Tennessee Basketball: What’s next after program pause?

Due to COVID-19, Tennessee Basketball has put a pause on program activities, so what’s next for the Vols after this COVID pause?

It could be a while before we see Tennessee Basketball start its season after the Volunteer Classic in Knoxville was canceled as well as the Vols’ matchup against Gonzaga in the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis.

Tennessee’s basketball program announced on Tuesday that they will be putting a pause on program activities due to COVID-19.

"“After receiving Monday’s COVID-19 test results, the Tennessee men’s basketball program is extending its pause on team activities,” the athletic department said."

Head coach Rick Barnes has contracted the virus and is reportedly having mild symptoms, but has been “generally feeling well.”

The Vols also had an unscheduled game against Notre Dame for December 4 but won’t be able to participate in that game due to this pause, so the Vols are losing some big early-season games due to the virus.

Over the past two days, we’ve seen the next week and a half of Tennessee basketball games wiped from the schedule. With the football season being the disappointment it currently is, many fans were looking forward to these games, especially the game against Gonzaga.

Hopefully, Barnes and anyone else in the program with COVID-19 will recover quickly, and the Vols can get back to normal procedures. Another key game on Tennessee’s schedule is its matchup against Kansas at the end of January in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

If everything goes as planned from here, the Vols are expected to make their debut on December 12 against Cincinnati at Thompson-Bowling Arena.