Lady Vols basketball struck an ideal balance in its 2023-24 nonconference schedule after playing the hardest schedule in the country last season.
Tennessee has matchups with top teams in the ACC and Big Ten, strong midmajor teams, and even two teams led by former Lady Vols. There are enough games to prepare them for SEC play and build a résumé for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but also a handful of games that should be easier to handle and can build on-court chemistry.
Here’s how the Lady Vols’ schedule compares to last season’s and the rest of the SEC teams’ schedules.
How does Tennessee’s 2023-24 schedule compare to last season’s?
The biggest difference between last season and this is Tennessee will have a chance to breathe in November. Last season, the Lady Vols hit the ground running and didn’t get a chance to come up for air until their eighth game.
The strength of that schedule also played a part in Tennessee’s seeding in the NCAA Tournament, earning it hosting privileges with a 25-12 record. But coach Kellie Harper said she wouldn’t schedule as many top 20 teams in the first month of the season again, and the first four games of 2023-24 are a more balanced start.
Florida State on the road in the second game of the season is a great early test, followed by Memphis and Troy, both of which will be solid midmajor teams this season. It gives Tennessee time to work through things in early games and provide a challenge before facing its toughest stretch of nonconference play. The Lady Vols will play Indiana, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Ohio State in a four-game stretch, and all but the Sooners are projected top 25 teams.
There are also two fewer nonconference matchups, allowing more time for rest and practice with a few newcomers on the roster.
When comparing projected ranked opponents, this season gets significantly lighter. In 2022-23, Tennessee played eight nonconference teams that were ranked for most of the season. That number shrinks to four this season, but that just makes UT’s schedule more . . . normal. And it’s still more ranked opponents than most SEC teams are playing in their nonconference schedules.
How does Tennessee’s slate compare to that of other SEC teams?
Tennessee and South Carolina have the best nonconference schedules in the SEC by a long shot.
Only Alabama and South Carolina haven’t officially announced their schedules, though most of the Gamecocks’ nonconference matchups have been announced separately.
South Carolina’s known games are Notre Dame in Paris; Maryland and UConn at home; Duke and North Carolina on the road; and Utah in Uncasville, Conn. The Gamecocks are the only SEC team with a nonconference tougher than Tennessee’s, which would have rivaled it if not for a scheduling conflict with UConn and the absence of Stanford, which also isn’t playing South Carolina. It’s unclear why Stanford is no longer on the schedule, but it’s unlikely it was discontinued by Tennessee.
As for the reigning national champions, LSU put out a nonconference schedule that’s marginally more challenging than last season’s. The Tigers aren’t short on talent, welcoming the top-ranked 2023 recruiting class and star transfers Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith. But coach Kim Mulkey is still sticking with a lighter load in nonconference play.
LSU will play three Power Five opponents: Colorado, Virginia and Virginia Tech. It’s a small step up from last season, including a Final Four rematch with Virginia Tech and two projected top 25 teams, but it leaves much to be desired.
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Several SEC teams, such as Ole Miss, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas and Georgia, put together solid nonconference schedules. Even Auburn and Missouri have schedules that equal the strength of their teams. The only other disappointing schedules aside from LSU’s are Mississippi State and Texas A&M, based on the rosters put together in the offseason. The Bulldogs and Aggies should be battling in the top five of the SEC this season, and neither nonconference schedule has a projected top 25 team on it.
The ones who lose in this situation are the fans. Not every team has to play a schedule like Tennessee did last season or what South Carolina put together this season, but at least give the fans some games to circle on their calendars.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
