Vols Basketball: Tennessee to play Washington in Toronto

A few weeks back, we learned that Tennessee and Washington had a non-conference game in the works. Now, as first reported by Jon Rothstein, we know a location.

Rothstein is reporting that Tennessee will be a part of a triple-header event in Toronto this season at Scotiabank Arena, which is the home of the Toronto Raptors. The event will be called ‘The James Naismith Classic.’

Tennessee officially confirmed the news shortly after.

Rutgers vs. St. Bonaventure and Buffalo vs. Harvard will make up the other two legs of the triple-header.

The early season matchup will be a tough test for Tennessee, who lost both Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams to the NBA already this offseason. The Vols are waiting on a decision from point guard Jordan Bone this week.

“We’re appreciative of being included in the James Naismith Classic and are looking forward to competing against a really well coached Washington program that we have a lot of respect for,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a release. “I know from experience that these events hosted by the Naismith Hall of Fame are great experiences for our players and fans. Having the opportunity to showcase Tennessee basketball in Canada is a big deal. Canadian basketball continues to showcase tremendous growth and outstanding coaching while producing world-class players.”

Washington has had an outstanding offseason to this point, adding two five-star players in center Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. Each player ranked inside of the top ten players in the 2019 class.

The Huskies have also added point guard Quade Green, a former five-star point guard who transferred in from Kentucky.

Tennessee is also slated to play in the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida. Purdue, Florida State and VCU are the other headlining teams of the 2019 tournament.