Tennessee just suffered their first loss since November when they lost by 17 points to Kentucky on Saturday. Now, they get to host in-state foe Vanderbilt to try and get back in the win column.
The Vols (23-2, 11-1 SEC) fell from No. 1 in the AP Poll down to No. 5 after their 86-69 loss to the Wildcats over the weekend. But their next game is a little easier than the one they just finished playing. Vanderbilt (9-16, 0-12 SEC) hasn’t won a game since the calendar flipped to 2019, and their last win against an SEC team came against Ole Miss on March 3rd, 2018.
The last time these two teams played, the Commodores almost pulled off the massive upset. But thanks to a historic performance from Grant Williams, the Vols survived Vanderbilt’s upset bid.
Vanderbilt led for a lot of the game back on January 23rd when these two teams met in Nashville, but a late surge by Tennessee (sparked by a controversial foul committed against Grant Williams in the final minutes) tied the game in regulation, and the Vols won 88-83 in overtime. Grant Williams scored a career-high 43 points and set the school record for most free throws made in a game and most consecutive free throws made when he went a perfect 23-of-23 from the free throw line.
Since that game, the Commodores have lost their seven contests by an average margin of nearly 16 points per game.
Tennessee has won three-straight games against Vanderbilt, and they’ve been victorious in four of the last five meetings between the two schools.
Here’s everything you need to know about today’s match-up. If you can’t make it to the game, here’s how you can watch and listen to the Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt game.
Tip-Off: 7:00 Eastern, February 19th, Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)
TV: ESPN
Streaming Online: WatchESPN.com or ESPN app
Radio: Vol Network (99.1 FM or 990 AM in Knoxville/surrounding areas)
Line: Tennessee (-17.5)
