Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Defeat LSU Tigers 73-63 in Sold-Out Game

Freshman forward Nate Ament leads Tennessee with 22 points in victory over SEC rival LSU.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The Tennessee men's basketball team defeated the LSU Tigers 73-63 in a sold-out game at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Freshman forward Nate Ament led the way for the Volunteers with a game-high 22 points, while redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Tennessee dominated the boards, outrebounding LSU 45-24, and held the Tigers to just 38.2% shooting from the field.

Why it matters

This victory is significant for the Tennessee program, as it marks the 250th career win for head coach Rick Barnes at the Division I level, making him just the 9th person to accomplish that feat at two different schools. The win also keeps the Volunteers in the hunt for a strong finish to the SEC regular season.

The details

Tennessee jumped out to an early lead, going on an 8-0 run to take a 10-point edge midway through the first half. LSU battled back to cut the deficit to 6 at halftime, but the Volunteers responded in the second half, going on a 15-4 run to take an 8-point lead they would not relinquish. Tennessee's dominance on the boards, including a 16-8 advantage on the offensive glass, led to a 22-4 edge in second-chance points.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 15, 2026.
  • Tennessee led for 34:22 of the 40-minute game.

The players

Nate Ament

Freshman forward for the Tennessee Volunteers, who led the team with a game-high 22 points.

J.P. Estrella

Redshirt sophomore forward for the Tennessee Volunteers, who scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Rick Barnes

Head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, who earned his 250th career win at the Division I level, becoming just the 9th person to accomplish that feat at two different schools.

Jalen Reece

Freshman guard for the LSU Tigers, who scored a career-high 15 points in the loss.

Marquel Sutton

Fifth-year player for the LSU Tigers, who matched Reece with 15 points and tied for the game lead with 9 rebounds.

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What they’re saying

“This was a big win for our program, and I'm proud of the way our guys battled tonight against a tough SEC opponent.”

— Rick Barnes, Head Coach, Tennessee Volunteers (clarksvilleonline.com)

What’s next

The Tennessee Volunteers will look to build on this victory when they host Oklahoma on Wednesday, February 19th at 7:00pm, live on ESPN2.

The takeaway

Tennessee's dominant performance on the boards and stifling defense in the second half proved to be the difference, as the Volunteers earned a key conference win and continued their push towards a strong finish to the SEC regular season.