CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois has signed a 2-year contract with Tennessee for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 men's basketball seasons. The Illini will travel to Knoxville next season, playing at Tennessee on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. The Volunteers will return to Champaign the following year for a Saturday showdown at State Farm Center on Dec. 14, 2024.
"We are excited to schedule a marquee series with the University of Tennessee," Illinois head coach
Brad Underwood said. "These will be great early season tests for our program to compete against talented and successful Tennessee teams led by their tremendous coach in Rick Barnes."
"My philosophy remains the same every year: to put together an extremely challenging non-conference schedule that will ultimately prepare us for the rigors of Big Ten play," Underwood continued. "In addition to benefiting our team, it is great for college basketball – and especially the fans – to have high-level games like this played on college campuses."
Tennessee is currently ranked No. 6 in the AP poll, while the Illini are at No. 18.
Illinois and Tennessee have met just three times, with the Volunteers owning a 2-1 edge in the series. The programs played for the first time on Dec. 15, 1967 in the Volunteer Classic, a 66-42 win for the host Vols. Tennessee also defeated the 10th-ranked Illini in Knoxville on Dec. 10, 1985 by the score of 54-51. No. 20 Illinois rolled past the Vols, 103-79, on Jan. 17, 1988 in the lone match-up in Champaign.