Tennessee

VolReport – Tennessee vs. Mississippi State: Game information, lineups, notes

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

VolReport – Tennessee vs. Mississippi State: Game information, lineups, notes

Tennessee passed its first test in SEC play with a resounding 90-64 win over Ole Miss last Saturday.

Now the No. 5 Vols (11-3, 1-0 SEC) take their seven-game win streak into Starkville on Wednesday to face a Mississippi State (11-3, 0-1) team that could present them with their toughest test to date.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

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Both teams pride themselves on a physical style of play predicated on a suffocating defense. Tennessee showed as much against the Rebels in its most recent outing, dominating the boards, 47-24.

The Vols arguably looked the most complete that they have looked this season on both ends of the floor as forward Jonas Aidoo turned in a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds and guard Zakai Zeigler continues to look back to full health, but that will be challenged vs. the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State lost its conference opener, 68-62 to South Carolina and lost the advantage on the glass in an uncharacteristic performance, but with a key piece back from injury in forward Tolu Smith III for the third-straight game, Tennessee will likely have to match it blow-for-blow inside.

Here is a closer look at the match up.

Game Information

Who: No. 5 Tennessee (11-3, 1-0) at Mississippi State (11-3, 0-1)

When: Wednesday, Jan. 10 | 7 p.m. ET

Where: Humphrey Coliseum | Starkville, Mississippi

TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, play-by-play; Mark Wise, analyst)

KenPom: Tennessee 71, Mississippi State 68

Series: Tennessee leads, 90-44

Projected Lineups

Numbers Edge

POINTS PER GAME:

Tennessee 78.7, Mississippi State 75.2

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Mississippi State 45.1%, Tennessee 43.8%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Tennessee 34.1%, Mississippi State 31.5%

ASSISTS

Tennessee 17.4, Mississippi State 15.2

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Mississippi State presents Vols with ‘biggest challenge’ to date

REBOUNDS:

Tennessee 39.7, Mississippi State 39.4

BLOCKS:

Tennessee 4.8, Mississippi State 3.9

STEALS:

Mississippi State 8.8, Tennessee 7.6

Pregame Notes

— Tennessee’s 90-64 rout of Ole Miss was the Vols’ largest margin of victory over a ranked team in more than a decade since beating Kentucky by 30-points in 2013. Tennessee led the Rebels by 20-plus points for final 14 minutes, 56 seconds of the game.

— Jonas Aidoo and Zakai Zeigler became the first Vols players to record two different double-doubles in the same game since 2019. Zeigler’s 17 points and 10 assists marked the sixth points/assists double-double of his career, a program record.

— Tennessee has won five-straight games against Mississippi State. The Vols swept the Bulldogs in two regular season meetings last season, including a 70-59 victory in their last game at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 17, 2023.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols guard Zakai Zeigler is ‘back’ and showing no more signs of rust

— Tennessee is going on the road for just the third time this season. The Vols are 1-1 in true road games with a 80-70 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 10 and a 100-92 loss at North Carolina on Nov. 28.

— Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith III, who was named Preseason All-SEC, missed the Bulldogs first 12 games with an injury but has returned to the lineup for their last two games. He is averaging 14.5 points per game in that stretch.

— Mississippi State ranks first in the SEC in three-point percentage defense, allowing just 27.0% and scoring defense at 63.1 points. The Bulldogs are second in field goal percentage defense at 38.8%.

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Tennessee

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee football beats out Ohio State for a top transfer portal target

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee football beat out Ohio State for transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, giving the Vols one of the top players in the portal.

Coleman spent one season at Penn State. With the Nittany Lions, the former four-star prospect collected eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in nine games.

Coleman is a native of Warren, Ohio. His offer sheet out of Harding High School included Ohio State, Missouri, Illinois, Ole Miss and Kentucky, among others.

In Coleman’s lone season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions saw a plethora of change.

Former head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October after a 3-3 start. After finishing the season with an interim staff, Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach.

The change in staff also led to the departure of Jim Knowles — Penn State’s defensive coordinator who served in that role at Ohio State from 2022-24. He’s not at Tennessee.

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Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

Published

15 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee lawmakers discuss priorities for upcoming session

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.

State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.

“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.

“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.

Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.

“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.

McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.

“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.

State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.

“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.

Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.

“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.

Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.

The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.

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Tennessee

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.

The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.

“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”

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