Chaz Lanier scores 23 as No. 8 Tennessee downs Texas to reach SEC Tournament semis

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Tennessee's Lanier reviews his standout offense vs. Texas

Chaz Lanier reflects on his strong start against the Longhorns after scoring 19 of his 23 points in the first half and discusses what makes playing for the Vols so special.

Mar 14, 2025, 06:23 pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- — Chaz Lanier scored 17 of No. 8 Tennessee's first 21 points, and the Volunteers never trailed Friday beating Texas 83-72 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The fourth-seeded Volunteers (26-6) also gave coach Rick Barnes the 832nd victory of his career, moving him into sole possession of 10th all-time after being tied with Cliff Ellis. The Vols will play regular season champ and third-ranked Auburn, a 62-57 winner over Ole Miss, in the semifinals Saturday.

Lanier finished with 23 points. Zakai Zeigler scored all of his 19 points in the second half after playing nine minutes with two fouls in the first half. Jahmai Mashack added 13 and Igor Milicic Jr. 12.

Texas (19-15) came to its first SEC Tournament as the 13th seed after winning the Big 12 Tournament two of the last four seasons.

Kadin Shedrick and Jordan Pope each had 14 apiece for Texas. Tre Johnson had 11.

Tennessee led 41-38 at halftime, then jumped out to a 65-50 lead halfway through the second against a team playing its third game in as many days.

Takeaways

Texas: The Longhorns came to Nashville having lost four of their last five. They won their first two games in a desperate bid to fight their win into NCAA Tournament, and boost coach Rodney Terry, whose job status after this season remains uncertain.

Tennessee: The Vols are back in the semifinals for the first time since winning this tournament in 2022 when it was held in Tampa, Florida. That was their first win at this event since it resumed in 1979.

Key moment

Mashack's putback with 16:34 left broke the game's second and last tie at 4-all.

Key stat

The Vols shot 54.5% (12-of-22) in the second half.

Up next

Texas now waits anxiously for Selection Sunday. Tennessee gets another shot at Auburn after losing on the road by two on Jan. 25.

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