No. 4 Tennessee earned a monster SEC win on Wednesday night in Knoxville with an 85-81 victory over No. 15 Missouri and the Tigers’ high-powered offense.
Wednesday’s win over Tennessee represented the Vols’ second straight Top 15 win after destroying No. 5 Florida by 20 points last Saturday in Knoxville. Tennessee’s two-game win streak also comes after a two-game ranked slide previously.
While Tennessee didn’t have Zakai Zeigler and Igor Milicic on the court for the Florida game, both Vols made a massive impact on the scoreboard in their return to action on Wednesday. Zeigler and Milicic both tallied 21 points in the win with Milicic adding in 10 rebounds and Zeigler racking up eight assists.
The other big story of the game was the second half of play, particularly from Tennessee’s offense. The Vols only rattled off 28 points in the first half but exploded for 57 points in the second half. Missouri took some of Tennessee’s best punches on the chin to hang around for the final two minutes, but the Vols were able to keep their opponent at arm’s length for the win.
After the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Missouri head coach Dennis Gates met with the media in Knoxville to discuss their reactions to the game. Tennessee also had guard Zakai Zeigler and forward Igor Milicic Jr. speak with the media on Wednesday night as well.
FINAL in KNOXVILLE
No. 15 Missouri: 81
No. 4 Tennessee: 85Vols use a MASSIVE second half to pick up a clutch Top 15 victory over the Tigers. Igor Milicic and Zakai Zeigler returned to action and carried Tennessee’s scoring with 42 combined points. Back-to-back statement wins…
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) February 6, 2025
More from RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Second Half Surge Propels Tennessee Past Missouri
Check out all three interviews below and subscribe to RTI on YT for more Tennessee Athletics content:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Missouri HC Dennis Gates
Tennessee G Zakai Zeigler and F Igor Milicic Jr.
