-University of Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee basketball team has earned a No. 2 seed in the 76th National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and hosts Mercer Wednesday, March 20, in the opening round of the tournament at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers and Bears tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
All tickets will be $10 and are general admission.
Mercer was the regular-season champion of the Atlantic Sun in 2013. The Bears posted a 23-11 record following a loss in the league championship game to Florida Gulf Coast.
Tennessee defeated Mercer in the most recent meeting in 1993, 67-45. Prior to that, the teams had not played since 1924 with Mercer winning three meetings from 1913-24.
This is Tennessee's 13th all-time appearance in the NIT, and the Vols own a 13-12 record in the event. Tennessee was a No. 1 seed in last season's NIT, and it defeated Savannah State in the first round before falling to Middle Tennessee.
UT's best showing at the NIT came in 1985, when the Vols advanced to the semifinals in New York City and fell to Indiana before beating Louisville in the consolation game.
