Tar Heels’ visit highlights Vols’ nonconference slate
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee will get its shot at revenge against North Carolina in men’s basketball on Dec. 17 in Knoxville.
North Carolina rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat the Volunteers 73-71 in Chapel Hill last December. The Tar Heels, who were ranked No. 7 at the time, went on to win the national championship last season after finishing as runners-up in 2016.
The rematch headlines Tennessee’s 2017-18 nonconference schedule, which was released Wednesday.
The Vols could play up to seven games against power conference opposition in the 12-game slate. The final tally will depend on how the bracket is drawn for November’s Battle 4 Atlantis.
The field for that Thanksgiving weekend event in the Bahamas also includes Arizona, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Purdue, SMU, Villanova and Western Kentucky.
Other nonconference highlights are road games against Georgia Tech (Dec. 3), Wake Forest (Dec. 23) and Iowa State (Jan. 27).
The Tar Heels are the lone power conference team on the nonconference slate traveling to Thompson-Boling Arena as the programs conclude a home-andhome series with North Carolina’s first visit to Knoxville since 1949. The Tar Heels lead the alltime series 9-1.
The state of North Carolina has been a recruiting site of emphasis for third-year Vols coach Rick Barnes, who played collegiately at Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, N.C. Barnes has already plucked John Fulkerson, Jalen Johnson and Grant Williams from the state. Another North Carolina native, Kwe Parker, transferred this offseason after spending his freshman year at Tennessee.
The Southeastern Conference is expected to release its 2018 schedule later this summer.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.