Well, that's the reason Vic provided last season as to why the home non-conference schedule had no headliners. If that's the same reason this season, then someone (Del Conte, Plonsky, etc.) needs to help him out and call in some favors to provide matchups the Texas fans will want to attend in droves.
If you think about it, we'd have UConn at home this season if Vic hadn't have requested to defer the series (a second time) one year ago. So, can't always put the blame on others.
I get that our defensive style of play is relentless; but, we aren't necessarily a fine-tuned offensive team (like Maryland and UConn for example) who want to hang 100 points on the opposition; the Terps and Huskies don't seem to have a problem scheduling home non-conference games against Top 25 teams. The "powerhouses" the last few seasons have been South Carolina, Stanford, UConn, and Louisville; all seem to have at least one Top 25 non-conference opponent at home this coming season.
As for Tennessee, our non-conference series with them did basically already get halted (temporarily) with the missed COVID game. And, they will no longer be a non-conference opponent once we join them in the SEC. So, certain things come to an end, while new things begin.
In the end, I'm just happy we're playing in the Atlantis tournament with the possibility of playing some high-quality opponents. It is unfortunate for the home fans, but it's still a huge positive for our players (and that's priority #1, IMO).
Last edited: Sep 26, 2022