Tennessee Set to Host No. 10 Texas

The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers will host No. 10 Texas in Knoxville, Saturday at 6 p.m. Both the Volunteers and the Longhorns are currently 17-3.

Defensive Domination

The Vols are looking for its fourth consecutive SEC win after defeating Mississippi State, LSU and Georgia. Tennessee dominated Georgia 70-41 in its most recent game on Wednesday. Guard Zakai Zeigler had 11 points and seven assists Wednesday night. Zeigler is included on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year 2023 Watch List.

The Vols defense gave Georgia problems Wednesday, forcing the Bulldogs to turn the ball over 20 times. Tennessee capitalized on its strong defense and scored 25 points off turnovers.

SWIPER pic.twitter.com/BovAbX7eLJ

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 27, 2023

Texas Takeover

The Longhorns are hoping to continue its two-game win streak when they travel to Knoxville. Texas previously played West Virginia on the road and Oklahoma State at home.

Texas defeated the Cowboys 89-75 on Tuesday. Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen scored a combined 38 points to lead the Longhorns to victory while Brock Cunningham posted a career-high of 15 points.

https://twitter.com/TexasMBB/status/1618100855609372672?s=20&t=rnxDojUFiF1g2w2U7cPWbg

Head Coach History

Tennessee’s head coach Rick Barnes has a long history with the Longhorns. Prior to his head coaching position at Tennessee, Barnes was previously the head coach for the Longhorns, running the show for 17 years. In Barnes’ 17-year run at Texas, he led the team to 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Barnes is one of only two coaches in the nation to coach two different National Players of the Year in the last 19 seasons and is nationally respected in player development. T.J. Ford won the award in 2003 and Kevin Durant won it in 2007.

Barnes has been head coach for the Vols for eight seasons and has had a successful tenure. Last year, he led the team to an SEC Championship and has led the team to four straight NCAA tournament appearances.

#VOLS by 20+ [again] pic.twitter.com/6oausdL1R2

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 26, 2023

The Game

The Longhorns will visit the Volunteers in Rocky Top with tipoff set for 6 p.m. Saturday. Both teams are looking to continue their winning streaks in this SEC/Big 12 Challenge Matchup.