Tennessee basketball will open the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas against Virginia.
The Vols will tip off against Virginia at 9:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 21. Baylor and St. John’s will play prior to Tennessee and Virginia, and the winners of both matchups will meet the next day. The Baha Mar Championship title game will be played 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 after the consolation game at 7 p.m. All the games will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
“We are excited for the chance to take on an elite program like Virginia to begin play at Baha Mar,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said in a school release. “Whether we meet Baylor or St. John’s in our next game, it will be a second major challenge in as many days against a tremendous team with a top-notch coach. This event will be a great opportunity for our team to face big-time competition in a tournament setting at a beautiful location.”
The Vols’ opponents at Baha Mar are two of the six power-conference opponents on their nonconference schedule. They will also face Louisville, Illinois, Syracuse and Miami, though only one of those matchups will be at home. UT plays Louisville and Illinois on the road and Miami in New York City. Syracuse is the only power-conference matchup at home.
Tennessee has not faced Virginia in almost 11 years. The last time the two teams met was on Dec. 30, 2013 when the Vols won 87-52 at home. But UT trails 5-8 in the all-time record against Virginia. Tennessee has never played Baylor and is 3-5 all-time against St. John’s.
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Vols senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. will be facing his old team in the matchup. Miličić started his college career at Virginia in 2021-22 before he transferred to Charlotte, where he played for two seasons.
The Baha Mar Championship began in 2021, and this is Tennessee’s first time playing in the tournament. The Vols are no stranger to the Bahamas, though, winning the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. They also played in the Bahamas in 2017 and 2013.
Tennessee basketball 2024-25 nonconference schedule
Monday, Nov. 4: Gardner-Webb
Saturday, Nov. 9: at Louisville
Wednesday, Nov. 13: Montana
Sunday, Nov. 17: Austin Peay
Thursday, Nov. 21: Virginia (Baha Mar in Bahamas)
Friday, Nov. 22: Baylor/St. John’s (Baha Mar in Bahamas)
Wednesday, Nov. 27: UT Martin
Tuesday, Dec. 3: Syracuse (ACC/SEC Challenge)
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Miami (Jimmy V Classic in New York City)
Saturday, Dec. 14: at Illinois
Tuesday, Dec. 17: Western Carolina
Monday, Dec. 23: Middle Tennessee
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Norfolk State
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball schedule 2024-25: Vols play Virginia in Bahamas
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