Tennessee basketball vs Mercer highlights, Vols win sloppy season opener

Tennessee basketball played a sloppy season opener but had enough offense to beat Mercer when it wasn’t turning over the ball.

The No. 17 Vols routed Mercer (0-1) at Food City Center 76-61 on Nov. 3. They scored heavily in the paint in the first half and hit a flurry of second-half 3-pointers, but had 19 turnovers to open coach Rick Barnes’ 11th season.

Nate Ament led the Vols (1-0) with 18 points and had nine rebounds. J.P. Estrella had a career-high 12 points and matched a career-high five rebounds.

Jaylen Carey had eight points and 10 rebounds, including five offensive. Bishop Boswell had eight rebounds and five points, both of which were career highs.

Tennessee had 30 points in the paint in the first half and finished with 44. It hit six second-half 3-pointers.

Troy Henderson made his debut. The freshman point guard hit two 3-pointers in the second half after not playing in UT’s exhibition loss to Duke. Amari Evans and Clarence Massamba also got their first playing time late in the game.

Tennessee basketball vs. Mercer: Live score updates

When does Tennessee basketball vs. Mercer start?

Where: Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee

What TV channel is Tennessee vs. Mercer on today?

Tennessee basketball 2025-26 schedule, TV times

Nov. 3: Mercer (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Nov. 8: Northern Kentucky (3 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Nov. 12: North Florida (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Nov. 17: Rice (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Nov. 20: Tennessee State (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Nov. 24: Rutgers in Las Vegas (1 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max)
Nov. 25: Houston in Las Vegas (6 p.m. ET, TNT/HBO Max)
Nov. 26/Nov. 27: TBD in Las Vegas (TBD, TBD)
Dec. 2: at Syracuse (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Dec. 6: Illinois in Nashville (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Dec. 16: Louisville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Dec. 21: Gardner-Webb (3 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Dec. 30: South Carolina State (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Jan. 3: at Arkansas (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Jan. 6: Texas (9 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Jan. 10: at Florida (noon ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Jan. 13: Texas A&M (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Jan 17: Kentucky (noon ET, ESPN)
Jan. 24: at Alabama (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Jan. 27: at Georgia (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Jan. 31: Auburn (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Feb. 3: Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Feb 7: at Kentucky (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Feb. 11: at Mississippi State (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
Feb 14: LSU (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Feb. 18: Oklahoma (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
Feb 21: at Vanderbilt (2/2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Feb. 24: at Missouri (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Feb. 28: Alabama (6/6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
March 3: at South Carolina (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
March 7: Vanderbilt (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball vs Mercer highlights, Vols win sloppy season opener