2015 – 16 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2015 – 16 NCAA Division I men 's basketball season . The Volunteers were led by first-year head coach Rick Barnes . The team played its home games at Thompson – Boling Arena in Knoxville , Tennessee , as a member of the Southeastern Conference . They finished the season 15 – 19 , 6 – 12 in SEC play to finish in 12th place . They defeated Auburn and Vanderbilt to advance to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament where they lost to LSU
SEC Tournament
2016 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
2015–16 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team