Hoops Central: #1 Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee State

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Playing in its penultimate game of the 2024 calendar year, the nation’s top-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team continues its homestand Monday night with an in-state affair against Middle Tennessee State at the Food City Center. Tips are set for 7 p.m. ET.

Fans can watch Monday’s game between the Volunteers (11-0) and the Blue Raiders (9-3). SEC network. Roy Philpott, (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) will have the call.

Fans can also tune in live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describe the action.

In Tennessee’s most recent outing, it used a suffocating defense to post a dominant, 84-36, victory Tuesday night against Western Carolina. The Volunteers led by 40-plus in the final 6:22 and got a game-high 19 points from the fifth-year guard Chaz Lanierwhile senior guard Zakai Zeigler completed an assist swing of a triple-double.

Less than 1,000 tickets are still available for Tennessee’s upcoming home SEC contests against Arkansas and Florida. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should click HERE.

THE MATCHUP
• Between the first and last meeting of the series being dropped, Tennessee won nine straight over Middle Tennessee State from 12/5/91 to 11/30/10 by an average of 22.1 ppg. The last seven wins were all by 10 plus, with three by at least 30.
• The Volunteers’ 69-point victory, 109-40, over the Blue Raiders on 11/20/07 is their second-highest ever over a DI opponent.
• With a 14-19 (7-9) showing in 2023-24, the Blue Raiders finished fourth in the CUSA preseason poll.
• Senior guard Jestin Porter, a Preseason All-CUSA selection, paces MTSU with 15.8 ppg and 1.4 spg.
• Tennessee has a 16-5 all-time ledger against the current CUSA membership, with Louisiana Tech (3-1) and Middle Tennessee State (9-2) the only teams it has played three-plus times.
• Rick Barnes is 13-0 against current CUSA members, with his lone win at UT a 75-53 triumph over Jacksonville State on 12/21/19. The only leagues where he has more wins without a loss are the Sun Belt (32) and Southland (18).

NEWS & NOTES
• MTSU’s Chris Loofe played on the prep team at Link Academy (Mo.) while Cameron Carr, Ben Linnemeyer and Cade Phillips was on the high school team.
• Tennessee is among only four undefeated Division I schools – three are in the SEC – along with Drake, Florida and Oklahoma. Only UT is also undefeated in women’s basketball.
• UT is 11-2 all-time as the no. 1 team in AP Poll. It’s 10-1 under Rick Barnes (2-0 in 2023-24, 7-1 in 2018-19) and was 1-1 under Bruce Pearl (1-1 in 2007-08). This is the first time UT has ranked first nationally during pre-SEC, non-conference action.
• The Volunteers are 25-4 all-time as an AP top-three team, including 21-2 under Barnes.
• During his 10-year tenure at UT, Barnes is 33-6 (.846) against in-state foes, including 16-1 (.941) in the last 17 such games. He has wins over nine different Volunteer State foes, with Belmont and Middle Tennessee State the only two he hasn’t played or defeated.
• The Volunteers rank top-two nationally in scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense (first) and 3-point percentage defense.
• Through 10 outings, UT’s biggest deficit is eight points. Meanwhile, it has held a lead of at least 18 points in all but one game, including a 26-plus edge in all but two. It has won all but one contest by at least 13 points, with seven by 22 plus and four by 35 plus.
• The Volunteers are 11-0 for the fourth time ever and are seeking their third 12-0 start. They opened 14-0 in 1922-23 and finished with a 12-0 record in 1915-16.
• Tennessee is riding an 11-game winning streak for the ninth time (seventh in a single season). It is looking for its seventh 12-game ledger (fifth in a single campaign).
• Tennessee’s 182 wins over the last eight years (2017-25) are tied for seventh nationally with Liberty and Virginia. Only Gonzaga (221), Houston (215), Kansas (199), Duke (194), Purdue (190) and San Diego State (184) possess more.

HIGH CALIBER COMPANY
• Tennessee and Kansas are the only two schools to earn an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons (2021-25). Only two others, Arizona and Purdue, entered 2024-25 with a three-year streak.
• The Volunteers are one of only four teams to reach the AP top six in each of the past five seasons, joining Alabama, Houston and Kansas.
• UT is one of just five programs to reach the AP top six in at least six of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky. It is also the only five schools to enter the AP top five in at least five different years during that stretch.
• The Vols are among just seven teams to reach No. 1 in the AP poll in at least two of the last seven seasons (2018-25), joining Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.
• Over the same seven-year stretch (2018-25), UT is also one of seven teams to claim an AP top-two finish for at least three seasons, along with Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Purdue.
• Tennessee is one of just seven schools to earn an AP top-20 ranking in each of the past eight years (2017-25), along with Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina. Only two others — Houston and Purdue — have even cracked the AP top 25 in each of those seasons.
• Additionally, over the past three seasons (2022-25), the Vols are one of just five teams to reach the AP top two in multiple seasons, joining Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas and Purdue.

