KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Off to its fourth 7-0 start since the turn of the century, including the second time in five years, the third-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball takes the floor Tuesday night, facing Syracuse at Food City Center in the annual SEC/ACC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Syracuse Orange
- Tipoff: Tuesday, Dec. 3 | 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Food City Center
- Watch Online: ESPN
- Online: Listen Live | Live Stats
Fans can catch Tuesday’s game between the Volunteers and Orange on ESPN. Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) will have the call.
In its most recent outing, Tennessee capped a perfect November with a 78-35 victory Wednesday against UT Martin. The Volunteers never trailed and led for over 38 minutes, including by 20-plus for the final 11:35 and by 30-plus for last 5:56, in the intrastate matchup. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier tallied a game-high 18 points for the victors.
THE MATCHUP
• After starting 1-3 in its series with Syracuse, Tennessee is 3-0 this cenutry, with each win at a different location.
• Tennessee defeated Syracuse, 73- 56, in the 2023 Maui Invitational opener in Honolulu behind a combined 32 points from from Dalton Knecht (17) and Josiah- Jordan James (15).
• This is the second time the two sides are meeting in back-to- back years. The Orange swept a home-and-home on 12/9/92 and 11/28/93.
• Coming off a 20-12 (11-9) showing in Adrian Autry’s first season at the helm, Syracuse placed No. 11 in this year’s ACC preseason poll.
• The Orange are led by junior guard J.J. Starling, who is averaging 19.8 ppg, second-best in the ACC.
• Tennessee is 123-101 all-time versus current ACC schools and has beat all but one of them, Notre Dame (0-1), at least once.
• Rick Barnes is 83-77 against the current ACC membership, including 13-5 in his Tennessee tenure and 6-1 over the last four seasons (2021-25).
NEWS & NOTES
• The Volunteers and Orange play in two of the three largest on- campus arenas in the country. More information is on Page 11.
• Tennessee’s Darlinstone Dubar and Syracuse’s Chaz Owens were prep teammates at Scotland Campus (Pa.) in 2019-20.
• Syracuse is the third of four ACC teams Tennessee will meet in non-conference play. It won at Louisville (11/9), beat Virginia (11/21) in the Bahamas and will face Miami (12/10) in New York.
• UT leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense (33.6), ranks second in scoring defense (54.7) and places sixth in both scoring margin (26.9) and field-goal percentage (52.3).
• Zakai Zeigler, who hails from a New York town 290 miles southeast of Syracuse, is putting up 7.86 apg. That is 3.0 above any other player in the SEC, as Boogie Fland and Jaylen Murray are tied for second at 4.86, as well as good for sixth-best in the country.
• Chaz Lanier leads the SEC and ranks eighth among all DI players with 3.86 3PM per game.
• In Tennessee’s first seven games, it led for 266:15 of a possible 280 minutes and trailed for only 4:39.
• Through seven outings, the Vols’ largest deficit is three points. Meanwhile, they have held a lead of at least 26 points in each game and won all of them by 15-plus.
• Tennessee’s 178 wins over the last eight years (2017-25) rank co-ninth nationally, alongside Saint Mary’s. Only Gonzaga (220), Houston (212), Kansas (198), Duke (190), Purdue (189), San Diego State (181), Virginia (181) and Liberty (179) have more.
• Tennessee is seeking an 8-0 start for the first time since beginning the 2000-01 campaign at 9-0.
• This is the Vols’ 600th game at Food City Center, where they are 457-142 (.763) since its opening in 1987-88. In their most recent outing, a 78-35 win over UT Martin (11/27/24), they set an arena record for fewest points allowed.
• UT has conceded just 15 fast- break points in seven contests (2.1 ppg). In four of its seven outings, it has allowed zero. The Vols are plus-68, 83-15, in that stat overall.
HIGH-CALIBER COMPANY
• Tennessee and Kansas are the only two teams to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25). Only two others, Arizona and Purdue, entered 2024-25 with a three-year streak.
• UT is one of only four schools to reach the AP top six in each of the past four seasons, alongside Alabama, Houston and Kansas.
• Tennessee is one of only five programs to reach the AP top six in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018-25), Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky. Additionally, in that same stretch, the Volunteers, Bulldogs, Jayhawks and Wildcats are the only four teams to enter the AP top-five in at least five different seasons.
