ESPN announced Wednesday that the Tennessee vs. Texas Tech basketball matchup will lead the Jimmy V Classic doubleheader on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The Vols and Red Raiders tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The second game of this year’s Jimmy V Classic doubleheader features Syracuse and Villanova at 9 p.m. ET. Both games will air on ESPN.
The Jimmy V Classic marks Tennessee’s third trip to New York City under head coach Rick Barnes and its first appearance in Madison Square Garden since winning the NIT Season Tip-Off in November of 2011. Tennessee owns a 7-8 all-time record at MSG.
The Volunteers have faced Texas Tech just once previously on the hardwood, with the Red Raiders posting an 88-71 victory in Knoxville on Dec. 3, 1953.
Barnes has a lengthy history with Texas Tech, however. During his 17-year tenure as the head coach at Texas, Barnes led his teams to a 33-4 record in that series.
Mark Adams was promoted to head coach at Texas Tech in April after serving as an assistant and associate head coach with the program for the previous five seasons. Adams helped guide the Red Raiders to the 2018 Elite Eight and 2019 NCAA championship game.
The Red Raiders return their second- and third-leading scorers from last season in junior guards Terrence Shannon Jr. (12.9 ppg) and Kevin McCullar (10.4 ppg), respectively.
Texas Tech also boasts the return of super-senior Marcus Santos-Silva. The 6-7, 250-pound forward played his first three collegiate seasons at VCU. During Tennessee’s win over the Rams at the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic, Santos-Silva totaled 22 points and 11 rebounds—both game-highs.
The TTU roster also welcomed transfer-portal additions from Oral Roberts, Hampton, Florida State, UTEP and Winthrop.
Tennessee was scheduled to clash with Gonzaga in last season’s Jimmy V Classic, but the Vols were forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols.
-UT Athletics
