Tennessee Basketball: Top 4 games from 2023-24 non-conference schedule

The non-conference schedule for Tennessee Basketball is out, featuring several quality opponents. Who is the toughest of the bunch?

Under Coach Rick Barnes, Tennessee Basketball usually schedules tough in its non-conference slate, hence why they usually have good resumes to get a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team looks to do the same thing, having several projected NCAAT rosters to go against before SEC play.

That also includes three games in the Maui Invitational, one of the toughest fields in event history. Not even including that, the Vols have some tough confirmed games to deal with now that the overall schedule is out. Here is a ranking of the top opponents they’re set to face.

4. (N) NC State Wolfpack – Dec 16th

The Wolfpack is without its star guard duo of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner but does bring in a ton of transfers to replace their production. Among the notable newcomers are ASU transfer DJ Horne, as well as MJ Rice. He’s the former five-star prospect that played limited minutes at Kansas last season but now fully healthy, could be a breakout candidate the Vols have to watch for.

3. (H) Illinois Fighting Illini – Dec 9th

The Illini was able to bring back its two best players from last season, guard Terrence Shannon Jr. and forward Coleman Hawkins. The supporting cast has changed, as Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask joins the wings, while Justin Harmon comes from Utah Valley to add to the backcourt. There’s still a question about the point guard position, which Tennessee and Zakai Zeigler have the chance to exploit.

2. (A) Wisconsin Badgers – Nov 10th

Few teams return more production from last season than Wisconsin, who just missed out on the NCAA Tournament. Forwards Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl will be a handful to deal with in the frontcourt, while St. John’s transfer AJ Storr adds to a backcourt that already has good shooters. This could be a very close matchup but based on how tough these two teams are defensively, I could see it being an ugly one as well.

1. (A) North Carolina Tar Heels – Nov 29th

Even though it was an awful past season for UNC when it came to expectations, they have a chance to bounce back. They bring back two key pieces in star center Armando Bacot, as well as starting guard RJ Davis. The Tar Heels added a few transfers, including Cormac Ryan from Notre Dame and Harrison Ingram from Stanford.

It’s one of the key early tests for North Carolina and Tennessee is going to give them all they can handle. From a talent perspective and the fact that it’s a true road game, this should be the most difficult change they have in the non-con next season.