KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team continues its preseason preparations Tuesday, traveling to Birmingham’s Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook for SEC Tipoff ’27.
The Volunteers will be represented by 12th-year head coach Rick Barnes, as well as sophomore forward DeWayne Brown II, junior guard Terrence Hill Jr. and sixth-year guard Tyler Lundblade.
SEC Network will provide full coverage throughout the day. Barnes will speak at the main stage at 5:50 p.m. ET, followed by Brown, Hill and Lundblade at 6:05 p.m. ET.
Last season, the Volunteers went 25-12 (11-7 SEC) and advanced to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season. Tennessee posted its fifth straight 25-win campaign and, by placing No. 12 nationally, also earned its fifth AP top-20 finish in a row.
Barnes enters his 12th season at the helm with 861 victories in his career, putting him No. 10 in Division I history, including second among active coaches. One of just four coaches ever to garner 30 bids to the Division I NCAA Tournament—that number includes eight in a row at Tennessee—Barnes has a roster that includes 13 new players for 2026-27, including Hill and Lundblade.
A native of Hoover, Ala., Brown appeared in all 37 contests for last season’s Tennessee team as a freshman and earned 10 starts. He averaged 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game, while shooting 58.6 percent from the field. Despite being just a sophomore, Brown’s peers voted him as the vice chair of the 2026-27 SEC Men’s Basketball Leadership Council, as announced Oct. 9.
A 2025-26 First Team All-A-10 choice at VCU, Hill was tabbed both the A-10 Most Improved Player and the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year last season as a sophomore. He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game. He led VCU in the first two categories and garnered NABC First Team All-East District plaudits.
The 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Belmont, Lundblade started all 32 games for the Bruins in 2025-26, posting a team-high 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in an MVC-best 34.3 minutes per game. Among the most prolific shooters in the country over the last two seasons, Lundblade registered a 40.6 percent figure from deep and a Division I-best 93.4 percent clip (85-of-91) at the line in his final year at Belmont.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
