Tipoff Time, TV Channel Announced for Virginia's Second Round Matchup vs. Tennessee

The Virginia Cavaliers' tipoff time and TV channel have been announced for their matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On Sunday, the Virginia Cavaliers and the Tennessee Volunteers will be facing off in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers are entering the matchup as a No. 3 seed and just defeated the Wright State Raiders on Friday afternoon. As for the Volunteers, they're entering as a No. 6 seed, having just defeated the Miami (OH) RedHawks.

Now that both programs are advancing to the next stage in the Tournament, here's everything fans need to know in order to tune into the high-stakes game.

Virginia is going to face Tennessee and the game will tipoff at 6:10 on Sunday evening and the game will be broadcast on TNT.

How To Watch the Virginia-Tennessee Matchup

Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Tipoff: 6:10
Watch: TNT

Virginia Must Attack Tennessee's Weaknesses

Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Throughout the 2025-26 college basketball season, it became clear that the Volunteers thrive more on defense than they do on offense. This isn't how it typically is for Tennessee, but it's allowed them to make it this far.

The Volunteers have struggled to remain consistent on offense, which the Hoos could use to their advantage by pressuring their leading scorers—Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament—and forcing turnovers. Moreover, the Cavaliers must lock in. As head coach Ryan Odom noted during his latest press conference:

"... one of the things we do is we talk about our pillars. We talked about our pillars after halftime, and which pillar is being represented right now in the situation that we're in? The guys immediately came back with passion. It's not meant to be easy. It's meant to be hard. And you have to fight for something that you want. You have to go for it in these moments.

I think that's just what our guys did. We have to put things in their proper perspective during the time-outs. They have to take a deep breath, relax, and play and trust their training and trust their teammates..."

As usual at this point in the year, fans should expect a close game, particularly considering how persistent both of these programs are on the court. The winner will advance to the Sweet 16, inching one step closer to clinching the national championship.

Coming out on top will be no easy feat, for either program. The stakes are high, the pressure is on and the intensity is only going to increase from here. Most of Virginia's team is experiencing the NCAA Tournament for the first time, so maintaining composure and focusing on their opponent's weaknesses will be key. Ultimately, this is the only way the Hoos will be able to advance to the next round. Do they have what it takes to knock down the Volunteers?