No. 3 Tennessee will close out 2018 by hosting a team they’ve historically dominated.
The Vols (10-1) will host in-state opponent Tennessee Tech (4-8) on Saturday in their last game of 2018. The next time you see Tennessee play, the calendar will read “2019.”
Tennessee holds a 23-1 all-time record against Tennessee Tech, and the Vols have won seven-straight games against the Golden Eagles from Cookeville. The Vols are looking to win their seventh consecutive game of the season. A win would also give the Vols a 16-game winning streak in Thompson-Boling Arena, the longest such streak in the Rick Barnes era of UT basketball.
Tech has lost eight of their first 12 games of the season, but they’ve been able to bounce back recently after a very brutal start to their 2018-19 campaign. The Golden Eagles began the season losing their first five games and were 1-7 after a loss to Chattanooga to begin December. Since then, though, Tech has won three of their last four games and has scored 90 or more points in their three wins.
The Golden Eagles have played two other ranked teams so far this season, and they lost in blowout fashion to both. North Carolina rolled 108-58 over Tech while Michigan State trounced the Golden Eagles by a score of 101-33.
The Vols have beaten every unranked team they’ve played this season by double digits. The closest margin of victory for UT over an unranked team this season was a 102-92 win over Memphis.
Tennessee Tech has four players averaging double figures in scoring, and their top six scorers are all averaging at least 8.8 points per game. 6-foot-9 junior forward Micaiah Henry leads the team in scoring with 12.3 points a game and also averages 5.5 rebounds a contest. Jr. Clay scores 11.4 points per game and dishes out 3.6 assists a game to go along with 4.2 rebounds. Courtney Alexander II is the do-it-all man for Tech, averaging 8.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.
If you’re out of town for the holidays and can’t make it to Thompson-Boling Arena today to watch the Vols take on Tennessee Tech, we have all the information you need below to watch and listen to the game.
Tip-Off: 1:00 Eastern, December 29th, Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)
TV: SEC Network Plus
Streaming Online: WatchESPN.com or ESPN app
Radio: Vol Network (99.1 FM or 990 AM in Knoxville/surrounding areas)
Line: Tennessee (-33)
