Tennessee enters the second and most critical half of its season on Saturday.

Winners of six-straight game, the No. 5 Vols (10-3) host unbeaten and No. 22 Ole Miss (13-0) to open SEC play at Food City Center.

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Tennessee faced one of the most daunting non-conference slates in college basketball over the last month, but head into league action in good shape, getting the most out of its veterans as Josiah-Jordan James, Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi seem to be clicking at the right time.

Highly touted transfer guard Dalton Knecht also returned to form in his last outing, a good sign for the Vols' offense which was productive in its last outing against Norfolk State on Tuesday.

The Rebels haven't played a game since Dec. 31, but have impressed in head coach Chris Beard's first season with wins over NC State and Memphis.

Saturday will present challenges for both teams. Here is a closer look at the match up.

Who: No. 22 Ole Miss (13-0) at No. 5 Tennessee (10-3)

When: Saturday, Jan. 6 | 6 p.m. ET

Where: Food City Center | Knoxville

TV: SEC Network (John Schriffen, play-by-play; Dan Bradshaw, analyst)

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 79, Ole Miss 65

Series: Tennessee leads, 78-45

POINTS PER GAME:

Tennessee 77.8, Ole Miss 77.4

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Ole Miss 46.4%, Tennessee 43.5%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Ole Miss 40.3%, Tennessee 33.8%

ASSISTS:

Tennessee 16.8, Ole Miss 16.2

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee switches gears to SEC play after successful non-conference slate

REBOUNDS:

Tennessee 39.2, Ole Miss 35.5

BLOCKS:

Ole Miss 6.2, Tennessee 4.9

STEALS:

Ole Miss 9.0, Tennessee 7.6

-- Tennessee is 15-6 in home games against Associated Press Top 25 teams during head coach Rick Barnes' tenure. The Vols have won 10-straight games vs. ranked team on their home floor, including a 86-79 win over No. 18 Illinois on Dec. 9, 2023.

-- Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler hit a career-high five 3-pointers in the Vols' 87-50 drubbing against Norfolk State on Tuesday. The junior guard, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear last February, is nearing 100%. He is averaging 16.6 points in his last three games.

-- Tennessee guard Santiago Vesocvi added to the program record books by recording his 300th career 3-pointer late in the first half vs. Norfolk State. He is just the fourth SEC player in the last 20 years to record at least 1,400 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

THE VOLREPORT SHOW: Answering Tennessee sports questions from the mailbag

-- Tennessee has had a lot of success against Ole Miss over the last six seasons. The Vols are 8-1 in their last nine match ups with the Rebels dating back to Feb. 3, 2018. Tennessee won the last meeting in Oxford, 63-59 on Dec. 28, 2022.

-- Ole Miss was picked to finished 10th in the SEC in the preseason but has exceeded expectations in the non-conference. The Rebels, who were 12-21 last season, have won 13 games under Chris Beard.

-- Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell leads the Rebels in scoring with 17.0 points per game. He is one of three players in Ole Miss' projected starting five that is currently averaging more than 14.5 PPG.

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