Kansas basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers at Players Era: Starters, time, TV
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas advances in Players Era tourney, beats Notre Dame and Syracuse.
- Flory Bidunga posts double-double, secures season-high 14 rebounds vs Syracuse.
- Jayhawks will next face Tennessee in third-place game; game is on TNT.
Kansas men’s basketball, which defeated Notre Dame in the first round of the Players Era tourney and Syracuse in the second round, will meet Tennessee at 6 p.m. Central on Wednesday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Here’s what you need to know before tipoff:
Kansas vs. Tennessee: How to watch
When: 6 p.m. Central, Wednesday
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
TV: TNT
Radio: WHB (810) in Kansas City; ESPN Wichita (92.3 FM)
Probable starters
Kansas (5-2)
F (No. 40) — Flory Bidunga, 6-10, Soph., 16.1 ppg
F (15) — Bryson Tiller, 6-11, Fr., 10.0
G (3) — Tre White, 6-7, Sr., 14.4
G (14) — Melvin Council Jr., 6-4, Sr., 9.9
G (11) — Jamari McDowell, 6-5, Soph., 6.5
Tennessee (7-0)
F (No. 10) — Nate Ament, 6-10, Fr., 17.6 ppg
F (12) — Cade Phillips, 6-9, Jr., 4.6
F (34) — Felix Okpara, 6-11, Sr., 9.0
G (3) — Bishop Boswell, 6-4, Soph, 5.8
G (0) — JaKobi Gillespie, 6-1, Sr., 19.6
About Kansas (5-2)
Kansas is 5-2 or better for the 20th consecutive season and the 22nd time in Bill Self’s 23 seasons at KU. … Kansas is 2-1 in neutral site games. … Bill Self is 614-158 while at Kansas, 821-263 all-time. … Kansas in the Players Era tourney has posted double-digit offensive rebounds in back-to-back games for the first time this season. KU hit 18 of 20 free throws vs. Syracuse for a season-high 90%. … The last time Kansas shot 90% from the free throw line with a minimum of 20 attempts was Nov. 8, 2024 vs. North Carolina when Kansas shot 90.3% (28-of-31). …
Kansas has won back-to-back games scoring 71 points. The last time Kansas won consecutive games scoring 71 points or less in each game was when the Jayhawks won three straight from Nov. 22-Dec. 1, 2023 (vs. #7 Tennessee, vs. Eastern Illinois, vs. #4 UConn). … Kansas had two players record a double-double on Tuesday (Flory Bidunga 13 points, 14 rebounds) and Tre White (15 points, 10 rebounds) for the first time since Jan. 13, 2024 against Oklahoma. …
Bidunga has scored in double figures in five straight games. Bidunga grabbed a season high 14 rebounds vs. Syracuse and recorded his second double-double of the season and fourth of his career. Bidunga has now secured 10 or more rebounds twice this season, and six times in his career. … White recorded three assists vs. the Orange for the fourth time this season, and the 17th time in his career.
About Tennessee (7-0)
The No. 17-ranked Volunteers defeated No. 3 rated Houston 76-73 in a second round Players Era tourney game Tuesday after slugging Rutgers 85-60 on Monday. Tennessee trailed Houston by 11 in the first half. Senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie made all nine of his free throws, including six in the final 35 seconds, and paced UT with 22 points …
Tennessee on Tuesday improved to 23-11 against AP top-15 opponents since Dec. 22, 2021, including 8-6 against the top 5. The team also improved to 46-34 in AP top-25 showdowns under coach Rick Barnes, including 39-28 with both in the top 20. Tennessee’s 31 AP top-25 wins over the last five seasons (2021-26) pace all Division I programs, while the Vols’ 13 AP top-10 triumphs and eight AP top-5 decisions co-lead the country. ...
Additionally, the Volunteers now own 21 AP top-3 wins in program history, six of which are in the last nine seasons (2018-26) under Barnes. ... Barnes has 843 victories in his career, remaining in sole possession of first place among all active Division I head coaches and in ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I). ... Tennessee is 33-32 all-time versus the current Big 12 membership, including 11-9 under Barnes, who is 169-100 against such foes in his career. ...
Tennessee has produced 15-plus assists in all seven games this season, with Tuesday the first time it has not reached 18. ... JaKobi Gillespie scored 17-plus points Tuesday for the 35th time in his career, including the sixth game in a row, and reached 20-plus for the 18th time.
