Tennessee's men's basketball team began preparations for its upcoming 2026-27 season.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes returns for his 12th season and the Vols' roster features four returning players, nine transfers and four freshmen.
He is optimistic about the Vols' upcoming campaign as preparations continue for the season, which opens with an exhibition game against Xavier on Oct. 15 at Food City Center. Tipoff between Tennessee and the Musketeers is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).
“The fact that they’ve done the things we’ve asked them to do, they’ve embraced the things that we’ve tried to instill in them, breaking bad habits to create new habits," Barnes said Tuesday during local media day. "They work hard together and they have a lot
of respect for each other. They’ve been through some bad days and are able to pick each other up. At the end of practice when we run some, they give encouragement to each other.”
Barnes also discussed assembling a new team during the offseason.
“They all come from different backgrounds and different systems," he said. "They’re all trying to understand how we like to play here. Even as coaches, we know that we’ve got to adapt and adjust for some of what we recruited and put together.
"We just try to utilize their skill and real ability. We’re thinking about the end of this year, and putting ourselves in a good position for the NCAA Tournament, which is a one game elimination deal."
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Rick Barnes details optimism for Tennessee's 2026-27 basketball season
