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ESPN identifies Tennessee Basketball's best non-conference game this season

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey08/08/25GrantRamey
Kelvin Sampson, Houston Basketball | Brianna Paciorka / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Brianna Paciorka / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson chat before the start of their NCAA Tournament Elite Eight basketball game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

Tennessee Basketball’s game against Houston on November 24 in the Players Era Championship is the best non-conference game for the Vols on the 2025-26 schedule, according to ESPN. It’s a matchup between two teams ranked No. 3 and No. 23 in ESPN’s updated Way-Too-Early Top 25, too.

“Rick Barnes‘ post-Zakai Zeigler coaching career gets underway this season,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote, “with this game one of the scheduled highlights of the Players Era. 

“How will Nate Ament handle Houston’s physicality and defense? Will Ja’Kobi Gillespie get the best of Milos Uzan at the point guard spot? Is Tennessee’s defense going to be in the top five nationally for the sixth year in a row?”

Vols host Duke in October 26 exhibition game

ESPN’s projected starting lineup for Tennessee is Gillespie and Ament, along with Amaree Abram, Jaylen Carey and Felix Okpara.

Tennessee opens the Players Era tournament against Rutgers on November 23 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, before playing Houston a day later, then a third game on either November 25 or 26.

The Vols open the regular-season schedule against Mercer on November 3 and host Northern Kentucky, North Florida, Rice and Tennessee State before the Vegas trip. 

Tennessee plays at Syracuse on December 2 in the ACC-SEC Challenge, against Illinois at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on December 6 and hosts Louisville on December 16 in its other high-profile non-conference games. 

Tennessee’s 2025-26 SEC schedule announced

The SEC schedule was announced on Wednesday, with the Vols playing home-and-homes against Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Tennessee opens SEC play at Arkansas and will play other road games at Florida (January 10), at Alabama (January 24), at Georgia (January 27 or 28), at Kentucky (February 7), at Mississippi State (February 11), at Vanderbilt (February 21), at Missouri (February 24) and at South Carolina (March 3 or 4).

The SEC home schedule starts against Texas on either January 6 or 7, with other home games against Texas A&M (January 13 or 14), Kentucky (January 17), Auburn (January 31), Ole Miss (February 3 or 4), LSU (February 14), Oklahoma (February 17), Alabama (February 28) and Vanderbilt (March 7).

Nine Tennessee opponents are ranked in ESPN’s updated Way-Too-Early Top 25: No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Houston, No. 7 Louisville, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 11 Arkansas, No. 12 Duke (exhibition), No. 14 Auburn, No. 16 Illinois and No. 17 Alabama.

The Duke exhibition is set for October 26, a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start at Food City Center.