The preseason No. 11 Vols will open the 2022 regular season with a non-conference schedule that is a touch lighter than that of last year, where they faced threeranked opponents along with some other high profile matchups. Those included were national championship runner up North Carolina, Villanova, Arizona, Texas Tech and Texas.
The reigning SEC champs came away with just two wins out of those matchups and hope to fare a cut above that mark this season.
Here’s a look at three of Tennessee’s most important non-conference matchups this season.
Nov. 23 – Butler
The Vols will play an early season tournament in the Bahamas, where they are set to face Butler in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Bulldogs brought in a new head coach for this season in Thad Matta after a disappointing 14-19 campaign last season. Matta has been away from the coaching ranks since 2017 after leaving Xavier.
He actually had a previous stint at Butler, but his most notable years were at Ohio State as the winningest coach in the program’s history. Matta is a more than proven head coach and will likely put the program back to its former glory, but he has a tough road ahead.
Matta’s group see’s just one returning starter in junior guard Chuck Harris, who was also last year’s leading scorer—albeit a measly 11.4 points per game on just 37.8% shooting.
The Bulldogs also return sophomore guard Jayden Talyor, who averaged 8.2 points, but like Harris, struggled with his efficiency. A potential impactful newcomer is Purdue transfer guard Eric Hunter, who is a knockdown three-point shooter (43.6%) as well as earning All-Big Ten defensive honors last season.
Butler boasts some talent, but there are a lot of unknowns across the board with the roster.
The matchup itself is not the most glamorous, but it means a lot moving forward in the tournament as Tennessee looks to establish itself as a contender early on. The teams featured in the tournament include reigning champion and preseason No. 5 Kansas, No. 24 BYU and USC.
Dec. 17 – Arizona
The Wildcats long been a powerhouse in college basketball but stumbled on rough years leading to Sean Miller’s firing, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons.
That all changed last year when longtime Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd took the reins and led Arizona to a 33-4 record, a Pac-12 title and a Sweet 16 berth. However, the Wildcats lost three key pieces in Benedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko.
While there is no reason to expect a steep drop off, it will be difficult to replace those pieces, especially Mathurin.
Arizona has been rated as the No. 17 team and still has talent across the board. Junior Guard Kerr Kriisa is likely the X-factor for this team. Last year’s Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, junior guard Pelle Larsson returns to the team and will assume a starting role this year. Other important returning players include senior guard Courtney Ramey and junior big man Oumar Ballo.
If the roster is able to make leaps in place of its departing stars, then this will be a tough matchup for Tennessee.
Jan. 28 – Texas
Dead in the middle of SEC play, the Longhorns will travel to Thompson-Boling Arena in a Big 12/SEC challenge. Rick Barnes will coach against his former team with vengeance on his mind after last year’s 52-51 loss.
Texas is the Vols’ highest ranked non-conference opponent at No. 12, and it will likely be a marquee matchup between two very good teams.
The Longhorns are led by head coach Chris Beard, who is in his second season at the helm. Beard has already accomplished more than any Texas head coach since Barnes by winning an NCAA Tournament game and has tons of returning talent with a loaded recruiting class.
Among the returning starters are fifth-years Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop. As for newcomers, five-stars Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris enter the program. The Longhorns also bring in Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter, who is the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Expect this matchup to be a highly competitive one.