COLLECTION OF RANKED WINS
• TOP 25: Over the past four years (2021-25), Tennessee has an SEC-best 21 AP top-25 wins, good for co-fourth nationally, tied with Purdue. That’s behind only Kansas (24), Connecticut (23) and Iowa State (22). Only Marquette (19) is even within two of the Volunteers, while the closest SEC school is three behind (Alabama with 18).
• TOP 20: Tennessee owns an SEC-high 19 AP top-20 wins over that span, the third-most of any DI school, trailing only Connecticut (22) and Kansas (21). The only other schools with even 17-plus are Purdue (18) and Iowa State (17). The closest SEC program is four shy (Alabama with 14).
• TOP 15: The Volunteers own an SEC-best 16 AP top-15 decisions over the four seasons, good for second-most in the nation, tied for Kansas (19). Only Iowa State (14), Connecticut (13) and Purdue (13) are even within three of UT, while the closest SEC team is four back (Alabama with 12).
• TOP 10: Since 2021-22, Tennessee owns eight AP top-10 triumphs, co-first in the SEC and co-fifth nationally, along with Kentucky and North Carolina. Only Connecticut (11), Iowa State (11), Kansas (11) and Purdue (10) have more. The eight such wins in that span are against #1 Alabama (2/15/23), #3 Kansas (11/25/22), #3 Auburn (26/22/22), #4 Kentucky (2/15/ ) 22), #5 Kentucky (3/12/22), #6 Arizona (12/22/21), #10 Texas (1/28/23) and #10 Kentucky (2/3/24).
• TOP FIVE: In the same four-year span, UT has five AP top-five wins, tied with Alabama, Arizona and Iowa State for the most in the nation. Only two other schools, Gonzaga and Purdue, even have four.

…AND DO IT SO EFFICIENTLY
• At 21-14 (.600), Tennessee has the best record against AP top-25 opponents over the last four seasons (2021-25). Auburn (12-10 .545) is tied for second, while no one else has a mark over .500.
• The Volunteers are 10 games over .500 (19-9; .679) against AP top-20 teams in that span, while only one other SEC team, Auburn (10-8; .556), is tied at one . 500 clips.
• UT is also 10 games over .500 (16-6; .727) versus AP top-15 foes in that span, while the next-closest SEC team in winning percentage, Auburn (8-6; .571), has half as many wins with the same amount of loss.
• At 8-5 (.615), the Volunteers are the only team in the SEC with a winning record against AP top-10 foes over those four seasons. Kentucky (8-8; .500) places a distant second.
• Tennessee (5-4; .556) and Arkansas (3-2; .600) are the only SEC programs at .500 or better against AP top-five teams in the four-year stretch.
• The Volunteers, despite their excellent winning percentage, have played the fourth-most games (35) against AP top-25 foes of any SEC team over the last four years (2021-25). They trail only Texas (42), Oklahoma (39) and Alabama (36) in such outings, while no other SEC school has more than 30.

WINNING WAYS
• Over the past eight seasons (2017-25), Tennessee has paced all SEC programs in total wins (182) and overall winning percentage (.733), plus is tied for first in postseason wins (18). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).
• In that same eight-year stretch, the Vols are one of only three SEC teams with an overall winning percentage above even .650, along with Auburn (.732) and Kentucky (.707).
• In SEC play over the same eight-year span, Tennessee (86-39; .688) is second in the league, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696), in both wins and winning percentage. Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) even have 70-plus wins.
• Over just the last four seasons (2021-2025), the Volunteers own a combined record of 90-28 (.763), good for the most wins and the best winning percentage in the SEC over that span.
• In that same four-year span, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.

DYNAMITE “D” ET UT TRADEMARK
• Through 12/20/24, Tennessee ranks first nationally in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (88.4), just ahead of second-place Duke (88.6).
• The Volunteers finished third in 2023-24 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (90.2) and ranked fifth in DI in field goal percentage defense (39.4).
• In 2022-23, Tennessee led the nation in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (87.5), holding the top spot for a total of 15 weeks. The Vols also led all DI teams in 3-point defense (26.5) that year, as well as ranking third in both scoring defense (57.9) and field-goal percentage defense (37.3).
• In five of the last seven seasons (2017-24), UT has finished top-10 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: third in 2023-24, first in 2022-23, third in 2021-22, fifth in 2020-21 and sixth in 2017-18.
• Through 12/20/24, UT has won 40 straight when holding its opponent under 60 points, including a dazzling 22-0 mark in 2022-23.
• Through 12/20/24, the Vols have won 49 straight when allowing 50 points or fewer since 12/29/12. That includes 12 such wins in 2022-2023, matching Houston for the most of any team that season.

POLLEN PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 214 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll i Rick Barnes‘ tenure, with a record of 162-52 (.757). Over 68.0 percent of the Volunteers’ 314 games since Barnes arrived in 2015-16 have come with the team ranked in the AP Poll, all since 2017-18 (214 of 248, 86.3 percent).
• UT is 141-47 (.750), while in AP top 20 under Barnes, 110-34 (.764), while top-15, 84-25 (.771) while top-10, 40-12 (.769 ) while top-five, 21-2 (.913), while top-three and 10-1 (.909), while no. 1.
• The Vols are 29-22 (.569) in AP top-25 matchups under Barnes, including 23-15 (.605) with both teams in the top 20, 14-9 (.609) with both in the top 15 and 7- 6 (.538) with both in the top 10.

HAPPY HOME
• Over the last five seasons, since 2020-21, the Volunteers are 63-7 (.900) at home.
• For 10 seasons under head coach Rick BarnesTennessee is 128-24 (.842) in the Food City Center. Twice in the Barnes era, UT has gone undefeated at home: 18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22.