Where Tennessee Basketball's 2025-26 opponents are ranked
Tennessee Basketball’s program record for consecutive weeks ranked has continued, now at 81 straight weeks, after the Vols came in at No. 17 in the Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday and No. 18 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25.
The Vols, who have not been unranked since the final week of the 2020-21 season, are No. 9 in the KenPom.com ratings, No. 13 in the Torvik ratings and No. 15 according to EvanMiya.com.
Here’s where Tennessee’s 2025-26 opponents are ranked in the two preseason polls and on the three analytic sites:
| Opponent | KenPom | Torvik | EvanMiya | AP Top 25 | Coaches Poll |
| Houston | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Florida | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Illinois | 6 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 14 |
| Duke (Exh.) | 7 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Louisville | 14 | 11 | 17 | 11 | 10 |
| Vanderbilt | 19 | 21 | 24 | RV | RV |
| Alabama | 23 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 16 |
| Ole Miss | 24 | 43 | 52 | RV | RV |
| Miss. State | 26 | 40 | 26 | 2 | — |
| Missouri | 28 | 26 | 33 | RV | RV |
| Arkansas | 29 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 15 |
| Auburn | 31 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 22 |
| Texas A&M | 35 | 37 | 44 | — | — |
| Texas | 39 | 34 | 30 | RV | RV |
| Georgia | 44 | 32 | 39 | — | — |
| LSU | 56 | 65 | 61 | — | — |
| Oklahoma | 58 | 31 | 37 | — | — |
| Syracuse | 68 | 61 | 63 | — | — |
| Rutgers | 85 | 97 | 84 | — | — |
| South Carolina | 86 | 106 | 94 | — | — |
| Rice | 168 | 190 | 167 | — | — |
| Mercer | 239 | 263 | 255 | — | — |
| Tenn. State | 240 | 265 | 266 | — | — |
| Nor. Kentucky | 281 | 293 | 256 | — | — |
| Gardner-Webb | 311 | 337 | 305 | — | — |
| South Carolina St. | 322 | 311 | 318 | — | — |
| North Florida | 340 | 357 | 340 | — | — |
Non-conference schedule highlights
Tennessee will wrap up its preseason with the sold-out exhibition game against Duke on Sunday (7 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN2) at Food City Center.
The Vols continue their series with Illinois and will play the Illini on December 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The two teams played a home-and-home over the last two seasons, with Tennessee sweeping the series.
Tennessee will host Louisville on December 16 in Knoxville, after starting the home-and-home with a 77-55 win at Louisville last November.
Syracuse is the opponent again in the ACC-SEC Challenge, with the Vols playing at Syracuse on December 2. Tennessee lost at North Carolina in November 2023, in the first year of the Challenge, and beat Syracuse 96-70 in Knoxville last season.
Top 10
- 1New
CFB General Managers
Top 25 highest paid
- 2
Whit Weeks
Initial status vs. Texas A&M revealed
- 3Hot
SEC ref suspended
Reportedly permanently
- 4
'Everything was no'
Dan Mullen on Florida resources
- 5Trending
Deuce Alexander
Ole Miss reveal status vs. OU
Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Tennessee will also play in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in November, facing Rutgers and Houston, then facing a third opponent to be determined later.
Tennessee’s SEC Schedule
Tennessee will also have its regular home-and-homes with Kentucky and Vanderbilt, while playing Alabama both home and away, which replaces the Florida home-and-home from last season.
The Vols will host Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas and Texas A&M in Knoxville, after going on the road for those games lsat season.
Tennessee will play on the road at Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, after playing those opponents at home on the 2024-25 schedule.