Tennessee basketball played its first exhibition game on Thursday ahead of the 2026-27 regular season. Xavier defeated the Vols, 86-70, at Food City Center.
Tennessee has nine incoming transfers on its 2026-27 basketball roster: guard Tyler Lundblade, guard Jalen Haralson, guard Juke Harris, guard Terrence Hill Jr., guard Dai Dai Ames, center Miles Rubin, forward Christian Fermin, forward Braedan Lue and forward Jalen Washington.
Washington did not play for the Vols on Thursday.
Hill Jr. led Tennessee in scoring with 22 points. He converted 9-of-17 field goal attempts, 2-of-8 three-point attempts and 2-of-3 free throw attempts. Hill Jr. also recorded three assists, three steals and two rebounds.
Jovan Milicevic led Xavier in scoring with 16 points.
The Vols led for 16 minutes, 16 seconds of the game. The exhibition had 15 lead changes.
Vols Wire provided live game updates between Tennessee and Xavier and are listed below, along with player and team statistics.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Xavier Musketeers score (final)
| Team | First half | Second half | Score |
| Xavier | 27 | 59 | 86 |
| Tennessee | 35 | 35 | 70 |
Tennessee vs. Xavier live updates, analysis
Refresh live updates from Tennessee basketball's exhibition game against Xavier at Food City Center.
Tennessee-Xavier team comparison
09:22 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| Stat | Xavier | Tennessee |
| FG% | 49% | 39% |
| FGs | 30-61 | 22-57 |
| 3FG% | 37% | 15% |
| 3FGs | 10-27 | 4-26 |
| FT% | 64% | 67% |
| FTs | 16-25 | 22-33 |
| TOs | 17 | 14 |
| Pts Off TO | 18 | 18 |
| Tot Reb | 45 | 31 |
| Def Reb | 32 | 22 |
| Off Reb | 13 | 9 |
| 2nd Ch Pts | 17 | 7 |
| Bench Pts | 37 | 34 |
| Pts Paint | 40 | 30 |
| Fst Bk Pt | 19 | 9 |
| Blocks | 1 | 3 |
| Steals | 12 | 8 |
| Assts | 19 | 13 |
Final stats – Xavier 86, Tennessee 70
09:09 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
Tennessee Volunteers
| # | Player | PTS | FG | 3FG | FT | REB | A | PF | TO | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GREEN,M | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | HILL JR.,T | 22 | 9-17 | 2-8 | 2-3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 32 |
| 24 | HENDERSON,T | 3 | 1-7 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| 25 | RUBIN,M | 6 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| 33 | WASHINGTON JR,, | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | LUE,B | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| 2 | HARRIS,J | 15 | 5-14 | 0-7 | 5-7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| 4 | AMES,D | 6 | 2-6 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 21 |
| 6 | BROWN II,D | 6 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 4-9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 32 |
| 8 | CLARK,M | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | HARALSON,J | 10 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 6-8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| 12 | FERMIN,C | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
Xavier Musketeers
| # | Player | PTS | FG | 3FG | FT | REB | A | PF | TO | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | BOROVICANIN,F | 3 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
| 8 | ALIGBE,R | 5 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| 12 | APPELHANS,B | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | WESTPHAL,K | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | BASSON,G | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 0 | POZZATO,G | 11 | 4-8 | 1-4 | 2-4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
| 1 | NWOKO,M | 6 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 5T | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | WASHINGTON,T | 10 | 3-10 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 29 |
| 9 | DOMINGUEZ,R | 14 | 4-9 | 4-9 | 2-2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
| 11 | WESTRY,C | 4 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| 16 | CHITIKOUDIS,N | 17 | 6-11 | 0-1 | 5-9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| 24 | MILICEVIC,J | 16 | 6-9 | 2-4 | 2-2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 25 |
Second half media timeout – Xavier 79, Tennessee 66 (3:57)
08:56 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| # | Player | PTS | REB | A | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | HILL JR.,T | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | BROWN II,D | 6 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | HARALSON,J | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 24 | HENDERSON,T | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 25 | RUBIN,M | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 0 | LUE,B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | GREEN,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | HARRIS,J | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | AMES,D | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | CLARK,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FERMIN,C | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Second half media timeout – Xavier 62, Tennessee 59 (7:48)
