Thursday night will be a homecoming for Missouri women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper. After winning national titles under Pat Summitt as a player, she returned to her alma mater to serve as head coach from 2019-24, before being fired and ultimately replaced by sitting Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell.
Ahead of the matchup, Harper met with the media. Of course, she was asked about the emotions of returning to a city and school that she had given so much of her life to.
Despite the spotlight being shone on Harper, she is trying to redirect it. Instead, she’s emphasizing how important the game is and the challenge ahead for her players.
“For me, I’m just doing my job,” Harper said. “This is about our players. It really is. It’s about our team, and we’re going over to play a game. I know there’s going to be so many people wanting to make it about me, and I get that, but it really isn’t. It’s about the game. We’ve got to do our best to have our players prepared. The challenges that we have on Thursday are enormous. They’re big, they’re athletic. But we know we’ll fight and we’ll play hard.”
Former #LadyVols HC Kellie Harper on her return to Tennessee this Thursday:
“For me, I’m just doing my job. This is about our players…I know there’s going to be so many people that will want to make it about me, and I get that.”
🎥@KOMUNews pic.twitter.com/k7h0liUfII
— Emilie Rae Cochrane (@EmCochranetv) February 10, 2026
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Harper said she hasn’t thought much about the return, either. Since it’s been nearly two years since she last coached at UT, she’d moved on.
Last season, Harper served as an in-studio analyst on the SEC Network. After one year on the broadcasting side of the industry, she returned to coaching in the SEC with Missouri.
“Honestly, no, and I know it’s going to be hard for people to understand that, but I’m now almost two years removed,” Harper said. “I do think time takes a lot of emotion out of it. And I’ve always been the type of person of what is next? What is next on my agenda? I can lock in, I can compartmentalize pretty well as a coach, and really dive into what needs to be done. I know we’re going to Knoxville on Thursday, but I’m really concerned about how this practice is going to look today. That’s really been my focus.”
Missouri enters the game 16-10 (4-7 SEC). Most recently, Harper’s team lost 85-66 at home to Georgia, a team the Lady Vols just beat on the road in overtime last Thursday. However, on Sunday, Tennessee lost at South Carolina by a program-record 43 points. This moved UT to 15-6 (7-2 SEC) on the year.
Now, it creates a pivotal game for both sides. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+.
