Duke Dominates Tennessee Basketball in Exhibition Game

Tennessee basketball played in the exhibition game against the Duke Blue Devils, who were the hosting team. This was a battle of top-10 teams, in which one team looked like a top-10 team, while the other didn't. The team that didn't was the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee Was Soundly Defeated by Duke

Oct 13, 2026; Birmingham, AL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes speaks during the SEC Basketball Tipoff at Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This game wasn't great from the jump, as the Duke Blue Devils got off to a very hot start thanks to Dame Sarr, a returning player who many believe is one of the best players in all of college basketball. He was able to get to the paint early and was punching the Vols in the mouth offensively.

The Vols had some good shots up early, including some by Terrence Hill Jr., which was the big story of the game. Hill Jr. was injured on the court and was in visible pain, holding his ankle, before he was later helped to the locker room. Hill Jr. made his way back to court, but was even spotted with crutches at one point. When he was walking around, he had a noticeable limp, as he was definitely injured in this contest.

It didn't take long for the Vols to rule him out for the rest of the game, and that is exactly what they did. This was the beginning of the end for the Vols, as the Tennessee basketball program would never take a lead.

With minutes left in the game, the Vols were attempting to avoid a 40-point defeat, and they struggled badly to do so. The Blue Devils were pushing 100 points, while the Vols were barely pushing 60 points. This was a bad showing for Rick Barnes and his squad, as the final score of the contest ended up being 103-64. This is the second exhibition loss that the Vols suffered, and Tennessee will now have to fix their wrongs as they head towards the upcoming season, which is set to begin the very first week of November.

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