Tennessee Basketball headed back to Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic
Tennessee Basketball is headed back to New York City. The Vols will be back in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in December and will face Miami in the annual neutral-site event.
Jon Rothstein reported that Michigan and Arkansas will be the other game in the four-team event, according to the report.
Tennessee’s 2024-25 schedule will also include a road game at Illinois in December, completing a two-season home-and-home between the two programs, and two games in the Bahamas in November in a four-team Baha Mar Hoops Tournament that also includes Baylor, St. John’s and Virginia.
The SEC On May 13 announced conference opponents for next season, with dates to be announced later in the year.
Tennessee will play home-and-homes with Kentucky, Florida and Vanderbilt. The Vols will also host Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina at Food City Center next season.
They’ll play road games at Texas, Oklahoma, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, along with Kentucky, Florida and Vanderbilt.
Tennessee’s history in New York during the Rick Barnes era
New York trips have been a staple during the Rick Barnes era.
It started with the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn in 2015-16, where the Vols lost back-to-back games against George Washington and Nebraska.
Tennessee was back at the Barclays Center for the the NIT Season Tip-Off in November 2018, beating Louisville 92-81 before losing to No. 2 Kansas 87-81 in overtime.
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The Vols were part of the Jimmy V Classic in December 2021, losing 57-52 to Texas Tech in overtime at Madison Square Garden, and played another game at Barclays Center in December 2022, a 56-53 win in an Hall of Fame Invitational game.
Tennessee’s lost to Florida Atlantic in the Sweet Sixteen in March 2023.
A Closer Look: The Miami Hurricanes
Jim Larranaga took Miami to the Final Four two years ago, losing to eventual national champion UConn in the semifinals. Last season the Hurricanes limped to a 15-17 record, though, missing the postseason.
Miami lost 10 straight games to end the season and finished ranked No. 96 overall in the KenPom ratings. The Canes were 88th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 112th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Notable returners for for Miami is Matthew Cleveland (13.7 points per game) and Nijel Pack (13.3). Larranaga also added transfers Jalen Blackmon (Stetson), Brandon Johnson (East Carolina), Lynn Kidd (Virginia Tech) and Kiree Huie (Idaho State).
Miami’s recruiting class also included Jalil Bethea, Austin Swartz, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Divine Ugochukwu.