Felix Okpara (34) attempts a free-throw during a game against Arkansas at Food City Center. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Cole Moore/RTI
Tennessee Basketball will see a familiar face when it tips off its SEC slate in early January.
After the conclusion of what should be a thrilling non-conference schedule for the Vols, Tennessee will open the SEC season on the road against John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks. That game will take place Saturday, Jan. 3, in Fayetteville, AR.
The Vols will then return to Knoxville for a mid-week game against Texas and newly appointed head coach Sean Miller before hitting the road for a weekend game against defending champion Florida in the Gators’ own building.
That’s a heck of an opening stretch for Rick Barnes’ new-look squad, but the early competition will be a positive for the team.
This is the second straight year that Tennessee has opened the SEC slate against Calipari’s Razorbacks, as the former Kentucky coach enters his second season with Arkansas. The Vols dominated the Razorbacks in Knoxville last season to the tune of a 76-52 win. Tennessee was led by Chaz Lanier in that game, who opened his SEC career with 29 points on 50% shooting from the floor.
Tennessee’s win over Arkansas also provided one of Calipari’s more memorable quotes from the college basketball season.
“The one thing I would do different in this game, and all night I tossed and turned, we didn’t do a shootaround today,” Calipari said, dropping his fist on the table. “And I just felt, our body time is noon. Pretty early. If I had to do it over again, we would’ve come shot shootaround. Because we had three or four guys kind of no-show.”
The game against No. 1 Tennessee was at 1:00 p.m. local time in Knoxville.
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Here’s a look at what Tennessee’s full 2025-2026 SEC schedule looks like:
Jan. 3: at Arkansas
Jan. 6/7: vs. Texas
Jan. 10: at Florida
Jan. 13/14: vs. Texas A&M
Jan. 17: vs. Kentucky
Jan. 20/21: BYE
Jan. 24: at Alabama
Jan. 27/28: at Georgia
Jan. 31: vs. Auburn
Feb. 3/4: vs. Ole Miss
Feb. 7: at Kentucky
Feb. 11: at Mississippi State
Feb. 14: vs. LSU
Feb. 17/18: vs. Oklahoma
Feb. 21: at Vanderbilt
Feb. 24: at Missouri
Feb. 28: vs. Alabama
March 3/4: at South Carolina
March 7: vs. Vanderbilt