No. 23 Tennessee Hosts No. 24 Vanderbilt on Senior Day in Top‑25 Showdown

Image: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

By Aidan Sidoti

No. 23 Tennessee returns to Thompson‑Boling Arena at Food City Center on Saturday for Senior Day, hosting No. 24 Vanderbilt to close the regular season. The Vols enter at 21-9 (11-6 SEC), while the Commodores arrive at 23-7 (10-7 SEC) after surviving a scare earlier in the week.

Tennessee snapped a two‑game skid on Tuesday with a 78–59 win at South Carolina, a game played without standout freshman Nate Ament, who continues to deal with a right‑ankle injury suffered against Alabama. 

The Vols didn’t miss a beat against a lowly South Carolina squad. JP Estrella delivered the best performance of his Tennessee career, dropping 22 points and 7 rebounds on 10‑for‑13 shooting, dominating the paint from start to finish. Ja’Kobi Gillespie anchored the offense with a career-high 12 assists in 34 minutes, setting the tone for a much needed bounce back win.

Vanderbilt, meanwhile, needed overtime to escape Oxford on Tuesday, sliding past Ole Miss 89-86 behind a ridiculous 34‑point performance from Tyler Tanner. The Commodores have lost 3 of their last 5 and enter Knoxville trying to improve their seeding heading into the conference tournament.

This would be Tennessee’s first sweep against Vanderbilt since the 2023-24 season. The Vols won the first meeting 69–65 in Nashville back in January, a game sealed by a clutch 13‑footer from Nate Ament in the final minute. But Ament’s status remains uncertain. Tennessee has not provided an update for Saturday afternoon’s contest after he re‑aggravated his ankle last Saturday, I would expect the freshman to sit out again with hopes of returning for next week’s SEC Tournament.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN as the Vols look to close Senior Day with a ranked win and momentum heading into postseason play.