Hoops Central: #8 Tennessee vs. #5/6 Florida

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 8 Tennessee men’s basketball team faces No. 5/6 Florida its fifth straight home game versus a ranked SEC opponent, this time with its first top-10 showdown at Food City Center since Feb. 15, 2023. Tipoff is slated for noon ET in the Volunteers’ annual “Checker Game,” with section designations listed HERE.

 
Fans can catch tune in for Saturday contest between the Volunteers (17-4, 4-4 SEC) and Gators (18-2, 5-2 SEC) on ESPN. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (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.

In Tennessee’s most recent outing, it dropped a close 78-73 decision to No. 12 Kentucky in a top-15 clash Tuesdsay evening at Food City Center.

The Volunteers could not overcome the dazzling 3-point shooting by the Wildcats, dropping to 4-2 in AP top-12 showdowns between the two schools during head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., paced the Volunteers with a game-high 19 points in the setback.

THE MATCHUP

•    Tennessee’s 81 wins over Florida are tied for its fourth-most versus any foe. It has 131 victories against Vanderbilt, 100 versus Georgia, 91 versus Mississippi State and an equal 81 against Auburn.

•    UT is 8-3 in its last 11 matchups with Florida, dating to 2/21/18, after going 1-5 in the prior six.

•    Earlier this season, Florida ended Tennessee’s 14-0 start as the last undefeated team in the country with a 73-43 home win on 1/7/25. Per former UT SID David Grim, it was a reverse of 2005-06, when the Vols won, 80-76, on 1/21/06 against a Gator squad that was DI’s final unbeaten at 17-0. Florida went on the win the NCAA title.

•    The sides are 3-3 all-time in AP top-25 showdowns. This is the second top-10 tilt in 2024-25 after it had never happened before.

•    After a 24-12 (11-7) showing that included an NCAA Tournament berth last year, Florida came in at sixth in the SEC preseason poll.

•    The Gators are led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., a preseason First Team All-SEC pick who is averaging 17.8 ppg and 4.0 apg.

NEWS & NOTES

•    Across the prior seven seasons (2017-24), the Volunteers are 26-8 (.765) in the second leg of regular season home-and-home series.

•    The Gators are the fifth straight ranked team visiting Food City Center, dating to 1/4/25.

•    UT is in the midst of its first-ever stretch of four straight games versus AP top-15 foes. Its lone prior four-game streak against even AP top-20 teams was last year (2/28 to 3/9). It also had four in a row versus AP top-25 squads in 2003-04 (1/20 to 1/31).

•    The Vols are 6-1 all-time in home AP top-10 clashes, including 3-1 while lower ranked. They are 3-0 at Food City Center, all under Rick Barnes, with each win by nine-plus points. Those three victories are as follows: #7 Tennessee def. #4 Kentucky (71-52 on 3/2/19), #4 Tennessee def. #10 Texas (82-71 on 1/28/23) and #10 Tennessee def. #1 Alabama (68-59 on 2/15/23). UT went 3-1 in such games at Stokely Athletics Center (1-1 in Feb. 1981 and 2-0 in Jan. 1968).

•    Tennessee’s 42.7 eFG% defense is first in the nation, per KenPom.

•    During its active 72-week streak in the AP Poll, dating to the 2021-22 preseason release, Tennessee has played just 14 of its 118 games as a lower-ranked team, posting an 8-6 record. That includes a 7-4 mark since 1/22/22, a 5-2 tally versus SEC foes and a perfect 5-0 ledger at home.

•    UT is in the AP top 10 for the 10th week in a row, the sixth-longest streak in program history.

•    On 1/28/25, in his 122nd outing, Zakai Zeigler became the second player to reach 1,300 points, 600 assists and 200 steals at an SEC school. Only Arkansas’ Kareem Reid (1995-99) has also done so.

•    Zeigler (628) is just five assists behind Mississippi State’s Dee Bost (633 from 2008-12) for a top-10 spot in SEC history.

