Tennessee Volunteers basketball

Tennessee Volunteers basketball
2024–25 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Tennessee
First season1909 (1909)
All-time record1,744–1,095 (.614)
Athletic directorDanny White
Head coachRick Barnes (10th season)
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
LocationKnoxville, Tennessee
ArenaThompson–Boling Arena
(capacity: 21,678)
NicknameVolunteers
Student sectionRocky Top Rowdies
ColorsOrange and white
   
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2010, 2024, 2025
Other NCAA tournament results
Sweet Sixteen1967, 1981, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025
Appearances1967, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference tournament champions
1936, 1941, 1943, 1979, 2022
Conference regular-season champions
1916, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 2000, 2008, 2018, 2024
Conference division regular-season champions
1999, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2009

The Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers (commonly referred to as the "Vols") compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers play their home games in Thompson–Boling Arena, on a court nicknamed "the Summitt", after former Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. With a current capacity of 21,678 (formerly 24,535), Tennessee has consistently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in terms of volume of attendance, averaging 14,817 (60.39% capacity) attendance from 1988 through 2006, and averaging 17,194 (79.34% capacity) attendance from 2007 through 2018 after reducing seating capacity prior to the 2007 season.

Historically, Tennessee ranks third in the SEC in all-time wins. The Volunteers have appeared 27 times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2025. The team appeared in the Elite Eight in 2010, 2024 and 2025, its deepest tournament runs in program history. Many notable players have played collegiately at Tennessee—players such as Bernard King, Dale Ellis, Allan Houston, Tobias Harris, Grant Williams, and Dalton Knecht who all play(ed) in the NBA. Chris Lofton, Ron Slay, Tyler Smith, Tony White, and John Fulkerson are also notable players who later played professionally in other leagues.

The Volunteers are currently coached by Rick Barnes, who was hired on March 31, 2015, to replace Donnie Tyndall.