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 2-10 RPI: 347 KenPom: 330 | Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET | Thompson-Boling Arena - Knoxville, TN Television: SEC Network Live Audio: Vol Network |  6-4 RPI: 64 KenPom: 99 |
Tennessee wraps up its non-conference schedule with two more in-state contests: Tennessee State tonight, and East Tennessee State on New Year's Eve. As you can see, Tennessee State is one of the worst teams in college basketball, 2-10 with no wins over Division I opponents. They have lost nine straight; Vanderbilt beat them by 32 and Middle Tennessee just beat them by 18. This is the sort of game you don't even want to schedule but you absolutely must not lose it for any postseason hopes to remain on the table. The Vols are at 64 in RPI and will enter SEC play with that conversation in mind if they can hold serve in these next two contests; getting to 8-4 in the non-conference with wins over Kansas State in Butler would be a strong achievement for Donnie Tyndall and this team.
Tip-off is a later start, 8:30 PM ET on the SEC Network. If you're watching along, this is your live thread for all the action. Go Vols.