Tennessee basketball has announced its 18 conference matchups for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
The Vols play permanent home-and-home matchups against Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina each year while adding two yearly schools to bring the total to five. For 2022-23, the Vols will hold home-and-home series with Mississippi State and Auburn.
With that being said, Tennessee’s home bouts on the season include Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Missouri.
Tennessee will travel to Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
In many respects, this is a solid draw for a Tennessee squad attempting to defend its SEC Tournament Title. The Vols host tough opponents such as Alabama and Arkansas while travelling to play reeling opponents such as LSU, Missouri and Ole Miss.
LSU is an especially interesting matchup. Head coach Matt McMahon started from scratch to build a roster and has done as well as Tiger fans could have hoped. Still, it’s hard to see LSU having an Iowa State level of turnaround after losing all 13 rotational players this offseason
The Vols played exceptionally well at home last season. Tennessee fought and defeated Arizona, Kentucky and Auburn at home to highlight a perfect 16-0 season within the walls of Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols have not lost at home since a Feb 20, 2021 matchup against Kentucky.
Tennessee is projected to have another top 25, maybe top 15 team heading into next season. The Vols lost 8 players, but return the bulk of its scoring from a team that was among the hottest in the country in the month of March, only to fall to Michigan in the Round of 32.
Indiana State transfer Tyreke Key and five-star wing Julian Phillips highlight the newcomers that could make an impact in wake of Kennedy Chandler and John Fulkerson’s departure. Expect rising sophomores Jonas Aidoo and Jahmai Mashack to make bounds and become rotational players this year.
