Tennessee basketball one of SEC’s biggest draws in 2022-23 TV schedule

It looks like networks are clamoring for Tennessee basketball this year. The SEC TV schedule for 2022-23, which was revealed Wednesday, has the Vols playing 11 games on national television beyond the SEC Network. That’s tied for third with the Auburn Tigers.

If you were to score it based on channel, CBS being the highest score, ESPN being No. 2, ESPN2 being No. 3 and ESPNU being No. 4, the Vols would come solely in third place. The Kentucky Wildcats are No. 1 running away with four CBS games.

No other SEC team has more than one CBS game. Tennessee basketball’s CBS game is ironically Feb. 18 against Kentucky. That’s not going to be a shocker to anybody. The only other team ahead of them, though are the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Being slightly ahead of Auburn for the Vols is impressive because most services have Auburn projected to finish slightly better than UT despite Rick Barnes’ team having so many key players back and adding another elite recruiting class. That speaks to UT’s draw.

Add in the fact that they are significantly ahead of teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide, who are also expected to be a big draw, and this really speaks to what Barnes has built on Rocky Top. However, it’s pretty clear they belong in the No. 3 spot and not higher.

We know about Kentucky belonging where they belong. Arkansas, however, is in the right spot at No. 2. The Hogs have as many national TV games beyond the SEC Network as Kentucky this year, 13 to be exact. If you score it the way we did by channel value, they are slightly ahead of the Vols on that front too.

Not only is Arkansas, along with Kentucky, projected to do better than Tennessee basketball this year. They are projected by many services to actually win the SEC. Beyond even that, though, Arkansas has proven itself as an incredible draw.

Last year, their average attendance for home games was more than 1,000 people more than what the Vols averaged, and that’s despite the Vols playing in an arena that has about 2,500 more seats. Arkansas fans have proven their loyalty.

Eric Musselman has a fun brand of basketball, and the Hogs also have more tradition. After all, they did win a national championship with Nolan Richardson as head coach, and Rocky Top is still trying to make its first Final Four appearance.

To be fair, championships alone don’t carry the weight of being a draw, as the Florida Gators, even when they were winning back-to-back national championships under Billy Donovan, weren’t drawing like the Vols. Some teams just care more about what happens on the court than others when it comes to the SEC.

This year, Tennessee basketball fans are going to be among the most loyal, and they have proven they will support a good product. As a result, they deserve to be one of the top draws. However, it makes sense to put Kentucky and Arkansas at No. 1 and No. 2.