Duke-Tennessee Exhibition Details Announced
Except for television, that is.
If you live near Knoxville and can stand an overdose of orange, you might want to attend the Duke-Tennessee exhibition game.
The Devils and Vols will be playing on the 26th and the game is at Food City Center at 7:00 p.m. No word on TV coverage yet.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes had this to say about the contest: “We have so much respect for (coach) Jon Scheyer and for the Duke basketball program. It is an exciting opportunity for our players and our fans to host the Blue Devils here in Knoxville for a high-level exhibition game. We are confident this matchup will benefit both teams and really help prepare us for the upcoming season.”
Duke and Tennessee played in the NCAA tournament in 2023, with the Vols winning 65-52 and before that last played in the 2011 Maui Invitational with Duke getting that win, 77-67.
Before that, there was a two-year home-and-home series in 1975 and 1976, with each team winning on the other’s homecourt. Tennessee won in Cameron 86-80, in 1975, while Duke won in Knoxville 81-78, in 1976.
Both games were during the Ernie and Bernie era at Tennessee, with Ernie being Ernie Grunfled and Bernie being Bernard King. In Cameron, the Volunteers put on perhaps the greatest warmup routine the ancient gym has ever seen. It was so impressive that Duke fans briefly seemed to be won over by the flashy routine.
Things snapped back to normal once the game started of course as the Crazies got crazy again, but it was an unforgettable moment in Cameron history.