BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee’s SEC opponents for the upcoming season have been revealed, as the conference office announced Tuesday each school’s foes for the 2025-26 campaign.
As part of the 16-game SEC schedule awaiting second-year UT head coach Kim Caldwell, the Lady Vols play host to Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
On the road, UT will battle Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
The SEC schedule consists of a single round robin of home or away (14 games) with one rotating opponent that will be played at home and away (two games). Each team will compete in eight home games and eight away games. The rotating opponent changes annually, and that foe for Tennessee this season is MSU.
This marks the 17th season of the 16-game schedule for SEC women’s basketball and the second with 16 teams after Oklahoma and Texas made their debuts in the league in 2024-25. Times, dates and television information for the 2025-26 SEC schedule will be released at a later date, as will the remainder of the Lady Vol non-conference slate. Season tickets are available at AllVols.com.
Six of the league opponents UT will face are ranked among ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25,” including defending NCAA runner-up and No. 1-ranked South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 11 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Ole Miss.
UT also previously released a trio of non-conference games away from Knoxville, including its season opener vs. No. 9 NC State in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 4, a Dec. 3 ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge contest at perennial-power Stanford on Dec. 3 and a match-up with No. 17 Louisville at the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Dec. 20.
Tennessee returns three of its top four scorers and rebounders, including junior guard and All-SEC Second Team/SEC All-Defensive Team performer Talaysia Cooper (16.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.2 apg., 3.1 spg.), senior forward Zee Spearman (11.7 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and senior guard Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 1.7 apg.). Additionally, it welcomes back key 2024-25 contributors in junior forward Alyssa Latham (3.9 ppg., 3.7 rpg.) and redshirt sophomore guard Kaniya Boyd (4.0 ppg., 1.3 apg., 1.3 spg.).
Also expected to return to the court is redshirt senior guard Kaiya Wynn, who missed all of last season due to injury but averaged 4.4 ppg. and 2.6 rpg. in 2023-24 and has appeared in 94 contests for the Big Orange during her career.
Caldwell and her staff also have recruited extremely well, adding a transfer portal class rated No. 1 by ESPN’s Charlie Creme and a high school signing group rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation by most analysts. The transfer class includes 6-foot-4 forward and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Janiah Barker of UCLA (7.4 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 1.4 apg.), 5-7 guard and All-ACC Second Team selection Nya Robertson of SMU (18.5 ppg., 62 3FGs, 111 FTs) and 6-5 forward Jersey Wolfenbarger of LSU (4.6 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 63% FG). The stellar prep class includes McDonald’s All-Americans Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil, as well as Mia’s twin sister, Mya, and Lauren Hurst, all of whom rank among ESPN’s top 60 recruits in the class of 2025.
