Tennessee basketball will face off against Miami at Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic in the 2024-25 season, a UT spokesperson confirmed to RTI on Thursday afternoon.
The game date and tipoff time is not yet set but the Jimmy V Classic is typically in early December. The other game at Madison Square Garden for the event is Arkansas vs. Michigan.
*The game will be on December 10 according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68
Tennessee played in the Jimmy V Classic during the 2021-22 season losing an ugly, low scoring affair against Texas Tech inside Madison Square Garden. The Vols are 2-5 in games in New York City under Rick Barnes.
The Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame puts on the event every year and Barnes’ strong relationship with the Hall-of-Fame has led to Tennessee playing in a multitude of neutral site games put on by the group.
Last season, Tennessee played North Carolina State in San Antonio as part of a double-header the Naismith Hall-of-Fame put on. The Hall-of-Fame’s event use the infamous Spalding Legacy basketball that’s been prone to poor shooting performances.
Tennessee hasn’t announced its non conference schedule for next season yet. However, Tennessee does play at Illinois, two games at the Baha Mara Tournament (Baylor, St. John’s and Virginia) and will face an ACC opponent in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The SEC also announced Tennessee’s 18 conference opponents earlier this month.
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There’s plenty of reason for excitement about Tennessee basketball entering Barnes’ 10th season as the Vols’ head coach. Coming off a season where they won the SEC Championship and made it to the Elite Eight, Tennessee is paring strong veteran returnees including Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey with a strong incoming transfer class.
Tennessee landed four transfers this offseason: North Florida guard Chaz Lanier, Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar, Charlotte forward Igor Milicic Jr. and Ohio State center Felix Okpara.
Okpara is an elite rim protecting center who fills the void that Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka’s departure to the transfer portal left on Tennessee’s roster.
