2025–26 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

2025–26 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 25
APNo. 23т
Record24–11 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachJustin Gainey
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThompson–Boling Arena
2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Florida 16 – 2   .889 27 – 8   .771
No. 18 Alabama 13 – 5   .722 25 – 9   .735
No. 14 Arkansas † 13 – 5   .722 28 – 8   .778
No. 16 Vanderbilt 11 – 7   .611 27 – 9   .750
No. 23т Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 24 – 11   .686
Texas A&M 11 – 7   .611 22 – 12   .647
Georgia 10 – 8   .556 22 – 11   .667
Missouri 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Kentucky 10 – 8   .556 22 – 14   .611
Texas 9 – 9   .500 21 – 14   .600
Oklahoma 7 – 11   .389 19 – 15   .559
Auburn 7 – 11   .389 19 – 16   .543
Mississippi State 5 – 13   .278 13 – 19   .406
South Carolina 4 – 14   .222 13 – 19   .406
Ole Miss 4 – 14   .222 15 – 20   .429
LSU 3 – 15   .167 15 – 17   .469
† 2026 SEC tournament winner
As of March 22, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by eleventh-year head coach Rick Barnes and play their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena located in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2024–25 season 30–8, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the SEC men's basketball tournament, held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, they received a double bye to the quarterfinals. There, they defeated Texas, 83–72, to advance to the semifinals, where they secured a 70–65 win over eventual Final Four semifinalist Auburn. In the championship game, they lost to the eventual NCAA champion Florida, 86–77.

Tennessee received a bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region. There, they defeated Wofford, 77–62, in the first round, UCLA, 67–58, in the second round, and SEC rival Kentucky, 78–65, in the Sweet Sixteen to advance to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year. Just like in 2024, Tennessee's season once again ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to the eventual runner-up — this time to Houston, 69–50, denying them their first-ever Final Four appearance.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Chaz Lanier 2 G 6'5" 207 Graduate Student Nashville, TN Graduated/2025 NBA draft; selected 56th overall by Detroit Pistons
Zakai Zeigler 5 G 5'9" 172 Senior Long Island, NY Graduated, signed with Nanterre 92
Igor Miličić Jr. 7 F 6'10" 225 Senior Rovinj, Croatia Graduated/undrafted in 2025 NBA draft; signed with the Philadelphia 76ers
Darlinstone Dubar 8 G 6'6" 220 Graduate Student Charlotte, NC Transferred
Jordan Gainey 11 G 6'4" 190 Senior Tucson, AZ Graduated
Jahmai Mashack 15 G 6'4" 202 Senior Fontana, CA Graduated/2025 NBA draft; selected 59th overall by Memphis Grizzlies
Ben Linnemeyer 35 G 6'6" 205 Freshman Columbia, MO Walk-on; transferred to Harding
Cameron Carr 43 G 6'6" 189 Sophomore Eden Prairie, MN Transferred to Baylor

Zakai Zeigler initially pursued a federal judiciary appeal for an exemption to the NCAA's new eligibility rules in an attempt to play a fifth season of Division I basketball in a five-year span, but withdrew the appeal on July 1, 2025.[2]

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Ja'Kobi Gillespie 0 G 6'1" 188 Senior Greenville, TN Maryland
Jaylen Carey 23 F 6'8" 267 Junior Southwest Ranches, FL Vanderbilt
Amaree Abram 77 G 6'3" 200 Senior Port Arthur, TX Louisiana Tech

