Tennessee basketball gets huge break with SEC draw for 2022-23
It could have been worse. Tennessee basketball has a tough schedule this year, as they always do, and their SEC slate won’t help that. However, based on recent updates, things appear to be trending in their favor with league play.
According to Grant Ramey of GoVols247, Rocky Top’s SEC opponents for 2022-2023 have been revealed. To be fair, 16 of their games are the same every year. They play the Vanderbilt Commodores, Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks twice and the other 10 schools at least once.
What’s in question is which of those 10 schools they play twice. This year, continuing the reinvigorated rivalry with Bruce Pearl, Tennessee basketball will play the Auburn Tigers twice. They will also play the Mississippi State Bulldogs twice.
Now yes, Auburn is a brutal draw. Compound that with the Vols playing Kentucky twice every year, and two of the other four projected top tier teams in the league next year along with the Vols are set to be teams Rick Barnes’ group plays twice.
However, the other two top tier teams are the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks. Rocky Top will be lucky enough to face both of them at home. That means they have six games against the other top four tier teams, and four are at home.
Meanwhile, Tennessee basketball’s other three permanent two-game opponents, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Mississippi State, are projected near the bottom of the league. Two of them are undergoing coaching changes.
Mississippi State has a new head coach in Chris Jans, who replaced Ben Howland after going 18-16 and missing the NCAA Tournament last year. They added two recruits and four transfers, but none were high-profile, and they lost seven players to transfer along with leading scorer Iverson Molinar, who graduated.
South Carolina is coming off an 18-13 season and replacing Frank Martin with Lamont Paris as head coach after missing the NCAA Tournament last year. They added three new recruits and five transfers, but none of them were highly sought-after either, and they lost six players to transfer, including their two leading scorers.
Last year, Vanderbilt went a mere 19-17, and that was their first winning season under Jerry Stackhouse. Now, Vandy and MSU are projected lower-half teams still in the middle of the pack. South Carolina is expected to be near the bottom this year. Taking that into account, this is a big break for Tennessee basketball.
Beyond SEC play, the Vols still have their Battle 4 Atlantis trip and their matchups with the Maryland Terrapins, Arizona Wildcats, Colorado Buffaloes and Texas Longhorns. It’s safe to say this is a brutal slate, and they will be tested for postseason play. Barnes always goes out of his way to make sure of that.
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As a result, Tennessee basketball has a win-win. They get the tough schedule always needed for the postseason, but they get the breaks to put them in line for an SEC regular season championship, and championships are what it’s about.