Tennessee Vols Basketball takes on Saint Peter’s Peacocks in First Round of NCAA Tournament

#6 Tennessee (24-8 | 14-4 SEC) vs. Saint Peter’s (19-3 | 12-8 MAAC)
NCAA Tournament
Thursday, March 21st, 2024 | 8:00pm CT / 9:20pm ET
Charlotte, NC | Spectrum Center | TV: TNT

Charlotte, NC – The sixth-ranked and No. 2 seed Tennessee men’s basketball team begins NCAA Tournament action Thursday night. In the first round, they will face No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s at Spectrum Center. Tipoff is slated for 8:20pm CT.

Fans can catch Friday’s game between the Vols (24-8) and Peacocks (19-13) on TNT. Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Allie LaForce (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 its most recent action, Tennessee dropped a 73-56 decision to ninth-seeded Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler, who surpassed 1,000 career points in the setback, paced the SEC regular season champions with a game-best 20 points.

The Matchup

Tennessee won its lone previous outing against Saint Peter’s, notching a 54-40 home win on 3/14/84 in the opening round of the NIT. Both teams shot under 38.0 percent, and no player on either team scored over 13 points.

Picked No. 10 of 11 in the MAAC preseason poll, the Peacocks tied for third at 12-8 and won the league tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

Sophomore forward Corey Washington, a First Team All-MAAC pick, paces the Peacocks with 16.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg.

Tennessee is 6-2 all-time against current MAAC schools, with both setbacks coming in neutral-site matchups against Niagara over 50 years ago when it was an independent.

Rick Barnes is 5-0 versus current MAAC teams. He last faced one on 1/5/03, when he led Texas to an 80-64 home victory over Mount St. Mary’s, then in the NEC.

Saint Peter’s guard Armoni Zeigler is the half-brother of Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler.

News and Notes

Tennessee won the SEC regular season crown for the 11th time, notching its sixth outright title.

The Vols are 25-26 all-time in 25 NCAA Tournament trips, including 16-9 in their opening games, 6-5 under Rick Barnes, 5-3 as a No. 2 seed, 3-0 against No. 15 seeds, 6-7 in North Carolina and 2-4 in Charlotte. More info on Pages 8-9.

This is UT’s sixth straight NCAA Tournament trip, matching the longest streak (2006-11) in program history. It is one of six schools—the others are Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Michigan State and Purdue—with active streak of at least six.

The Vols have earned a top-five seed in all six NCAA Tournament trips under Rick Barnes after they did so six times total before his arrival. UT is a top-three seed for the sixth time, including the fourth under Barnes, and a No. 2 seed for the fourth time, half under Barnes.

Dalton Knecht’s 25.5 ppg scoring average in SEC action led all DI players in league play and marked the second-best figure in the SEC over the last 22 years (2002-24).

Santiago Vescovi (209) is two steals shy of the program’s all- time record (211) held by Vincent Yarbrough (1998-2002).

Dalton Knecht is 24 points from becoming the fourth Vol (fifth instance) with 700 in a season. Zakai Zeigler needs 13 assists to be the fourth at UT with 200 in a campaign. Jonas Aidoo is three offensive rebounds away from being the fourth Vol (fifth instance) with 100 in a year.
 
The next victory for Rick Barnes, a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, will be his 200th overall at UT. He would be the 19th in Division I history to achieve that feat, including the ninth active coach to do so.
 
Dalton Knecht is the 10th Vol— 13th honor in 14 seasons—to win SEC Player of the Year. He is the fourth UT player to earn consensus First Team All-America status, joining Grant Williams (2018-19), Dale Ellis (1982-83) and Bernard King (1976-77). He is also the eighth ex-JuCo player to claim the latter honor and first since NLV’s Larry Johnson (1990-91).

Racking Up Ranked Victories

In the past four years (2020-24), Tennessee has led all SEC teams with 21 AP top-25 wins, good for six more than any other SEC program (Alabama has 15). That tally ties Purdue for fourth in the country.

In that same four-year span, UT also leads the SEC in wins over teams in the AP top 20, top 15, top 10, and top five. Its 19 top-20 wins rank fourth nationally, and 16 top-15 victories place third. Its eight top-10 triumphs sit co-sixth alongside Connecticut, North Carolina, Purdue, and Texas, while its five top-five wins match Arizona, Gonzaga, and Michigan State for the most in the nation.

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), UT has played 36 games against AP top-25 opponents, the most in the league, posting a 21-15 (.583) ledger. 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 .478 (11-12) mark.

Tennessee (36), Alabama (34), and Arkansas (34) are the only SEC teams to play over 30 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 places a close second among all SEC programs in total victories (168), winning percentage (.721) and postseason wins (15). In that span, the Volunteers have claimed three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2018 and 2024, as well as the tournament in 2022.

In that same seven-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC schools with an overall winning percentage of over .650, alongside Auburn (.726) and Kentucky (.700).

In SEC play over the same seven-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 three seasons (2021-24), UT owns a 76-27 (.738) overall record. That is good for the co-most victories and the second-best winning percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn is 76-26; .745) during that time.

INAM: “It’s Not About Me”

The Volunteers have posted 20-plus assists 11 times this season. They have reached 25-plus thrice, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (2/17/24).

Tennessee has a 60.8 percent assist rate that ranks No. 13 nationally, per KenPom, through 3/18/24.

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

UT is 127-46 (.734) while ranked in the AP top 20 under Barnes, 96-33 (.744) while in the top 15, 76-24 (.760) while in the top 10, 35-11 (.761) while in the top five, 17-2 (.895) while in the top three and 7-1 (.875) while at No. 1.

Under Barnes, the Vols are 27-21 (.563) in top-25 matchups, including 21-14 (.600) with both teams in the top 20, 12-8 (.600) with both in the top 15, and 7-5 (.583) with both in the top 10.

Tennessee has played 199 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll in Rick Barnes‘ tenure, posting a stellar 148-51 (.744) record. Over 66.5 percent of the Volunteers’ games since Barnes arrived in 2015- 16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll.