Texas, Memphis headline Tennessee hoop schedule

Games against Texas, Oklahoma State and Memphis and perennial conference foes Florida and Kentucky headline Tennessee?s schedule for the second year under coach Bruce Pearl.

?We are trying to become a perennial top 25 program,? Pearl said in a statement released Tuesday with the new schedule.

?We are trying to do in men?s basketball what we do in all sports at Tennessee, and that is compete for championships. In order to do that, you have to play the best. The schedule may be a little too tough for this young team, but it is where we want to go.?

Tennessee finished 22-8 last year and won the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division championship before losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

At least 10 games will be televised nationally, the most in school history.

The Volunteers open the season Nov. 10 at home against Middle Tennessee. Then they will play in the NIT Season Tipoff tournament against Fordham in Nashville. The tournament field includes Belmont, Gonzaga, Indiana, North Carolina and Winthrop.

The other non-conference opponents include Coppin State, at Louisiana-Lafayette, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, East Tennessee State and Ohio State.

The Vols will host Oklahoma State in Nashville on Dec. 18 and then Texas in Knoxville on Dec. 23.

The SEC slate begins Jan. 7 at home against Mississippi State.

This year?s SEC tournament will be held in Atlanta, also the site of the Final Four.