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Tennessee basketball schedules Colorado as new opener

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 4: General view of the exterior of Thompson-Boling Arena prior to the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 4: General view of the exterior of Thompson-Boling Arena prior to the football game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee basketball Volunteers will face the Buffaloes on Tuesday.

Another game has been added to the 2020-2021 Tennessee basketball schedule, and it will now be the Vols’ new opener. After the first five games of the season being canceled, this is a welcome addition for UT.

The Colorado Buffaloes, who opened the season 2-0, will visit Rocky Top on Tuesday, UTSports announced Saturday. Tipoff at Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Initially, Tennessee basketball had added the UT Martin Skyhawks to their schedule, and the two would have faced off Wednesday, Dec. 9. However that game was canceled following another COVID issue.

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Before that addition, the Vols had their games against the Charlotte 49ers, VCU Rams, Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish all canceled due to COVID issues that hit the UT program, including Rick Barnes getting infected. The Cincinnati Bearcats were the next team on the schedule, and that wasn’t until Dec. 12, so adding Colorado moves up their opener.

This is the third meeting between the Vols and the Buffaloes. The two met back in 1980 and 1981, with UT winning both contest. Don DeVoe’s team beat Bill Blair’s team in Knoxville 87-69 in the 1980-1981 season, and DeVoe bested Tom Apke on the road in Boulder, Colo. 64-63 in the 1981-1982 season.

Rick Barnes, however, coached against Colorado consistently back when he was with the Texas Longhorns and CU was in the Big 12. He is 13-4 against the program all time. Colorado left to join the Pac-12 in 2011-2012, and Barnes was fired by Texas in 2015.

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This will be the first time Tennessee basketball has hosted a Pac-12 opponent since they hosted the USC Trojans in the 2010-2011 season. That game was in December, and the Vols lost 65-64, their third straight loss at the time. The program was in the midst of a major slide given the investigations into Bruce Pearl, and he would be fired at the end of that season.

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