The Tennessee basketball program announced the bulk of its schedule Friday, confirming its 18-game Southeastern Conference slate along with seven non-conference contests.
Two additional early-season, non-conference games are expected to be added to the schedule in the coming days, giving UT a final total of 27 regular-season games.
Tennessee opens the season by hosting a three-team event during the week of Thanksgiving. Charlotte and VCU join the Vols for a round-robin competition during which each team will play two games. The event will be branded as “The Volunteer Classic” as a tribute to the popular home tournament Tennessee hosted from 1966-89.
The Volunteers—ranked among the preseason top 15 in several unofficial preseason polls—will later host four consecutive home games at Thompson-Boling Arena immediately prior to entering SEC play.
During an 11-day stretch in December, Tennessee welcomes Cincinnati (Dec. 12), Appalachian State (Dec. 15), Tennessee Tech (Dec. 19) and USC Upstate (Dec. 22) to Rocky Top.
That homestand leads into SEC play, which begins for the Vols on Dec. 30 at Missouri—which is one of five foes UT faces twice this season. Tennessee’s other home-and-home opponents are Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Tennessee’s nine SEC home games are against (in order) Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Mississippi State, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia.
The previously announced SEC/Big 12 Challenge game against Kansas on Jan. 30 gives the Vols a three-game homestand to conclude the month of January.
Just as it did during its SEC Championship season in 2018, Tennessee will play its home finale against Georgia on March 3. All 14 league teams then will converge in Nashville for the SEC Tournament March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena.
The week prior to the SEC Tournament has been left open as a potential window for games that may be postponed throughout conference play.
Selection Sunday on March 14 sets the table for the NCAA Tournament March 16 through April 5.
Tennessee’s adjusted-seating ticket plan was announced earlier this week, and ticket-offer emails will be sent, in descending rank order, beginning Tuesday. Details about new gameday guidelines at Thompson-Boling Arena can be found HERE.
-UT Athletics
