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No. 6 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: Game information, lineups, notes

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No. 6 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: Game information, lineups, notes


No. 6 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: Game information, lineups, notes

Tennessee looked like its old self Wednesday. Now it has to try and do it on the road for the third time in four games.

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The No. 6 Vols turned one of their worst halves of basketball this season into one of their most dominant over the last 20 minutes in an 18-point win over Georgia earlier this week, using a stellar takeover from Zakai Zeigler to get back to winning convincingly after losing on the road at Florida and coming from behind to beat Texas late.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC) did it against an improved Georgia team vying for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, a similar kind of situation Vanderbilt will be in when it hosts the Vols at Memorial Gym in Nashville on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

The Commodores (14-3, 2-2), like the rest of the league, offer up a challenge that Tennessee can’t afford to overlook and after using a shot in the final seconds to beat South Carolina a few days ago, beating the Vols on their home floor would double as a signature win in head coach Mark Byington’s first season and a major resume booster.

To avoid becoming either of those, Tennessee will need to match the way it played in the second half against Georgia, avoid turnovers against a Vanderbilt team that thrives on forcing a lot of them and for Chaz Lanier to get out of his shooting slump.

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Here is everything you need to know about the match up.

GAME INFORMATION

Who: No. 6 Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (14-3, 2-2)

When: Saturday, Jan. 18 | 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Memorial Gymnasium | Nashville

TV: SEC Network (Roy Philpott, play-by-play; Dane Bradshaw, analyst)

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Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: 208th meeting all-time (Tennessee leads, 131-76)

Line: Tennessee -7.5

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 74, Vanderbilt 67

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PROJECTED LINEUPS

No. 6 Tennessee (16-1, 3-1 SEC)

Vanderbilt (14-3, 2-2 SEC)

NUMBERS EDGE

POINTS PER GAME

Vanderbilt 82.4

Tennessee 76.9

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FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Vanderbilt 47.1%

Tennessee 46.0%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Tennessee 34.3%

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Vanderbilt 32.3%

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Why Jahmai Mashack was ‘spectacular’ for Vols in win over Georgia

ASSISTS

Tennessee 16.1

Vanderbilt 14.9

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REBOUNDS

Tennessee 39.4

Vanderbilt 35.9

BLOCKS

Tennessee 5.2

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Vanderbilt 4.5

PREGAME NOTES

— Tennessee has held the sizable edge in its long-standing series with Vanderbilt, both historically and recently. The Vols’ 131 all-time wins over the Commodores are the most against any opponent in program history and they have won 13 of the last 14 match ups.

— Tennessee is ranked coming into this game for the 13th time in the last 15 meetings and ranked inside the top 10 for the fifth-straight time. The Vols are 23-8 vs. Vanderbilt in games where they are ranked and the Commodores are not.

— Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is coming off of a record-breaking performance against Georgia. The senior guard sparked the Vols’ second half scoring burst, finishing with 16 points, including five-made 3-pointers while his career-high six steals put him in first place in career steals at 215, passing former teammate Santiago Vescovi (212).

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MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols freshman Bishop Boswell is ‘what this program’s about’

— Tennessee ranks fourth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. The Vols are allowing just 88.2 points per opponents 100 offensive possession, while their 57.8 points allowed per game rank first in the SEC and third in Division I college basketball.

— Vanderbilt has had a lot of success forcing turnovers in its first 17 games. The Commodores are forcing turnovers on more than 23% of their opponents possessions while their 179 total steals lead the SEC. Vanderbilt had 15 steals and forced 25 turnovers in its 66-63 win over South Carolina on Wednesday.

— Vanderbilt hired Mark Byington away from James Madison last offseason and the first-year Commodores coach filled the roster with transfers. Ten players are in their first season at Vanderbilt after beginning their careers elsewhere, including guard Jason Edwards (North Texas), who leads the team in scoring with 17.0 points per game.



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Tracking every Tennessee Titans pre-NFL draft visit for 2026

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Tracking every Tennessee Titans pre-NFL draft visit for 2026


The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start paying extra close attention to the Tennessee Titans’ moves and visits.

In the weeks leading up to the NFL draft, teams are allowed to bring up to 30 prospects to their facilities for visits with coaches and executives, on top of the meetings coaches, scouts and executives can hold with prospects on college campuses after pro days.

Pre-draft meetings aren’t everything; seven of the nine players the Titans drafted in 2025 never took reported visits or meetings with the team prior to being picked. But touch points like these are interesting looks into the team’s thought process as far as which positions need to be evaluated and which players merit closer looks.

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Based on player comments, social media posts and national reports, here is a running track of which players have visited or are expected to visit with the Titans, sorted by player rank in the consensus player rater.

Tennessee Titans NFL draft 2026 visits tracker: Which best draft prospects available are talking with the Titans?

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (No. 4 prospect)

Love visited the Titans’ facility shortly after the conclusion of his impressive showing at the NFL combine, according to posts he made on social media.

Rueben Bain Jr., DL/Edge, Miami (No. 7 prospect)

Bain told CBS Sports following his Miami pro day workout that he had a visit scheduled with the Titans. Bain also met with the Titans at the NFL combine.

