Tennessee Basketball is back home for one more game before the Christmas break, with the No. 1-ranked Vols (11-0) hosting Middle Tennessee State (9-3) on Monday night in a 7 Eastern Time start on SEC Network at Food City Center.
Tennessee has been off since the 84-36 win over Western Carolina on Tuesday in Knoxville.
MTSU has won four of its last five, with the lone loss coming at Belmont on December 7. The other two losses were at home against Murray State and a neutral-site game against Bradley.
The Blue Raiders are ranked No. 135 overall in the KenPom.com ratings. They’re No. 129 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 168 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Tennessee is No. 2 in the NET rankings and No. 3 overall in the KenPom ratings, behind No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Duke. The Vols are ranked No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 14 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
No. 1 Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee State: How To Watch
Start Time: Monday, 7 p.m. Eastern Time
Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
KenPom Prediction: Tennessee 81, MTSU 57 (98% chance to win)
The Line: Tennessee -26.5
Last Time Out: No. 1 Tennessee 84, Western Carolina 36
Chaz Lanier scored 19 points, Jordan Gainey had 17 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 13 and Zakai Zeigler finished one assists short of a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Tennessee’s 84-36 win over Western Carolina on Tuesday in Knoxville.
It was the second fewest points allowed by a Tennessee men’s basketball team at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols set the record three weeks ago when they gave up just 35 points against UT Martin.
Western Carolina jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 90 seconds of the game, but scored just nine points for the rest of the first half, with Tennessee jumping out to a 38-15 lead at the break. WCU didn’t hit a 2-point field goal in the first half, making five shots from the field, all from the 3-point line.
Vols off to best start in 25 years
Tennessee’s 11-0 start to the season matches the 1999-2000 season as the third best in program history.
The 1922-23 Vols hold the record with a 14-0 start in a 17-game season. The win streak included games against Camp Benning, Maryville, Tusculum, Milligan, Georgetown (Ky.), Centre, Transylvania, Centenary and Emory & Henry.
The 1915-16 went a perfect 12-0 in a 12-game season with wins over Johnson Bible College, Chattanooga, Cumberland, Murphy College in Sevierville, Emory & Henry and Centre.
