Tennessee to play Louisville in first round of NIT Season Tip-Off

(Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire)

Tennessee will reportedly take on Louisville in the first round of the 2018 NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center on Nov. 21.

Kansas and Marquette will meet in the other opening round matchup.

The winners and losers of the first set of games will square off on Nov. 23.

Tennessee and Louisville have not met since the 2008 NCAA Tournament, which saw the Cardinals earn a 79-60 victory in the Sweet 16.

The Vols haven’t scored a victory in the series since grabbing a 100-84 win in 1985.

Louisville will sport a new head coach this season after former Xavier coach Chris Mack took over in late March.

Rick Barnes’ squad is coming off a 26-9 season, with the Vols capturing a share of the SEC regular season title before losing to eventual Final Four participant Loyola Chicago in the second round of the tournament.