• Tennessee is one of just six schools to earn an AP top-20 ranking in each of the past eight years (2017- 25), alongside Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. Just two others, Houston and Purdue, have even reached the AP top 25 in each of those seasons.
RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee has and SEC-best 21 AP top-25 wins, good for co-second nationally, alongside Connecticut, Iowa State and Purdue, behind only Kansas (23). Only Marquette (18) is even within three of the Volunteers, while the closest SEC school is four behind (Alabama with 17).
• TOP 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 19 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Kansas (21) and Connecticut (20). The only other schools with even 16-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State (16). The closest SEC programs are five shy (Alabam and Texas with 13).
• TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 16 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the country, trailing just Kansas (19). Only Purdue (13) and Iowa State (13) are even within three of UT, while the closest SEC team is four behind (Alabama with 12).
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, tops in the SEC and co-fifth nationally, alongside North Carolina. Only Kansas (11), Connecticut (10), Iowa State (10) and Purdue (10) have more. The eight such wins in 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). The closest SEC teams are one shy (Alabama, Kentucky and Texas with seven).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama and Arizona for the most in the nation. Only three other schools have even four: Gonzaga, Iowa State and Purdue.
…AND DOING SO EFFICIENTLY
• Tennessee, at 21-14 (.600), has the best record versus AP top-25 opponents over the last four seasons (2021-25). Auburn (12-9; .571) ranks second, while no one else has a mark of even .500.
• The Volunteers are 10 games over .500 (19-9; .679) against AP top-20 teams in that span, while just one other SEC team, Auburn (10-7; .588), is even above a .433 clip.
• UT is also 10 games over .500 (16-6; .727) versus AP top-15 foes in that times, while just one other SEC team, Auburn (8-5; .615), is even one game above .500 in that time.
• At 8-5 (.615), the Volunteers are the only team in the SEC with a winning record against AP top-10 foes over those four seasons. Kentucky (7-8; .467) places a distant second.
• Tennessee (5-4; .556) and Arkansas (3-2; .600) are the only SEC programs at .500 or better versus AP top-five teams in that four-year stretch.
• The Volunteers, despite their excellent winning percentage, have played the co-third-most games against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team in the last four years (2021-25). They trail just Texas (41) and Oklahoma (38) in such outings, while matching Alabama (35). No other SEC school is at 30-plus.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (178) and is tied for first in postseason victories (18), while also placing a close second in overall winning percentage (.730). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage of over .700, alongside Auburn (.731) and Kentucky (.706).
• In SEC play over the same eight-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 four seasons (2021-25), UT owns an 86-28 (.7544) overall record. That is good for the most victories in the SEC over that span, with Auburn (83-27) in second. The Vols’ winning percentage is just fractions of a point behind Auburn (.7545) for the top mark during that time.
• In that same four-year span, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 210 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a 158-52 (.752) record. Over 67.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 310 games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (210 of 244, 86.1 percent).
• UT is 137-47 (.745) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 106-34 (.757) while top-15, 80-25 (.762) while top-10, 36-12 (.750) while top-five, 17-2 (.895) while top-three and 7-1 (.875) while No. 1.
• The Vols are 29-22 (.569) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 23-15 (.605) with both teams in the top 20, 14-9 (.609) with both in the top 15 and 7-6 (.538) with both in the top 10.
INAM: “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME”
• In each of Zakai Zeigler’s three full seasons, Tennessee finished top-15 nationally in assist rate, per KenPom. It ranked No. 13 in 2023-24 (61.0), second in 2022-23 (66.2) and sixth in 2021-22 (63.0).
• Thus far in 2024-25, the Volunteers have thrice notched 20-plus assists. Their high mark is 24 versus Montana (11/13/24).
• Tennessee posted 20-plus assists 11 times in 2023- 24 and reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
• In 2022-23, Tennessee amassed 20-plus assists in seven contests, with 25-plus four times. It posted a high of 29 versus South Carolina (2/25/23).
• The Volunteers recorded 20-plus assists 10 times in 2021-22, logging 25-plus on four occasions. They had a high of 29 versus Longwood (3/17/22) in the NCAA Tournament opener and against USC Upstate (12/14/21).
