Florida State basketball’s non-conference schedule continues to take shape as the Seminoles officially learned their opponent for the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge. According to an announcement from FSU on Thursday, the Seminoles will travel to face the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball as part of the annual ACC/SEC Challenge.
The matchup is scheduled for Dec. 2 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee, and will mark one of the marquee non-conference tests of the season for head coach Luke Loucks and the Seminoles. The meeting will be the 18th all-time between the two programs. Tennessee holds a 10-7 advantage in the series, though the teams have not met since the 2021 season. Florida State has won several notable matchups in the series over the years, including NCAA Tournament victories in 1977 and 2019.
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The Volunteers enter the season as one of the nation’s premier programs under longtime head coach Rick Barnes. Tennessee has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons and advanced to the Elite Eight in each of the past three years, making the Volunteers one of the ACC’s toughest assigned opponents in the annual challenge.
For Florida State, the matchup represents another opportunity to measure the progress of the program under Loucks entering his second season at the helm. The Seminoles have been active on both the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal throughout the offseason and recently landed the No. 11-ranked 2026 recruiting class, welcoming 13 newcomers for the 2026-27 season, including eight four-star prospects.
The ACC/SEC Challenge has quickly become one of the premier early-season events in college basketball, pitting teams from two of the sport’s strongest conferences against one another. Florida State participated in the inaugural event in 2023 and 2025 against the Georgia Bulldogs and the LSU Tigers in 2024.
While game times and television designations are expected to be announced at a later date, the Seminoles now know one of the biggest tests awaiting them during the 2026-27 season. A road trip to Knoxville will provide an early benchmark for a Florida State team hoping to take another step forward and return to NCAA Tournament contention.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State basketball to face Tennessee in ACC/SEC Challenge
