TENNESSEE VOLS BASKETBALL: Exhibition with Xavier opens season

The Tennessee men's basketball team is set to take the floor at Food City Center for the first time in the 2026-27 season Thursday as it hosts the Xavier Musketeers in a preseason exhibition contest. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Tennessee is coming off an exceptional 2025-26 campaign which included 25 victories, a fourth-straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and a third-straight trip to the Elite Eight. 

THE MATCHUP•    After dropping the series' first two games, the Volunteers have won 12 of the past 15 since 12/23/41.

•    In the teams' last meeting, UT took a 64-49 win over Xavier on 11/29/13 at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. It was their second matchup in 18 days.

•    Following a 15-18 (6-14) campaign, Xavier was picked sixth in the Big East preseason poll.

•    Junior forward Jovan Milicevic is Xavier's leading returning scorer after producing 12.4 ppg last year.

•    The Vols are 32-27 all-time versus the current Big East schools. Xaiver (17) is the only team they have played nine-plus times.

•    Barnes is 44-50 against the Big East's current membership, with a 2-3 ledger while at Tennessee.

•    UT's last game versus a Big East foe was on 11/29/24, an 82-75 win over Creighton in the Sweet 16.

•    The Vols are 88-20 in exhibitions, including 66-13 in the U.S., 62-11 in Knoxville, 29-3 against U.S. colleges and 16-2 under Barnes.

•    This is the Vols' fifth straight year playing a DI foe in an exhibition after doing so just once before.

NEWS & NOTES

•    The Volunteers are the only team to play in the Sweet 16 in each of the last four years and in the Elite Eight in each of the past three.

•    Last year, Tennessee logged, per CBS, the sixth instance of an SEC team reaching the Sweet 16 at least four years in a row, since the field grew to 32 in 1975.

•    UT is, according to Stats Perform, one of three SEC schools—five instances—to make the Elite Eight at least three years in a row, since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951. The others are Kentucky (2010-12, 1995-99, 1956-58) and Florida (2011-14).

•    The Volunteers' +12.6 rebounding margin in 2025-26 was the third-best of the last 30 years (1996-2026), according to Stats Perform.

•    UT had 10-plus offensive boards in 36 of 37 games last year, co-fourth-most in a season the last 30 years (1996-2026), per Stats Perform. Its 44.6 offensive rebounding percentage ranked fourth this century, per KenPom.

•    Seven of UT's 12 setbacks last year were by fewer than six points. Four were by one possession.

•    UT finished 4-1 versus AP top-11 teams, with the wins by 11.3 ppg. It beat #3 Houston (11/25/25) by three, #11 Louisville (12/16/25) by 21, #9 Virginia by seven (3/22/26) and #6 Iowa State by 14 (3/27/26).

•    Rick Barnes' 861 wins are second among active DI coaches and No. 10 all-time (min. 10 years in DI).

•    Barnes has led UT to seven of its 10 25-win seasons. The Vols are one of five teams with 25-plus wins in each of the last five years.

•    The Vols' 226 wins the last nine seasons (2017-26) rank eighth in DI. Only Houston (273), Gonzaga (270), Duke (255), Kansas (236), Purdue (236), Arizona (230) and Saint Mary's (227) possess more. Liberty (225) and Auburn (224) complete the top 10. In addition, UT is also eighth over the last five seasons (2021-26) with 134 wins.

•    UT is the nation's seventh-best program, atop the SEC, the past 10 years (2016-26), per Haslametrics' average end-of-season rankings.

•    The Vols finished in the AP top 20 for the fifth year in a row, notching their fourth top-12 spot in that span, which dates to 2021-22.

WINNING WAYS

•    Over the last nine seasons (2017-26), Tennessee (226-85; .724) paces all SEC schools in total victories, overall winning percentage and postseason victories (27). In that span, UT has three SEC titles (2018 and 2024 regular seasons, 2022 tournament).

