KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes released Wednesday the team’s non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season.
Following a third consecutive Elite Eight appearance, the Volunteers will open the year with 14 non-conference outings between Nov. 3 and Dec. 29. That includes six to eight games versus Power Five foes, as well as nine contests at Food City Center.
Fans looking for season tickets are encouraged to complete 2026-27 Tennessee Basketball Season Ticket Interest Form HERE. This will allow individuals to get their names on a list and stay informed about future opportunities to secure seats for each game.
For the second year in a row, Tennessee will start play with a Nov. 3 home contest. Its season opener comes against Wofford, against which it is 9-0, including 7-0 at home. The sides met in two of the last three seasons, with the Volunteers claiming an 82-61 home win on Nov. 14, 2023, and then, most recently, a 77-62 neutral-site triumph on March 20, 2025, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Ky.
Up next for Barnes’ team is a Nov. 9 matchup with Radford at Food City Center. Tennessee has won each of its three meetings with the Highlanders, all in Knoxville. The last one was a 72-66 decision on Dec. 17, 2001. Barnes, meanwhile, has not coached against Radford since Dec. 12, 1987, when his George Mason side posted a 90-83 triumph in his fourth game as a head coach.
The Volunteers play the middle game of their five-contest homestand Nov. 13 against Tennessee State, the lone carryover non-conference opponent from 2025-26. Tennessee is 7-0 versus the Tigers, all in Knoxville. Last season, it picked up an 89-60 result on Nov. 20, 2025.
Tennessee’s first Power Five foe is Michigan State, which plays Nov. 17 at Food City Center. The Volunteers are 2-5 against the Spartans, including 1-2 on their home court. The sides have met just once since 1994-95, with Tennessee suffering a narrow 70-69 setback on March 28, 2010, in St. Louis in the Elite Eight.
The Volunteers round out the homestand with a Nov. 20 outing against Coastal Carolina. Tennessee won the lone prior clash between the two schools, an 83-51 decision on Jan. 2, 2005. Barnes has also coached against the Chanticleers just once, earning a 70-47 home win on Nov. 23, 1996, while at Clemson.
Tennessee then travels to Las Vegas, where it will participate in the Players Era Men’s Championship for the second year in a row. The Volunteers, who will play all their games at Michelob ULTRA Arena, face Maryland to begin the tournament Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. ET. Tennessee sports a 3-2 mark against the Terrapins, including a 2-2 tally at neutral sites, and collected a 56-53 victory on Dec. 11, 2022, in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the Hall of Fame Invitational in the last meeting.
The Volunteers’ second game in Las Vegas will be Nov. 26 against either Iowa State or San Diego State. That contest will be at either 1:30 p.m. ET (winner’s bracket) or 9 p.m. ET (consolation game), depending on the result of the opener. Tennessee is 3-1 versus Iowa State, including 2-0 at neutral sites, and notched a 76-62 triumph just four months ago on March 27, 2026, in Chicago in the Sweet 16. It is 3-0 against San Diego State, posting a 62-59 win on March 18, 2010, in Providence, R.I., in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 in the lone prior clash. Barnes, meanwhile, has never faced the Aztecs.
Tennessee will take on Louisville, Oregon, St. John’s or Texas Tech in its third game of the Players Era Men’s Championship, set for Nov. 27. The tip time will be 3 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. ET or 11 p.m. ET.
If the Volunteers win their first three games in Las Vegas, they will play a fourth one. That would be Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. against the 3-0 team from the opposing bracket.
To begin the second month of the season, Tennessee hosts Florida State in the SEC/ACC Challenge, slated for Dec. 1. The Volunteers possess a 5-4 record against the Seminoles, with a 4-1 figure at home. In the most recent meeting, Florida State logged a 60-57 result on Nov. 29, 2019, in Niceville, Fla., in the Emerald Coast Classic.
Barnes’ team then hits the road for a visit to Nashville, Tenn., where it squares off with NC State in a Dec. 6 meeting at Bridgestone Arena. Tennessee is 5-7 overall versus the Wolfpack, but is 4-1 at neutral sites. The last time the team played, the Volunteers tallied a 79-70 triumph on Dec. 16, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas, in the Hall of Fame Series.
The Volunteers face their first true road test Dec. 11 at Purdue, against which they are 2-5 all-time, including 0-1 on the road. The past five series matchups came at neutral sites, with Tennessee dropping the most recent one, 72-66, on March 31, 2024, in Detroit in the Sweet 16.
Tennessee has a three-game homestand to wrap up non-conference play, with the first of those affairs Dec. 16 versus Morehead State. The Volunteers are 4-0 in the series, all at home, but just one game is since the 1996-97 campaign. That was an 82-67 victory on Dec. 23, 2013. Barnes has never faced the Eagles in his head coaching career.
The Volunteers’ penultimate non-conference outing is a Dec. 20 game against Marist. It will mark the first meeting between the two sides, as well as Barnes’ first time squaring off with the Red Foxes.
After eight days without a game, Tennessee finishes the 2026 calendar year with a Dec. 29 matchup versus Norfolk State. It will be the third time in four years the Volunteers face the Spartans in the non-conference finale at Food City Center, after never playing each other before. The last such game was a 67-52 triumph on Dec. 31, 2024.
Tennessee begins SEC competition Jan. 2. The conference slate has not been announced yet, but home and away designations were released June 25.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
FULL 2026-27 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Nov. 3 – WOFFORD
Nov. 9 – RADFORD
Nov. 13 – TENNESSEE STATE
Nov. 17 – MICHIGAN STATE
Nov. 20 – COASTAL CAROLINA
Nov. 24 – vs. Maryland (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas)
Nov. 26 – vs. Iowa State/San Diego State (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas)
Nov. 27 – vs. TBD (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas)
Dec. 1 – FLORIDA STATE (SEC/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 6 – vs. NC State (Nashville, Tenn.)
Dec. 11 – at Purdue
Dec. 16 – MOREHEAD STATE
Dec. 20 – MARIST
Dec. 29 – NORFOLK STATE
