Tennessee basketball is headed back to Durham for another preseason tune-up against Duke, with the Vols set to meet the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Tipoff time and broadcast information have not been announced.
It marks the second year in a row these teams will square off in an exhibition setting. Last October, Duke won 83-76 in Knoxville behind a monster night from freshman Cameron Boozer, who piled up 24 points and 23 rebounds.
The matchup adds another chapter to a series that has been dead even through 16 meetings. Tennessee and Duke are tied 8-8 all time, and their most recent official clash came in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, when the Vols beat the Blue Devils 65-52 in the Round of 32.
Duke enters the new season with plenty of buzz again after falling one game short of a second straight Final Four run. The Blue Devils were undone late by UConn, which got a 35-foot three-pointer from freshman Braylon Mullins at the buzzer to steal the game.
Even with that disappointment, Duke looks loaded for another big year. The Blue Devils return Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba, while also adding Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and a recruiting class highlighted by five-star point guard Derron Rippey Jr and five-star wing Bryson Howard.
For Tennessee, the Duke exhibition is just one piece of a demanding nonconference slate that includes what could be seven games against power five opponents. The Vols’ first major test comes two weeks later when they host Michigan State in Knoxville. Michigan State is ranked in the preseason top 10 and should give Rick Barnes’ 12th Tennessee team an early read on where it stands.
The schedule keeps coming after that. Tennessee will play three or four games in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving week, opening against Maryland before taking on either Iowa State or San Diego State in the second round.
Possible third-game opponents include St. John’s, Oregon, Louisville and Texas Tech, and a 3-0 run would send the Vols into the championship game.
Once the trip to Las Vegas is over, Tennessee returns home to face Florida State in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Dec. 1.
Four days later, the Vols will meet former assistant coach Justin Gainey and his first NC State team at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Dec. 6.
The lone road test that stands out in the nonconference schedule is a Dec. 11 trip to Purdue and Mackey Arena.
Expectations are high for Barnes’ 12th Tennessee team after a major roster overhaul. The Vols brought in one of the nation’s strongest transfer classes, adding Juke Harris, Jalen Haralson, Terrence Hill Jr, Tyler Lundblade and others.
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