The Official #4 Tennessee @ Ole Miss Game Thread, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN2

[YankeeVol]

#4 Tennessee Volunteers: 24-5 (11-5 SEC)

@

Ole Miss Rebels: 20-9 (9-7 SEC)

GAME 30 | TENNESSEE at OLE MISS - Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 9 p.m. ET | Oxford, Miss. | The Sandy and John Black Pavilion (9,500)


Line: UT -2.5
O/U: 137.5

TV: ESPN2 / Watch
Radio: Vol Network / Listen / Live Stats
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM: 162 & 191
Online: WatchESPN.com


Ole Miss Game Notes

 

[YankeeVol]

THE MATCHUP

• Tennessee is 9-1 in its last 10 games against Ole Miss, dating to 2/3/18. The Volunteers went 1-6 in the prior seven matchups before that, from 3/9/12 to 1/17/17.
• This is the first matchup in 424 days between the two sides, who last met in the 2023-24 season opener, when the Volunteers won by 26, 90-64, on 1/6/24 to end the Rebels' undefeated (13-0) start.
• The last three series meetings in Oxford were each decided by four points or fewer, with an average margin of just 2.7 ppg.
• Rick Barnes and Chris Beard are both former head coaches at Texas. Barnes went 402-180 (.691) across 17 seasons and Beard was 29-13 (.690) over two campaigns.
• Justin Gainey and Al Pinkins were teammates at NC State in 1996-97 under first-year head coach Herb Sendek, who was Rick Barnes' assistant at Providence in 1988-89.
• Following a 20-12 (7-11) campaign in 2023-24, Ole Miss placed ninth in this year's SEC preseason poll.
• Senior guard Sean Pedulla paces the Rebels with 15.2 ppg, 3.8 apg and 1.9 spg.

 

[YankeeVol]

NEWS & NOTES

• Rick Barnes is 24-7 against the SEC's Mississippi teams, including 20-7 at UT and 9-2 since 2021-22.
• Tennessee and Ole Miss are two of the only three DI schools with four 1,400-point scorers. UT beat the other, Alabama, in its last game.
• The Vols have 11-plus SEC wins for the fourth straight season, their third such instance ever. They had a four-year streak from 1978-79 to 1982-83 and a seven-year tally from 1970-71 to 1976-77.
• Tennessee is seeking its ninth 25- win season, including its sixth in the Rick Barnes era (all in the past eight years) and fourth in a row. It would be UT's third time reaching that mark in the regular season alone (27-4 in 2018-19 under Barnes and 28-3 in 2007-08).
• The Vols are 7-1 since Feb. 1. They have trailed by nine-plus in five of their past seven games, but come back to win four of them, including doing so in three of their last four outings.
• Tennessee (10-5), Auburn (16-2), Alabama (10-6) and Michigan State (10-3) are the only schools with double-digit Quad 1 victories.
• With 830 victories, Rick Barnes is tied with John Calipari and Jim Phelan for No. 10 all-time (min. 10 years at DI level). His 111 SEC wins also put him one shy of Hank Crisp for No. 18 in league history.
• Chaz Lanier one made 3-pointer away from passing Allan Houston (99 in 1990-91) for fifth on the program's single-season list. He would be the third Volunteer with 100 in a year, joining Chris Lofton (three times) and Santiago Vescovi (102 in 2021-22).
• Zakai Zeigler has 15-plus points in 10 of the last 13 contests, including each of the past seven. He is 25- of-65 (38.5%) from deep in those 13 games after going 25-of-87 (28.7%) in his first 13 outings.
• Igor Miličić Jr., is 17 points away from reaching 1,000 in his career.
• Tennessee's 195 victories over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank ninth in DI. Only Gonzaga (236), Houston (233), Duke (211), Kansas (210), Purdue (202), Saint Mary's (198), Auburn (197) and San Diego State (197) own more. Drake (194) and Liberty (194) tie to round out the top 10.

 

[YankeeVol]

SHOOTING TO SUCCEED

• Over the last four seasons (2021-25), Tennessee is 45-8 (.849) when hitting double-digit 3-pointers in a game, including 27-3 (.900) at home.
• During Rick Barnes' first six seasons on Rocky Top, 2015-16 to 2020-21, Tennessee was a strong 20-12 (.625) in such games, including 12-3 (.800) at home, but the last four years have been even better.

