THE MATCHUP
• The Volunteers are 10-3 all- time against Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament—its most wins over any school—with four straight wins, including a 3-0 mark under
Rick Barnes.
• Tennessee is 9-2 in its last 10 outings
(uh… what?) versus the Bulldogs, dating back to 2/27/18. It was ranked in each win and unranked in one of the two defeats (2/1/20).
• Before a 77-72 road setback on 1/10/24 in which
Dalton Knecht had 26 second-half points, the Vols had won five straight over the Bulldogs, by an average of 14.0 ppg. The streak included the biggest win (34 points) in series history, 87-53, on 1/3/23.
• Mississippi State placed ninth in the league at 8-10 after dropping its last four regular season games, but it opened the SEC Tournament with a 70-60 victory over LSU.
• Freshman guard Josh Hubbard, a Second Team All-SEC choice, leads the Buldogs with 16.8 ppg.
•
Rick Barnes is 22-6 against the SEC's two Mississippi schools as a head coach, including 19-6 in his nine-year tenure at Tennessee.
NEWS & NOTES
• Tennessee won the SEC regular season crown for the 11th time, notching its sixth outright title.
• The Volunteers are 74-57 (.565) all-time in SEC Tournament play, with five championships and an 11-6 record (one title) under
Rick Barnes. They are 45-17 (.726) in opening games, including 6-1 (.857) in Barnes' tenure. UT is 15- 12 (.556) in Nashville, with a 6-5 (.545) mark under Barnes.
• Since the SEC Tournament returned from a 26-year hiatus in 1978-79, this is the first time in the non-divisional format—that was used from 1991-92 through 2010- 11—the Volunteers are the top seed. Tennessee was the East No. 1 seed in 1999, 2000, 2006, 2008 and 2009.
• The Volunteers have reached the title game three of the last five SEC Tournaments. They fell in the final in 2018 and 2019, then won the championship in 2022.
•
Dalton Knecht's 25.5 ppg scoring average in SEC action led all DI playes in league play and marked the second-best figure in the SEC in the last 22 years (2002-24).
•
Dalton Knecht, a The Sporting News unanimous First Team All- American, won SEC Player of the Year from both the league's coaches and the AP (unanimous). He is the 10th different Vol—14th honor in 13 seasons—to win SEC POY, second-most of any team.
•
Zakai Zeigler became the second Tennessee player to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the fourth individual in league history to be a three-time SEC All- Defensive Team pick. He claimed First Team All-SEC plaudits from the coaches and Second Team All- SEC accolades from the AP.
•
Jonas Aidoo collected First Team All-SEC designation from the AP, as well as Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team nods from the league's coaches.
•
Rick Barnes' last win was his 100th in SEC play and his next one will be his 200th overall at UT.
•
Zakai Zeigler (988) is 12 points away from 1,000 in his career, while
Santiago Vescovi (206) is five steals shy of the program's all-time record (211) held by Vincent Yarbrough (1998-2002).
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• In the past four years (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams with 21 AP top-25 wins, good for six more than any other SEC program (Alabama has 15). That tally ties Purdue for fourth in the country.
• In that same four-year span, UT also leads the SEC in wins over teams in the AP top 20, top 15, top 10 and top five. Its 19 top-20 wins rank fourth nationally and 16 top-15 victories place third. Its eight top-10 triumphs sit co-sixth alongside Purdue and Texas, while its five top-five wins match Arizona, Gonzaga and Michigan State for the most in the nation.
• The eight AP top-10 triumphs during that time are: #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (2/26/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
• Over the last four seasons (2020-24), UT has played 36 games against AP top-25 opponents, the most in the league, posting a 21-15 (.583) ledger. The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span. Auburn is a a distant second with a .455 (10-12) mark.
• Tennessee (36), Alabama (34) and Arkansas (33) are the only SEC teams to play 30-plus ranked foes since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total victories (168), winning percentage (.724) and (through 3/12/24) postseason wins (15). In that span, the Vols have claimed three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, as well as the tournament in 2022.
• In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of over .650, alongside Auburn (.723) and Kentucky (.703).
• In SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (86-39; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696), in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) have even 70-plus wins.
• Over just the last three seasons (2021-24), UT owns a 76-26 (.745) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn (73-26; .737) ranks second in both categories.
INAM: "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME"
• The Volunteers have posted 20-plus assists 11 times this season. They have reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
• Tennessee has a 60.8 percent assist rate that ranks No. 13 nationally, per KenPom, through 3/12/24.
• Last season, Tennessee placed second nationally, per KenPom, with a 66.2 percent assist rate. It also logged a 64.9 percent mark in SEC play.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 198 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in
Rick Barnes' tenure, posting a stellar 148-50 (.747) record. Over 66.0 percent of the Volunteers' games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
• UT is 127-45 (.738) while ranked in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 96-32 (.750) while in the top 15, 76-23 (.768) while in the top 10, 35-10 (.778) while in the top five, 17-2 (.895) while in the top three and 7-1 (.875) while at No. 1.
• The Vols are 27-21 (.563) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 21-14 (.600) with both teams in the top 20, 12-8 (.600) with both in the top 15 and 7-5 (.583) with both in the top 10.
