KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men’s basketball team is set to continue the 2026-27 season Friday as it hosts the Tennessee State Tigers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can watch Friday’s game on SEC Network+ and stream the game on Watch ESPN.com and the ESPN app. Charlie Collier (play-by-play) and Steve Hamer (color) will have the call.
Fans state-wide can tune in to their local Vol Network radio affiliate to hear John Wilkerson and analyst Chris Lofton depict the action.
Tennessee is coming off a 70-47 win over Radford in Food City Center, a defensive gem which featured nine blocks and 11 steals for the victors.
THE MATCHUP
• The Vols’ unblemished 7-0 mark against Tennessee State includes an average win margin of 19.9 ppg. It has five wins by 21-plus, plus five showings with 88-plus points.
• After a 10-year hiatus, this is the second time the teams face off in under 365 days (11/20/25).
• UT is 17-0 versus the current OVC members, its second-most wins against any league without a loss.
• Rick Barnes is 4-0 against the OVC’s current schools, all at Tennessee. He is 2-0 versus each of UT Martin and Tennessee State.
• Nolan Smith is the second head coach who was on Duke’s 2010 NCAA title team whom UT is facing in 2026-27. The Vols played at Duke, coached by Jon Scheyer, in an exhibition on 10/20/25. Rick Barnes coached against Smith and Scheyer as players on 3/21/09.
• Coming off a 23-10 (15-5) year in which it swept the OVC titles and made the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee State was picked to win the OVC in its preseason poll.
• Senior forward Aaron Bradshaw paces the Tigers with 14.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 3.0 bpg on the year.
NEWS & NOTES
• The Volunteers are the only team to play in the Sweet 16 in each of the last four years and in the Elite Eight in each of the past three.
• Last year, Tennessee logged, per CBS, the sixth instance of an SEC team reaching the Sweet 16 at least four years in a row, since the field grew to 32 in 1975.
• UT is, according to Stats Perform, one of three SEC schools—five instances—to make the Elite Eight at least three years in a row, since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951. The others are Kentucky (2010-12, 1995-99, 1956- 58) and Florida (2011-14).
• The Volunteers’ +12.6 rebounding margin in 2025-26 was the thirdbest of the last 30 years (1996- 2026), according to Stats Perform.
• Rick Barnes‘ 863 wins are second among active DI coaches and No. 10 all-time (min. 10 years in DI).
• Barnes has led UT to seven of its 10 25-win seasons. The Vols are one of five teams with 25-plus wins in each of the last five years.
• UT is 37-9 (.804) against in-state foes under Rick Barnes, including 20-4 (.833) in its last 24 games.
• DeWayne Brown II had career highs in points (17) and rebounds (17) in the season-opening win against Wofford. He became the first Vol with a 17-17 game since Jarnell Stokes on 3/23/14. Only one SEC player, Texas A&M’s Rashaun Agee, did it in 2025-26.
• Brown followed with 12 boards versus Radford in the second game. He is the second Vol in the Barnes era with back-to-back 12-rebound showings, joining Kyle Alexander on 1/5/19 and 1/8/19
• With a 14.5 rpg thus far, Brown is second in DI and tops Power Five.
• Tennessee has won 46 consecutive non-conference home games. The streak spans seven seasons and dates to the 2020-21 opener, a 12/8/20 win over Colorado.
• The Vols’ 228 wins the last 10 seasons (2017-26) rank eighth in DI. Only Houston (275), Gonzaga (272), Duke (257), Kansas (239), Purdue (237), Arizona (232) and Saint Mary’s (229) possess more. Auburn (226) and Liberty (226) complete the top 10. In addition, UT is also eighth over the last six seasons (2021-27) with 136 wins.
SERIOUS STREAKS
• The Volunteers have 20-plus wins in each of the last five seasons. That ties the longest streak in program history, set from 1980-81 to 1984-85 and 2005-06 to 2009-10. UT has seven 20-win seasons in the last nine years (2018-26) and 32 all-time.
• UT has at least 25 wins in all five years of its active streak. This is the first time the Vols have ever won even 22-plus games in five straight seasons. Seven of UT’s 10 campaigns with 25-plus wins are in the past nine years (2017-26) under Rick Barnes.
• Tennessee has tallied double-figure SEC victories in sixth straight years, its second-longest streak ever. It did so 13 times in a row from 1964-65 to 1976-77.
• UT has notched 11-plus SEC wins in all six seasons of its active streak. That is one shy of the top mark in program history, set from 1970-71 to 1976-77.
SHOT SWATTER
• With 241 blocked shots, Miles Rubin has the highest total of any active NCAA player, regardless of level, one ahead of Wake Forest’s Justin Abson, a fifth-year competitor who owns 240. Abson (128) has played in 23 more games than Rubin (105).
• Rubin’s 237 blocks the last three seasons (2023-26) led in DI, 16 above Justice Ajogbor, who tallied 221 at Harvard and St. Joseph’s. That is also 41 greater than any active fourth-year player, as Southern California’s Gabe Dynes was second with 196.
• Over the last 10 years (2016-26), Rubin is one of four players with over 75 blocks in three seasons at the DI level. He joins Johni Broome (four), Kevin Samuel (four) and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Only Rubin and Broome did it at least three years in a row.
HAPPY AT HOME
• Over the last six seasons (2021-27), the Vols’ .905 (76-8) home winning percentage (min. 10 GP) is co-seventhin DI, alongside Connecticut (.905; 76- 8) and Kansas (.905; 76-8). UT trails only Houston (.942, 81-5), Gonzaga (.936; 73-5), Akron (.935; 72- 5), Duke (.930; 80-6), Saint Mary’s (.920; 81-7) and Arizona (.918; 78-7).
• The tally includes a 39-0 (1.000) ledger in nonconference home affairs and a 37-8 (.822) figure in SEC home contests. It also features an 18-4 (.818) home record versus AP top-25 foes, including a 13-2 (.867) count against AP top-15 teams and a perfect 7-0 (1.000) mark versus AP top-10 opponents.
• In total, UT is 154-28 (.846) at Food City Center in Rick Barnes‘ 12 years and has twice gone undefeated at home (18-0 in 2018-19 and 16-0 in 2021-22).
HOLDING SERVE, HISTORICALLY
• The Volunteers have won 46 non-conference home games in a row, dating to the to the 2020-21 season opener (12/8/20). They finished each of the past six years undefeated at home in non-conference play.
• Per Elias Sports Bureau, that 46-game streak is the longest in program history. The prior top tally of 43 came from 12/7/40 to 12/10/49.
• The Vols’ 46-game regular season non-conference home winning streak is fourth-best in DI. That trails only Auburn (68), Baylor (55) and Texas Tech (49). The lone others above even 40 are Iowa State (44), Akron (43) and Providence (41).
• The only other schools with 46-plus such wins and no losses over the past seven years (2020-27) are Texas Tech (49-0) and Baylor (46-0). Just four additional programs are above 20: Auburn (39-0), Providence (39-0), Akron (33-0) and Purdue Fort Wayne (25-0).
• During its streak, Tennessee owns victories over teams such as Arizona, Cincinnati, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Syracuse and Texas.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
