Dalton Knecht scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, Tobe Awaka had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 5 Tennessee overcame a slow start to beat Missouri 72-67 on Tuesday night.
Jonas Aidoo added 14 points and Zakai Zeigler 10 for the Volunteers (20-6, 10-3), who trailed by seven in the second half before rallying to win their fifth straight at Mizzou Arena and close within a half game of No. 13 Alabama in the conference race.
Sean East II scored 24 points and Noah Carter had 20 for the Tigers (8-18, 0-13), who have lost 15 of their last 16 overall.
