The Official #13 Tennessee vs. #14 Arkansas Game Thread, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN

[YankeeVol]

#13 Tennessee Volunteers: 22-7 (13-4 SEC)

vs.

#14 Arkansas Razorbacks: 24-6 (13-4 SEC)

GAME 30 | TENNESSEE vs. ARKANSAS - Saturday, March 5, 2022 | 12:01 p.m. ET | Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)


Line: UT -6.5
O/U: 139.5

TV: ESPN / Watch
Radio: Vol Network / Listen
Satellite Radio: Sirius: 84 / XM: 84 / Internet: ---
Online: WatchESPN App


Arkansas Game Notes

 

[YankeeVol]

THE SERIES

• Tennessee leads its all-time series with Arkansas, 23-22, dating to 1936.
• The Volunteers have won four of the last six meetings.
• Tennessee holds a 14-4 advantage when the series is contested in Knoxville and has won each of the last three clashes at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The Razorbacks triumphed by 10 when these teams met last month in Fayetteville. See "Last Meeting" note for a detailed recap.
• Prior to this season, this series had never featured a matchup for which both teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 at tipoff.
• Rick Barnes is 2-2 in head-to-head coaching matchups with Eric Musselman.
• A victory Saturday would be the Rick Barnes' 750th career head coaching win.
• Tennessee will conduct a Senior Day ceremony at midcourt prior to tipoff Saturday.

 

[YankeeVol]

LAYUP LINES - TEAM

• Tennessee ranks fifth nationally in average home attendance (17,971) and is riding a 16-game win streak at Thompson-Boling Arena dating to last season.
• Tennessee stands at No. 9 in the NCAA's latest NET ratings. Each of UT's seven losses are Quad 1.
• The Vols have faced 10 AP Top 25 opponents so far this season and own wins over the teams ranked Nos. 2, 5 and 7 in this week's poll.
• According to KenPom, the Vols rank third in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 87.2 points per 100 possessions.
• Tennessee's scoring defense of 66.0 ppg in SEC play is the best in the league. The Vols have held seven of their last eight SEC opponents to fewer than 65 points.
• Tennessee allows a stingy 62.0 ppg during SEC home games this season, with a scoring margin of +10.5 ppg and an unbeaten record.
• The Vols rank eighth among all Division I teams in steals per game (9.6 spg) and 17th nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.31 tpg) and turnover margin (+3.9).

 

[YankeeVol]

LAYUP LINES - PLAYERS

• All-SEC candidate Santiago Vescovi is the league's top 3-point shooter during SEC play, hitting at a .435 clip from long range.
• Naismith Defensive Player of the Year candidate Kennedy Chandler's 2.29 steals per game rank 12th in Division I and second nationally among true freshmen.
• During SEC play, Vols freshmen Chandler (2.38 spg) and Zakai Zeigler (2.29 spg) rank first and second, respectively, in steals per game.
• A leading candidate for the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award, Vols freshman Zakai Zeigler is the team's fourth-leading scorer during SEC play (9.9 ppg) while leading the league in free-throw percentage and ranking second in steals during conference games.
• True freshman forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has a team-high 13 offensive rebounds over Tennessee's last three games.

 

[YankeeVol]

ABOUT ARKANSAS

• Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 SEC) has won five straight games and 14 of its past 15 games entering Saturday's regular-season finale in Knoxville.
• A win on Saturday would guarantee Arkansas no worse than a No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, which would mark their second straight season finishing the regular season as the SEC's second-place team.
• The Razorbacks are 11-4 in Quadrant 1 and 2 games this season, including wins over Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn and LSU (twice).
• Arkansas is 5-3 in true road games this season while owning a 17-1 mark at home. The Razorbacks have lost at Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Alabama in conference play.
• Senior guard JD Notae has led the way for Arkansas on offense this season, averaging 18.8 points per game—a mark that ranks second in the SEC.
• Notae also ranks second in the SEC in steals per game, averaging 2.1 per contest.
• Notae ranks 13th in the nation and leads the SEC in field-goal attempts with 16.2 per game.
• Razorback forward Jaylin Williams is averaging nearly a double-double with 10.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Williams ranks fourth in the SEC and 28th in the nation in total rebounds.
• In conference games only, Arkansas has three players in the top 13 of the league in scoring—Notae (2nd, 19.7 ppg), Stanley Umude (12th, 13.9 ppg) and Williams (13th, 13.8 ppg).
• Through the games of March 2, Arkansas ranks No. 19 in KenPom.com's rankings. The Razorbacks rank No. 15 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 46 in adjusted offensive efficiency.

 

[BallerVolFan]

Dear Brethren,

I’m up in the darkness of the night, in solitude, writing to inform you of the onslaughts bound to happen on the banks of the Tennessee river. Fear not, for this is not a message of despair but a message of inevitable, glorious hope. I hear drummings off in the distance, those of that which come from a far land; a land that will soon reap what it has sown. From the Athens of the Ozarks and of the 7 Hills, a thought-to-be herculean army has risen up in arms against our own band of Volunteers. But do not fret my dear brethren, as we have stood against these kinds before. Our walls will and shall prevail against the Musty Bus and his tribe of piggies. In the light of the day, they are set to infiltrate our borders without regard to their inescapable death. In this time, it will rear it’s despicable head: a head of chief Notae and chief Floppy Horse which must be severed. We must stand strong, with pride and valor to protect what is rightfully ours. I stand before you now in the midst of the Great Smoky Mountains, calling you to rise up and take part in defending our waters, our land, our home. Brethren, are you with me? Oh brethren, it is time...

