The 13th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers are hot, and the 14th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks are hotter heading into their high noon Saturday showdown inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee has won eight of its past nine games, with the lone setback at Arkansas, 58-48 on Feb. 19. The Vols have won 16 straight home games, including all 15 this season, and hope to add the Razorbacks to a visiting victim list that includes Arizona, Auburn and Kentucky - a trio still vying to claim No. 1 seeds in the looming NCAA tournament.
"I hope we're peaking, but I hope we can get better, and I do know that we have to get better," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Friday afternoon on a Zoom call. "We still don't have everything where we want, but the effort is there. We've got to be fresh mentally and physically, because every team in the country right now is working through something, and we know that we can't take being at home for granted.
"We think we've got the best home-court situation in the country, and I'm sure Arkansas fans feel that way and Kentucky fans feel that way and Auburn fans feel that way. I could keep naming teams that feel that way. Home fans help home teams if the home team is playing good basketball. Home fans can't help you if you're not doing what you need to do to win."
Arkansas has won 14 of its past 15 contests entering this ESPN-televised pairing, with the exception a 68-67 loss at Alabama on Feb. 12.
The Vols (22-7) and Razorbacks (24-6) are each 13-4 in Southeastern Conference play, trailing Auburn by a game in the league standings. Bruce Pearl's Tigers can win the SEC outright Saturday with a victory over visiting South Carolina, having reached the doorstep of an outright crown with Wednesday night's 81-68 overtime win at Mississippi State.
Auburn built a 19-point first-half lead in Starkville but trailed by as much as five in the second half.
"I have basketball on TV the whole time when I'm at home, especially SEC basketball," Vols sixth-year senior forward John Fulkerson said. "That game was fun, and it could have potentially affected us, but now we need to focus on what we need to focus on."
Said Barnes: "Our players know what's going on in college basketball, and they know what's going on in our league. Our guys love this league, and they love playing in the league. They're aware of what's going on."
Barnes could achieve his 750th career triumph with a win over the Razorbacks, but the Vols must fare better this time around when driving to the basket against 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Jaylin Williams, who has drawn a staggering 48 charges this season.
"It's what he does, and it's what they do," Barnes said. "We're not going to stop driving the ball. That's always a hot topic, and it's an extremely difficult call to make. It's part of the game and part of the rule book, and you've got to play within the rules.
"You've got to still be aggressive, and it's no different from playing teams who protect the rims with big shot blockers."
Zeigler's outpouring
Barnes was asked Friday about the GoFundMe page that was established to help freshman point guard Zakai Zeigler, who lost his family residence in New York last weekend to a fire. The GoFundMe goal was set Wednesday afternoon at $50,000 but had more than $363,000 as of Friday night.
"When we talk about our fans, we talk about the spirit and what they bring to our games, whether it's basketball, football, baseball, softball, women's basketball or whatever it may be," Barnes said. "What they did shows that it runs a lot deeper than that. The state of Tennessee and people nationally saw what happened to him and wanted to step up and do their part.
"I got a wonderful text from (Vanderbilt coach) Jerry Stackhouse right away, and he said whatever he needed to do, he was willing to do it. It has overwhelmed Zakai and his family."
Fulkerson's finale
Fulkerson has played with 45 different teammates during his six seasons with the Vols, with Saturday marking his Thompson-Boling finale.
"This is the end of my seventh year, and this is the end of his sixth year," Barnes said. "He was one of our primary guys when we got here that we focused on and wanted to be a part of our program. We know he's had his ups and downs with injuries, and we know it will be different with John not being here."
Odds and ends
Tennessee is 14-4 against Arkansas in Knoxville with three straight wins. ... Vols freshman forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has a team-high 13 offensive rebounds in the past three games. ... Tennessee's 66.0 points allowed per SEC game leads the league.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.