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Tennessee basketball wins hard-fought battle against No. 3 Houston

ByColton Pickard|
Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Amaree Abram (77) and guard Bishop Boswell (3) react in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Houston Cougars during the first half at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Amaree Abram (77) and guard Bishop Boswell (3) react in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Houston Cougars during the first half at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Tennessee basketball wins a hard-fought battle against No. 3 Houston 76-73 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas. The Elite 8 rematch lived up to the hype, as the new-look Vols rallied to upset the Cougars and remain undefeated.

Rick Barnes and the Vols' stock is skyrocketing at the end of November, and they have already proven that this retooled, revamped Tennessee squad is ready to compete with the best teams in the country this season. 

Ja'Kobi Gillespie remains one of the best transfer portal signings for the Vols as he continues to lead the Vols offense, scoring 22 points while shooting 31% from the field and 33% from three-point range. 

While Gillespie didn't have nearly the impressive offensive showing as he did against Rutgers, he now has 50 total points in two games in the Players Era Championship. 

Bishop Boswell and Jaylen Carey also had strong games in the shooting category. Boswell shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and finished the game with 10 points, while Carey shot 6-for-11 and had 13 points. 

The Vols shot 47% from the field in another solid showing of offensive potential against an excellent defensive team. Tennessee's 29% three-point shooting percentage is less than impressive, but it was good enough to get the job done. 

This was another strong showing on the glass for the Vols, outrebounding Houston with 32 rebounds to the Cougars' 31 rebounds. 

The Vols improve to 7-0 and have won both their games in Las Vegas as they advance to the final day of play on Wednesday. The No. 17-ranked Vols squad has exceeded expectations, taking down a national title contender.

As for Tennessee's plans in the Players Era Championship, Tennessee will play one more game tomorrow. They are locked into the top four, meaning they will receive a piece of the $2 million prize pool.

We won't know who will play in the championship game until we see the result of the Michigan-Auburn game, but Tennessee is all but locked into that game. Tennessee has the largest point margin in the tournament, with a +23 point margin and are tied with the most points in the tournament with 161 total points.

The championship game is currently set for 9:30 PM ET on Wednesday night with the Vols likely facing Kansas or possibly No. 7 Michigan. 

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