Miami adds key non-conference game versus Tennessee in Jimmy V Classic at MSG
The Miami basketball program announced the addition of a key non-conference game on Wednesday versus Tennessee at Madison Square Garden on December 10 in the Jimmy V. Classic. The game versus Tennessee is the second for Miami versus an SEC opponent this season.
It was announced earlier this summer that Miami will host Arkansas in the ACC-SEC Challenge. This is the second consecutive season John Calipari and Jim Larranaga will oppose each other in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Calipari earned a win over Larranaga last season when he coached Kentucky.
Miami will play in November in the Charleston Classic. The other teams in the Charleston Classic are Drake, Florida Atlantic, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt, and VCU. The Charleston Classic Bracket has not been announced yet. Miami won the Charleston Classic in 2014.
Miami is making its first appearance in the Jimmy V. Classic. The Hurricanes have played a game in the New York area in three of the previous four seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series with Miami three games to one. Miami and Tennessee have each won one game in their series on neutral courts.
Miami and Tennessee will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN with Arkansas and Michigan at 9 PM in the second game of the doubleheader. Miami earned its only win over Tennessee in the 1991 San Juan Shootout 72-60. Tennessee beat Miami in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, in Coral Gables in 1995 and Knoxville in 1996.
Tennessee finished 27-9 overall and 14-4 in the SEC to win the regular season conference championship. Led by All-American and NBA first-round pick Dalton Knecht, Tennessee advanced the 2024 Midwest Regional Final where they lost to Purdue one game shy of the first Final Four in program history.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Jim Larranaga both have connections to Providence College. Larranaga was a star at Providence from 1968-71. Barnes coached at Providence from 1988-94. Tennessee is 13th in the Way-Too-Early ESPN Top 25 led by star guard Zakai Zeigler.