No. 17 Tennessee played an exhibition basketball game on Sunday at Food City Center ahead of its 2025-26 season.
No. 5 Duke defeated the Vols, 83-76. The contest was a top-20 preseason matchup in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Ja’Kobi Gillespie led Tennessee in scoring with 19 points. He converted 5-of-21 field goal attempts, 3-of-13 three-point attempts and 6-of-6 free throw attempts. Gillespie also recorded eight assists, two rebounds and one steal.
Nate Ament led the Vols with 10 rebounds. He also scored 14 points.
Duke forward Cameron Boozer led all players with 24 points. Isaiah Evans scored 22 points for the Blue Devils. Duke out rebounded Tennessee, 48-39, while the Vols committed eight turnovers to the Blue Devils’ seven.
The 2025-26 men’s basketball season is the 11th for Tennessee under head coach Rick Barnes. The Vols’ regular season will tip off Nov. 3 against Mercer at Food City Center.
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2025-26 Tennessee men’s basketball schedule
*All times Eastern
Oct. 26 – DUKE (L, 83-76 – exhibition) (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Nov. 3 – MERCER (7 p.m. on SECN+)
Nov. 8 – NORTHERN KENTUCKY (3 p.m. on SECN+)
Nov. 12 – NORTH FLORIDA (7 p.m. on SECN+)
Nov. 17 – RICE (8:30 p.m. on SECN)
Nov. 20 – TENNESSEE STATE (7 p.m. on SECN+)
Nov. 24 – vs. Rutgers (1 p.m. on TNT, HBO Max)
Nov. 25 – vs. Houston (6 p.m. on TNT, HBO Max)
Nov. 26/27 – vs. TBD (TBD on TNT/truTV, HBO Max)
Dec. 2 – at Syracuse (7 p.m. on ESPN2)
Dec. 6 – vs. Illinois (8 p.m. on ESPN)
Dec. 16 – LOUISVILLE (7 p.m. on ESPN)
Dec. 21 – GARDNER-WEBB (3 p.m. on SECN+)
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Dec. 30 – SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (8 p.m. on SECN)
Jan. 3 – at Arkansas (3 p.m. on ESPN2)
Jan. 6 – TEXAS (9 p.m. on ESPN/2)
Jan. 10 – at Florida (Noon on ESPN/2)
Jan. 13 – TEXAS A&M (7 p.m. on SECN)
Jan. 17 – KENTUCKY (12 p.m. on ESPN)
Jan. 24 – at Alabama (8:30 p.m. on ESPN/2)
Jan. 27 – at Georgia (7 p.m. on SECN)
Jan. 31 – AUBURN (8:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Feb. 3 – OLE MISS (9 p.m. on ESPN2)
Feb. 7 – at Kentucky (8:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Feb. 11 – at Mississippi State (9 p.m. on ESPN2/U)
Feb. 14 – LSU (6 p.m. on SECN)
Feb. 18 – OKLAHOMA (7 p.m. on ESPN/2/U)
Feb. 21 – at Vanderbilt (2/2:30 p.m. on ESPN/2)
Feb. 24 – at Missouri (9 p.m. on SECN)
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Feb. 28 – ALABAMA (6/6:30 p.m. on ESPN/2)
March 3 – at South Carolina (6 p.m. on SECN)
March 7 – VANDERBILT (2 p.m. on ESPN/2/U)
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Tennessee hosts Duke for exhibition basketball game