•     In that same period, the Volunteers are one of two SEC teams with even 210-plus wins and/or a winning percentage above .685, alongside Auburn (224-87; .720), which is second in both.

•    Over SEC play across the same span, Tennessee (109-52; .677) is first in both league victories and league winning percentage. The only other schools at even 100-plus wins and/or a .620 clip are Kentucky (107-54; .665), Alabama (104-58; .642) and Auburn (103-59; .636).

•     In just the last five seasons (2021-26), the Vols own a 134-48 (.736) overall record. That is good for the most total wins and the best winning percentage in the SEC, far ahead of Auburn (.726; 130-49).

•     In that time, Tennessee (62-28; .689) is second in league victories and league winning percentage, behind only Alabama (64-26; .711).

RARE AIR

•    Tennessee is the lone team to make the Sweet 16 each of the past four years and the Elite Eight each of the last three. 

•    This is only the sixth such occurrence—one other streak was vacated—by any school since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

•    The other instances came from Florida (2011-14), Kansas (2001-04 S16/2002-04 E8), Michigan State (1998-2001 S16/1999-2001 E8), Kentucky (1995-99) and Duke (1986-92 S16/1988-92 E8). Memphis (2006-09 S16/2006-08 E8) had the vacated streak.

•    The Volunteers have also made the Round of 32 in each of the last five years. Only Duke, Kansas and Kentucky from the above list also had a five-year concurrent Round of 32 streak.

PRESEASON PLAUDITS

•   Juke Harris was tabbed a Preseason Third Team All-American by Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The outlet's only other first-year transfers who made the cut were Louisville's Flory Bidunga (second team) and St. John's' Tounde Yessoufou (fourth team).

•    Harris earned Preseason First Team All-SEC status from the media. He was the lone first-year transfer on the five-man team, on which he was joined by Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh, Josh Hubbard and Tyler Tanner.

SUPREME SCORERS

•    Tennessee's nine transfers totaled 3,880 points in 272 appearances last year, good for 14.3 per contest.•    UT's top seven incoming transfer scorers—Dai Dai Ames, Jalen Haralson, Harris, Terrence Hill, Jr. Braeden Lue, Tyler Lundblade and Miles Ruben— amassed 3,557 points in 232 contests, 15.3 per game.

•    Six of them—all but Lue—led their respective teams in scoring. The top five of that group—Ames, Haralson, Harris, Hill and Lundblade—put up 2,802 points in 164 games, averaging 17.1 per game.

•    Per Basket Under Review's Will Warren, UT is the only team with four transfers who hit 50-plus 3-pointers last year (Ames, Harris, Hill and Lundblade).

CHICAGO CONNECTION

•    Tennessee has three players from Chicago, all of whom are in their first year as Volunteers. Ames is a senior who transferred from Cal, Marquis Clark is a freshman and Rubin is a junior who transferred from Loyola Chicago.

•    Amorrow Morgan, who was an assistant coach at Loyola Chicago for two years (2021-23), served as the lead recruiter for all four players. He previously recruited Ames to Cal and Rubin to Loyola Chicago, but did not coach either of them there.•    Ames and Rubin attended Parker Junior High School together in middle school.

FORMERLY FOES

•    Several Tennessee players faced each other in prior seasons. Multiple matchups last year featured strong performances from two future Volunteers.•    On 3/7/26, 

Ames scored a career-high 31 points at Wake Forest. Harris had 31 and a career-best 15 rebounds in an 80-73 win  for the Demon Deacons.

•    On 1/30/26, Hill tallied 24 points, six rebounds and five assists in an 89-75 triumph over Loyola Chicago. Rubin finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Ramblers.

•    On 1/2/26, Ames scored  23 points, seven of which came in the final 11 seconds and included a game-winning 4-point play, in a 72-71 home victory over Notre Dame. Haralson had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Fighting Irish.

•    Jalen Washington played UT thrice last year while at Vanderbilt. He averaged 7.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 3.3 bpg. His six blocks on 2/21/26 set a career high.