# 2023–24 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team

The 2023–24 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, led by ninth-year head coach Rick Barnes, played their home games at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 19,664 in 16 games in 2023-24.

## Previous season

The Volunteers finished the 2022–23 season 25–11, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Ole Miss before losing to Missouri in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the East Region, where they defeated Louisiana in the First Round and Duke in the Second Round to reach the Sweet Sixteen. There, they were upset by Florida Atlantic.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| B.J. Edwards | 1 | G | 6'3" | 192 | Freshman | Knoxville, TN | Transferred to SMU |
| Julian Phillips | 2 | F | 6'8" | 190 | Freshman | Blythewood, SC | Declare for 2023 NBA draft; selected 35th overall by Boston Celtics |
| Evan Shiflet | 3 | G | 6'2" | 191 | Freshman | Nashville, TN | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Tyreke Key | 4 | G | 6'3" | 207 | RS Senior | Celina, TN | Graduated |
| Oliver Nkamhoua | 13 | F | 6'8" | 232 | Senior | Helsinki, Finland | Graduate transferred to Michigan |
| Kent Gilbert | 21 | G | 6'1" | 175 | Junior | Greenville, NC | Walk-on; transferred |
| Isaiah Sulack | 31 | G | 6'5" | 186 | RS Senior | Knoxville, TN | Walk-on; graduate transferred to Marist |
| Kidd Brizek | 32 | G | 6'6" | 194 | Freshman | Powdersville, SC | Walk-on; mid season transferred to Manhattan |
| Uroš Plavšić | 33 | F | 7'0" | 251 | RS Senior | Ivanjica, Serbia | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Serbia with Mega MIS |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jordan Gainey | 2 | G | 6'4" | 175 | Junior | Tucson, AZ | USC Upstate |
| Dalton Knecht | 3 | G | 6'6" | 200 | GS Senior | Thornton, CO | Northern Colorado |
| Grant Hurst | 23 | G | 6'2" | 180 | RS Sophomore | Cleveland, TN | Walk-on; UT Martin |
| Kaylan Makan | 24 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Sophomore | Little Rock, AR | Walk-on; The Citadel |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Freddie Dilione #11 SG | Fayetteville, NC | Word of God Christian Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Aug 16, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| J.P. Estrella #15 C | Portland, ME | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 2, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Cameron Carr #18 SG | Manhattan, KS | Link Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Nov 8, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Cade Phillips #35 C | Jacksonville, AL | Link Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 26, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals.com 2023 Tennessee Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2023* 3:30 p.m., BTN | No. 9 | at No. 4 Michigan State Charity Exhibition | W 89–88 | – | 28 – Knecht | 8 – Aidoo | 6 – Gainey | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| October 31, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 9 | Lenoir–Rhyne | W 90–48 | – | 14 – Aidoo | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,203) Knoxville, TN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 9 | Tennessee Tech | W 80–42 | 1–0 | 17 – Knecht | 8 – Aidoo | 5 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,046) Knoxville, TN |
| November 10, 2023* 9:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 9 | at Wisconsin | W 80–70 | 2–0 | 24 – Knecht | 7 – Aidoo | 3 – Zeigler | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| November 14, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 7 | Wofford | W 82–61 | 3–0 | 18 – Knecht | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,859) Knoxville, TN |
| November 20, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | vs. Syracuse Maui Invitational quarterfinals | W 73–56 | 4–0 | 17 – Knecht | 11 – Aidoo | 5 – Vescovi | Stan Sheriff Center (4,838) Honolulu, HI |
| November 21, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | vs. No. 2 Purdue Maui Invitational Semifinals | L 67–71 | 4–1 | 16 – Knecht | 7 – Knecht | 3 – Zeigler | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| November 22, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | vs. No. 1 Kansas Maui Invitational 3rd Place Game | L 60–69 | 4–2 | 21 – Vescovi | 11 – Aidoo | 3 – Tied | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| November 29, 2023* 7:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 10 | at No. 17 North Carolina ACC–SEC Challenge | L 92–100 | 4–3 | 37 – Knecht | 6 – Knecht | 7 – Zeigler | Dean Smith Center (20,756) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 5, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 17 | George Mason | W 87–66 | 5–3 | 17 – Aidoo | 8 – Aidoo | 6 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,513) Knoxville, TN |
| December 9, 2023* 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 17 | No. 20 Illinois | W 86–79 | 6–3 | 21 – Knecht | 9 – Vescovi | 7 – James | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| December 12, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 12 | Georgia Southern | W 74–56 | 7–3 | 29 – Aidoo | 11 – Aidoo | 7 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,013) Knoxville, TN |
