No. 8 Tennessee blows out Arkansas 92-63 behind 23 points and 12 rebounds from Aidoo
AP
Feb 15, 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Jonas Aidoo had 23 points and 12 rebounds as No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers cruised past Arkansas Razorbacks 92-63 on Wednesday night, the biggest blowout in 55 meetings between the teams.
Dalton Knecht, the SEC’s second-leading scorer entering the game, finished two points above his season average with 22 for the Volunteers (18-6, 8-3). Jordan Gainey added 17 points and Josiah-Jordan James had 12.
After the score was tied 18-all, Tennessee went on an 18-5 run midway through the first half to take control. Then, a 15-3 spurt early in the second half turned this one into a laugher.
“We just felt like we had to get them to shoot 3s as much as we could and try to keep them from getting in the lane,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Tonight, we stayed with it. We showed some discipline there.”
The Razorbacks (12-12, 3-8) had no response for Tennessee inside. The Volunteers scored 48 points in the paint, several on layups and dunks following Arkansas turnovers. Tennessee finished with 28 points off 15 Razorbacks giveaways.
Aidoo drew a bulk of the praise from Barnes after the game.
“When he plays with force to the rim like he did tonight - I thought he played much quicker,” Barnes said. “Jonas, I thought he looked relaxed shooting his 15-footers. But what he did at the rim and in the second half was really big.”
Arkansas shot just 26% in the second half, totaling 23 points. The only Razorbacks player who scored in double figures was Tramon Mark, who finished with 12 points.
WORST EVER
Tennessee's 29-point win not only was the Vols' largest margin of victory over Arkansas, it nearly broke the building record. Joseph Pinion's three-point play with 16 seconds left was the only thing that kept Arkansas from matching its worst loss at Bud Walton Arena - a 32-point defeat against Auburn in early January.
BIG PICTURE
Tennessee has visions of getting a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That last happened in 2019, when the Volunteers finished in a tie for second in the SEC with three losses.
Arkansas is in danger of its worst season since 2009-10, the last time the Razorbacks finished below .500.
UP NEXT
Tennessee: Plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Arkansas: Will visit Mississippi State on Saturday.
---
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
---
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Copyright 2025 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
1st Half
TENN
Volunteers
46
ARK
Razorbacks
40
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Volunteers gains possession)
19:38
+2
Dalton Knecht makes two point dunk (Zakai Zeigler assists)
2-0
19:16
+3
Tramon Mark makes three point jump shot
2-3
18:54
+2
Jonas Aidoo makes two point dunk (Dalton Knecht assists)
4-3
18:36
El Ellis turnover (bad pass) (Josiah-Jordan James steals)
18:28
+3
Josiah-Jordan James makes three point jump shot (Santiago Vescovi assists)
7-3
18:02
Jonas Aidoo shooting foul (Chandler Lawson draws the foul)
18:02
+1
Chandler Lawson makes regular free throw 1 of 2
7-4
18:02
+1
Chandler Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2
7-5
17:50
Chandler Lawson personal foul
17:48
Dalton Knecht misses three point jump shot
17:46
Jalen Graham defensive rebound
17:32
+3
Tramon Mark makes three point jump shot (Jalen Graham assists)
7-8
17:21
+2
Zakai Zeigler makes two point driving reverse layup
9-8
17:03
+3
El Ellis makes three point jump shot (Davonte Davis assists)
9-11
16:47
Dalton Knecht turnover (lost ball) (Davonte Davis steals)
16:42
+2
Davonte Davis makes two point layup (El Ellis assists)
9-13
16:27
Dalton Knecht misses two point jump shot
16:25
Jalen Graham defensive rebound
16:02
Jalen Graham misses two point layup
16:00
Jonas Aidoo defensive rebound
15:51
Zakai Zeigler misses three point jump shot
15:49
Santiago Vescovi offensive rebound
15:42
+3
Dalton Knecht makes three point jump shot
12-13
15:30
El Ellis turnover (lost ball)
15:30
TV timeout
15:18
Jalen Graham blocks Jonas Aidoo's two point layup
15:16
Keyon Menifield defensive rebound
15:11
Dalton Knecht blocks Davonte Davis's two point layup
15:09
Josiah-Jordan James defensive rebound
14:59
Zakai Zeigler turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Graham steals)
14:52
+2
Davonte Davis makes two point layup (Jalen Graham assists)
12-15
14:50
Josiah-Jordan James misses three point jump shot
14:48
Volunteers offensive rebound
14:48
Chandler Lawson personal foul
14:48
Josiah-Jordan James misses three point jump shot
14:46
Keyon Menifield defensive rebound
14:36
Tramon Mark turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Gainey steals)
14:31
Jordan Gainey misses two point layup
14:29
Jonas Aidoo offensive rebound
14:23
+2
Jonas Aidoo makes two point dunk
14-15
14:02
Dalton Knecht blocks Tramon Mark's three point jump shot
14:00
Zakai Zeigler defensive rebound
13:56
+2
Jordan Gainey makes two point pullup jump shot
16-15
13:19
Razorbacks turnover (shot clock violation)
13:00
Keyon Menifield blocks Zakai Zeigler's two point driving reverse layup
12:58
Zakai Zeigler offensive rebound
12:52
+2
Jordan Gainey makes two point floating jump shot
18-15
12:34
Dalton Knecht personal foul
12:27
Jahmai Mashack personal foul
12:16
+3
Jeremiah Davenport makes three point jump shot (Davonte Davis assists)
18-18
11:57
+2
Jordan Gainey makes two point pullup jump shot
20-18
11:32
Keyon Menifield misses two point pullup jump shot
11:30
Tobe Awaka defensive rebound
11:24
+2
Dalton Knecht makes two point driving layup
22-18
11:00
+2
Jeremiah Davenport makes two point pullup jump shot
22-20
10:43
Keyon Menifield shooting foul (Santiago Vescovi draws the foul)