Tennessee will continue its run of marquee basketball exhibitions Sunday night when the Volunteers host Duke.
The Vols have faced Gonzaga, Michigan State and Indiana the past three seasons, with the 89-88 victory at Michigan State on Oct. 29, 2023, serving as the coming-out party for Dalton Knecht, who racked up 28 points and seven rebounds. That game was televised by the Big Ten Network, and Sunday’s pairing with the Blue Devils will take place before a sold-out Food City Center and a national audience on ESPN2 at 7.
“I love these, and I think the players do, too,” Tennessee 11th-year coach Rick Barnes said Friday during a news conference. “Most of us would love to have more. We practice for a long time over the summer months and into the fall, and I just think they benefit. We just had a closed session with Ohio State that was great for both teams.
“We both came in with an agenda, and we got out of it what we wanted to. I’m sure Duke will be excited to see somebody else, too.”
Duke is entering its fourth season under Jon Scheyer, having reached the Final Four earlier this year. Scheyer’s first Duke team was eliminated by Tennessee, 65-52, in the 2023 NCAA tournament’s second round.
Sunday’s exhibition will include two of the nation’s top five freshman signees — Duke forward Cameron Boozer (6-foot-9, 250 pounds) and Tennessee forward Nate Ament (6-10, 207) — and it will be welcome for Vols redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella. The 6-11, 240-pounder played in just three games last season before having to undergo surgery on his left foot.
“That Ohio State game put a spark in me,” Estrella said Friday. “I’m just excited to be out there. This has been a huge waiting game.”
Barnes did not reveal his starting five when asked Friday, but he said as many as eight players could be considered.
Estrella was asked for his assessment of the team, which is looking to extend the most impressive run in program history. Tennessee has won 109 games the past four seasons and is 9-4 in NCAA tournament play with two consecutive trips to the Elite Eight.
“We are really good offensively,” Estrella said. “We’ve got a lot to work on defensively, and that’s a little different from what we’re used to, but we’re just really connected for the start of a year.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.