WBB Preview: #22/22 Lady Vols vs. #4/4 Texas

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 22/22 Tennessee (16-6, 8-2 SEC) is back at Food City Center for a Sunday matinee, as No. 4/4 Texas (23-3, 8-3 SEC) comes to Knoxville for a key Southeastern Conference clash.

The Lady Vols face the Longhorns at 3 p.m. ET in a contest that will be televised nationally on ABC and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Chs. 106 or 190).

The Big Orange is coming off a dominant 98-53 home victory over Missouri on Thursday night, improving UT to 9-1 on The Summitt this season. Kim Caldwell‘s squad joins Vanderbilt (10-2) among teams with only two losses in SEC play. South Carolina is first at 10-1.

Texas makes its second straight trip to the Volunteer State after falling to Vanderbilt in Nashville on Thursday night, 86-70.

The Lady Vols lead the all-time series vs. Texas, 26-18, but the teams are 3-3 in their last six meetings.

The Longhorns have claimed victory in the last two match-ups, including 80-76 in Austin on Jan. 23, 2025, and 67-59 in Birmingham, Ala., on March 29, 2025, at the NCAA Sweet 16.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (color analyst) will be on the call for the ABC broadcast.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
• The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
• A link to the live audio stream can be found on the WBB Preview page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
• For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
• Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
• The Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 or 190.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

• UT is 18th in the WAB, 20th in the NET and 22nd in the AP & Coaches Polls.
• Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.7 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 4.0 apg., 3.0 spg., 43 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.0 ppg., 6.9 rpg., 26 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (11.6 ppg., 53 assts./28 TOs, 40 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (11.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 21 3FGs).
• The Lady Vols rank No. 8 nationally in threes made per game (9.6), with 11 games of 10+ treys (four straight games).
• UT is No. 11 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.0) and No. 40 in total rebounds per contest (41.05).
• Tennessee is No. 29 in turnovers forced per game (20.77) and has caused 20+ turnovers 13 times this season after hurrying Missouri into 21 on Feb. 12.
• The Lady Vols are 30th nationally in steals per game (11.3), carding 10+ steals 14 times after grabbing an SEC-high 15 vs. Missouri.
• The Big Orange bench contributes 25.3 points per contest, ranking No. 34 nationally.
• Tennessee is No. 33 in NCAA scoring offense (77.6), including 74.6 in SEC games.

TRENDING…

• Tennessee ranks No. 1 on the NCAA’s Toughest Schedule Report, facing teams with a combined winning percentage of .699 from its past and future opponents.
• Of the Lady Vols’ six remaining games, five are against ranked teams.
• Since Jan. 18, Tennessee is in a stretch of playing nine ranked teams in 13 games.
• By the time the regular season ends, UT will have played the top six teams in this week’s AP Poll (UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, Vanderbilt and LSU) and all four teams in last year’s Final Four.
• Tennessee is 9-1 at home this season, with its only loss a 77-62 upset by Mississippi State on Jan. 29.
• Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 18 nationally in steals per game (3.05) after recording four vs. Missouri on Thursday.
• UT has made 10+ three-pointers its last four games vs. No. 1 UConn, RV/RV Georgia, No. 3 South Carolina and Missouri.
• Zee Spearman stands just 12 points away from scoring 1,000 for her career.
• Talaysia Cooper (15.7), Mia Pauldo (14.4) and Janiah Barker (13.1) have been Tennessee’s top scorers in SEC games.

COMMON THREADS

• Tennessee’s Zee Spearman and Kyla Oldacre of Texas were teammates for two seasons at Miami from 2022-23 to 2023-24 before transferring to their current schools.
• UT redshirt senior Kaiya Wynn spent her senior year of high school in Richmond, Texas, and graduated from Foster High School.
• Lady Vol senior Nya Robertson is a product of Boswell High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Texas radio color analyst Kathy Harston was director of basketball operations for Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 2008-12.

RICH HISTORY

• Tennessee and Texas are two of the winningest programs in women’s college basketball history, with Tennessee ranking No. 1 with a 1,511-403 all-time record and Texas standing at No. 3 at 1,274-448.
• The Lady Vols have been to 18 NCAA Final Fours and claimed eight NCAA titles in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007 and 2008.
• The Longhorns have gone to four NCAA Final Fours and earned a national championship in 1986.
• The programs were built by legendary head coaches.
• The late Pat Summitt compiled a 1,098-208 record at the helm of the Lady Volunteers from 1974-2012.
• Jody Conradt was 900-307 during a career that stretched from 1969 to 2007, including 783-245 at Texas from 1982 to 2007.
• Both are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

