Live Updates: Tennessee vs Mercer

Live updates from the Tennessee vs Mercer basketball game.

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes at team practice on July 14, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the better basketball programs in the nation. This is a team that has a ton of expectations, which is something that remains to be one of the better defensive teams; however, the Vols have been able to show their offensive traits, which is something that some Rick Barnes-based teams have lacked.

Fans will get the chance to see how this team looks in a non-exhibition game on Monday, as the game is set to begin at 7:00 PM EST. This is the first game of the season, and the Vols will be against the Mercer Bears to kick-start their basketball season.

Here are the Live Updates during the game.

Note: The score and updates will be provided at key moments and stoppage of the game. To receive the updates make sure you refresh the article.

Live Updates: Tennessee vs Mercer

Oct 15, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Score: Mercer 61, Tennessee 76

First Half: 20:00: tipoff is approaching. Tennessee won the tip.

18:27: Mercer scores first and the Vols will look for an answer.

17:54: Jaylen Carey ties the game for the Vols.

17:00: Tennessee is playing some undisciplined basketball within the first three minutes of the half.

15:47: Tennessee is down early. They are struggling on the offensive side, and are still in this early on because of some missed shots by the Bears. Not a great start.

14:10: Tennessee's success has come from the paint thus far. No jump shots have fallen.

12:40: A DeWayne Brown bucket gives the Vols their first lead of the game.

11:40: The Vols are in this game, as they are leading, but they can't buy a bucket out of the paint if they wanted to right now. They haven't found their stride, but they have the chance to improve tremendously. The Vols have seen more success from the big men in this one, as the star of this game thus far has been JP Estrella. He has 6 points on the night thus far.

11:02: Troy Henderson has checked in.

10:47: Nate Ament gets his first Tennessee basket.

10:17: That's Gillespie's first basket of the night, and it's a three from the corner. What a shot by the guard.

7:55: This team looks a bit stiff offensively beyond the arc. I believe they can jump back in the driver's seat, but this isn't coming as naturally as the years prior to this.

5:30: Ethan Burg scores his first basket.

3:55: The Tennessee offense seems to be a bit more fluid, but they got started late. The defense still has some bright spots, but this team will need to improve in some areas if they want to be confident about their performance.

2:24: Nate Ament scores again. He has 6. Cade Phillips adds a Mercer player to the block list the very next possession. He erased that shot attempt.

0:27: Barnes burns a timeout. He wants to set up the best shot possible for the Vols to enter the half the right way.

0:00: Neither team scores to enter the half.

Second Half: 20:00: Mercer and Tennessee return to action.

18:23: Williams will head to the line. Once again Tennessee is off to a very slow start. Williams hits 2/2.

16:14: The Tennessee three point shooting seems to be coming to life. two straight threes from the Vols. One from Henderson and the other from Gillespie.

13:08: Henderson drains a three at the shot clock buzzer. Beautiful way to create space. The play of the night offensively thus far.

11:43: Tennessee is on a 13-3 run. What a run for the Vols here.

7:23: The Vols are up 20, and the line entering the game was -28.5. They have failed to completely run away with this game yet, but this looks to be a likely win for the home squad.

5:40: The Vols haven't continued all of their success within the last two minutes. They are now only up by 13. They will look to finish strong.

3:30: The Vols have this game in the bag ultimately. They'll close this game out when they return from the break.

2:11: The Tennessee Volunteers put Amari Evans in the game. This is the first chance that we get to see him.

0:32: Okpara drains a three.

0:00: Tennessee Wins 76-61.

Predictions:

Dale Dowden: Mercer 45, Tennessee 93

"The Vols should take care of business, and I expect Rick Barnes to utilize the opportunities to get plenty of playing time for some younger guys. The post will be emphasized as working the paint will be vital to get established. Look for Nate Ament and others to take some shots and get in a rhythm as early as possible. It should be a great day 1 of the season for Tennessee.”

Shayne Pickering: Mercer 44, Tennessee 84

"Tennessee should be good. Mercer should not. This is a good tune-up game that gives a Vols team filled with a whole lot of newness the chance to play together against a different opponent and build chemistry together. This is a game where the expected top contributors on this year’s team should look great, with Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament leading the scoring. I would expect Rick Barnes to try some different things in this game especially with Ament on the wing and the rotation in the post. Dewayne Brown could impress with extended run late in the game in my opinion."

Caleb Sisk: Mercer 51, Tennessee 83

"Tennessee will come out with the hopes of putting the Bears away early. They have the offense that you would want, but the defense typically shines through. Players don't seem to think that will be the case this season. In fact, the Vols didn't play the best defensive game against Duke in the exhibition. This will be the Vols chance to utilize some of their new players, and I believe we will find out how this starting lineup should go. The player I anticipate having a big day is Ja'Kobi Gillespie, who I believe will finish with 15+ points and 5+ assists, all while having 2+ steals. The attention will be shifted to Nate Ament, who has the chance to be great in this league, but we will see how quickly he can piece that together as the college game goes by much faster than the high school level, as everything takes a step up. Overall, I believe this team have the chance to show off offensively, and will have a great start to what should be an eventful season.

How to Watch:

• Game Day: Monday, November 3rd, 2025
• Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
• TV: SECN+
• Stream: ESPN App
• FanDuel Betting Odds: -28.5 Tennessee

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