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Tennessee basketball preview vs. UNC Asheville: Vols Live stream, game time, TV

By Caleb Calhoun

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the semifinals of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 10, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Tuesday evening marks the 2019-2020 men’s Tennessee basketball season opener. Here is our preview for Rick Barnes’s Volunteers as they host the Bulldogs.

With a brand new look, Tennessee basketball is set to take the court Tuesday night for its first regular season game of the year. The Vols will be hosting a team from just across the mountains, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs.

Rick Barnes’s fifth team on Rocky Top enters the season with four starters gone, including their three leading scorers, two leading assists men and three leading rebounders. Grant Williams, Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bone and Admiral Schofield have all inked NBA contracts now.

So building around five returning players, only two of whom were in the regular rotation last year, five newcomers and the return of one player to health, UT provides Rocky Top with its first real look at its new identity Tuesday. Here is all the information you need for Tennessee basketball’s season-opening matchup.

UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers

When: Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Thompson-Boling Arena; Knoxville, Tennessee

TV: SEC Network Plus

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Returning for Tennessee basketball are two of the four players who averaged double-figures last year, combo guard Lamonte Turner and shooting guard Jordan Bowden. Meanwhile, Barnes added five-star combo guard Josiah-Jordan James.

All three players started in the exhibition last week along with returning wing man Yves Pons and returning 6’9″ forward John Fulkerson. Redshirt freshman Uros Plavsic, a 7’0″ transfer from the Arizona State Sun Devils, was supposed to make an immediate impact, but he was not granted an eligibility waiver from the NCAA.

As a result, Barnes will have to find more depth with two other freshman forwards, a backup freshman center returning to health, a returning backup guard and one more freshman guard. Simply put, he’s got his work cut out for him. The Vols enter this year ranked No. 25 in the preseason Coaches Poll and three spots out of the top 25 in the AP Poll.

This is the 11th meeting between them and UNC Asheville. They are coming off a 4-27 season, but they had a first-year head coach in Mike Morrell and were the youngest team in the NCAA. They return their five biggest contributors from last year and only lost two players from the whole team. That includes their five leading scorers and assists men and four leading rebounders.

In addition to a ton of returning talent, they also added N.C. State transfer point guard Lavar Batts Jr., who sat out last year after averaging one and a half assists and over three and a half points in just over 13 minutes of action through 30 games with the Wolfpack in 2017-2018. He was once a four-star on Rivals, so he’s a huge pickup.

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Simply put, all signs point to dramatic improvement for UNC Asheville. And all signs point to a dramatic drop-off for Tennessee basketball. That could make this an interesting opening night, even if the Vols are expected to win big.

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