NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The fourth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team secured an 83-72 win over No. 13-seeded Texas on Friday afternoon in their opening matchup of the SEC Tournament.

Ranked No. 8/6, Tennessee (26-6, 12-6 SEC) never trailed at Bridgestone Arena, clinching a semifinal spot with a game-high 23 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, who was playing in his hometown.

Lanier erupted early, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first 8:46, helping the Volunteers take a 21-14 lead. Texas (19-15, 6-12 SEC) responded with a quick 6-0 run in just 78 seconds, cutting the deficit to 21-20 with 9:10 remaining in the half. However, Tennessee answered with six straight points, pushing their advantage to 29-22 at the 7:18 mark.

By halftime, Lanier had totaled 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, guiding his team to a 41-38 lead. Texas shot efficiently in the opening half, going 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the field, 4-of-8 (50.0%) from three, and converting all four free throws. Tennessee, however, dominated the offensive boards 8-4, leading to a 13-5 edge in second-chance points, while also doubling Texas at the free-throw line, hitting 8-of-11 (72.7%).

Senior guard Zakai Zeigler, held scoreless in nine first-half minutes due to foul trouble, came alive in the second half, scoring six points and dishing out an assist in the first 3:03. That assist set a new Tennessee single-season record and marked his 700th career assist, extending the Volunteers’ lead to 49-42.

Texas went without a field goal for 4:40 early in the second half, during which Tennessee went on a 7-0 run in just 79 seconds, extending their lead to 61-47 with 12:23 remaining. The Volunteers widened the margin to as much as 15, going up 65-50 with 9:54 left.

Tennessee maintained control, leading 75-61 with under 4:15 to play and 78-65 with less than 1:45 remaining. Texas managed a late 7-1 surge to close the gap to 79-72 with 39 seconds left, but Tennessee sealed the win with four straight free throws, marking their 19th double-digit victory of the season.

Lanier finished 9-of-15 from the field for his 13th 20-point game of the season. Zeigler contributed all 19 of his points in the second half, making 6-of-7 shots in that span. The Long Island native also recorded a game-high six assists and two steals.

Senior guard Jahmai Mashack delivered a well-rounded performance, scoring 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds—tied for the game’s best. He also matched his season-high with four assists and added a steal. He was effective from the free-throw line, hitting 7-of-8, both the second-best marks of his career. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. chipped in 12 points, equaled Mashack with seven boards, and led all players with three blocks.

Graduate forward Kadin Shedrick led Texas with 14 points, making all five of his field goal attempts and hitting 4-of-5 free throws. He also secured a team-high six rebounds. Junior guard Jordan Pope added 14 points for the Longhorns, but Tennessee’s strong defense—anchored by Mashack—held the SEC’s top scorer, freshman guard Tre Johnson, to just 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Tennessee shot 50.0% from the field (27-of-54), matched their season-high in free throws made (24), and gave up only six fast-break points.

The Volunteers will return to Bridgestone Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET to face top-seeded Auburn in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

To stay updated on Tennessee men’s basketball, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, and /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES

Head coach Rick Barnes recorded his 832nd career win, moving past Cliff Ellis for 10th place on the all-time wins list (minimum 10 years in Division I).

Tennessee improved to 75-58 all-time in the SEC Tournament, including 72-57 in regulation play, 65-53 at neutral sites, and 12-7 under Barnes.

The Volunteers are now 25-19 in SEC Tournament games played in Tennessee, with a 16-13 record in Nashville.

Tennessee leads its all-time series against Texas 7-4, including a 6-2 record in the last eight meetings.

This was the fifth matchup between Tennessee and Texas in the past five seasons, with the game played at a fourth different location.

Tennessee has now defeated Texas in consecutive postseason tournaments, following last year’s 62-58 win in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

Barnes, who coached Texas for 17 years (1998-2015), holds a 6-3 record in matchups between the two programs, going 4-1 with Tennessee and 2-2 while at Texas.

Tennessee reached 26 wins for the eighth time in program history, the fifth under Barnes, and the third in the past four years.

The Volunteers previously achieved 26-win seasons in 2023-24, 2021-22, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2007-08, and 1999-2000.

Texas did not have a player reach double figures until Johnson hit 10 points on a free throw with 9:54 left in the game.

Shedrick became just the second player to make five field goals without a miss against Tennessee this season, joining Kentucky’s Koby Brea.

Tennessee has led at halftime in 22 of its 32 games this season, with double-digit halftime leads in 11 of them.

The Volunteers have held leads of 15 or more points in 19 of their 32 games, including 17 by 18-plus points, and five by at least 32 points.

Nineteen of Tennessee’s 25 victories have come by double digits, with nine wins of at least 20 points.

The team’s 24 made free throws tied their season-high, previously set against Austin Peay on Nov. 17, 2024.

Zeigler’s fourth assist of the game set a new Tennessee single-season record and made him the fourth player in SEC history to reach 700 career assists.

His two steals brought his season total to 60, marking the 15th time a Tennessee player has hit that mark.

Zeigler and Mashack, now with 105 career wins, surpassed the previous Tennessee four-year player record of 104 wins.

Mashack’s 13 points set a new season high, tying the fourth-best total of his career.

Lanier’s two three-pointers moved his season total to 107, surpassing Chris Lofton (106 in 2006-07) for third place on Tennessee’s all-time single-season list.

Lanier recorded his 28th career 20-point game and surpassed the 1,500-point mark in his college career.

Sophomore forward Cade Phillips grabbed six rebounds, tying for his third-most in a college game.