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Tennessee basketball adds UT Martin for season-opener

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 15: General view of the arena during the pregame introductions the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 15, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 106-87. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee basketball Volunteers will begin this year against the Skyhawks.

After the cancelation of both games last week and both games this week due to a COVID outbreak, Tennessee basketball is in the process of adding games to its December slate. The Vols now have a new opener as a result.

UT announced on Tuesday that the Vols will now open the season against the UT Martin Skyhawks on Wednesday, Dec. 9. That’s three days before their initial opener, after all the cancelations, was set to take place agains the Cincinnati Bearcats.

This opener will take place at Thompson-Boling Arena, like the rest of the non-conference slate for Tennessee basketball so far this year. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.

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Last week, the Vols were set to open things up on Wednesday against the Charlotte 49ers. That was set to be part of an event called the Volunteer Classic, a Round Robin between UT, Charlotte, and the VCU Rams hosted by Rocky Top. The Vols would have faced VCU on Friday.

However, a COVID outbreak earlier that week that included a positive test for UT head coach Rick Barnes changed everything. It resulted in both games being canceled. Then, the Vols’ two scheduled games this week, in the Jimmy V Classic against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Dec. 2 and at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Dec. 4, were both canceled as well.

Of course, the women’s basketball team had its opener against the Florida A&M Rattlers last Friday canceled, and the Tennessee football team had its matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores postponed, so it was just a crazy week for cancelations. Things appear to be settling down now.

Vol basketball frontcourt preview. dark. Next

UT Martin and Tennessee basketball last faced off on Dec. 29, 2010. The Vols, who lead the series 4-0 overall, held on for a 68-62 win then. At the time, Rocky Top had just broken a three-game losing streak by beating the Belmont Bruins 66-65 a week earlier. That losing streak negated a red-hot 7-0 start that saw them reach the top 10.

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