Smokies.LIVE Game Day Center: Rick Barnes’ Volunteers will face Michigan State, Florida State, Purdue and a loaded Players Era Championship field after a third straight Elite Eight appearance.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fresh off a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, the Tennessee Volunteers know who they’ll face before Southeastern Conference play begins.

Head coach Rick Barnes released Tennessee’s 2026-27 non-conference schedule Wednesday, featuring 14 games from Nov. 3 through Dec. 29, including matchups against several national powers and nine home contests at Food City Center.

The Volunteers open the season Nov. 3 against Wofford before hosting Radford, Tennessee State, Michigan State and Coastal Carolina during a five-game homestand.

The Nov. 17 showdown with Michigan State highlights Tennessee’s home slate before Thanksgiving and marks the Volunteers’ first meeting with the Spartans since the 2010 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

Tennessee will then head to Las Vegas for the second consecutive year to compete in the Players Era Men’s Championship at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

The Volunteers open tournament play Nov. 24 against Maryland before facing either Iowa State or San Diego State on Nov. 26. Tennessee will play at least one more game on Nov. 27, with a potential championship matchup on Nov. 28 if it remains unbeaten in the event.

December brings another challenging stretch.

The Volunteers return home Dec. 1 to host Florida State in the SEC/ACC Challenge before traveling to Nashville for a neutral-site matchup against NC State on Dec. 6. Tennessee’s first true road game follows Dec. 11 when the Vols visit Purdue.

Barnes’ team wraps up non-conference play with home games against Morehead State, Marist and Norfolk State before opening SEC competition on Jan. 2. The conference schedule will be announced at a later date.

2026-27 Tennessee Non-Conference Schedule

• Nov. 3: Wofford
• Nov. 9: Radford
• Nov. 13: Tennessee State
• Nov. 17: Michigan State
• Nov. 20: Coastal Carolina
• Nov. 24: vs. Maryland (Players Era Championship – Las Vegas)
• Nov. 26: vs. Iowa State/San Diego State (Players Era Championship – Las Vegas)
• Nov. 27: Tournament opponent TBD
• Dec. 1: Florida State (SEC/ACC Challenge)
• Dec. 6: vs. NC State (Bridgestone Arena – Nashville)
• Dec. 11: at Purdue
• Dec. 16: Morehead State
• Dec. 20: Marist
• Dec. 29: Norfolk State

The 2026-27 schedule gives Tennessee another opportunity to build a postseason résumé before SEC play begins, with multiple games against Power Five opponents and several neutral-site tests against nationally recognized programs.