Lady Vols basketball announces nonconference schedule for 2023-24 season
One season after facing the gauntlet in nonconference play, the Tennessee Lady Vols will play four teams in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 and seven total, highlighted by home basketball matchups with Notre Dame and Ohio State, a neutral-site game with Indiana and a road game at Florida State.
The Lady Vols announced their nonconference basketball schedule for the 2023-24 season Friday.
The Lady Vols will play seven nonconference games at home, two on the road and three at neutral sites. UT will face 13 teams that played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and seven that played in the 2023 WNIT.
"With a veteran group, it's important to build a schedule that will provide a competitive challenge and help the team become the very best it can be," UT coach Kellie Harper said in a school release. "Obviously, our objective is to win every game, but the long-term goal is to continue improving as the season goes along and prepare ourselves for SEC and postseason play. We have some great non-conference measuring stick games, and I look forward to seeing how we respond in those situations."
The nonconference schedule is missing two of Tennessee's longtime opponents: Stanford and UConn. The Lady Vols have played Stanford every year since 1988, except the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, but will not face the Cardinal this season. Tennessee has played UConn the last four seasons after the historic rivalry was renewed, but it will not be played this season due to a scheduling conflict. Harper believes the series will continue after this season.
The schedule also features matchups with teams coached by former Lady Vols. Tennessee opens the season at home against Florida A&M, coached by Bridgette Gordon, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 7. Gordon, who won the Lady Vols' first two national championships, was announced as the FAMU coach in July in her first head coaching job.
The Lady Vols will also play Memphis, which is coached by Alex Simmons, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 13. Simmons, who won two national championships at Tennessee, was announced as Memphis' head coach this summer, and the home-and-home series was agreed to after her hiring.
Tennessee's road nonconference games are at Florida State on Nov. 9 and Liberty on Dec. 31.
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The Lady Vols will face Indiana and Oklahoma in neutral-site games at the Fort Myers Tip-Off over Thanksgiving, with the matchup against the Hoosiers to be broadcast on Fox. Tennessee lost to Indiana 79-67 at home last season. Tennessee's matchup with Notre Dame at home on Nov. 29 is part of the inaugural ACC/SEC challenge.
Tennessee will play Middle Tennessee State in a neutral-site matchup, the first of a four-game series. The Lady Vols will play MTSU on Dec. 6 in Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The two will then play twice in Knoxville (2024, 2026) and once in Murfreesboro (2025).
Tennessee Lady Vols basketball 2023-24 nonconference schedule
Oct. 30: Carson-Newman (exhibition)
Nov. 7: Florida A&M
Nov. 9: at Florida State
Nov. 13: Memphis
Nov. 19: Troy
Nov. 23: vs. Indiana in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Nov. 25: vs. Oklahoma in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Nov. 29: Notre Dame
Dec. 3: Ohio State
Dec. 6: MTSU
Dec. 10: Eastern Kentucky
Dec. 19: Wofford
Dec. 31: at Liberty
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball announces 2023-24 nonconference schedule
