Tennessee basketball announced a non conference matchup against North Carolina State Wednesday afternoon. The Vols will face the Wolfpack at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Dec. 16.
The game is in partnership with the Naismith Hall of Fame. Tennessee has frequently played in events involving the Neismith Hall of Fame under head coach Rick Barnes.
“Our program has participated in several Hall of Fame events in recent years, and they have always been wonderful experiences for our team,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a statement. “We expect the same caliber of experience when we travel to San Antonio—a great city that knows and loves basketball—to test ourselves against a really talented and well-coached NC State program.”
Kevin Keats is entering his seventh season as North Carolina State’s head coach. The Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament last season for the second time in Keats’ tenure, falling in the tournament’s opening round.
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North Carolina State has a 7-4 all-time series lead against Tennessee with the Vols winning the last meeting between the two— a third place game in the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis.
Tennessee has a direct connection to North Carolina State with Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey playing point guard for the Wolfpack in the late 90s.
“Our associate head coach, Justin Gainey, is an NC State grad and was a great point guard for the Wolfpack under Herb Sendek,” Barnes said. “And growing up in Hickory, North Carolina, I’m very familiar with NC State’s rich basketball history.”
The matchup with North Carolina State adds to a strong non conference schedule for Tennessee. The Vols travel to Wisconsin on Nov. 10 for their first major challenge. Tennessee will play three games at the Maui Invitational. Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, UCLA and Chaminade complete the loaded field.
Tennessee hosts Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 9 and also will face an ACC foe in the ACC/SEC Challenge in December.
Expectations are high for Rick Barnes’ ninth season after a strong offseason. The Vols return fifth-year seniors Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James while also adding a trio of players (Jordan Gainey, Dalton Knecht, Chris Ledlum) in the transfer portal.
Tennessee projects as a top 20 team again next season with many pundits believing the Vols will be a top 10 team.
