Tennessee basketball announces nonconference schedule, including Louisville, Illinois

Tennessee basketball plays six power-conference games with road games at Illinois and Louisville as part of its nonconference schedule for the 2024-25 season.

UT announced its 13-game nonconference slate Friday, which begins with a Nov. 4 opener against Gardner-Webb and finishes with a Dec. 31 matchup with Norfolk State.

Tennessee has a three-game stretch in the first two weeks of December that starts with its ACC/SEC Challenge matchup with Syracuse on Dec. 3 at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, a neutral-site game with Miami at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 10, and a road game at Illinois on Dec. 14.

Tennessee basketball plays six power-conference opponents in nonconference

Tennessee is starting the front end of a home-and-home deal with Louisville, while finishing the back of a two-game set with Illinois this season.

The Vols will play at Louisville on Nov. 9 for an early season marquee matchup. The Cardinals will play at Tennessee on Dec. 16, 2025. UT plays at Illinois after beating the Fighting Illini 86-79 last season in Knoxville.

Tennessee plays in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. It will play two of the three among Baylor, St. John's and Virginia on Nov. 21 and 22.

Who does Tennessee basketball play in the nonconference?

Tennessee announced its home nonconference games Gardner-Webb on Nov. 4, Montana on Nov. 13, Austin Peay on Nov. 17, UT Martin on Nov. 27, Western Carolina on Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee State on Dec. 23 and Norfolk State on Dec. 31.

Norfolk State the lone holdover from last season's nonconference schedule. The Vols pasted the Spartans 87-50 on Jan. 2 in their final nonconference game before SEC play.

Here is Tennessee's complete nonconference schedule:

• Monday, Nov. 4: Gardner-Webb
• Saturday, Nov. 9: at Louisville
• Wednesday, Nov. 13: Montana
• Sunday, Nov. 17: Austin Peay
• Thursday, Nov. 21: Baylor/St. John's/Virginia (Baha Mar in Bahamas)
• Friday, Nov. 22: Baylor/St. John's/Virginia (Baha Mar in Bahamas)
• Wednesday, Nov. 27: UT Martin
• Tuesday, Dec. 3: Syracuse (ACC/SEC Challenge)
• Tuesday, Dec. 10: Miami (Jimmy V Classic in New York City)
• Saturday, Dec. 14: at Illinois
• Tuesday, Dec. 17: Western Carolina
• Monday, Dec. 23: Middle Tennessee
• Tuesday, Dec. 31: Norfolk State

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball announces nonconference schedule, including Louisville, Illinois