#23 Tennessee Vols Basketball Falls to #24 Vanderbilt 86-82 in Regular-Season Finale

Freshman guard Amari Evans scores career-high 24 points in loss

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The Tennessee men's basketball team dropped an 86-82 decision Saturday afternoon to No. 24/22 Vanderbilt to conclude the 2025-26 regular season. Freshman guard Amari Evans paced the Volunteers with a career-high 24 points, but Tennessee played without its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, freshman forward Nate Ament, for the second game in a row. Vanderbilt led for most of the game, building a 17-point advantage in the second half before Tennessee made a late push to cut the deficit to four points in the final minute.

Why it matters

This loss drops Tennessee to 21-10 overall and 11-7 in SEC play, tying them for fourth place in the conference standings. The Volunteers will now head to the SEC Tournament as the fifth seed, where they will face an opponent to be determined on Thursday.

The details

Vanderbilt (24-7, 11-7 SEC) started the game on a 15-2 run and led by as many as 17 points in the second half. Tennessee (21-10, 11-7 SEC) was able to cut the deficit to as little as four points late, but could not complete the comeback. Freshman guard Amari Evans led the Volunteers with a career-high 24 points, while redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 8, 2026.

The players

Amari Evans

A freshman guard for the Tennessee Volunteers who scored a career-high 24 points in the loss.

J.P. Estrella

A redshirt sophomore for the Tennessee Volunteers who scored 20 points and recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds.

Nate Ament

The Tennessee Volunteers' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer who missed the game due to injury.

Tyler Tanner

A sophomore guard for the Vanderbilt Commodores who led all players with 25 points.

A.K. Okereke

A graduate center for the Vanderbilt Commodores who scored 17 points.

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What they’re saying

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

What’s next

The Volunteers will now head to the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, where they will be the fifth seed and begin play on Thursday against an opponent to be determined.

The takeaway

This loss drops Tennessee to 21-10 overall and 11-7 in SEC play, tying them for fourth place in the conference standings. The Volunteers will now look to bounce back in the SEC Tournament as they aim to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.