After opening the season with a narrow loss to NC State, Lady Vols basketball returned home to beat ETSU in a 50-point blowout. With just one day of rest, Tennessee is back on the road to play at UT Martin in the Pat Summitt Heritage Classic.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: Why Kim Caldwell Wasn’t Happy After the Lady Vols’ 50-Point Win Over ETSU
How to Watch — No. 8 Lady Vols (1-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. ETSU (0-1, 0-0 OVC)
- Start Time: 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
- Location: Elam Center (Martin, Tenn.)
- Watch: ESPN+ | PxP: Chris Brinkley, Analyst: David Gregory
- 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
Spread: Tennessee – 27.5-point favorites (Draftkings)
Over/Under: 145.5 total points
How They’ve Fared
Lady Vols:
- Loss to No. 9 NC State in Greensboro, 80-77
- Win over ETSU, 97, 47
UT Martin:
- Loss at North Alabama, 57-54
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
- AP Poll: No. 8
- Coaches Poll: No. 9
- Bart Torvik: No. 9
UT Martin:
- AP Poll: Unranked
- Coaches Poll: Unranked
- Bart Torvik: No. 188
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Talaysia Cooper – 20.5
- Rebounds: Talaysia Cooper, Zee Spearman – 7.5
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 3.5
UT Martin:
- Points: Kenley McCarn – 16.0
- Rebounds: Kenley McCarn – 7.0
- Assists: Brittani Wells – 4.0
Prediction
This should be another tune-up game for the Lady Vols before the tough matchups begin again in the out-of-conference slate. We’ll see how focused Tennessee is on the list of things that irked Kim Caldwell after the 50-point win over ETSU, though. Namely, what will boxing out, fouling, off-ball movement, connecting on offense and shot selection look like in this one.
Even if the Lady Vols don’t want to answer Caldwell’s call, they should still win handily. If they do respond to her pleas, it’ll not even be necessarily close by the end of the first quarter.
I expect Talaysia Cooper to pick up where she left off and look like one of the best players in the country. Forwards Zee Spearman and Janiah Barker also have the chance to continue to impress, especially given their height advantage over this level of opponent.
What I’d like to see is Jersey Wolfenbarger and Nya Robertson, a pair of transfers, get their footing under them and look more comfortable, as well, though.
Lady Vols 88, UT Martin 52
