After a disappointing loss to UCLA to begin the trip out to California, Lady Vols basketball is back in action. Tennessee will meet Stanford on the road in the 2025 edition of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: Lady Vols Basketball Not in Top 25 of Initial NET Rankings
How to Watch — No. 19 Lady Vols (5-2, 0-0 SEC) at Stanford (8-1, 0-0 ACC)
- Start Time: 9:15 p.m. ET/8:15 p.m. CT
- Location: Maples Pavilion (Stanford, Calif.)
- Watch: ESPN2 | PxP: Krista Blunk, Analyst: Stephanie White
- 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
Lady Vols 7.5-point favorites, via BetMGM
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols: 56.9%
Stanford: 43.1%
What Kim Caldwell Said After UCLA Loss
“We got to cut down our mistakes,” Caldwell said. “Our mistakes right now are just cringy, to be honest, for lack of a better word. Turning the ball over too much, our shot selection still needs — our offense was not necessarily the problem today. This was the first time I’d seen our defense be that bad. We’ve been pretty good defensively, but again, it’s why you play the game. It’s why you play this game so early in your schedule with so many new ones. We’re not afraid of it. We’re not scared of it.
“Our goal this year was to be better in the SEC and we didn’t play anyone last year to help us do that. And we didn’t learn these lessons until we got into SEC play. We’re learning them now. And if our team will watch the film and make the adjustments, then we’ll be ready by the time we get in the thick of it.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- at UCLA, 99-77 L
- vs. Coppin State, 88-35 W
- at MTSU, 85-41 W
- vs. Belmont, 68-58 W
- at UT Martin, 72-61 W
Stanford:
- vs. Colorado State, 62-60 W
- vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 66-62 L
- vs. Lehigh, 98-43 W
- vs. UC Davis, 70-45 W
- at Gonzaga, 66-52 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – No. 19
Coaches Poll – No. 17
Bart Torvik – No. 12
Stanford:
AP Poll – Receiving votes
Coaches Poll – Receiving votes
Bart Torvik – No. 32
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Janiah Barker – 16.6
- Rebounds: Talaysia Cooper – 7.4
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.6
Stanford:
- Points: Nunu Agara – 16.0
- Rebounds: Lara Somfai – 8.9
- Assists: Talana Lepolo, Chloe Clardy – 2.9
Prediction
It’s really tough for me to pick the Lady Vols with any degree of confidence right now. It seemed like Tennessee might have turned the page in back-to-back strong wins over MTSU on the road, then Coppin State. While the level of competition was down, it seemed like UT was taking the necessary steps.
That all came crashing down at UCLA. This time, it was too many turnovers and a poor defensive effort that were costly. The shot selection was actually not too bad, but it was one step forward, two steps back. The area that concerns me the most is the defense. Tennessee allowed way too many open shots, and the press did more harm than good at times.
The Lady Vols can absolutely win this game. Really, they should win this game, despite it being on the road against a likely NCAA Tournament team. Coming off the 22-point loss in LA, I’ll settle on a narrow defeat before heading home, though.
Stanford 76, Lady Vols 73
