Top Ranked Vols Set For Miami
The newly-top-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team travels to New York City for its matchup against Miami as part of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch Tuesday's game between the Volunteers (8-0) and Hurricanes (3-6) on ESPN. Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Jess Sims (reporter) will have the call.
The Volunteers are ranked atop both major national polls, as announced Monday afternoon. Tennessee climbed two spots in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to No. 1 overall. It marks the sixth time in program history, across three different seasons, Tennessee is first in the AP Poll. The Volunteers held the top spot once in 2007-08 (Feb. 25), as well as four times in 2018-19 (Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11). This is the earliest the program has ever ascended atop the poll and the first time it has done so during non-conference play.
In its last outing, wearing black "Dark Mode" uniforms for the first time in program history Tuesday night, Tennessee turned in an impressive 96-70 victory Tuesday night against Syracuse in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier logged a game-high 26 points, tying a season best, as UT led by double digits for the entire second half and by 20-plus for the final 13 minutes.
THE MATCHUP
• This is the fifth game between Miami and Tennessee, with each one at a different location. They have played on each team's campus once, as well as in San Juan, P.R., and Montgomery, Ala.
• After going 15-17 (6-14) in 2023- 24, the Hurricanes placed sixth in this year's ACC preseason poll.
• Miami is led by graduate student guard Nijel Pack, a Preseason First Team All-ACC designee averaging 14.1 ppg and 4.6 apg.
• Tennessee is 124-101 against the current ACC membership and has defeated all but one of them, Notre Dame (0-1), at least once.
• Rick Barnes is 84-77 versus current ACC schools, including 14-5 at UT, 7-1 in the last four years (2021-25) and 3-0 this season.
• Miami's Jalen Blackmon (21.3) and Tennessee's Chaz Lanier (19.7) were the top two scorers in the ASUN last year and both were First Team All-ASUN picks.
• Tennessee is 0-2 in the Jimmy V Classic, falling to Virginia on 12/19/00 in East Rutherford, N.J., and to Texas Tech in overtime on 12/7/21 at Madison Square Garden.
NEWS & NOTES
• Tennessee is one of eight unbeaten DI teams, alongside Drake, Florida, Loyola Chicago, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, UC Irvine and Utah State. Only UT is also undefeated in women's basketball.
• The only two active DI head coaches on the Naismith Hall of Fame ballot for their coaching careers, Rick Barnes and Jim Larran~aga each place top-six among active DI coaches in wins. They are also both top- three among active DI coaches in games coached, total seasons as a DI coach and consecutive seasons as a DI coach. They are two of the only six coaches all-time to win 100-plus games at three DI schools with 200-plus at two. More can be found on Pages 18-19.
• Barnes and Larran~aga each spent time as both an assistant at Davidson and as the head coach at George Mason. In addition, Barnes is a former head coach at Providence, while Larran~aga played there. They have squared off just once before, an 81-79 home win by Providence over Bowling Green on 11/25/89.
• Tennessee is 7-12 all-time at MSG, including 1-3 versus St. John's and 6-9 in neutral-site matchups. It is 5-4 in the NIT (1-0 versus St. John's), 2-7 in the regular season (0-3 versus St. John's) and 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
• Zakai Zeigler is from Wyandanch, N.Y., a Long Island town roughly 38 miles from Manhattan. This is UT's fourth game in New York (third at MSG) in his career, but he missed one due to injury.
• In Tennessee's first eight games, it led for 303:50 of a possible 320 minutes and trailed for only 6:03.
• Through eight outings, UT's largest deficit is three points. Meanwhile, it has held a lead of at least 26 points in each game and won all of them by 15-plus.
• The Vols are seeking their seventh 9-0 start and first since 2000-01.
• Tennessee's 179 wins over the last eight years (2017-25) rank No. 10 nationally, alongside Saint Mary's. Only Gonzaga (220), Houston (213), Kansas (198), Duke (191), Purdue (189), San Diego State (183), Virginia (181), Liberty (180) and Saint Mary's (180) have more.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (179) and overall winning percentage (.731), plus is tied for first in postseason victories (18). 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 above .700, alongside Auburn (.728) and Kentucky (.704).
• 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), the Volunteers own an 87-28 (.756) overall record, that is good for the most victories and best winning percentage in the SEC over that span.
• In that same four-year span, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.
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- fourth nationally, alongside Purdue. It is behind only Kansas (24), Connecticut (22) and Iowa State (22). Only Marquette (19) is even within two of the Volunteers, while the closest SEC school is three behind (Alabama with 18).
• TOP 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 19 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Connecticut (21) and Kansas (21). The only other schools with even 17-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State (17). The closest SEC program is four shy (Alabama with 14).
• 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 Iowa State (14) and Purdue (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, co-first in the SEC and co-fifth nationally, alongside Kentucky and North Carolina. Only Iowa State (11), Kansas (11), Connecticut (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).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama, Arizona and Iowa State for the most in the nation. Only two other schools, Gonzaga and Purdue, have even four.
...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 (12-10 .545) 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 (10-8; .556), is even above a .500 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 (8-6; .571), is even better than 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 (8-8; .500) 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 fourth-most games against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team in the last four years (2021-25). They trail just Texas (41), Oklahoma (38) and Alabama (36) in such outings, while no other SEC school is at 30-plus.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 211 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes' tenure, posting a 159-52 (.754) record. Over 67.0 percent of the Volunteers' 311 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (211 of 245, 86.1 percent).
• UT is 138-47 (.746) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 107-34 (.759) while top-15, 81-25 (.764) while top-10, 37-12 (.755) while top-five, 18-2 (.900) 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.
HIGH-CALIBER COMPANY
• Tennessee and Kansas are the only two schools 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.
• The Volunteers are one of only four teams to reach the AP top six in each of the past five seasons, alongside Alabama, Houston and Kansas.
• UT is one of just five programs to reach the AP top six in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018- 25), alongside Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky. Those are also the only five schools to enter the AP top five in at least five different years during that stretch.
• The Vols are among only seven teams to reach the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll in at least two of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
• Over that same seven-year stretch (2018-25), UT is also one of seven teams to claim an AP top-two position in at least three seasons, alongside Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Purdue.
• 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.
• Additionally, over the last three seasons (2022- 25), the Vols are one of just five teams to reach the AP top two in multiple seasons, joining Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas and Purdue.
INAM: "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME"
• In each of Zakai Zeigler's three completed 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).