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Nate Ament
#2 SF 		Manassas, VA Highland School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 20, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (97)
DeWayne Brown
#25 C 		Birmingham, AL Hoover High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Apr 20, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Amari Evans
#26 SF 		Atlanta, GA Overtime Elite 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 1, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (83)
Clarence Massamba
CG 		Monaco AS Monaco Basket Club 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 30, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Troy Henderson
PG 		Richmond, VA John Marshall High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Mar 25, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2025–26 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Ja'Kobi Gillespie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr Maryland Greeneville, Tennessee
G 1 Amari Evans 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 3 Bishop Boswell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) So Myers Park High School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 4 Clarence Massamba 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Fr Edmentum Paris, France
F 6 DeWayne Brown II 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 251 lb (114 kg) Fr Hoover High School Hoover, Alabama
G 7 Grant Hurst 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr UT Martin Cleveland, Tennessee
F 10 Nate Ament 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Fr Highland School Manassas, Virginia
G 11 Gavin Paull (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Westlake High School Austin, Texas
F 12 Cade Phillips 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Jr Link Academy Jacksonville, Alabama
F 13 J. P. Estrella 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS So Brewster Academy Scarborough, Maine
G 21 Campbell Duncan (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Anderson High School Austin, Texas
F 23 Jaylen Carey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 267 lb (121 kg) Jr Vanderbilt Southwest Ranches, Florida
G 24 Troy Henderson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Fr John Marshall High School Richmond, Virginia
F 34 Felix Okpara 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Sr Ohio State Lagos, Nigeria
G 35 Ethan Burg 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 199 lb (90 kg) So Gymnasia Realit Rishon LeZion Mishmar HaShiv'a, Israel
G 77 Amaree Abram 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Louisiana Tech Port Arthur, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 No. 6 Duke L 76–83 
 19 – Gillespie   10 – Ament   8 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 18 Mercer W 76–61  1–0
  18 – Ament   10 – Carey   6 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,559)
Knoxville, TN
November 8, 2025*
3:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 18 Northern Kentucky W 95–56  2–0
  23 – Ament   11 – Tied   5 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,661)
Knoxville, TN
November 12, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 20 North Florida W 99–66  3−0
  23 – Estrella   10 – Estrella   7 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,614)
Knoxville, TN
November 17, 2025*
8:30 p.m., SECN 		No. 20 Rice W 91–66  4–0
  20 – Okpara   10 – Ament   8 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,283)
Knoxville, TN
November 20, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 20 Tennessee State W 89–60  5–0
  17 – Gillespie   8 – Okpara   5 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,313)
Knoxville, TN
November 24, 2025*
1:00 p.m., TNT 		No. 17 vs. Rutgers
Players Era Festival Game 1 		W 85–60  6–0
  32 – Gillespie   7 – Tied   4 – Gillespie  MGM Grand Garden Arena (4,628)
Paradise, NV
November 25, 2025*
6:00 p.m., TNT 		No. 17 vs. No. 3 Houston
Players Era Festival Game 2 		W 76–73  7–0
  22 – Gillespie   7 – Carey   4 – Tied  MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2025*
7:00 p.m., TNT 		No. 17 vs. Kansas
Players Era Festival 3rd place game 		L 76–81  7–1
  20 – Ament   10 – Carey   4 – Tied  MGM Grand Garden Arena 
Paradise, NV
December 2, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 13 at Syracuse
ACC–SEC Challenge 		L 60–62  7–2
  22 – Carey   9 – Carey   7 – Gillespie  JMA Wireless Dome (19,657)
Syracuse, NY
December 6, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 13 vs. No. 14 Illinois
Music City Madness 		L 62–75  7–3
  15 – Gillespie   7 – Tied   5 – Gillespie  Bridgestone Arena (16,157)
Nashville, TN
December 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 20 No. 11 Louisville W 83–62  8–3
  23 – Gillespie   10 – Carey   5 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
December 21, 2025*
3:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 20 Gardner–Webb W 94–52  9–3
