Hoops Central: #4 Tennessee vs. #15/16 Missouri

The fourth-ranked Tennessee men's basketball team faces No. 15/16 Missouri in its fifth consecutive contest versus a top-15 SEC foe Wednesday night at Food City Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

Fans can catch Wednesday's game between the Volunteers (18-4, 5-4 SEC) and Tigers (17-4, 6-2 SEC) on SEC Network. Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Steve Hamer describing the action.

In Tennessee's most recent outing, down two starters and playing with just seven scholarship competitors, it turned in a dominant performance Saturday afternoon, toppling No.

5/6 Florida, 64-44.

Senior guard Zakai Zeigler (right knee) and senior forward Igor Milicic Jr. (illness) both missed the contest for eighth-ranked Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC), but their teammates excelled in front of a sold-out Food City Center. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier scored a game-high 19 points for the Volunteers, who improved to 7-1 all-time in AP top-10 home matchups, including 4-0 under head coach Rick Barnes, who also moved to 6-0 at home against AP top-five foes in Knoxville.

THE MATCHUP
• Since the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012-13, the Volunteers are 10-6 in the series, including 10-5 in league competition.
• Tennessee is 11-6 in its last 17 games against the Tigers, including 6-3 in the past nine affairs.
• This is the 10th time Tennessee is ranked in its last 11 matchups with Missouri (since 1/17/18) after it was not ranked in any of the first 12.
• The two sides are meeting as AP top-25 foes for the fourth time, with Missouri owning a 2-1 mark in the prior three contests. This is the third AP top-20 clash, with the schools splitting the previous two games, both in 2020-21.
• The Vols have won five straight road games versus the Tigers, but dropped their last two home contests (2/11/23 and 1/23/21).
• The last three games in the series were decided by 14 total points.
• Coming off an 8-24 (0-18) year in 2023-24, Missouri was voted No. 13 in the SEC preseason poll.
Senior guard Tamar Bates, who ranks third in DI with a 94.8 free- throw percentage, paces the Tigers with 13.5 ppg.

NEWS & NOTES
• Fifth-year guards Chaz Lanier (Tennessee) and Jacob Crews (Missouri) were in the same 2020 recruiting class at North Florida and spent two years as teammates.
• Tennessee assistants Rod Clark (Kansas City) and Gregg Polinsky (St. Louis) are both Missouri natives, as is freshman guard Ben Linnemeyer (Columbia).
• Linnemeyer, junior forward Felix Okpara and sophomore forward Cade Phillips all graduated from Link Academy in Branson, Mo.
• Missouri is the sixth consecutive ranked team visiting Food City Center, dating to 1/4/25.
• Tennessee is in the midst of its first-ever stretch of five straight games versus AP top-15 foes. It has never previously even played five consecutive AP top-25 teams.
• On the last two Saturdays, Tennessee held two of KenPom's top six offenses to a combined 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) 3-point clip, as Auburn went 3-of-20 and Florida was 4-of-27.
• On the defensive end, the Vols leads the nation in eFG% (42.1), FG% (36.1) and 3P% (26.0).
• Missouri is the eighth AP top- 25 team Tennessee is playing in its first 10 SEC games. Its final four league outings in 2023-24 were also against ranked teams, meaning 12 of its last 14 such contests are versus top-25 foes. UT is 7-4 in the first 11 of that span.
• With their 64-44 win over #5 Florida, the Volunteers became the first team in SEC history, per ESPN, to win five straight home games over AP top-five foes. All are under Rick Barnes, who is 6-0 in such games on Rocky Top.
• Zakai Zeigler (628) is just five assists shy of Mississippi State's Dee Bost (633 from 2008-12) for a top-10 spot in SEC history. The five assists would also put him top-10 on UT's single-season chart and give him three of the program's top 12 marks.
• UT's 189 wins over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank ninth in DI. Only Gonzaga (229), Houston (225), Kansas (206), Duke (204), Purdue (199), San Diego State (192), Saint Mary's (191) and Auburn (190) own more. Liberty (188) rounds out the top 10.

RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES
• TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee's 25 AP top-25 wins lead the nation. Only Connecticut (24), Iowa State (24), Kansas (24) and Purdue (23) are even within two, while the closest SEC school is three behind (Alabama with 22).
• TOP 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 21 AP top-20 wins over that span, the co-second-most of any DI school, tied with Kansas (21) and trailing only Connecticut (23). Just Purdue (19), Alabama (closest SEC team with 18) and Iowa State (18) are even within three of the Volunteers.
• TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 18 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the country, behind just Kansas (18). Only Alabama (16), the closest SEC team, and Iowa State (15) are even within three of Tennessee.
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns nine AP top- 10 triumphs, co-second in the SEC and, alongside Alabama, co-sixth nationally. Only Connecticut (12), Iowa State (12), Kansas (11), Kentucky (10) and Purdue (10) have more. The nine such wins in that time are against #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), at #10 Kentucky (2/3/24) and #5 Florida (2/1/25).
• TOP FIVE: In that same four-year span, UT has six AP top-five victories, tied with Arizona for the most in the country. Only four other schools have even four: Alabama (five), Iowa State (five), Gonzaga (four) and Purdue (four).

