CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tennessee and Texas will meet for the third time in the last three years on Saturday, but no previous match up will mean more.

Less than a year before they become SEC foes, the 2-seed Vols draw the 10-seed Longhorns in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament with a Sweet 16 berth on the line at Spectrum Center

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The two teams met previously in a home-and-home series as part of the now defunct Big 12-SEC Challenge, splitting games in Austin and Knoxville in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

It's a familiar match up with a plethora of memorable moments and storylines. Rick Barnes coached Texas for 17 years before he was fired and took over at Tennessee in 2015. Longhorns' current head coach Rodney Terry was an assistant under Barnes for 10 of those years.

This will undoubtedly be the biggest stage both teams have met on.

Tennessee, the SEC Champions of the 2023-24 season, are coming off of a complete dismantling of 15-seed Saint Peter's in the First Round after a 23-point outing from guard Dalton Knecht and stellar performances from guard Zakai Zeigler and forward Jonas Aidoo.

Texas, meanwhile, outlasted Colorado State in a low-scoring, defensive struggle to keep its season alive.

This Longhorns team is different than the one that Tennessee faced in 14 months ago. Two of Texas' projected starting guards played elsewhere last season, including leasing scorer Max Abmas.

Who: 10-seed Texas (21-12) vs. 2-seed Tennessee (25-8)

When: Saturday, March 23 | 8 p.m. ET

Where: Spectrum Center | Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: CBS (Brian Anderson, play-by-play; Jim Jackson, play-by-play; Allie LaForce, analyst)

KenPom: Tennessee 75, Texas 70

Series: Tied, 4-4

POINTS PER GAME:

Tennessee 79.5, Texas 76.5

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Texas 47.4%, Tennessee 44.4%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Texas 36.2%, Tennessee 34.2%

ASSISTS:

Tennessee 16.8, Texas 15.7

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REBOUNDS:

Tennessee 38.8, Texas 34.6

BLOCKS:

Tennessee 4.7, Texas 4.5

STEALS:

Tennessee 7.9, Texas 7.2

-- Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is coming off of a historic performance. The Vols' junior guard became just the 13th SEC player all-time to record a points and assists double-double in an NCAA Tournament game. Zeigler dished 10 assists and scored 11 points in Tennessee's 83-49 win over Saint Peter's.

-- Tennessee is now .500 all-time in NCAA Tournament games. Under Rick Barnes, the Vols are 7-5 overall with a 6-3 mark as a 2-seed. Their 34-point decision against Saint Peter's was the second-largest margin of victory in the NCAA Tournament in program history and the most by an SEC team since 2019.

-- Tennessee and Texas are both in the top 30 in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom. The Longhorns rank 27th nationally with 117.2 points per 100 possessions while the Vols are 28th at 117.1 points per 100 possessions.

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-- Tennessee is 4-4 vs. Texas all-time but hold a 3-2 edge in the last five games, including a 111-105 overtime win on Dec. 23, 2006 in Knoxville. Former Vols' guard Chris Lofton famously hit a go-ahead 3-pointer over future NBA superstar Kevin Durant before Tennessee pulled away in the extra period to down the Barnes-led Longhorns.

-- Texas has made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. A win over Tennessee would send the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 for the second-straight season and for the first time since make three in a row between 2002-2004.

-- Texas guard Max Abmas paced the Longhorns in scoring with 17.0 points and 4.2 assists per game. The All-Big 12 selection, who transferred from Oral Roberts, has scored 15 or more points in the five games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, including a 26-points showing against Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament.

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