 

[SonOfGodVolforlife]

Tennessee 86
Arkansas 74

 

[feathersax]

Dear Brethren,

I’m up in the darkness of the night, in solitude, writing to inform you of the onslaughts bound to happen on the banks of the Tennessee river. Fear not, for this is not a message of despair but a message of inevitable, glorious hope. I hear drummings off in the distance, those of that which come from a far land; a land that will soon reap what it has sown. From the Athens of the Ozarks and of the 7 Hills, a thought-to-be herculean army has risen up in arms against our own band of Volunteers. But do not fret my dear brethren, as we have stood against these kinds before. Our walls will and shall prevail against the Musty Bus and his tribe of piggies. In the light of the day, they are set to infiltrate our borders without regard to their inescapable death. In this time, it will rear it’s despicable head: a head of chief Notae and chief Floppy Horse which must be severed. We must stand strong, with pride and valor to protect what is rightfully ours. I stand before you now in the midst of the Great Smoky Mountains, calling you to rise up and take part in defending our waters, our land, our home. Brethren, are you with me? Oh brethren, it is time...

Yea, verily...preach it, brother!

 

[VolPack22]

Tennessee 86
Arkansas 74

Wow that’s a high total! Both these teams play great defense so I see it as a lower scoring game. Love the optimism though.

UT: 67
ArKansas: 63

 

[mr.checkerboards]

65-52 good guys

 

[vols 30]

Who is honored for Senior day? Fulky again ?

Bailey? Does he still have another year because of Covid?

It's hard to keep up with who is actually done for good

 

[hUTch2002]

We win and cover.

 

[hUTch2002]

Who is honored for Senior day? Fulky again ?

Bailey? Does he still have another year because of Covid?

It's hard to keep up with who is actually done for good

To me, a player should have to declare by Senior Day if they’re coming back or not. Coaches have to recruit and plan for the coming season. Granted, it won’t really crank up until after the season but it has certainly already started. That’s why Senior Day seems perfect. It’s not too early but it’s not weeks after the season ends either.

 

[Special Ed]

Unlike for most game-day Saturdays, I'll be wearing blue and yellow today rather than orange and white.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

To me, a player should have to declare by Senior Day if they’re coming back or not. Coaches have to recruit and plan for the coming season. Granted, it won’t really crank up until after the season but it has certainly already started. That’s why Senior Day seems perfect. It’s not too early but it’s not weeks after the season ends either.

I would say the coaches have an idea wether we fans do or not.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

To me, a player should have to declare by Senior Day if they’re coming back or not. Coaches have to recruit and plan for the coming season. Granted, it won’t really crank up until after the season but it has certainly already started. That’s why Senior Day seems perfect. It’s not too early but it’s not weeks after the season ends either.

Going through combine is a huge factor in a players decision, doesn’t seem fair to ask them to decide without that info.

 

[volz2wallz]

GBO!!

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Former Coach Jancek going to participate in Senior Day?

 

[hUTch2002]

I would say the coaches have an idea wether we fans do or not.

I’d like to think so but you do have some players that seem to wait a while, likely due to NBA workouts. Of course I guess this is really only an issue now with the weird covid stuff as I don’t think we would honor a Junior leaving early on Senior Day as we likely wouldn’t know about it. It’s just weird trying to figure out who to honor when for a couple years here.

 

[hUTch2002]

Going through combine is a huge factor in a players decision, doesn’t seem fair to ask them to decide without that info.

Yeah, I’m with you on that. After I thought through it a little more, it’s really only weird right now due to the covid rules. Carry on. Nothing to see here.

 

[General Jack]

Let’s get a little payback today. And a knee to the balls on a block for Williams.

 

[VolPack22]

To me, a player should have to declare by Senior Day if they’re coming back or not. Coaches have to recruit and plan for the coming season. Granted, it won’t really crank up until after the season but it has certainly already started. That’s why Senior Day seems perfect. It’s not too early but it’s not weeks after the season ends either.

To be fair to Fulky, he didn’t expect to get cold-cocked by that thug from Florida and have his senior season end prematurely. He probably didn’t want that to be his last game as a Vol and wanted to go out on his own terms.

 

[hUTch2002]

To be fair to Fulky, he didn’t expect to get cold-cocked by that thug from Florida and have his senior season end prematurely. He probably didn’t want that to be his last game as a Vol and wanted to go out on his own terms.

I forgot that was Senior Day. Good call. Too bad injuries had such a big impact on him. He has been great at times.

 

[VolPack22]

I forgot that was Senior Day. Good call. Too bad injuries had such a big impact on him. He has been great at times.

Well the thuggery happened in the quarterfinals of the SECT, his first game after Senior Day. But either way his season ended prematurely and didn’t get to participate in the SECT semifinals and NCAAT game.

 

[YankeeVol]