The Southeastern Conference announced Wednesday afternoon the league schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 men's basketball season.
Tennessee, after both reaching the Elite Eight and finishing fifth in the national polls for the second straight season, will take the court for 18 league games between Jan. 3 and March 7. The Volunteers, who went 30-8 (12-6 SEC) in 2024-25, will play 10 Saturday league games and eight midweek affairs.
Fans looking for season tickets are encouraged to complete the 2025-26 Tennessee Basketball Season Ticket Interest Form.
This will allow individuals to get their names on a list and stay informed about future opportunities to secure seats for each game.
For the second consecutive season, Tennessee will open conference play against Arkansas, this time on the road, as the two teams will meet Jan. 3 in Fayetteville, Ark. The Volunteers' opening SEC game at Food City Center will come Jan. 6/7 when they host Texas in league competition for the first time.
Tennessee makes the trip to Gainesville, Fla., for a Jan. 10 outing at the reigning national champion, Florida. It then returns to Knoxville for the first of three two-game league homestands.
The Volunteers host Texas A&M in a Jan. 13/14 matchup before a 2025 Sweet 16 rematch with Kentucky, slated for Jan. 17 at Food City Center. The team then has a midweek bye.
Tennessee comes off its bye to play a pair of road contests, the first of which is Jan. 24 at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. That is followed by a Jan. 27/28 visit to Athens, Ga., to play Georgia.
Rick Barnes' team concludes the opening month of conference action with a Jan. 31 home game versus Auburn. It opens the next month Feb. 3/4 against Ole Miss, also at Food City Center.
The Volunteers next head to Lexington, Ky., where they play Feb. 7 against Kentucky in their first completed home-and-home series. That game is followed by a Feb. 11 outing at Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
Next comes Tennessee's final set of back-to-back SEC home games. The first matchup is Feb. 14 against LSU, while the second is Feb. 17/18 versus Oklahoma in its first time hosting the Sooners in SEC play.
The Volunteers make the drive to Nashville, Tenn., for a Feb. 21 affair at Vanderbilt and then head to Columbia, Mo., where they play Feb. 24 versus Missouri. That is their third and final back-to-back road pairing.
Tennessee's last game of the month is its second matchup of the year with Alabama, slated for Feb. 28 at Food City Center. This is the third year in a row the sides meet in their third-to-last game of the regular season.
To wrap up road competition, the Volunteers meet South Carolina in a March 3/4 contest in Columbia, S.C. The regular season finale is slated for March 7 at home against Vanderbilt in the teams' second clash in a five-game span.
Midweek date selection, game times and television network designations for the SEC slate will be announced later in the offseason.
Tennessee previously announced its non-conference slate, which runs from Nov. 3 to Dec. 30. That is preceded by an
Oct. 26 exhibition matchup with Duke.
FULL 2025-26 SEC SCHEDULE
Jan. 3 – at Arkansas
JAN. 6/7 – TEXAS
Jan. 10 – at Florida
JAN. 13/14 – TEXAS A&M
JAN. 17 – KENTUCKY
Jan. 24 – at Alabama
Jan. 27/28 – at Georgia
JAN. 31 – AUBURN
FEB. 3/4 – OLE MISS
Feb. 7 – at Kentucky
Feb. 11 – at Mississippi State
FEB. 14 – LSU
FEB. 17/18 – OKLAHOMA
Feb. 21 – at Vanderbilt
Feb. 24 – at Missouri
FEB. 28 – ALABAMA
March 3/4 – at South Carolina
MARCH 7 – VANDERBILT