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Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (No. 9 prospect)

Tate told reporters after Ohio State’s pro day that the Titans are among the five teams he has scheduled visits with. Other teams picking in the top 10 who have Tate on their radar include the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (No. 10 prospect)

Per a report from Ryan Fowler, the Titans scheduled a visit with Delane, the consensus pick for the top cornerback in this draft class.

Makai Lemon, WR, Southern Cal (No. 14 prospect)

The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s best wide receiver, Lemon has a visit scheduled with the Titans, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (No. 32 prospect)

Concepcion, an impressive field stretcher out of Texas A&M, told reporters at his pro day that the Titans are one of six teams he has scheduled meetings with. Concepcion is considered a fringe first-round pick who might be gone or might be ripe for the picking when the Titans use their second-round pick at No. 35.

Caleb Banks, DL, Florida (No. 35 prospect)

Banks told reporters after Florida’s pro day that he had a visit scheduled with the Titans, along with visits to Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit, Arizona, Denver, Atlanta and the Chargers.

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Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona (No. 65 prospect)

Stukes told Sports Illustrated that he took a meeting with the Titans, putting him on the radar as a potential third-round pick candidate.

Tristan Leigh, OT, Clemson (No. 271 prospect)

Leigh, a three-year starter at left tackle for Clemson, has visited with the Titans, per a report from Fowler.

Travis Burke, OT, Memphis (No. 354 prospect)

Burke is a bottom-of-the-draft offensive lineman prospect who visited with the Titans, per Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.



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What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013

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What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013


For a Vanderbilt vs Tennessee baseball rivalry already full of lore, the Commodores added a unique chapter with their weekend series at Hawkins Field.

Vanderbilt (17-12, 5-4 SEC) won all three games via walk-off: 3-2 win in 10 innings on March 27; 6-5 in 16 innings on March 28, and 16-15 on March 29. The final game ended with an “ultimate grand slam” by Tommy Goodin while down three in the bottom of the ninth inning to sweep the 21st-ranked Vols (18-10, 3-6).

The three games were all different, with the opener being a pitchers duel between Connor Fennell and Tennessee’s Brandon Arvidson and Tegan Kuhns. The second game was a marathon in which each team had one five-run inning. In the third game, pitchers on both sides were still feeling the effects of the previous game as Vanderbilt won a high-scoring shootout.

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“Emotionally, that’s probably going be my biggest concern,” coach Tim Corbin said. ” . . . It’s a lot of baseball. But I think the strength is these kids are young. They’ve got a day to get back, kind of get their body back a little bit, to stay away from here. There’s a ripple effect that takes place from playing three games, emotionally draining and tough games.”

Here’s what we learned.

Vanderbilt’s offense comes through when it needs to

Vanderbilt this season has often struggled to get the big hit, constantly leaving runners stranded. This weekend, the Commodores were able to come through with timely hits. Brodie Johnston recorded eight hits in the series, including a home run, while Ryker Waite had two doubles and a home run among his four hits.

Different players came through in every big situation. In Game 1, Logan Johnstone had the walk-off single. In Game 2, Mike Mancini and Ryker Waite both hit home runs and Mack Whitcomb had the walk-off squeeze bunt. In Game 3, Johnston and Rustan Rigdon hit home runs, while Johnstone, Chris Maldonado and Whitcomb each had a pair of RBIs.

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Vanderbilt hit for plenty of power, too, with four doubles and six home runs in the series. The Vols had three doubles and two homers.

“It was a wild series,” Corbin said. “Polarizing, no doubt, felt that way, too. I think that’s why it becomes very emotional, because you have periods of not moving the ball and periods of moving the ball. So always comes down to timely hits, doesn’t it?”

Vanderbilt finds bullpen contributors

With six pitchers injured, including Austin Nye, who is out for the season, Vanderbilt has struggled to get production out of its bullpen. While that group was up and down throughout the series, the Commodores got significant production out of a few arms they hadn’t in the past.

In Game 2, freshman Tyler Baird pitched five scoreless innings, walking two and striking out four. Going into the outing, he’d had an ERA of 6.89, with 12 walks in 15⅔ innings, and hadn’t lasted even an inning last week against Mississippi State. Replacing him, fellow freshman Nate Schlote threw three scoreless innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. In Game 3, Jakob Schulz threw 3⅔ scoreless innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.

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“That’s really what it is, you’re pitching for the first few times in the conference, you get tentative,” Corbin said. “(Baird) was tentative against Mississippi State. But I also know that that bus ride was probably a long one for him, and (pitching coach Scott Brown) did a good job of grabbing him right away, like a little small car accident, getting him back in the driver’s seat again to drive, and he did. Made a good adjustment.”

Vanderbilt gets back on track

The Commodores were reeling entering the week. They’d lost five straight games, including getting swept at Mississippi State. There were questions of whether they would even make the postseason.

Now they are in a better spot. With new contributors in the bullpen and the offense stepping up, Vanderbilt can feel better heading to Texas A&M for a weekend series April 3-5.

“I think it’ll be very huge,” Goodin said. “I think this is a very big, big boost . . . This definitely could be a really good turning point for all of us. And, you know, really going in there and playing at the caliber that we play at, just like this, it’s awesome.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

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Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes


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For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

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The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

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The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

  • 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
  • 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
  • 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
  • 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.



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