08:44 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| # | Player | PTS | REB | A | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | HARRIS,J | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | HILL JR.,T | 18 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | AMES,D | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | BROWN II,D | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | HARALSON,J | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 0 | LUE,B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | GREEN,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | CLARK,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FERMIN,C | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | HENDERSON,T | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 25 | RUBIN,M | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Second half media timeout – Tennessee 51, Xavier 51 (11:50)
08:36 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| # | Player | PTS | REB | A | PF | MIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | LUE,B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 2 | HARRIS,J | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | HILL JR.,T | 16 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
| 4 | AMES,D | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| 12 | FERMIN,C | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1 | GREEN,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | BROWN II,D | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 8 | CLARK,M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | HARALSON,J | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| 24 | HENDERSON,T | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| 25 | RUBIN,M | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
Halftime stats
08:06 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| Stat | Xavier | Tennessee |
| FG% | 32% | 41% |
| FGs | 11-34 | 11-27 |
| 3FG% | 15% | 21% |
| 3FGs | 2-13 | 3-14 |
| FT% | 38% | 71% |
| FTs | 3-8 | 10-14 |
| TOs | 8 | 7 |
| Pts Off TO | 6 | 9 |
| Tot Reb | 21 | 21 |
| Def Reb | 13 | 17 |
| Off Reb | 8 | 4 |
| 2nd Ch Pts | 9 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 21 |
| Pts Paint | 18 | 14 |
| Fst Bk Pt | 6 | 7 |
| Blocks | 1 | 3 |
| Steals | 5 | 4 |
| Assts | 6 | 6 |
Halftime – Tennessee 35, Xavier 27
07:55 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
Terrence Hill Jr. leads Tennessee in scoring with 13 points. Juke Harris has scored seven points for the Vols.
Dai Dai Ames, Miles Rubin and Jalen Haralson have two fouls each for Tennessee.
Both teams have recorded 21 rebounds each in the first half.
First-half media timeout (7:50)
07:30 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
Terrence Hill Jr. leads Tennessee in scoring with seven points. Juke Harris has scored five points for the Vols.
Juke jams. pic.twitter.com/ZXC0lT6atq
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) October 15, 2026
Tennessee basketball starting lineup versus Xavier
06:45 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
- Guard – Juke Harris
- Guard – Dai Dai Ames
- Guard – Troy Henderson
- Forward – DeWayne Brown II
- Center – Miles Rubin
Tennessee versus Xavier basketball game officials
06:43 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
- Courtney Green
- Bart Lenox
- Tony Chiazza
What channel is Tennessee versus Xavier basketball on today?
05:47 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
- TV channel: SEC Network+
- Livestream:Watch live on SECN+
- Time: 7 p.m. EDT
- Announcers: Andy Brock (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst)
Watch Tennessee basketball live
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2026-27 Tennessee basketball roster
05:45 PM ET, October 15 2026, Dan Harralson
| # | Name | Position | Class | Height-weight |
| 4 | Dai Dai Ames | Guard | Senior | 6-2, 199 lbs. |
| 6 | DeWayne Brown II | Forward | Sophomore | 6-8, 248 lbs. |
| 8 | Marquis Clark | Guard | Freshman | 6-2, 211 lbs. |
| 12 | Christian Fermin | Forward | Fifth-year | 6-10, 234 lbs. |
| 1 | Manny Green | Guard | Freshman | 6-6, 205 lbs. |
| 10 | Jalen Haralson | Guard | Sophomore | 6-7, 222 lbs. |
| 2 | Juke Harris | Guard | Junior | 6-7, 205 lbs. |
| 24 | Troy Henderson | Guard | Sophomore | 6-1, 188 lbs. |
| 3 | Terrence Hill Jr. | Guard | Junior | 6-2, 186 lbs. |
| 0 | Braedan Lue | Forward | Junior | 6-8, 243 lbs. |
| 7 | Tyler Lundblade | Guard | Sixth-year | 6-6, 216 lbs. |
| 25 | Miles Rubin | Center | Senior | 6-10, 224 lbs. |
| 13 | Ralph Scott | Forward | Freshman | 6-8, 211 lbs. |
| 33 | Christopher Washington Jr. | Forward | Freshman | 6-9, 214 lbs. |
| 9 | Jalen Washington | Forward | Fifth-year | 6-10, 244 lbs. |
This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Xavier basketball defeats Tennessee in exhibition
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