| December 16, 2023* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | vs. NC State Basketball Hall of Fame San Antonio | W 79–70 | 8–3 | 23 – James | 12 – Awaka | 8 – Zeigler | Frost Bank Center (2,481) San Antonio, TX |
| December 21, 2023* 6:30 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 8 | Tarleton State | W 65–46 | 9–3 | 13 – Zeigler | 10 – James | 5 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,609) Knoxville, TN |
| January 2, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | Norfolk State | W 87–50 | 10–3 | 17 – Zeigler | 11 – Awaka | 5 – James | Thompson–Boling Arena (16,858) Knoxville, TN |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | No. 22 Ole Miss | W 90–64 | 11–3 (1–0) | 24 – Aidoo | 10 – Aidoo | 10 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,932) Knoxville, TN |
| January 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | at Mississippi State | L 72–77 | 11–4 (1–1) | 28 – Knecht | 6 – Tied | 7 – Zeigler | Humphrey Coliseum (8,160) Starkville, MS |
| January 13, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at Georgia | W 85–79 | 12–4 (2–1) | 36 – Knecht | 15 – Aidoo | 5 – Zeigler | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| January 16, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | Florida | W 85–66 | 13–4 (3–1) | 39 – Knecht | 9 – Aidoo | 4 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (17,332) Knoxville, TN |
| January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | Alabama | W 91–71 | 14–4 (4–1) | 25 – Knecht | 5 – Gainey | 6 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| January 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | at Vanderbilt Rivalry | W 75–62 | 15–4 (5–1) | 32 – Knecht | 10 – Aidoo | 6 – Zeigler | Memorial Gymnasium (13,852) Nashville, TN |
| January 30, 2024 6:30 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | South Carolina | L 59–63 | 15–5 (5–2) | 31 – Knecht | 8 – Awaka | 3 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (20,667) Knoxville, TN |
| February 3, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 10 Kentucky Rivalry | W 103–92 | 16–5 (6–2) | 26 – Tied | 11 – Aidoo | 13 – Zeigler | Rupp Arena (20,265) Lexington, KY |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 6 | LSU | W 88–68 | 17–5 (7–2) | 27 – Knecht | 7 – Knecht | 9 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at Texas A&M | L 69–85 | 17–6 (7–3) | 22 – Knecht | 7 – Knecht | 6 – Zeigler | Reed Arena (12,995) College Station, TX |
| February 14, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 8 | at Arkansas | W 92–63 | 18–6 (8–3) | 23 – Aidoo | 12 – Aidoo | 6 – Zeigler | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 8 | Vanderbilt Rivalry | W 88–53 | 19–6 (9–3) | 14 – Tied | 8 – Aidoo | 5 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | at Missouri | W 72–67 | 20–6 (10–3) | 18 – Awaka | 10 – Tied | 3 – Zeigler | Mizzou Arena (10,089) Columbia, MO |
| February 24, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | Texas A&M | W 86–51 | 21–6 (11–3) | 24 – Knecht | 14 – Aidoo | 14 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,322) Knoxville, TN |
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 4 | No. 11 Auburn | W 92–84 | 22–6 (12–3) | 39 – Knecht | 7 – Aidoo | 9 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,547) Knoxville, TN |
| March 2, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 14 Alabama College GameDay | W 81–74 | 23–6 (13–3) | 18 – Zeigler | 13 – James | 4 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 4 | at No. 17 South Carolina | W 66–59 | 24–6 (14–3) | 26 – Knecht | 9 – Aidoo | 7 – Zeigler | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| March 9, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBS | No. 4 | No. 15 Kentucky Rivalry | L 81–85 | 24–7 (14–4) | 40 – Knecht | 10 – James | 9 – Zeigler | Thompson–Boling Arena (22,206) Knoxville, TN |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 15, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN | (1) No. 5 | vs. (9) Mississippi State Quarterfinals | L 56–73 | 24–8 | 20 – Zeigler | 10 – Aidoo | 4 – Tied | Bridgestone Arena (17,137) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024* 9:20 p.m., TNT | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (15 MW) Saint Peter's First Round | W 83–49 | 25–8 | 23 – Knecht | 8 – Knecht | 3 – James | Spectrum Center (18,037) Charlotte, NC |
| March 23, 2024* 8:00 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (7 MW) Texas Second Round | W 62–58 | 26–8 | 18 – Knecht | 9 – Tied | 7 – Zeigler | Spectrum Center (18,382) Charlotte, NC |
| March 29, 2024* 10:00 p.m., TBS/TruTV | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Creighton Sweet Sixteen | W 82–75 | 27–8 | 24 – Knecht | 8 – Mashack | 6 – Zeigler | Little Caesars Arena (18,574) Detroit, MI |
| March 31, 2024* 2:20 p.m., CBS | (2 MW) No. 6 | vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Purdue Elite Eight | L 66–72 | 27–9 | 37 – Knecht | 4 – Tied | 8 – Zeigler | Little Caesars Arena (18,577) Detroit, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Coaches | 10 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13т | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 |