Photo via @LadyVol_Hoops on X
Lady Vols basketball has another significant challenge on the schedule, but this one is at home. Tennessee hosts Texas on Sunday afternoon inside Food City Center.
Here’s what you need to know.
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How to Watch — No. 22 Lady Vols (16-6, 8-2 SEC) vs. No. 4 Texas (23-3, 8-3 SEC)
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Watch: ABC | PxP: Tiffany Greene, Analyst: Carolyn Peck
Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Brian Rice, Studio Host: Jay Lifford
Betting Odds
No odds listed yet
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols: 22.2%
Texas: 77.8%
What Kim Caldwell Said
On getting her team ready for Texas
“It’s going to be very different. We are going to be physical. We got to be big inside. We got to really, really, really work on box outs and going to get offensive rebounds and taking care of the ball. I’m worried about turning the ball over versus them, and hopefully we can get Mia back on the floor, but we still don’t have an update.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
vs. Missouri, 98-53 W
at South Carolina, 93-50 L
at Georgia, 82-77 W (OT)
at UConn, 96-66 L
vs. Mississippi State, 77-62 L
Texas:
at Vanderbilt, 86-70 L
vs. Kentucky, 64-53 W
vs. LSU, 77-64 W
vs. Oklahoma, 78-70 W
at Florida, 88-68 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – No. 22
Coaches Poll – No. 22
Bart Torvik – No. 13
Texas:
AP Poll – No. 4
Coaches Poll – No. 4
Bart Torvik – No. 4
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
Points: Talaysia Cooper – 14.7
Rebounds: Janiah Barker – 6.9
Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.0
Texas:
Points: Madison Booker – 18.7
Rebounds: Kyla Oldacre – 6.7
Assists: Rori Harmon – 6.5
Prediction
These have been the games that the Lady Vols have had no success in this year. Not only have they lost to No. 1 UConn, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 9 Louisville, but each loss has been by more than 20 points. This includes a 43-point loss, the largest margin of defeat in program history, to the Gamecocks.
If Tennessee simply lost those games, I don’t think anyone would bat an eye. All were on the road except for the game against Louisville, which was a neutral site. Losing by the margins they did is what has shot the Lady Vols toward the bottom of the AP Poll.
I think the expectation for this game is to just be more competitive. Play 40 minutes and keep things in reach throughout. Obviously, the overall expectation for the Lady Vols is to win every game they play, but at this point, they just need to take the first step in that direction.
For this to happen, Tennessee will need its stars, Talaysia Cooper, Janiah Barker and Zee Spearman, to step up as scorers in the absence of Mia Pauldo.
Texas 84, Lady Vols 76