No. 11 Tennessee beat Radford 70–47 on Monday night at Food City Center to improve to 2–0. The Vols opened the season with a 90–59 win over Wofford and have held both opponents under 60 points. They’ll stay in Knoxville for their next two games, with Tennessee State on Friday and Michigan State coming in four days later. 

The Spartans moved up to No. 5 in Monday’s AP Top 25. Their visit gives Tennessee a chance to see how they hold up against one of the college basketball's best. First, the Vols will face an in-state opponent coming off its best season in decades.

Tennessee State Comes to Knoxville on Friday

The Vols host Tennessee State on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. ET. The game will stream on SEC Network+.

Tennessee has won all seven meetings in the series, including an 89–60 win in Knoxville last November. The Tigers went on to share the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with Morehead State in Nolan Smith’s first season as head coach. They also won their first OVC tournament since Frankie Allen led them to back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994, earning their first NCAA Tournament bid in 32 years. 

Tennessee State lost its opener to Murray State before beating East-West University 127–61 in its home opener. Monday night, the Tigers defeated Fisk University 123-73. Friday gives the Vols a chance to extend their unbeaten start before the schedule gets tougher.

Michigan State Brings an Early SEC–Big Ten Test

Michigan State visits Food City Center on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. It’s the first game of a home-and-home series that will send Tennessee to East Lansing next season. The November meeting gives both conferences a chance to see two of their highest-ranked teams face off on national television before league play. 

The Spartans haven’t played a regular-season game in Knoxville since 1993. Their last official meeting with Tennessee came in the 2010 Elite Eight, when Michigan State edged the Vols 70–69. Tennessee won a charity exhibition in East Lansing in 2023.

Michigan State opened with wins over Quinnipiac and Toledo. Tom Izzo’s team faces No. 2 Duke in Chicago and hosts Northern Iowa before coming to Knoxville, so both teams’ rankings could shift before tipoff. The Vols have opened the season with two comfortable wins. Against Michigan State, they’ll get a better sense of whether their defense can control the pace and keep them in position to win against a team near the top of the national polls.

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