The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team opened its 2023–24 season with a surprising 89–88 away triumph over fourth-ranked Michigan State. The two came face-to-face in a charity exhibition on Sunday night at the Breslin Student Events Center. Apart from players, the star coaches added a great action value to the contest. Tennessee’s Rick Barnes and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are ranked first and second active DI head coaches with NCAA Tournament appearances.

It would not be surprising if one or both teams made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. Though it’s still a long way off and both teams will need to improve significantly, there’s no disputing that they are two of the top teams in the country.

Tennessee’s nail-biting thriller against Michigan

Michigan State was absolutely out of sorts early on, making six errors in the opening forty-plus minutes of the game and scoring only one point. Tennessee’s length and size, particularly in the backcourt, proved to be a concern for MSU’s guards. The Spartans struggled to get into their attacking formations. Despite a remarkable comeback from an 18-point deficit in the first half and a five-second late free throw from Tennessee, the Spartans lost to the Volunteers, 89-88.

Tennessee quickly established a commanding 9-0 lead by capitalizing on turnovers in five of Michigan State’s first six possessions. Subsequent to the Spartans converting a free throw, the Volunteers commenced an 8-0 run in just under a minute. Then they began shooting 12-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 on 3-pointers, subsequently sinking 11 shots, including five consecutive 3-pointers, to increase their lead remaining in the half.

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Knecht, who transferred from Northern Colorado, made his debut for Tennessee in impressive fashion by scoring 28 points. He achieved this feat by taking 8 out of 16 field goals and 9 out of 11 free throws. During the second half of the game, junior guard Jahmai Mashack scored 11 points. Aidoo also played well, finishing with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Post-game pointers

The Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund received donations from the Volunteers and Spartans exhibition match. The money was used to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of the catastrophic Maui wildfires.

For the second year in a row, Tennessee won a philanthropic exhibition game against a top-five-rated club. The previous year, in Frisco, Texas, the team upset Gonzaga, which was ranked second, with a score of 99-80.

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Rick Barnes of Tennessee and Tom Izzo of Michigan State as two top coaches were ahead of each other. And promised the action that sparked the college basketball circuit.