Lady Vols basketball entered its game against Texas A&M as 21-point favorites, but you’d never guess that based on how it played out. The final result was an 82-74 loss to an unranked and struggling Aggies team. That was after a late comeback, though, with UT trailing by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Here are three quick takeaways from the defeat.
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Lady Vols Got Out to a Rough Start
It wasn’t pretty for the Lady Vols out of the gates. Tennessee surrendered a 10-0 run through the first two and a half minutes, forcing Kim Caldwell to call a timeout.
While the Lady Vols began to find their footing afterward on offense, there was never a solution on defense in the first quarter. Texas A&M made 12-of-15 shots from the field and 4-of-5 from three in the opening frame. Tennessee trails 31-23 heading into the second as a result.
The biggest issue was finding a solution for Ny’Ceara Pryor. She scored 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field in the first quarter. She also passed for three assists.
Another Slow Start in the Second Half
By halftime, the Lady Vols were still struggling to find a way to get a stop, but had hit enough shots to get back in the game. Tennessee trailed 47-42, but had some momentum heading into the second half.
That came crumbling down in a hurry. The teams traded baskets to start, before things unfolded. The Lady Vols didn’t score for the following seven minutes of action and let Texas A&M go on a 14-0 run in the meantime.
Janiah Barker finally bucked the trend at the free-throw line, but by then, the damage was done. With 1:51 to play in the third quarter, Tennessee was behind 63-46 after the makes.
There’s a Realistic Chance the Lady Vols Don’t Win Another Game
This was likely the final game on the Lady Vols’ schedule that they would go into as significant favorites. DraftKings had Tennessee as 21.5-point favorites heading into the game.
Instead of taking advantage of possibly the final ‘easy’ win, the Lady Vols squandered the chance. Now, it’s road games at No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 7 LSU, before a final home match with No. 5 Vanderbilt.
Following those three games, it’ll be an SEC Tournament appearance. After a strong start to the conference slate, Tennessee has slipped down the standings and doesn’t inspire much confidence to beat anyone in the SEC at the moment.
Then, it’s the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols will likely slip to at least a projected 6-seed after this, and could continue to plummet. That’d create an interesting first-round matchup and a really tough road game if they survive that.
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Final Stats
Up Next
Next will be another big road matchup for the Lady Vols. Tennessee will meet No. 11 Oklahoma in Norman on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN.
Then, the Lady Vols will get a chance to catch their breath after a busy week. The next games aren’t easy, though. After the break, Tennessee meets No. 7 LSU on the road before hosting No. 5 Vanderbilt to finish the regular season.
