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SEC reveals Tennessee basketball's conference opponents for 2025-26 season

ByColton Pickard|
Jan 4, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; SEC logo on the court at Thompson-Boling Arena before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; SEC logo on the court at Thompson-Boling Arena before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images | Bryan Lynn-Imagn Images

Tennessee basketball's 2026 SEC opponents have been announced, as Rick Barnes and the Vols prepare to retool their roster for another run at the SEC Championship. 

The Vols will have three home-and-home series with SEC rivals Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. Their road games will be against all former SEC West teams, while their home games consist of mostly former SEC East teams. 

The home games will be against Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M. The away games will be against Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, and South Carolina.

While the Vols don't know when they will play each team, they at least know their conference schedule for next season. 

If the schedule looks familiar, it's because it is. The SEC kept things pretty simple, keeping the same conference opponents but flipping home and away designations. 

Tennessee's home and road slate will also see a small tweak this year, as Alabama has replaced Florida. The Vols faced the Gators twice last season but will only have to see the defending champions once in the regular season with the updated schedule. 

With the SEC schedule since Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference, Tennessee will play each team in the SEC at least once. Tennessee has some favorable road and home spots on next year's schedule, which should play into their favor. 

A couple of Tennessee players are advocating for a fifth year, which could drastically change the outlook of the 2025-26 season. If Zakai Zeigler and Jordan Gainey are able to gain an extra year of eligibility, the Vols immediately have the leadership and experience needed to make another deep postseason run. 

For now, the Vols are replacing almost all of their production from last season. Felix Okpara, Cade Phillips, and JP Estrella will all return, offering an experienced frontcourt for Tennessee, but the backcourt will have to be completely overhauled with new and young faces.

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