KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its Baha Mar Championship title and ensuing ascension into the top 10 of the national rankings, the seventh-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team returns home Wednesday for an in-state matchup versus UT Martin at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch Wednesday’s game between the Volunteers and Skyhawks on SECN+. Myan Patel (play-by-play) and Steve Hamer (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.
Tennessee scored 16 of the first 18 points Friday night against No. 13/14 Baylor in the Baha Mar Championship final and never looked back, en route to a commanding 77-62 triumph. The Volunteers claimed their second trophy in the Bahamas in the last three years—it won the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis—behind a game-high 25 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, all in the first half alone.
THE MATCHUP
• The Volunteers’ five wins against UT Martin are by an average of 21.0 ppg, with four by 17-plus and three by 28-plus.
• The last matchup between the two schools was the 2021-22 season opener. Grant Hurst, now a redshirt junior at Tennessee, opened his college career by playing seven minutes for visiting UT Martin, logging one steal.
• In that same contest, the Vols shot 17-of-40 (42.5 percent) from 3-point range to set a program single-game record for makes.
• Following a 21-11 (14-4) campaign that included sharing the Ohio Valley regular season title, the Skyhawks placed No. 10 in the OVC preseason poll.
• UT Martin is led by junior guard Josué Grullon, who is averaging 18.2 ppg in his first year there.
• The Volunteers are 43-2 against current Ohio Valley schools, including 39-1 versus the league’s three Tennessee institutions.
• Rick Barnes owns an 8-0 record against the current Ohio Valley membership as a head coach, all during his Tennessee tenure.
NEWS & NOTES
• Rick Barnes is 32-6 (.842) against in-state foes during his UT tenure, including 15-1 (.938) in his last 16 such contests. In his career, he is 37-7 (.841) against all schools in the state other than UT (2-2).
• Tennessee beat Virginia (22) and #13/14 Baylor (15) by 37 combined points to win the Baha Mar Championship, its second in- season tournament crown in three years (2022 Battle 4 Atlantis). The Vols now own 15 non-home in- season tournament titles.
• Chaz…
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