Tennessee Basketball still looking to add to the 2023-24 schedule

Tennessee basketball’s road game at Wisconsin, announced last week and set for November 10 in Madison, is another step toward completing the 2023-24 schedule. But the Vols still have work to do on that front.

Last week during the Big Orange Caravan stop in Knoxville, head coach Rick Barnes said his program is still looking for another power-conference opponent along with two more buy games for next season.

“We are still looking to get one more,” Barnes said. “We are looking at all the ways that all the metrics and everything plays out for our team right now. I think we will probably add one more game and maybe a couple buy games. We are just working through putting together the best schedule that gives us a chance to be where we want to be at the end of the year.”

Wisconsin finished 20-15 this season, going 9-11 in Big Ten play before making a run to the NIT championship game, where the Badgers lost to North Texas. Wisconsin lost to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, then beat Bradley, Liberty and Oregon to advance to the NIT final in Las Vegas.

Vols playing at Wisconsin in second game of delayed home-and-home series

The game in November at the Kohl Center in Madison is the second game in a home-and-home series between Tennessee and Wisconsin. It started with the Badgers winning in Knoxville in 2019 but was interrupted the following year by the COVID pandemic, with the Vols originally scheduled to make the return trip in December 2020.

“A lot of respect for Greg Gard and a lot of respect for Wisconsin and that program,” Barnes said. “I know they have a great fan base. It is going to be a very live arena. You know his teams are always so fundamentally sound. They are good. They are always going to be good. He has been there. He knows what he wants to do and he knows how he wants to play. 

“It is hard to get these games together sometimes and because of the COVID it seems like these games have been backed up forever. 

“It will be a challenge,” Barnes added. “They have a great arena to play in. They have a great fan base. For our young guys, it will certainly be a great test to get them ready for SEC play.”

Tennessee has five dates currently announced for 2023-24 season

There are now five dates currently on schedule for the Vols in 2023-24. There are three games in the Maui Invitational, November 20-22, with opponents to be determined, and a home game against Illinois on December 9, the start of a home-and-home series that will continue at Illinois in 2024-25.

The eight-team Maui bracket has not yet been announced, but includes the Vols along with Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, UCLA and Chaminade.

Tennessee will also scrimmage at Michigan State in October, after the Spartans made the trip for the closed-scrimmage in Knoxville last October. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Tuesday night at the Big Orange Caravan that the Vols have not yet decided what they’ll do for an exhibition game.

Last season Tennessee played Gonzaga in a televised exhibition game with proceeds going to charity.

“Our schedule we play,” Barnes said, “we’ll start the season with a scrimmage against Michigan State up there. Then we’ll talk about what we want to do after that with an exhibition game or another one of the games where we can maybe do a charity game. Then Maui and all that. It’s going to help these young guys early.”