Tennessee Basketball's SEC opponents announced for 2025-26 season
Tennessee Basketball’s SEC opponents for the 2025-26 season were announced on Thursday, with the Vols adding a home-and-home series with Alabama among other marquee matchups.
Tennessee will also have its regular home-and-homes with Kentucky and Vanderbilt, while playing Alabama both home and away 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.
Tennessee set to face Louisville, Illinois and Syracuse in non-conference games
Tennessee’s full schedule for the 2025-26 season has not yet been announced, though three games are already on the books.
Tennessee will host Louisville on December 16 at Food City Center, 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.
The Vols will reportedly 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.
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Tennessee will also play in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in November, playing three games in the event which currently includes a field of 18 teams.
Vols finished fourth in SEC with 12-6 record last season
Tennessee finished 12-6 in SEC play last season to finish fourth in the league’s regular-season standings. The Vols went on a run to the SEC Championship game, going through No. 1 Auburn to get there, but lost to in the conference final to eventual national champion Florida.
The Vols were sept by Kentucky during the regular season and also lost at Ole Miss, at Auburn, at Florida and at Vanderbilt.
Tennessee blitzed Kentucky in the Sweet 16 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, winning 78-65 to advance to a second straight Elite Eight.
Tennessee won the SEC regular-season championship in 2023-24 with a 14-4 record. The Vols were 11-7 in the league in 2022-23 and 14-4 in 2021-22, finishing tied with Auburn for a share of the regular-season title.
Tennessee has won 10 or more games in SEC play every season since 2020-21, when the Vols finished 10-7 in the league. They also shared the regular-season title in 2017-18 at 13-5.