 

[YankeeVol]

A SUPERB SIGN

• Tennessee is 132-15 (.898) under Rick Barnes when holding its opponent to 39.0 percent or worse field- goal shooting, including 72-8 (.900) when its foe shoots 35.0 or below. The Volunteers are a perfect 26-0 (1.000) in Barnes' tenure when holding their opponent to a field-goal clip of 30.0 or under.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Going to be a tough one. Winning on the road in the SEC this season is brutal, see Auburn last night. Statement game for Ole Miss for NCAA tourney so expect their A+ game with a big crowd.

 

[ttocswob]

Who will be the next Vol to step up tonight?

I'm going with Igor Milicic, who has underwhelmed just a bit.

 

[Volprofch05]

I will be there, behind enemy lines! Got myself invited for a seminar visit tomorrow scheduled around the game.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Ole Miss might have an extremely small chance to displace TN for the 4th SECT double bye spot, but I think that a win would earn them the single bye. A win also practically guarantees them a spot in the NCAAT - but they’re most likely already making the field no matter what.

 

[Hacksaw]

Even though we're coming off a big win, we can play better than we did against Bama. Maybe the team can still look at this as a bounce back game.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

TN needs to learn to have multiple, consecutive good games. Can’t be up and down in the NCAAT. They have to bring it every game or it will be end quickly.

 

[Bigorangefan 98]

Vols need come out jump on them early and often… then D up on them .we have a number 1 seed on the line

 

[camp_steveo]

LFG Vols!

 

[BallerVolFan]

Vols favored on the road by 2.5 points. If the shots aren’t falling, this will be the game where we really have to attack the basket and Okpara should have the opportunity to have a good game. Ole Miss is a little undersized. Can’t give them breaks by settling for jump shots if we’re not hitting.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

As always with the short bench, who on and how many fouls the refs call will be the biggest variable. ZZ needs to avoid the 2 quick violations. Mashack as well.

 

[omghulkhands]

Vols favored on the road by 2.5 points. If the shots aren’t falling, this will be the game where we really have to attack the basket and Okpara should have the opportunity to have a good game. Ole Miss is a little undersized. Can’t give them breaks by settling for jump shots if we’re not hitting.

Goes to show this game will be tough.

Line for Bama at home was -3.5 so Vegas sees this as even harder

 

[BallerVolFan]

Goes to show this game will be tough.

Line for Bama at home was -3.5 so Vegas sees this as even harder

It’s just the nature of the beast. On the road in the SEC is never a gimme. I’m sure there is a little bit of a situational spot baked in but Ole Miss is a capable team. But if we’re a 1-seed and want to be a title caliber team, you go win this game.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Will Joey Freshwater be making an appearance?

 

[Vfl2407]

It’s just the nature of the beast. On the road in the SEC is never a gimme. I’m sure there is a little bit of a situational spot baked in but Ole Miss is a capable team. But if we’re a 1-seed and want to be a title caliber team, you go win this game.

Yep. It’s all right there for us.
If we lose this game, we don’t deserve the one seed. Win it, and we do. Go Vols!

 

[ABtheVolsfan92]

I hope our guys realize how much there is to gain. Clinch a double bye, clinch a top 5 AP ranking. create distance for the final 1 seed

 

[YankeeVol]

Will Joey Freshwater be making an appearance?

Wouldn't be surprised to see him there

 

[NighthawkVol]

TN needs to learn to have multiple, consecutive good games. Can’t be up and down in the NCAAT. They have to bring it every game or it will be end quickly.

Agreed. I don't feel good about this game. No one has talked about it at all. The comedown from the Bama game seems to have dragged on. I hope the team isn't feeling the same thing. This just feels like a game we historically lose.

 

[VFL9798]

Trap game. It feels similar to last weeks game at LSU. If we start slow, be prepared for an L

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I hope our guys realize how much there is to gain. Clinch a double bye, clinch a top 5 AP ranking. create distance for the final 1 seed

Yes. A double bye would be clinched since only Missouri and Texas A&M could catch TN and TN has the H2H tiebreaker versus each of them.

Losing to USCjr would take away the top 5 ranking and #1 seed IMO.

 

[VolCalls]

Going to be a tough one. Winning on the road in the SEC this season is brutal, see Auburn last night. Statement game for Ole Miss for NCAA tourney so expect their A+ game with a big crowd.

Agreed. Both teams are tough defensively. If you’re betting I’d lean toward the under. First one to 70 wins.