As if the Tennessee basketball schedule couldn’t get any better for the 2021-2022 season, the SEC announced its opponent for the Big12/SEC Challenge.
Tennessee is headed to Austin, on January 29th, 2022 for a showdown with the Longhorns. This will be the first time since Rick Barnes took the Tennessee job that he has faced his former employer. It will also be a homecoming for Victor Bailey Jr., who is from the Austin area. Assistant coach Michael Schwartz played for Texas, under Barnes, then spent four seasons on his staff.
The upcoming non-conference schedule for Tennessee is filled with tough opportunities, as they will play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, at the Mohegan Sun. the Vols are scheduled to play Villanova in the first round, followed by either Purdue or North Carolina. The school is also working on finalizing a deal to play Arizona this season as well.
Also, Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams told Seth Greenberg last week that they would be playing Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic, played at Madison Square Garden in December.
The Vols are also playing Colorado next season in Boulder, as part of the deal to play in Knoxville this past season. The Vols are also scheduled to play Memphis at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville next season, which could be the final game in this series.
