Tennessee Basketball Entering Pivotal Final Stretch Of The 2025 Schedule

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes chats with his team during a men’s college basketball game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers are entering a critical final stretch of their 2025 conference slate as they prepare for a deep NCAA Tournament run.

After bouncing back from the Kentucky loss with a dramatic win over Vandy, the No. five-ranked Tennessee Vols are heading into a critical stretch as the end of the regular season approaches. With the SEC emerging as the best conference this season, the margin of error is much smaller than years prior.

The stretch begins after a week-long break with a trip to College Station, TX on Saturday 22nd, against the no. eight-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, who will be coming off a mid-week matchup against the no. 22-ranked Mississippi St. Bulldogs. The Aggies boast a 9-3 in-conference record and have ranked out-of-conference wins against Creighton and Purdue. Averaging a pedestrian 74.5 points per game, the Vols plan to further their reputation as the best defensive team in the nation on the way to victory.

The Vols will face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge just three days later. The Tigers have had a disappointing year, with a dreadful 2-10 record in conference play. While on paper it is a break in tough conference play, it is a short turnaround as the Vols will face the high-powered no. two Alabama Crimson Tide at home. Led by senior Mark Sears, the Tide averaged the most points in the nation. It is a College Gameday caliber matchup, with arguably the best offense vs. the best defense in the nation. A win for the Vols would be a giant momentum boost, as this game will likely have a noteworthy impact on conference tournament seeding. 

After the blockbuster clash with the Tide, the Vols will head to Oxford to face off against the no. 19 ranked Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels are currently 8-5 in the SEC but only have two wins against teams that are currently ranked. If the Vols can minimize the impact of the Rebels’ sharpshooter, Sean Pedulla, they will position themselves to add another ranked win to an already impressive resume. 

The Vols will finish the regular season at home as they host the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have been abysmal in conference play this year, tallying zero wins to this point. The Gamecocks struggle in several critical areas statistically, but their worst area is points scored, in which they rank in the bottom 40 nationwide. This will be the perfect game for the Vols to end the season on a high note and springboard them into the conference tournament.

If the Vols perform well down this final stretch, they will more than solidify their status as one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament.

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