On Saturday morning, Lady Vols basketball has another marquee matchup in its pre-SEC slate. Tennessee will meet Louisville in Brooklyn for a top-20 clash in the Shark Beauty Women’s Championship Classic.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: How Much CNBC Values Tennessee’s Athletic Program At, Where it Ranks Nationally
How to Watch — No. 17 Lady Vols (7-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. No. 16 Louisville (11-3, 2-0 ACC)
- Start Time: 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
- Location: Brooklyn, New York (Barclays Center)
- Watch: FOX | PxP: Jason Benetti, Analyst: Sarah Kustok
- Online Streaming: Watch FOX
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Brian Rice, Studio Host: Jay Lifford
Betting Odds
No odds currently listed
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols: 54.1%
Louisville: 45.9%
What Kim Caldwell Said About Louisville
On what stands out about Louisville’s offense
“I think they push the ball really well. They can do both, they can push in transition well, they can play slow. They have a ton of different sets, they’re very deep. They’re the deepest team we have played. Everyone on our scout, and there’s a lot of them on the scout, average at least eight points. And so every player has to be ready to guard, and we have to play team defense.”
On what stands out about Louisville’s defense
“It’s a big win (over North Carolina). I have watched them a lot and I’ve been watching them in real time and I think that they always play higher than they’re ranked. And so I think that 22 was maybe just because they didn’t start ranked high. I think that they’re a top 15 team in the country. They, again, they’re very deep. They play a way that I respect. They play possessionless. Everyone can shoot, everyone can drive. They’re a very skilled team. They can also put the clamps on you defensively. They showed that in the last game. And so, I think it’s going to be a really big test for us because, yeah, they were ranked 22nd, but again, I think they’re a Sweet 16, Elite Eight team.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- vs. Winthroop, 112-40 W
- at Stanford, 65-62 W
- at UCLA, 99-77 L
- vs. Coppin State, 88-35 W
- at MTSU, 85-41 W
Louisville:
- vs. EKU, 76-51 W
- at UNC, 76-66 (OT) W
- vs. Ball State, 93-62 W
- vs. New Hampshire, 94-43 W
- vs. South Carolina, 79-77 L
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
- AP Poll – No. 17
- Coaches Poll – No. 18
- Bart Torvik – No. 16
Louisville:
- AP Poll – No. 16
- Coaches Poll – No. 17
- Bart Torvik – No. 19
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Janiah Barker – 16.2
- Rebounds: Zee Spearman – 7.0
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.7
Louisville:
- Tajianna Roberts – 13.0
- Laura Ziegler – 7.4
- Imari Berry – 2.8
Prediction
This is another game where I feel like it could go either way. The Lady Vols certainly have the ability to win this game, but have also proven to fall flat in big moments at times. I do think prior tests and proving they can get over the hump at Stanford could go a long way in preparing them for this game, though.
The last time out, though it was against Winthrop, they also looked much better. The press seemed to be much more effective, with most mistakes coming due to trying new things with the score out of hand. Offensively, shot selection continues to improve, but there is a lack of consistency in hitting the deep ball that I don’t know if we’ll ever fully see this year. However, players such as Mia Pauldo and Alyssa Latham have stepped up their game and are playing their best basketball of the season on both ends right now.
What I think Tennessee will need to win this game is a Talaysia Cooper takeover. It’s fair to expect nearly 20 points and pushing towards 10 rebounds for Janiah Barker, but she can’t do it all herself. If Cooper can be disruptive defensively and aggressive in transition, her impact could be enough to swing it in the favor of UT.
What the Lady Vols can’t do is get messy in the press. If the backend is out of position like we’ve seen at times this year, Louisville has way too many weapons not to take advantage of it.
Louisville 78, Lady Vols 76
