How To Watch: Tennessee vs. Ole Miss

The Tennessee Volunteers host the No. 22 Ole Miss Rebels for a ranked matchup. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch.

It’s officially that time of the basketball season. It is now SEC conference play time. The Volunteers have a tough top-25 matchup that will put their top-5 ranking in jeopardy. They take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.

Tennessee is coming into this game ranked 5th with a record of 10-3. The Volunteers are coming off a six-game winning streak after dropping three consecutive games to Purdue, Kansas, and North Carolina. This is a Tennessee team led by transfer Dalton Knecht and standout true junior guard Zakai Zeigler. This team has looked like a complete team on the court as of late, as they have won convincingly in their past couple of games.

Ole Miss is coming into this game ranked 22nd in the nation and is undefeated with a record of 13-0. Ole Miss has yet to face a ranked team, and they will face one of their biggest opponents of the year when they take on the Volunteers. Star guard Matthew Murrell leads this team. Murrell was the star player for the Rebels last year as well. He and the Rebels gave the Volunteers a tough game in their first matchup; however, in the SEC tournament opener, Tennessee blew past the Rebels to advance them to the second round. Here is everything you need to know about how to watch.

• Gameday: Saturday, January 6th, 2024
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. ET
• Spread: Volunteers -11.5
• TV: SECN
• Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center (Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Alternate streaming: ESPN App
• Follow along: ESPN App

This matchup is very important for both teams as they look to kick off conference play positively. Tennessee will have to find a way to shut down Murrell and the Rebels throughout the 40-minute matchup for them to pick up a win. Tennessee is one of the most impressive defensive teams in the country, led by a defensive mastermind named Rick Barnes. 

Tennessee will likely want to match players like Jahmai Mashack up on Murrell to give him the toughest path to success all night long. Murrell is averaging 17.0 points per game, along with 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 steals, which makes him one of the most complete guards in the conference. This would be a great chance for the transfer Knecht or the veteran leader Santiago Vescovi to get going early on in an attempt to separate themselves from the Rebels as quickly as possible. Tennessee will also need the reserves to play solid in their minutes when their number is called to step on the court.

Tennessee Volunteers F Josiah Jordan-James during a 2022 game vs. Ole Miss. (Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel of USA Today Sports)

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