Lady Vols basketball is back in action on Thursday after a disappointing loss at Ole Miss on Tuesday. This time, it’ll be a matchup with Texas A&M in Knoxville. Tennessee will sport pink uniforms, as well, for the annual Play4Kay event.
Here’s everything you need to know.
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How to Watch — No. 21 Lady Vols (16-8, 8-4 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (10-11, 3-9 SEC)
- Start Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT
- Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
- Watch: SECN+ | PxP: Zack Nelson, Analyst: Kamera Harris, Reporter: Sarah Detwiler
- 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
DraftKings: Lady Vols -21.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols – 96.4%
Texas A&M – 3.6%
What Kim Caldwell Said
On the short turnaround going in, the short turnaround after
“Yeah, I mean, we have one more at the end of this stretch, and then we’ll have a day off after. So we have to regroup. Again, we’re knocking these out here, so just gotta take what we need from this one and get ready to your next scout.”
On the biggest thing that has to change
“I think our, our transition defense is going to be the biggest point of emphasis. Box out, second-chance points, and doing it without fouling are going to be really important in all of those matchups that we have left.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- at Ole Miss, 94-81 L
- vs. Texas, 65-63 L
- vs. Missouri, 98-53 W
- at South Carolina, 93-50 L
- at Georgia, 82-77 W (OT)
Texas A&M:
- vs. Auburn, 81-63 W
- at Kentucky, 75-55 L
- vs. Alabama, 72-69 W
- vs. South Carolina, 71-56 L
- at Oklahoma, 85-58 L
More From RTI: Tennessee Sports Betting
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – No. 21
Coaches Poll – No. 21
Bart Torvik – No. 15
Texas A&M:
AP Poll – N/a
Coaches Poll – N/a
Bart Torvik – No. 70
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Talaysia Cooper – 16.0
- Rebounds: Janiah Barker – 6.7
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 3.8
Texas A&M:
- Points: Nyceara Pryor – 15.6
- Rebounds: Fatmata Janneh – 9.9
- Assists: Nyceara Pryor – 6.7
Prediction
Tuesday followed a familiar storyline. The Lady Vols went on the road against a ranked team and fell into a massive hole. While Tennessee at least showed a little fight late and cut the deficit, there was never a moment it felt like the Lady Vols were going to win in the second half.
On a short turnaround, how will Tennessee respond?
I think it’ll be similar to what Tennessee did following its historic loss to South Carolina. It hammered Missouri at home behind a fast start. Especially with Mia Pauldo back in the fold, I’ll take the Lady Vols clobbering a struggling Texas A&M team in Knoxville.
Watch for Talaysia Cooper to continue her unbelievable stretch. Janiah Barker and Zee Spearman could also use this matchup to refind their footing.
Lady Vols 82, Texas A&M 60
