The countdown to the Lady Vols basketball season is nearing a close. Tennessee and the rest of the country are just weeks away from beginning the 2025-26 season. Ahead of the season, the All-SEC Preseason Teams were revealed. For the Lady Vols Talaysia Cooper was named to the All-SEC Second-Team.
Cooper is entering her third year with Tennessee, but her second on the court. She joined Kellie Harper’s team after transferring out of South Carolina, but due to the timing of it, she was ineligible to play. In her debut season with UT a year ago, she dominated.
Cooper finished the year averaging 16.6 points per game on 44.7% shooting from the field. She also contributed 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per outing. She was named to the All-SEC Second Team and was an SEC All-Defensive player.
“I think she knows what to expect,” Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said in August. “I do think Coop is still very far from her ceiling. She can be one of the best players in the country, and so we are working every day to make sure she sharpens some things up and can get there. Because I have all the faith in the world of her on the court talent. She just needs to continue to work and continue to grind.”
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Here is the Lady Vols’ full schedule for the 2025-26 season:
- Nov. 4: vs. NC State (Greensboro)
- Nov. 7: vs. ETSU
- Nov. 9: at UT Martin
- Nov. 13: vs. Belmont
- Nov. 20: at MTSU
- Nov. 23: vs. Coppin State
- Nov. 30: at UCLA
- Dec. 3: at Stanford
- Dec. 14: vs. Winthrop
- Dec. 20: vs. Louisville (Brooklyn)
- Dec. 22: vs. Southern Indiana
- Jan. 1: vs. Florida
- Jan. 4: at Auburn
- Jan. 8: at Mississippi State
- Jan. 11: vs. Arkansas
- Jan. 18: at Alabama
- Jan. 22: vs. Kentucky
- Jan. 26: at Ole Miss
- Jan. 29: vs. Mississippi State
- Feb. 1: at UConn
- Feb. 5: at Georgia
- Feb. 8: at South Carolina
- Feb. 12: vs. Missouri
- Feb. 15: vs. Texas
- Feb. 19: vs. Texas A&M
- Feb. 22: at Oklahoma
- Feb. 26: at LSU
- March 1: vs. Vanderbilt
The Lady Vols will also meet North Carolina for a closed-door scrimmage during its preparation for the season. Fans can get their first look at the program in 2025 on Oct. 29 in an exhibition against Columbus State in Knoxville.
