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Tennessee ventures into the 2024-25 college basketball season looking to keep their NCAA tournament streak rolling and possibly win the national championship for the first time in program history.
Volunteers coach Rick Barnes will bank on seven returnees, four transfers and four freshmen in their mission to achieve these objectives despite the departure of their top scorers from last season — Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo.
Here's a closer look into Tennessee's upcoming season and what's in store for the Volunteers in its 2024-25 men's basketball campaign.
Tennessee's biggest games in 2024-25 season
Tennessee will have an action-packed 2024-25 SEC regular season schedule as they will play 18 games against their conference counterparts in an expanded group thanks to the addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
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The Volunteers will play Kentucky, Florida and Vanderbilt in a home-and-away series. They will also host Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina and visit Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
Tennessee has yet to finalize its non-conference schedule but the team is slated to face ACC teams Louisville and Syracuse sometime this season. The Volunteers will meet the Cardinals in a two-season, home-and-home series beginning on Nov. 9 at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Rick Barnes and his wards will host the return meeting on Dec. 16, 2025, at Thompson-Boling Arena at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Louisville holds a 12-8 lead in their head-to-head record, but Tennessee emerged victorious in their last meeting (92-81) on Nov. 21, 2018.
Three weeks later, the Vols will host the Syracuse Orange on Dec. 3 as part of the annual SEC/ACC Challenge which will be aired on ESPN. Tennessee holds a 4-3 record in its all-time series with Syracuse.
Key Tennessee players to watch out for in 2024-25 season
Tennessee will parade a solid lineup composed of seven holdovers, four transfers and four freshmen. Here are three players to keep an eye on for during the Volunteers' 2024-25 NCAA basketball season.
#1. Zakai Zeigler
Zakai Zeigler will likely take over the leadership reins for Tennessee, following the departures of Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo. The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game while playing 36 games last season.
He has to improve on his shooting to help the Volunteers successfully defend their SEC regular season title and orchestrate another deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
#2. Darlinstone Dubar
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes found a versatile player from the transfer portal that could replace Dalton Knecht in the guard/forward spot. 6-foot-8 Darlinstone Dubar is coming off an excellent 2023-24 season with Hofsfra, tallying 17.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg and 0.9 bpg.
The 2023-24 All-CAA Second Team awardee shot 53.9% from the field, including 39.9% from 3. He's expected to fill Knecht's role as the Vols' top scorer.
#3. Igor Milicic Jr.
Igor Milicic Jr comes to Tennessee after having his best season in Charlotte. The 6-10 Rovinj, Croatia native played 31 games with the 49ers where he put up 12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.7 apg and 1.1 bpg.
Milicic is a big man who can knock down 3s and is dependable from the free-throw line. He shot 48.6% from the field last season, including 37.6% from 3-point land and 81.8% from the 15-foot line.
Tennessee's predictions for 2024-25 season
Tennessee is projected to be a Final Four team despite the exit of its two major contributors Knecht and Aidoo. Coach Barnes still has Zeigler and holdovers Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey to call upon.
He further beefed up his roster by picking up quality transfers in Dubar, Milicic, Felix Okpara and Chaz Lanier, as well as high school recruit Bishop Boswell. The Volunteers are expected to win more than 25 games in the regular season and make the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight time.
Will Tennessee make its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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