On Sunday afternoon, Lady Vols basketball is rounding out its regular season with a clash against in-state rival, No. 5 Vanderbilt. It will also mark Senior Day for Tennessee.
Here is everything you need to know before the game.
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How to Watch — Lady Vols (16-11, 8-7 SEC) vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt (26-3, 12-3 SEC)
- Start Time: 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
- Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
- Watch: ESPN | 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
Vanderbilt -4 (Caesars)
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols – 52.2%
Vanderbilt – 47.8%
What Kim Caldwell Said
“We’re gonna go play a team (Vanderbilt) that has two great guards, as well. And so we talked about that in the locker room going into our next game. But really, we talked, we call it two dribble wars, and they can pick up their bounce in two dribbles, not going where they want to go.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- at LSU, 89-73 L
- at Oklahoma, 100-93 L
- vs. Texas A&M, 82-74 L
- at Ole Miss, 94-81 L
- vs. Texas, 65-63 L
Vanderbilt:
- vs. Alabama, 85-60 W
- vs. Kentucky, 81-79 W
- at Georgia, 76-74 L
- vs. Texas, 86-70 W
- vs. Oklahoma, 102-86 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – RV
Coaches Poll – RV
Bart Torvik – No. 21
Vanderbilt:
AP Poll – No. 5
Coaches Poll – No. 5
Bart Torvik – No. 8
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Talaysia Cooper – 15.9
- Rebounds: Janiah Barker – 6.6
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 3.7
Vanderbilt:
- Points: Mikayla Blakes – 26.9
- Rebounds: Sacha Washington – 7.5
- Assists: Aubrey Galvan – 6.0
Prediction
Vanderbilt is a really, really good team. The Commodores may have the best player in the country, Mikalya Blakes, who is averaging an absurd 26.9 points per game. Shutting her down is an issue for any defense in the country, but especially for a Tennessee defense that has struggled, that seems like a tall task.
The Lady Vols will also be fighting the mental aspect of this matchup. Tennessee isn’t expected to win and is coming off five-straight losses. Will UT come out fired up and swinging in an attempt to snap the streak, or defeated and ready to get to the SEC Tournament?
For the Lady Vols to have a chance to win if they do come out swinging, they’ll need something from their forwards. Zee Spearman and Janiah Barker go missing far too often, not just scorers, but rebounders. If Tennessee can find success on the glass, it may have a shot.
Vanderbilt 84, Lady Vols 72
