The Official #24 Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Game Thread, 7:00 PM ET, SEC Network

#1

YankeeVol

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#1
#24 Tennessee Volunteers: 11-5 (1-2 SEC)
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vs.

Texas A&M Aggies: 13-3 (3-0 SEC)

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GAME 17 | TENNESSEE vs TEXAS A&M - Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 | 7 p.m. ET | Knoxville, Tenn. | Food City Center (21,678)

Line: UT -9.5
O/U: 161.5

TV: SEC Network / Watch
Radio:
Vol Network / Listen / Live Stats
Satellite Radio:
SiriusXM 81 / Internet: SXM App
Online: WatchESPN.com

Texas A&M Game Notes

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#2
#2
THE MATCHUP
• Tennessee is 8-3 in the last 11 series matchups, after dropping each of the prior four.
• The Volunteers are 10-7 against the Aggies since they joined the SEC. That includes a 9-7 mark in league play and a 65-50 win in the SEC Tournament final on 3/13/22.
• The last time Tennessee hosted Texas A&M, on 2/24/24, it claimed the largest margin of victory, either way, in series history with a 35-point decision, 86-51.
• Rick Barnes' 44 matchups with Texas A&M are his most versus any foe. His 33 wins over the Aggies are tied for his most, matching his number against Texas Tech.
• Texas A&M assistant coach Frank Haith worked as an assistant for Rick Barnes at Texas from 2001- 04, a stretch that included a trip to the 2003 Final Four.
• Following a 23-11 (11-7) year that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, Texas A&M came in at No. 13 in the SEC preseason poll.
• Rubén Dominguez, a sophomore guard, leads the Aggies in scoring at 13.7 ppg.
 
#3
#3
NEWS & NOTES
• Texas A&M is one of 14 schools Rick Barnes has defeated with three different teams. The others are Appalachian State, Mercer, Miami (four), Missouri, North Carolina, UNC Asheville (four), NC State, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Carolina and Wofford.
• With 847 wins, Rick Barnes co-leads active DI coaches and is co-ninth all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• Felix Okpara's next start will be the 100th of his career, including his 61st in a row (since 3/10/24) and 55th as a Volunteer.
• After scoring in double figures once in Tennessee's first 14 games, DeWayne Brown II has done so in each of the last two outings. He totaled 20 points on 76.9 percent (10-of-13) shooting last week.
• In the last six games, Amari Evans is averaging 8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 2.0 spg in 16.3 mpg, while shooting 74.1 percent (20-of27) from the floor. In UT's first 10 contests, two of which he did not play in, Evans totaled five points and three steals in 6.3 mpg, shooting 10.0 percent (1-of-10).
• Tennessee is 9-0 this season when scoring more points off turnovers and 2-5 when its opponent leads in that category.
• The Volunteers are looking to start (at least) 2-0 in SEC home games for the fifth straight year.
• Through three SEC games, UT is shooting 39.5 percent (17-of-43) from 3-point range. No other team in the league is above even 37.0 percent thus far. Ja'Kobi Gillespie owns a 42.9 percent (9- of-21) ledger in conference action.
• 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' 212 wins the last nine years (2017-26) rank co-seventh in DI, alongside Auburn (212) and Liberty (212). Only Houston (258), Gonzaga (256), Duke (235), Kansas (223), Purdue (221) and Saint Mary's (216) own more. Arizona (210) rounds out the top 10.
 
#4
#4
BEASTS ON THE BOARDS
• Tennessee is second in the nation, per KenPom, with a 43.4 offensive rebounding percentage. That is just 0.2 behind top-ranked Florida (43.6) and 2.3 above third-place Arizona (41.1).
• The Volunteers have logged double-digit offensive rebounds 15 of 16 games, with 13-plus in 11, 15-plus in nine, 18-plus in four and 20-plus thrice. Their top tally is 23.
• UT is sixth in Division I in rebounding margin (11.7) and No. 20 in total rebounds per game (41.88).
• The Vols have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 13 of 16 contests, with 43-plus in eight, 47-plus in six and 50-plus in four. Their highest mark is 54.
• Jaylen Carey (four times), J.P. Estrella (three), Nate Ament (one), DeWayne Brown II (one) and Felix Okpara (one) have all amassed 10 total rebounds in a game this season. • According to KenPom, Jaylen Carey ranks fifth in the country with his 18.7 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.
 
#5
#5
SENSATIONAL AT THE STRIPE
• Ja'Kobi Gillespie made 35 consecutive free throws this year, the fifth-longest single-season streak in program history.
• The streak started with Gillespie's last attempt against Rutgers in Las Vegas on 11/24/25 and ended with his second-to-last shot (fourth make of the day) at Florida on 1/10/26.
• In between those two games, Gillespie went 30-of30, including 9-of-9 versus Houston in Las Vegas on 11/25/25 and 10-of-10 against Louisville on 12/16/25.
• The only longer single-season streaks in UT history are 39 by Michael Brooks (1984-85), 39 by Danny Schultz (1962-63), 38 by Chris Lofton (2005-06) and 38 by Allan Houston (1990-91).
 
#9
#9
Always a threat when you play a team that lives on the 3 with rapid shooting and frantic pace. They can always get hot and shoot you out of the gym. It’s always a struggle to rebound missed 3s also since they often go long and over the player who does his job and boxes out. My biggest worry is the rapid turnaround after a Saturday game. Basically, it’s one practice day to game plan for a system you rarely see.
 
#11
#11
Always a threat when you play a team that lives on the 3 with rapid shooting and frantic pace. They can always get hot and shoot you out of the gym. It’s always a struggle to rebound missed 3s also since they often go long and over the player who does his job and boxes out. My biggest worry is the rapid turnaround after a Saturday game. Basically, it’s one practice day to game plan for a system you rarely see.

I'd be a lot more worried about the short turnaround if it was a road game. Turn this into a rock fight in the mud, and get out with a W and a few days to breathe.
 

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