TWICE AS NICE
• Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler both made the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on 1/7/25. The only other school with two selections was Rutgers (Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper).
• Lanier and Zeigler also both made the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on 2/3/25.
• Lanier also earned three Midseason All-America honors: second-team from FOX Sports and The Athletic, plus third-team from The Sporting News.

PARTICULARLY POTENT AT HOME
• Under Rick Barnes, Tennessee is 21-8 (.724) versus AP top-25 teams at Food City Center, including 16-2 (.889) in its last 18 such games (since 1/30/21).
• The Volunteers are 16-7 (.696) at home against AP top-20 teams in the Barnes era, including 12-2 (.857) in their last 14 such contests (since 1/30/21).
• UT has a 13-5 (.722) mark when hosting AP top-15 squads under Barnes, including an 11-2 (.846) record in its last 13 such affairs (since 1/30/21).
• Barnes has led the Vols to an 8-1 (.889) ledger at Food City Center versus AP top-10 teams, with seven consecutive wins (since 3/2/19).
• UT is a perfect 6-0 when hosting AP top-five teams in the Barnes era (all since 1/24/17). The six straight wins are an SEC record, per ESPN, surpassing the mark of five by Kentucky in 1978-84 and 1956-59.
• The Vols won 12 straight home games against AP top-25 foes from 1/30/21 to 2/28/24. That is an SEC record, per CBS Sports, and the longest in DI since Kansas had 17 straight from 1/11/14 to 2/13/17. Nine of those victories were versus top-15 foes, with five against the top 10 and three over top-five teams.
• Tennessee is 18-5 (.783) in AP top-25 home matchups under Barnes, including 12-5 (.706) with both teams in the top 20, 7-2 (.778) with both in the top 15 and 4-0 (1.000) with both in the top 10.

1.3K CLUB
• Tennessee, Alabama (five) and Ole Miss—all are in the SEC—are the only schools with at least four 1,300-point scorers. Just 11 others programs have even three.
• In total, only 25 teams—10 are in the SEC—have four- plus players with even 1,000 collegiate points.
• Darlinstone Dubar has 1,426 points in 133 outings, good for 10.7 ppg across five seasons.
• Jordan Gainey possesses 1,418 points in 122 contests, an average of 11.6 ppg over four years.
• Chaz Lanier, the only member of the quartet who entered the season below 1K, now has 1,332 points in 126 outings, a 10.6 ppg ledger across five campaigns.
• Zakai Zeigler owns 1,310 points in 122 appearances, giving him a 10.7 ppg average in four seasons.

TOP-TIER TRIUMPHS
• Tennessee is 39-40 (.494) against AP top-25 foes under Rick Barnes, including 23-13 (.639) in its past 36 such games (since 1/22/22).
• The Volunteers are 33-32 (.508) versus AP top-20 teams in Barnes' tenure, including 19-9 (.679) in their last 28 such affairs (since 1/22/22).
• UT is 25-25 (.500) against AP top-15 teams in the Barnes era, including 18-8 (.692) in its last 26 such games (since 12/22/21).
• The Vols own a 14-15 (.483) record versus AP top-10 foes under Barnes, including a 12-9 (.571) mark in their last 21 such contests (since 3/2/19) and a 9-6 (.600) tally in their last 15 (since 12/22/21).
• UT is 10-9 (.526) against AP top-five opponents in Barnes' tenure, including 6-4 (.600) in its last 10 such affairs (since 2/15/22). It is 8-2 (.800) versus AP top-five SEC teams, including 7-1 (.875) in its last seven such outings (since 3/2/19).

20,000 STRONG
• In Rick Barnes' 10 seasons, Tennessee has played in front of a home crowd of at least 20,000 on 43 occasions (33-10), with 31 sellouts (24-7).
• In 2022-23, the Volunteers had five sellout crowds, at the time tying an arena single-season record.
• Tennessee well eclipsed that mark last season by selling out eight home games—including seven of nine in SEC play—good for its most ever at Food City Center. Four of those were over-capacity crowds, with the last three above 22,000.
• This season, Tennessee has already clinched six sellouts: Syracuse (12/3/24), Arkansas (1/5/25), Mississippi State (1/21/25), Kentucky (1/28/25), Florida (2/1/25) and Alabama (3/1/25).

HAPPY AT HOME
• Over the last four seasons (2021-25), the Vols' .918 (56-5) home winning percentage is co-eighth in DI (co-fifth in Power Five, second in SEC).
• In the last eight years (2017-25), UT is at .874 (111-16), No. 11 in DI (sixth at Power Five level, second in SEC).
• In total, UT is 134-25 (.843) at Food City Center in Rick Barnes' 10 years and has twice gone undefeated at home (18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22).