Jonas Aidoo leads Vols in victory against George Mason

Tennessee basketball defeats George Mason, 87-66.

No. 13 Tennessee (5-3) defeated George Mason (7-2), 87-66, Tuesday at Food City Center.

The Vols had four players score 10-plus points.

Jonas Aidoo totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Josiah-Jordan James recorded 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for Tennessee.

Tobe Awaka recorded 11 points and seven rebounds, while Dalton Knecht finished the contest with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists for the Vols.

Jordan Gainey, J.P. Estrella and Santiago Vescovi scored seven points each.

Zakai Zeigler, making his first start of the 2023-24 season, finished with six points, six assists and one rebound.

Darius Maddox recorded 15 points and five rebounds for the Patriots.

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Dalton Knecht ties Dean E. Smith Center scoring record

Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht ties the Dean E. Smith Center scoring record.

No. 16 North Carolina (6-1) defeated No. 11 Tennessee (4-3), 100-92, in the ACC/SEC Challenge at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Tar Heels led, 61-39, at halftime and had a 24-point lead in the second half.

Dalton Knecht scored 22 of his game-high 37 points in the second half. His 37 points represent a career high. Knect, who recorded six rebounds and three assists, also tied a single-game record for an opposing player at the Dean E. Smith Center, set by La Salle’s Lionel Simmons in 1988.

Knecht left late in the game after suffering an ankle injury.

Josiah-Jordan James totaled 20 points and four rebounds for the Vols, while Jonas Aidoo recorded 13 points. Jordan Gainey had 11 points and Zakai Zeigler finished with nine points and seven assists for Tennessee.

RJ Davis had 27 points to lead the Tar Heels.

2023 Maui Invitational: Tennessee beats Syracuse in opening game

2023 Maui Invitational: Tennessee beats Syracuse in opening game

No. 8 Tennessee (4-0) defeated Syracuse (3-1), 73-56, Monday in the Maui Invitational as SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Vols, after trailing by as many as eight points, led, 30-25, at halftime.

Two Tennessee players recorded double-doubles in the contest. Jonas Aidoo totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Josiah-Jordan James recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Dalton Knecht was the Vols’ leading scorer as he finished with 17 points. He also had four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Knecht scored 15 points in the first half.

Jahmai Mashack finished with eight points and four rebounds for the Vols.

Tennessee will next play Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST against the winner of the Purdue-Gonzaga game.

PHOTOS: Vols defeat Syracuse in Maui Invitational

No. 8 Tennessee basketball defeats Wofford

Vols remain undefeated with victory over Wofford.

No. 8 Tennessee (3-0) defeated Wofford (2-1), 82-61, Tuesday at Food City Center.

The Vols led, 36-31, at halftime.

Dalton Knecht scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second-half. He was one of three Tennessee players to score 10-plus points against the Terriers.

Jordan Gainey scored 16 points, including 11 in the first half. Santago Vescovi totaled 11 points.

Tobe Awaka totaled nine points and six rebounds. Josiah-Jordan James, who scored his 1,000th career point in the contest, recorded eight points and seven rebounds. Jahmai Mashack added seven points, while Jonas Aidoo posted seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

Wofford’s Corey Tripp led all scorers as he finished 19 points.

Dalton Knecht scores 24 points in Vols’ win at Wisconsin

Dalton Knecht scores 24 points in Tennessee’s win at Wisconsin.

No. 10 Tennessee (2-0) defeated Wisconsin (1-1), 80-70, Friday at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

The victory ended a three-game losing streak to the Badgers. The Vols led, 43-35 at halftime.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes recorded his 781st career coaching win and is now tied with Lute Olson for 17th place in career wins. Barnes passed Lou Henson in all time coaching victories after the Vols’ season-opening victory on Nov. 6.

Dalton Knecht scored 24 points and was one of four Tennessee players to score 10-plus points against Wisconsin.

Josiah-Jordan James totaled 14 points and six rebounds, while Jordan Gainey and Jonas Aidoo scored 10 points each. Aidoo also recorded seven rebounds and two blocks for the Vols.

Vols defeat Tennessee Tech in season opener

No. 10 Tennessee defeats Tennessee Tech in season opener.

No. 10 Tennessee (1-0) defeated Tennessee Tech (0-1), 80-42, Monday in a season opener for both schools at Food City Center.

The Vols led, 41-12, at halftime.

Tennessee had three players score 10-plus points. Dalton Knecht totaled 17 points.

Josiah Jordan-James scored 15 points and Jordan Gainey finished with 11.

Jonas Aidoo scored four points and was the Vols’ leading rebounder with eight. He also recorded two assists.

Jahmai Mashack scored nine points, while Freddie Dilione V finished with seven.

Tennessee will next play on Friday at Wisconsin. Tipoff between the Vols and Badgers is slated for 9 p.m. EST (Peacock).

PHOTOS: A look at Rick Barnes through the years

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports 

Three Vols receive All-SEC preseason honors from coaches

Three Tennessee basketball players receive all-conference preseason honors from the league’s coaches.

Three Tennessee men’s basketball players received All-SEC preseason honors from the league’s coaches Thursday.

Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler received first-team honors, while Josiah-Jordan James was named to the second team.

Tennessee is the only school to have three players receive preseason All-SEC honors.

Vesovi, a fifth-year guard, was also named First-Team All-SEC by media. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Vescovi averaged 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season.

Zeigler received Second-Team All-SEC honors from the media. He was also named Second-Team All-SEC following last season, averaging 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game in 2022-23.

James, also a fifth-year player for Tennessee, earned second-team preseason honors from media.

James averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season.

Vols win exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne

Tennessee basketball wins exhibition game, 90-48.

No. 10 Tennessee defeated Lenoir-Rhyne, 90-48, in an exhibition game Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

The Vols scored the first 15 points of the contest and led, 49-30, at halftime.

Tennessee had four players total 10-plus points. Jonas Aidoo recorded 14 points and three blocks, while Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey added 13 points each. Tobe Awaka finished with 11.

Josiah-Jordan James and Cameron Carr recorded nine points and seven rebounds each against the Bears.

The Vols recorded 21 assists and committed 11 turnovers against Lenoir-Rhyne, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes’ alma mater.

Tennessee next plays Monday when it opens the regular-season play against Tennessee Tech. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.

Josiah-Jordan James announces return to Tennessee

Josiah-Jordan James announces return to Tennessee.

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James announced he will return to Tennessee for a fifth season.

James averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 38 percent from the field since 2019 at Tennessee. He appeared in 108 games, including 87 starts, from 2019-23 with the Vols.

James was named to the Julius Erving Award watch list and earned preseason All-SEC honors prior to the 2022-23 season.

He was named to the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team, averaging 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Vols’ 2022 SEC Tournament championship team.

James came to Tennessee from Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the eighth Tennessee signee selected as a McDonald’s All-American.

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Josiah-Jordan James discusses NCAA Tournament matchup versus Louisiana

Josiah-Jordan James discusses Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament matchup versus Louisiana.

No. 4 seed Tennessee (23-10, 11-7 SEC) will play No. 13 seed Louisiana (26-7, 13-5 Sun Belt) Thursday at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James met with media ahead of the first-round matchup against Louisiana.

James averaged 10.1 points per game for the Vols this season.

2023 NCAA Tournament: How to watch Tennessee-Louisiana basketball game

NCAA Tournament: Tennessee-Louisiana basketball score predictions

In the 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament, James had one of his best performances of the season, recording 20 points and seven rebounds against Ole Miss on March 9.

James discussed Tennessee’s first round matchup versus Louisiana in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. James’ media availability is listed below.