It’s finally time for Lady Vols basketball to open up SEC play. To ring in the new year, Tennessee will host Florida on Thursday afternoon.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: What Worries Lady Vols Basketball Coach Kim Caldwell Heading into SEC Play
How to Watch — No. 23 Lady Vols (8-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Florida (12-3, 0-0 SEC)
- Start Time: 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee (Food City Center)
- Watch: SECN+ | PxP: Myan Patel, Analyst: Niya Butts
- 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 – 93.0%
Florida – 7.0%
What Kim Caldwell Said About Florida
On what challenges Florida presents
“I think it’s going to be a very even matchup. We’re both athletic. We both want to play fast. And they’re gonna want to go to the rim. They have great players that we’re gonna have to sit down and guard as a unit, which is, again, I mean, we try to explain to our freshmen what the SEC is every single night, and that just gets harder and harder as the season goes on. But they’re not gonna understand it until they live it.”
On Florida’s Liv McGill
“It’s gonna be a team effort here ’cause we can’t do it one-on-one. We don’t have anyone that can do it one-on-one for 40 minutes. I don’t think anyone in the country has somebody that can do it one-on-one for 40 minutes. So we all have to be on high alert around her, and we have to do it together.”
On if she’s okay with the game against Florida being a track meet
“Normally, I would feel great about it. Normall,y that’s all we would want. Well, our transition offense hasn’t been great, and our transition defense hasn’t been great. And so if we can do those things the way teams I find in the past have done it, then I think we always want it to be a track meet. We always want to go. We always think that we can win that way. But we have to take a big step, because the games that have been track meets, we’ve gotten whooped.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- vs. Southern Indiana, 89-44 W
- vs. Louisville (Brooklyn), 89-65 L
- vs. Winthrop, 112-40 W
- at Stanford, 65-62 W
- at UCLA, 99-77 L
Florida:
- vs. Furman, 82-66 W
- vs. Tulsa, 74-67 L
- vs. Florida A&M, 76-51 W
- vs. West Georgia, 85-41 W
- vs. South Alabama, 75-61 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
- AP Poll – No. 23
- Coaches Poll – No. 22
- Bart Torvik – No. 21
Florida:
- AP Poll – Unranked
- Coaches Poll – Unranked
- Bart Torvik – No. 62
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Janiah Barker – 14.6
- Rebounds: Zee Spearman – 7.5
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.5
Florida:
- Points: Liv McGill – 24.4
- Rebounds: Me’Arah O’Neil – 7.9
- Assists: Liv McGill – 6.2
Prediction
This is a game the Lady Vols should win. However, with all the issues that have popped up in out-of-conference play, it’s tough to predict a Tennessee win with too much confidence.
I’ll still pick the Lady Vols to find a way to win, though. It might get ugly at times, but Tennessee is a much more talented team. If there’s a level of focus, which has been hit or miss at times, UT is plenty capable to go on runs and begin to build up a lead or erase any deficit it falls into.
The biggest challenge will be guarding Liv McGill, especially in transition. The Lady Vols can’t afford to let her loose and get a head of steam and need to sit down and guard her in the halfcourt. It’ll be a team effort, but if they can limit her, the Gators’ offense could begin to struggle.
I’ll take a much-needed win for Tennessee to open up conference play.
Lady Vols 74, Florida 68