•    The Volunteers’ 188 victories over the last eight seasons (2017-25) rank ninth nationally. Only Gonzaga (229), Houston (225), Kansas (206), Duke (203), Purdue (198), San Diego State (191), Saint Mary’s (190) and Auburn (189) own more. Liberty (187) rounds out the top 10.

RACKING UP RANKED VICTORIES

•     TOP 25: In the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee’s 24 AP top-25 wins are tied, alongside Iowa State (24) and Kansas (24), for the most in the nation. Only Connecticut (23) and Purdue (23) are even within one, while the closest SEC school is two behind (Alabama with 22).

•     TOP 20: Tennessee possesses an SEC-high 20 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, while trailing only Connecticut (22) and Kansas (21). Just Purdue (19), Alabama (closest SEC team with 18) and Iowa State (18) are even within two of the Volunteers.

•     TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 17 AP top-15 decisions over those four seasons, good for second-most in the country, behind just Kansas (19). Only Alabama (16), the closest SEC team, and Iowa State (15) are even within two of Tennessee.

•     TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, third in the SEC and, alongside Arizona and North Carolina, co-seventh nationally. Only Iowa State (12), Connecticut (11), Kansas (11), Kentucky (10), Purdue (10) and Alabama (nine) have more. The eight 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) 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 and Iowa State for second-most in the country, behind just Arizona (six). Only two others, Gonzaga and Purdue, have even four.

TWICE AS NICE

•    Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler both made the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, announced Jan. 7.

•    The only other school with multiple selections among the 25 designees was Rutgers, with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

•    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 20-8 (.714) versus AP top-25 teams at Food City Center, including 15-2 (.882) in its last 17 such games (since 1/30/21).

•    The Volunteers are 15-7 (.682) at home against AP top-20 teams in the Barnes era, including 11-2 (.846) in their last 13 such contests (since 1/30/21).

•    UT has a 12-5 (.706) mark when hosting AP top-15 squads under Barnes, including a 10-2 (.833) record in its last 12 such affairs (since 1/30/21).

•    Barnes has led the Vols to a 7-1 (.875) ledger at Food City Center versus AP top-10 teams, with six consecutive wins (since 3/2/19).

•    UT is a perfect 5-0 when hosting AP top-five teams in the Barnes era (all since 1/24/17).

• 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 17-5 (.773) in AP top-25 home matchups under Barnes, including 11-5 (.688) with both teams in the top 20, 6-2 (.750) with both in the top 15 and 3-0 (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 10 others programs have even three.

•    In total, only 22 teams—eight are in the SEC—have four-plus players with even 1,000 collegiate points.

•    Darlinstone Dubar has 1,422 points in 132 outings, good for 10.8 ppg across five seasons.

•    Jordan Gainey possesses 1,402 points in 121 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 1,313 points in 125 outings, a 10.5 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 38-40 (.487) against AP top-25 foes under Rick Barnes, including 22-13 (.629) in its past 35 such games (since 1/22/22).

• The Volunteers are 32-32 (.500) versus AP top-20 teams in Barnes’ tenure, including 18-9 (.667) in their last 27 such affairs (since 1/22/22).

• UT is 24-25 (.490) against AP top-15 teams in the Barnes era, including 17-8 (.680) in its last 25 such games (since 12/22/21). 

• The Vols own a 13-15 (.464) record versus AP top-10 foes under Barnes, including an 11-9 (.550) mark in their last 2- such contests (since 3/2/19) and an 8-6 (.571) tally in their last 14 (since 12/22/21).

• UT is 9-9 (.500) against AP top-five opponents in Barnes’ tenure, including 5-4 (.556) in its last nine such affairs (since 2/15/22). It is 7-2 (.778) versus AP top-five SEC teams, including 6-1 in their 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 42 occasions (32-9), with 30 sellouts (23-7).

•     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’ .917 (55-5) home winning percentage is co-ninth in DI (co-sixth in Power Five, second in SEC).

•    In the last five years, UT is at .895 (68-8), placing No. 11 in DI (sixth among Power Five teams, first in SEC). 

•    In total, UT is 133-25 (.842) 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).