The 1981-1982 Tennessee basketball team, led by head coach Don DeVoe, had a solid season, finishing with a 20-10 record and earning a second-place finish in the SEC with a 13-5 conference record. Despite not having a high-scoring offense, the team's defense held opponents to an average of just 62.0 points per game, ranking 60th out of 272 teams.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Volunteers were seeded 9th in the Mideast region and faced off against 8th-seeded Louisiana in the first round. Tennessee managed to come out on top with a close 61-57 victory to advance to the second round. However, the Volunteers' run came to an end in the second round with a heartbreaking 54-51 loss to the top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. Despite the loss, the team had a solid showing and showed promise for the future.