games and reached the Elite Eight in the same season.
• Tennessee's 201 wins over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank co- sixth in DI, alongside Auburn. Only Houston (241), Gonzaga (239), Duke (219), Kansas (212) and Purdue (206) own more. Saint Mary's (200), Liberty (199) and Drake (198) round out the top 10.
 
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#4
#4
SEVEN IN A ROW

• Tennessee has reached every NCAA Tournament since 2018. The seven straight bids pass 2006-11 for the longest streak in program history.
• UT is tied with Houston for the fourth-longest active NCAA Tournament streak in DI, trailing Michigan State (27), Gonzaga (26) and Purdue (10). Baylor and Kansas (due to a vacated bid) are next with six.
• The Vols' current streak includes four—2018, 2023, 2024, 2025—of their 10 all-time Sweet 16 bids and two of their three Elite Eight trips (2024, 2025).
• UT has earned a top-five seed in each of its seven NCAA Tournament trips under Rick Barnes: No. 3 in 2018, No. 2 in 2019, No. 5 in 2021, No. 3 in 2022, No. 4 in 2023, No. 2 in 2024 and No. 2 in 2025.
• The Vols' No. 2 seed in 2025 matches 2024, 2019, 2008 and 2006 for their best position ever.
• Tennessee has three No. 2 seeds in Barnes' tenure, eclipsing its full total (two) before his arrival. The seven top-five seeds in the Barnes are also eclipse UT's complete tally (five) prior to his hiring.
 
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#5
#5
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES

• TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee's 30 AP top-25 wins lead DI. Only Alabama (closest SEC team with 28), Connecticut (26), Kansas (26), Iowa State (25) and Purdue (23) are within eight.
• TOP 20: Tennessee is first in the nation with 26 AP top-20 triumphs over that span. Only Connecticut (24), Alabama (closest SEC team with 23) and Kansas (22) are even within six.
• TOP 15: The Volunteers lead DI with 22 AP top-15 decisions over those four years. Kansas (20) and Alabama (closest SEC team with 18) are the only schools even within five.
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns 12 AP top-10 wins, co-first nationally, alongside Connecticut (12), Iowa State (12) and Kansas (12). The only school within one is Kentucky (closest SEC team with 11). A full list of the 12 wins is on Page 12 (left sidebar).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has seven AP top-five victories, the most in the country. Only four other schools have even five: Alabama (six), Arizona (six), Florida (five) and Iowa State (five).
• TOP THREE: The Vols have four AP top-three wins in those four years, matching Alabama (four), Arizona (four) and Florida (four) for the DI lead.
 
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#6
#6
QUITE THE CAMPAIGN

• Tennessee's 10 AP top-25 wins this season are its most ever, eclipsing the seven it had in both 2023- 24 and 2021-22. It has tallied at least seven in three of the last four years after never before doing so.
• UT has seven AP top-15 wins this year, passing 2021- 22 (six) for the most in school history. The Vols had five in 2022-23, giving them five-plus in three of the last four years after never before hitting that mark.
• This is the third time in program history, including the second in Rick Barnes' tenure, the Vols have logged four AP top-seven (or even AP top-10) victories in a single season, joining 2021-22 and 1976-77.
• Tennessee has 25-plus wins in a season for the ninth time, including the sixth under Rick Barnes (all in the last eight years) and the fourth in a row. It reached 25 victories in the regular season for the third time, joining 2018-19 (27-4) and 2007-08 (28-3).
• The Volunteers own 30-plus wins for the third time, including the second in the Barnes era. They went 31-6 in 2018-19, and 31-5 in 2007-08.
 
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#25
#25
I have a little method behind my bets for NBA and I’ve been doing the same thing with the college props.

Got em right the last two games. As of now, because odds change, two guys that will hit their “over” so far are ZZ and Igor.

Right now Chaz will be below 18 points.

I’ll look again about 10 minutes before game, that’s usually when I lock in bets.
 
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