Barnes: Tennessee basketball still scheduled to play at Wisconsin to open 2020 season

Any possibility of Vol basketball-related fallout from the Big Ten’s postponement of the 2020 football season was quickly put to bed on Monday.

Last December, Tennessee began its home-and-home series with Wisconsin by losing to the Badgers by 20 in Knoxville.

Given Tennessee’s recruiting and offseason improvements, the matchup was thought to be one of the nation’s best this year — Vols versus Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison, WI.

Then, COVID-19 hit, and with the ripple effects came the Big Ten’s decision to postpone its fall sports to the spring.

For Vols basketball, that left a lingering question— what about their opener against Wisconsin, then scheduled for November 11, 2020?

According to Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, the Badgers quickly provided an answer.

As of now, Tennessee is still set to take on Wisconsin at the Kohl Center, with the same date as before.

The last time Wisconsin and Tennessee played a home-and-home series was in 2000 and 2001, and each team got the win on its home floor.

Wisconsin also won in 2016 when the teams faced off in Hawai’i at the Maui Invitational. 

Overall, the series between Wisconsin and Tennessee is 3-2 in favor of the Badgers. 

Barnes and the Vols will look to even the series this November, on what is now a confirmed tip-off date for two of college basketball’s premiere teams.