  15 – Tied   14 – Brown II   9 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,059)
Knoxville, TN
December 30, 2025*
8:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 19 South Carolina State W 105–54  10–3
  21 – Gillespie   10 – Tied   8 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,279)
Knoxville, TN
SEC regular season
January 3, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 19 at No. 18 Arkansas L 75–86  10–4
(0–1) 		 16 – Evans   7 – Okpara   4 – Gillespie  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 6, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 21 Texas W 85–71  11–4
(1–1) 		 34 – Gillespie   6 – Estrella   5 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,402)
Knoxville, TN
January 10, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 21 at Florida L 67–91  11–5
(1–2) 		 17 – Ament   5 – Tied   3 – Gillespie  O'Connell Center (10,182)
Gainesville, FL
January 13, 2026
7:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 24 Texas A&M W 87–82 2OT 12–5
(2–2) 		 23 – Ament   12 – Okpara   5 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (17,808)
Knoxville, TN
January 17, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 24 Kentucky
Rivalry 		L 78–80  12–6
(2–3) 		 24 – Gillespie   7 – Carey   8 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
January 24, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 17 Alabama W 79–73  13–6
(3–3) 		 29 – Ament   8 – Okpara   4 – Gillespie  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., SECN 		at Georgia W 86–85 OT 14–6
(4–3) 		 21 – Gillespie   11 – Okpara   6 – Gillespie  Stegeman Coliseum (9,854)
Athens, GA
January 31, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		Auburn W 77–69  15–6
(5–3) 		 22 – Ament   8 – Tied   5 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
February 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 25 Ole Miss W 84–66  16–6
(6–3) 		 28 – Ament   9 – Estrella   5 – Boswell  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,882)
Knoxville, TN
February 7, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 25 at Kentucky
Rivalry 		L 71–74  16–7
(6–4) 		 29 – Ament   12 – Brown II   4 – Gillespie  Rupp Arena (20,123)
Lexington, KY
February 11, 2026
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Mississippi State W 73–64  17–7
(7–4) 		 18 – Gillespie   8 – Brown II   8 – Boswell  Humphrey Coliseum (7,986)
Starkville, MS
February 14, 2026
6:00 p.m., SECN 		LSU W 73–63  18–7
(8–4) 		 22 – Ament   9 – Tied   6 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
February 18, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Oklahoma W 89–66  19–7
(9–4) 		 29 – Ament   7 – Tied   8 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (18,361)
Knoxville, TN
February 21, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 19 Vanderbilt
Rivalry 		W 69–65  20–7
(10–4) 		 17 – Gillespie   9 – Ament   4 – Boswell  Memorial Gymnasium (14,316)
Nashville, TN
February 24, 2026
9:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 22 at Missouri L 69–73  20–8
(10–5) 		 19 – Gillespie   10 – Carey   6 – Gillespie  Mizzou Arena (11,094)
Columbia, MO
February 28, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 22 No. 17 Alabama L 69–71  20–9
(10–6) 		 26 – Gillespie   9 – Tied   7 – Gillespie  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
March 3, 2026
6:00 p.m., SECN 		No. 23 at South Carolina W 78–59  21–9
(11–6) 		 22 – Estrella   8 – Okpara   12 – Gillespie  Colonial Life Arena (10,517)
Columbia, SC
March 7, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 23 No. 24 Vanderbilt
Rivalry 		L 82–86  21–10
(11–7) 		 24 – Evans   10 – Tied   4 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (19,654)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 12, 2026
3:00 p.m., SECN 		(5) No. 25 vs. (12) Auburn
Second Round 		W 72–62  22–10
  27 – Ament   8 – Ament   4 – Ament  Bridgestone Arena (15,719)
Nashville, TN
March 13, 2026
3:30 p.m., ESPN 		(5) No. 25 vs. (4) No. 22 Vanderbilt
Quarterfinals/Rivalry 		L 68–75  22–11
  21 – Gillespie   11 – Ament   4 – Gillespie  Bridgestone Arena (17,864)
Nashville, TN
NCAA Tournament
March 20, 2026*
4:25 p.m., TBS 		(6 MW) No. 23 vs. (11 MW) Miami (OH)
First round 		W 78–56  23–11
  29 – Gillespie   10 – Estrella   9 – Gillespie  Xfinity Mobile Arena (19,686)
Philadelphia, PA
March 22, 2026*
5:10 p.m., TNT 		(6 MW) No. 23 vs. (3 MW) No. 9 Virginia
Second round 		W 79–72  24–11
  21 – Gillespie   8 – Okpara   9 – Boswell  Xfinity Mobile Arena 
Philadelphia, PA
March 27, 2026*
TBD 		(6 MW) No. 23 vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Iowa State
Sweet Sixteen 		      United Center 
Chicago, IL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

For the third straight season, the team sold out all 14,500 season tickets.[3]

Rankings

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP1820201713202019192124RVRV25RVRV22232523т
Coaches17181716132023202022RVRVRVRVRVRV2225RV25

References

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