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Men’s BasketballNovember 15, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 11th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team is prepared for its second home contest in five days, as the Governors of Austin Peay visit Knoxville for an in-state battle Sunday afternoon at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET.
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Austin Peay Governors
- Tipoff: Sunday, Nov. 17 | 3 p.m. ET
- Venue: Food City Center
- Watch Online: SEC Network+
- Online: Listen Live | Live Stats
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TENNESSEE
AUSTIN PEAY
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Fans can catch Sunday’s game between the Volunteers and Governors on SECN+. Zack Nelson (play-by-play) and Steve Hamer (analyst) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
The Volunteers turned in a superb second-half performance Wednesday night against Montana, en route to a 92-57 victory.
Tennessee led by double digits for the final 19-plus minutes, as head coach Rick Barnes moved past Don DeVoe for sole possession of second place on the program’s all-time wins list (205). Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., paced the victors with 18 points, adding a game-best 10 rebounds and a co-career-high five assists.
THE MATCHUP
• The Volunteers are 3-1 against the Governors this century, with the wins by an average of 34.7 ppg. The defeat was on 12/10/11, 74-70.
• Tennessee has scored 80-plus points in five of its last seven games versus Austin Peay.
• After going 19-16 (10-6) and playing in the CIT last year, the Governors were picked second in the ASUN preseason poll by the coaches and third by the media.
• Junior guard L.J. Thomas leads Austin Peay in points (19.7), rebounds (6.7) and assists (3.7) per game.
• Tennessee is 20-1 all-time against current Atlantic Sun teams, with Austin Peay the team it has beat the most, but also the lone such foe it has lost to. It has only played four teams—also Eastern Kentucky (6-0), Lipscomb (4-0) and FGCU (1-0)—from the league.
• Rick Barnes owns an 11-0 record versus current ASUN members, including a 6-0 ledger during his Tennessee tenure.
• The Vols are 31-6 (.838) against in- state foes under Barnes, including 14-1 (.933) in their last 15 outings.
NEWS & NOTES
• In Tennessee’s first three games, it led for 117:21 of a possible 120 minutes, while trailing for only 13 total seconds.
• Through their first three games, the Volunteers are plus-35 in fast-break points, 39-4, and has allowed zero in two outings. UT is also plus-50, 116-66, in paint points.
• Tennessee is 30-0 in home non- conference games over the last five seasons. Only two other schools, Texas Tech (34-0) and Baylor (30-0), have that many such wins with zero losses over that time period.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Volunteers’ 30- game non-conference home winning streak is tied with Akron, Connecticut and Providence for the seventh-longest active streak in the nation.
• Tennessee is seeking a 4-0 start for the fifth time in seven years. It would join the 2018-19 (4-0), 2019-20 (5-0), 2020-21 (7-0) and 2023-24 (4-0) teams.
TENNESSEE TABBED THIRD
• Tennessee placed third in the SEC preseason poll, as voted on by a select panel of league and national media members.
• Only the two Yellowhammer State schools, Alabama and Auburn, finished above Tennessee in the voting.
• This is the third straight year the Volunteers took a top-three position in the preseason media poll, the only school that can make such a claim. Tennessee held the top spot in 2023-24 and indeed went on to win the league title. In 2022-23, UT took third-place in the voting.
• Tennessee has claimed a top-five spot in the preseason media poll seven consecutive years, dating back to the 2018-19 edition.
WINNING WAYS
• Over the last eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total wins (174) and is tied for first in postseason victories (18), while placing a narrow second in winning percentage (.725). In that span, UT has three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, plus the 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 (.727) and Kentucky (.701).
• 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 82-28 (.74545) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn ranks second at 79-27 (.74528) 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.
PRESEASON PLAUDITS
• Zakai Zeigler collected Preseason First Team All-SEC recognition from the media, alongside Auburn’s Johni Broome, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., Alabama’s Mark Sears and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV.
• In addition, Zeigler was one of five individuals to earn votes for SEC Preseason Player of the Year, joining Sears (the designee), Broome, Taylor and Georgia’s Asa Newell.
• This is the third year in a row Zeigler, a second-team choice in advance of both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 campaigns, garnered Preseason All-SEC honors from the media. He is the fourth such three-time selection in UT history, joining Allan Houston (first team in each of 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93), Tony Harris (first team in each 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01) and Tyler Smith (second team in 2007-08, first team in both 2008-09 and 2009-10).
• The league’s coaches also labeled Zeigler a Preseason First Team All-SEC choice, placing him alongside the same four players. It marked his third consecutive year receiving that distinction, the only such player in the league.
• Zeigler earned Preseason Second Team All-America plaudits from the Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The other second-team choices were Broome, Taylor, Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Purdue’s Braden Smith. He was named a Preseason Third Team All-American by ESPN’s Jay Bilas.
• After finishing as a Midseason Top 10 List selection last year, Zakai Zeigler was named to the Bob Cousy Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List this season. In addition, Chaz Lanier earned a spot on the Jerry West Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List.
• Zeigler also earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List. He was one of nine SEC players to make the cut.
POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 206 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a 154-52 (.748) record. Over 67.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 306 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (206 of 240, 85.8 percent).
• UT is 133-47 (.739) while in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 102-34 (.750) while top-15, 79-25 (.760) 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 28-22 (.560) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 22-15 (.595) with both teams in the top 20, 13-9 (.591) with both in the top 15 and 7-6 (.538) with both in the top 10.
1K CLUB
• Tennessee has three with over 1,000 points, each of whom entered the season above that mark, and another who is just 21 away from quadruple digits.
• Darlinstone Dubar owns 1,359 points in 116 outings, good for 11.7 ppg across four seasons.
• Jordan Gainey possesses 1,204 points in 103 contests, an average of 11.7 ppg over four years.
• Zakai Zeigler has 1,095 points in 104 appearances, giving him a 10.5 ppg average in four seasons.
• Chaz Lanier is closing in on 1,000 points, as he owns 979 points in 107 outings, a 9.1 ppg ledger across five campaigns.
HAPPY AT HOME
• Over the last five seasons, since 2020-21, the Volunteers are 59-7 (.894) on their home court.
• In 10 seasons under head coach Rick Barnes, the Vols are 124-24 (.838) at Food City Center. Twice during the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.
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).
• The Volunteers posted 20-plus assists 11 times in 2023-24 and reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).
• Tennessee recorded 20-plus assists 23 times in 2021-22, logging 25-plus on 10 occasions, with a high of 29 versus USC Upstate (12/14/21).
