#5 Tennessee (20-6 | 10-3 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (15-11 | 6-7 SEC)
Saturday, February 24th, 2024 | 7:00pm CT / 8:00pm ET
Knoxville, TN | Food City Center | TV: SEC Network
Knoxville, TN – The fifth-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball begins a two-game homestand Saturday night against the Aggies of Texas A&M at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm CT.
Fans can catch Saturday’s game between the Vols (20-6, 10-3 SEC) and Aggies (15-11, 6-7 SEC) on ESPN. Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Pat Bradley (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.
Facing a seven-point deficit with under 16 minutes to play Tuesday night at Missouri, Tennessee answered the call and stormed back to claim a 72-67 road victory. Sophomore forward Tobe Awaka posted a career-high 18 points and a co-game-best 10 rebounds for fifth-ranked Tennessee (20-6, 10-3 SEC).
The Matchup
Tennessee fell, 85-69, at Texas A&M on 2/10/24 despite Dalton Knecht scoring 22 points on a 6-of-11 3-point clip. The Aggies, who started 8-of-12 from deep through 12-plus minutes, got 27 points from Tyrece Radford and 25 from Wade Taylor IV.
This is the eighth time in the last nine meetings UT is ranked. It went 5-2 in the prior six, including 5-1 with the Aggies unranked.
The Volunteers’ last victory over Texas A&M was a 65-50 decision on 3/13/22 in Tampa, Fla., in the SEC Tournament final, giving UT its fifth crown and first since 1979.
After finishing 25-10 (15-3) in 2022-23 and making the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M placed second in the SEC preseason poll.
Junior guard Wade Taylor IV, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, paces Texas A&M in both points (19.1) and assists (3.8) per game.
Texas A&M (31-11) is one of three teams Rick Barnes has beat 30- plus times, along with Texas Tech (33-5) and Baylor (30-9). The Aggies are the only one he has beat at multiple schools (three).
News and Notes
Rick Barnes‘ next victory will be his 800th, making him the 15th DI coach (min. 10 years DI) to reach that mark. He would be the 26th NCAA coach, at any level, with 800, with just two others who are active: Kentucky’s John Calipari and Biola’s Dave Holmquist (DII). Only Calipari and Adolph Rupp hit 800 while in the SEC, while Cliff Ellis and Eddie Sutton did so after leaving the league.
UT has 20-plus wins for the 30th time, including the fifth in the past seven seasons and third in a row. Rick Barnes‘ 24 20-win DI seasons tie him for No. 13 all-time with Jim Calhoun and Kelvin Sampson.
Santiago Vescovi is two steals away from becoming the second Volunteer with 200, while Josiah- Jordan James is three blocks from being the 19th UT player with 100 and Zakai Zeigler is four assists from being the ninth Vol with 400.
Tobe Awaka had a career-high 18 points and 10 boards at Missouri. He led UT in scoring for the first time, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 at the line to set career bests in both makes areas.
Dominant DK
Dalton Knecht’s 24.4 ppg average in SEC play is the third-highest mark of any player in league action (min. two GP), behind Tommy Bruner (25.7 in Summit) and Chaz Lanier (24.5 in ASUN).
Knecht is on pace to be the fourth Power Six player in the last 36 seasons (1988-2024) to average 20.0 ppg and no more than 1.5 turnovers, joining Keegan Murray (2021-22), Jeremy Hazell (2009- 10) and Hubert Davis (1991-92).
Knecht is one of 10 SEC players in the last 12 years (2012-24) to score 14-plus points in 12 straight league games in a single campaign. He is one of three to do so in the last five years (2019-24), joining Antonio Reeves (2023-24) and Cameron Thomas (2020-21). If Knecht has 14-plus versus the Aggies, he would be the sixth with a 13-game streak in those 12 years.
Racking Up Ranked Victories
Over the past four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee leads all SEC teams with 18 AP top-25 wins, good for three more than any other SEC program—Alabama has 15—and tied with Gonzaga and Illinois for sixth nationally. It also paces all SEC schools in AP top- 10 victories with eight, placing co-sixth nationally alongside Purdue and Texas. The Volunteers’ five AP top-five wins in that span lead the SEC and are tied with Arizona, Gonzaga and Michigan State for the most of any team in the country.
The eight AP top-10 triumphs during 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).
Over the last four seasons (2020-24), Tennessee has played a co-league-high 32 games against AP top- 25 opponents, going 18-14 (.563). The Vols are the only SEC team, regardless of number of games, with a winning record against ranked foes during that span. Auburn is a distant second with a .476 (10-11) ledger and Alabama ranks third at .469 (15-17).
Tennessee (32), Alabama (32) and Arkansas (31) are the only SEC teams to play 30-plus ranked foes since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
Winning Ways
Over the last seven seasons, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Tennessee paces all SEC programs in total victories (164), winning percentage (.722) and postseason wins (15). In that span, the Vols have claimed a pair of SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and the tournament in 2022.
In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only two SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of at least .700, alongside Auburn (.721). The only other team above even .650 in that time is Kentucky (.696).
In SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (82-38; .683) is tied with Kentucky (82- 38; .683) for the league league in both victories and winning percentage. Only Auburn (77-44; .636) and Alabama (76-45; .628) even 70-plus wins.
Over just the last three seasons (2021-24), UT owns a 72-25 (.742) overall record. That is good for the most victories and the best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn (69-25; .734) ranks second in both categories.
INAM: “It’s Not About Me”
The Volunteers have posted 20-plus assists 10 times this season. They have 25-plus thrice this season, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24)
Tennessee has a 60.7 percent assist rate that ranks No. 15 nationally, per KenPom, through 2/21/24.
Last season, Tennessee placed second nationally, per KenPom, with a 66.2 percent assist rate. It also logged a 64.9 percent mark in SEC play.
Poll Presence
Tennessee has played 193 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Rick Barnes, posting a stellar 144-49 (.746) record. Over 65.0 percent of the Volunteers’ games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.
Furthermore, UT owns a 123-44 (.737) record while ranked in the AP top 20 during Barnes’ tenure, a 92-31 (.748) mark while in the top 15, a 72-22 (.766) ledger while in the top 10, a 31-9 (.775) tally while in the top five, a 17-2 (.895) record while in the top three and a 7-1 (.875) mark while at No. 1.
The Vols are 24-20 (.545) in top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 18-13 (.581) with both teams in the top 20, 10-7 (.588) with both in the top 15 and 7-5 (.583) with both in the top 10.
