Virginia Basketball vs. Tennessee Game Preview, Score Prediction

Matt Newton | 8 Hours Ago

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Virginia will face its first ranked opponent of the 2024-2025 basketball season when the Cavaliers take on No. 11 Tennessee in their opening game of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship on Thursday night in Nassau. The winner of UVA-Tennessee will advance to the tournament's championship game on Friday night (9:30pm) and will face the winner of Baylor and St. John's (who play in the first semifinal at 7pm on Thursday), while the loser will take on the loser of that game on Friday at 7pm.

Read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Tennessee, including game details, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a prediction for Thursday night's matchup.

Virginia vs. Tennessee Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (3-0) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (4-0)

When: Thursday, November 21st at 9:30pm ET

Where: Baha Mar Convention Center (2,000) in Nassau, Bahamas

How to watch: CBS Sports Network/Paramount+

How to listen: SiriusXM 380, SXM App 970

All-time series: Virginia leads 8-5

Last meeting: Tennessee defeated Virginia 87-52 on December 30th, 2013 in Knoxville.

Virginia vs. Tennessee Game Notes

• Virginia leads Tennessee 8-5 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1917.
• UVA holds a 5-1 record against Tennessee in Charlottesville and a 3-1 record against Tennessee on neutral courts, including a pair of victories in the 1981 and 1982 NCAA Tournaments.
• The Volunteers have beaten the Cavaliers each of the three times the two teams played in Knoxville, including an 87-52 rout the last time these two teams met back on December 30th, 2013. Virginia followed up that blowout loss by winning 21 of its next 23 games, going on to win the ACC regular season title and the ACC Tournament Championship.
• UVA is scheduled to face two SEC opponents in the 2024-2025 season, as the Cavaliers are also set to face Florida as part of the second-annual ACC/SEC Challenge on December 4th.
• Virginia is 70-62 all-time against current members of the SEC, including a pair of victories over Florida and Texas A&M last season.
• Virginia went 52-48 against ranked opponents under Tony Bennett, but was 1-3 against ranked teams last season.

Opponent Scouting Report: Tennessee

2023-2024: 27-9, 14-4 SEC (1st)
2024-2025: 4-0

Once upon a time, Rick Barnes very nearly became the head men's basketball coach at Virginia, but ultimately elected to remain the head coach at Providence in April of 1990. More than three decades later, Barnes has gone on to coach at Clemson, Texas, and now Tennessee, where he has spent the last 10 seasons, amassing a 206-101 overall record and leading the Volunteers to two SEC regular season titles, the 2022 SEC Tournament Championship, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and a run to the Elite Eight last year.

Tennessee appears to be one of the elite contenders in college basketball once again with a roster featuring a quartet of double-digit scorers, an array of gifted athletes, a smothering defense, and plenty of depth. With that combination of talent, the Volunteers hope to finally get over the hump and to their first Final Four in program history.

Senior guard Zakai Zeigler is the engine that makes the Tennessee offense run. Though he stands at just 5'9", Zeigler's speed and ball handling abilities are no joke. This year, he's also having the best season of his career shooting the three-ball, converting at 47.6% from beyond the arc on more than five attempts per game after shooting 34.4% from three last season. Ziegler is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 assists per game, and while he turns the ball over a bit too much (4.5 turnovers per game), he more than makes up for that with his defensive abilities. He is averaging 1.8 steals per game and sticks to opposing guards like glue.

Ziegler is joined at the guard positions by fellow seniors Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey. A transfer from North Florida, Lanier is averaging 13.8 points per game and is shooting even better than Ziegler from beyond the arc at an even 50.0%. Gainey, who is in his second season in Knoxville after beginning his career at USC Upstate, has nearly doubled his scoring average this season at 11.0 points per game, despite coming off the bench in Tennessee's first four games, and he's also a proficient three-point shooter at 36.4%. 6'4" senior guard Jahmai Mashack has gotten the start for the first four games and is averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and might be the team's best defender, averaging 2.3 steals per game.

Headlining Tennessee's front court is a familiar face for Virginia basketball fans: Igor Miličić Jr. The Croatian big man began his career at Virginia, but spent only one season in Charlottesville, playing only garbage time minutes and appearing in just 16 games, before transferring to none other than Ron Sanchez at Charlotte. Miličić spent two seasons with the 49ers before parlaying his strong junior season (12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) into an opportunity to return to the major conference level this season at Tennessee, where he has blossomed into a big-time contributor for a national contender. Miličić is averaging a career-high 14.0 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Joining Miličić in the front court is 6'11" center Felix Okpara, a junior from Lagos, Nigeria. Okpara is averaging 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and will be a load for Blake Buchanan to deal with in the paint.

Like Virginia, Tennessee hasn't played the toughest schedule, but the Volunteers have looked very good, averaging 88.0 points per game and shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc as a team. Tennessee's most notable result so far is a 77-55 victory at Louisville, which may or may not be significant, depending on how back the Cardinals turn out to be in their first season under Pat Kelsey. Thursday night's matchup in the Bahamas (and the second game on Friday) will reveal quite a bit for both of these teams.

What to Watch for in Virginia vs. Tennessee

Igor Miličić Jr. against his former team and former coach
It's been more than two years since Igor Miličić Jr. last called Virginia home and a year and a half since Ron Sanchez stepped down as his head coach at Charlotte to return to UVA. It's unlikely Miličić holds any ill will towards his former school and coach, but it will be fascinating to see how he plays against Sanchez and the Cavaliers on Thursday night. It's not only an intriguing storyline, but it's also a key for the game, as Miličić was Tennessee's leading scorer and rebounder in each of the last two games.

Dai Dai Ames vs. Zakai Zeigler
As we said in the scouting report, Zeigler is the key to Tennessee's offense, recording at least seven assists in each of the first four games of the season. The point guard matchup between Zeigler and Dai Dai Ames will be crucial, as Ames will be tested by a highly experienced floor general and exceptional athlete on both ends of the floor. Ames will have a notable size advantage, but sticking to Zeigler through ball screens on defense and getting some separation from him on offense will be an immense challenge for the Kansas State transfer.

Three-Point Contest
Both the Cavaliers and the Volunteers are hoping that their strong starts from beyond the arc will continue on their trip to the Bahamas. Tennessee is shooting 41.6% from three-point range (25th in the country), while Virginia is shooting 44.6% from the perimeter (8th in the country). How these two teams shoot from and defend the three-point line will go a long way towards determining the victor in this matchup.

Virginia vs. Tennessee Prediction

The Cavaliers have been impressive in their 3-0 start to the season and there's a lot to like about what we've seen from Ron Sanchez and company so far. The Volunteers have been better and, more importantly, they run circles around the Hoos in terms of experience, a factor which is a massive advantage in these early-season games. I have this one as Virginia's first loss of the season.

Score prediction: Virginia 63, Tennessee 70

More Virginia Basketball News & Content

Virginia vs. Tennessee: Players to Watch & Keys to the Game

Round Robin: Evaluating Virginia Basketball's 3-0 Start

ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly

UVA Basketball Report Card: Evaluating Virginia Through Three Games

The Plus/Minus: Virginia Basketball Lights Up Villanova

Why Did Tony Bennett Retire? UVA Basketball Coach Explains Decision