Tennessee basketball is entering the SEC tournament looking for its second conference tournament title under coach Rick Barnes.
It’ll have to go through Barnes’ former program to advance.
The No. 4 seed Vols (25-6) open against No. 13 seed Texas (19-14) on Friday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in a quarterfinal matchup at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Here is what to know about the matchup:
How Texas advanced to face Tennessee in SEC Tournament quarterfinals
Texas needed two overtimes to knock off No. 5 seed Texas A&M in a second-round game Thursday. The Longhorns won 94-89 to win their second game in two days. They beat No. 12 Vanderbilt 79-72 on Wednesday in the first round.
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Longhorns freshman Tre Johnson scored 20 points against the Aggies with four 3-pointers, including a decisive three with 2:08 to play in double overtime. Johnson was the SEC newcomer of the year in the media voting. Vols guard Chaz Lanier was named newcomer of the year by the coaches.
How Tennessee beat Texas in lone regular-season meeting
Barnes improved to 3-1 at Tennessee against Texas with a 74-70 win on Jan. 11. Barnes coached at Texas for 17 years and won 402 games before he was fired. He has won three straight against the Longhorns.
Darlinstone Dubar had one of his best games of the season in Tennessee’s 74-70 win at Texas. The senior hit three 3-pointers and had 12 points with six rebounds. Felix Okpara chipped in seven points and nine rebounds, while Zakai Zeigler had a team-high 16 points and eight assists.
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Johnson had 26 points, but only two in the final 11:32 for Texas after a torrid start.
Tennessee basketball history in SEC Tournament under Rick Barnes
Tennessee won the 2022 SEC tournament title with a 65-50 win against Texas A&M in Tampa, Florida. It marked UT’s first SEC tournament title since 1979.
The Vols have reached the title game three times, including 2022. They lost 84-64 to Auburn in 2019 and lost 77-72 to Kentucky in 2018. The Vols had a double-bye in all three tournaments in which they reached the title game.
Tennessee has only gone one-and-done in the tournament twice, including last season. UT lost in the semifinals to Alabama in 2021 and in the quarterfinals to Missouri in 2023. It reached the quarterfinals as the No. 12 seed in 2016 and was bounced in its first game in 2017.
Barnes is 11-7 in the SEC tournament.
Tennessee vs Texas in SEC Tournament prediction
Tennessee 73, Texas 60: Johnson is a star, but Tennessee is coming in fresh. Texas is playing its third game in three days, including the physical double-overtime clash with the Aggies. The Vols move to the semifinals by beating Texas again.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