LADY VOLS IN SEC PLAY THIS SEASON  

• Tennessee is launching into a run of four games in a span of eight days, including hosting No. 4 Texas on Sunday, playing at No. 14/16 Ole Miss on Tuesday, hosting Texas A&M on Thursday and playing at No. 10 Oklahoma next Sunday.
• The Big Orange has ranked league wins over No. 11/12 Kentucky and No. 21/21 Alabama, and its only losses are to Mississippi State in Knoxville in the teams’ second meeting of the year and at No. 3/3 South Carolina.
• The Lady Volunteers have held five SEC opponents under 60 points thus far, including Auburn (56), Arkansas (50), Alabama (59), Kentucky (58) and Missouri (53).
• UT is No. 2 in three-point field goal percentage defense (.265) in SEC games, No. 5 in scoring defense (66.80) and No. 6 in field goal percentage defense (.407).
• The Lady Vols are No. 3 in turnover margin (+4.40) and No. 4 in steals per game (9.30).
• Tennessee tied for second in offensive rebounds per game (15.00) vs. league foes.
• UT is No. 3 in three-point field goals per game (8.60).
• Talaysia Cooper is averaging 15.67 ppg. (12th SEC) and leads the Big Orange with 25 steals in nine conference games to rank No. 3 in the SEC at 2.78 per contest.
• Cooper ranks 10th in SEC games in three-point field goal percentage (.349) and is eighth in three-pointers made per game (2.44).
• Freshman guard Mia Pauldo is averaging 14.44 ppg. to rank No. 17 among all league players and third among freshmen.
• Pauldo also ranks No. 6 in the league in free-throw percentage (.878).
• Janiah Barker paces the team on the boards with 8.22 rpg. in SEC play to rank seventh and is third for UT in scoring at 13.1 ppg. vs. conference foes.
• Barker also is ninth in the SEC in blocked shots at 1.22 and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (6.00).
• Zee Spearman is 13th in league games in offensive rebounds per contest at 2.50.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

• No. 22/22 Tennessee shot 52 percent from the field and outscored Missouri in the paint by a 54-24 margin to claim a 98-53 wire-to-wire victory in front of 10,489 at Food City Center on Thursday night.
• The Lady Vols (16-6, 8-2 SEC), who matched their league victory total from last season and remained as one of only three teams in the conference with two losses or fewer, were led by 22 points from senior forward Janiah Barker. Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper filled the stat sheet with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals with no turnovers, while junior forward Alyssa Latham, senior guard Nya Robertson and freshman guard Deniya Prawl chipped in 15, 14 and 13, respectively.
• Prawl and fellow freshman guard Jaida Civil pulled down 10 rebounds each, with Prawl notching her first career double-double.
• Missouri (16-11, 4-8 SEC) was paced by Grace Slaughter with 20 points, while Shannon Dowell tossed in 11.

NOTES FROM THE MISSOURI GAME

• ELECTRIC START: Tennessee got off to a hot start with 29 points in the first quarter, tying the most UT has scored in the first stanza all year with their performance against Arkansas on Jan. 11. The scoring came efficiently, too, with the Lady Vols shooting 55 percent (11-20) from the field. Janiah Barker fueled the offense by scoring 12 in the frame to mark her third double-digit quarter of the year.  Barker’s performance moved her into second place on the team for most double-digit scoring efforts in a stanza behind Mia Pauldo’s four.
• HIGH SCORING HALF: UT scored 53 points in first half against the Tigers Thursday night, compiling the most they have scored in an opening half since Jan. 22, 2017, when the Lady Vols had 57 in the first 20 minutes against Vanderbilt at home.
• COLLECTIVE EFFORT ON DEFENSE: After grabbing their most steals (15) vs. an SEC opponent this season, the Big Orange now has recorded double digits in steals vs. 14 of 22 opponents in 2025-26 and vs. 32 foes total during the Kim Caldwell era. Tennessee is averaging 11.3 steals per contest and ranks in the top 50 nationally in that category. The Lady Vols were stiff defensively against the Tigers, holding their fifth SEC opponent to fewer than 60 points in the 98-53 victory. They also forced Mizzou into 21 turnovers, marking the 13th time in 2025-26 an opponent has recorded that many miscues.
• DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR DP: Deniya Prawl’s 13 points and 10 rebounds resulted in her first career double-double. Ten rebounds was a career best for the freshman, and she scored in double figures for the second time during her career. Fellow rookie Jaida Civil also matched Prawl for the team high in boards, recording a career best as well.
• JB LED THE WAY: Janiah Barker’s 22 points paced UT in points for the fifth time this season. Barker has now tallied four games with 20+ points this season and nine for her career. It was also Barker’s 60th career contest in double figures. The forward was also active on the boards with eight rebounds, just two shy from a double-double.
• IN A GROOVE BEYOND THE ARC: By hitting 10 of 29 attempts beyond the arc (34.5 pct.), Tennessee connected on 10 or more three-pointers for the fourth straight game and for the ninth time this season. That total of games with 10+ ranks No. 2 in school history behind last year’s 18.

UT/TEXAS SERIES NOTES

• Tennessee leads the series with Texas, 26-18, and has a 13-7 edge in Knoxville, an 11-9 record in Austin and a 2-2 mark at neutral sites.
• The teams have split the past six meetings.
• These programs had not met during the postseason until March 29, 2025, when Texas earned an NCAA Sweet 16 victory, 67-59, in Birmingham, Ala.
• After playing for the first time in 1978-79, these programs scheduled each other at least once a year from 1982-83 until 2021-22, with the only interruption in the 40-year series coming in 2020 due to COVID.
• This marks the second clash between these coaches, with Caldwell missing the game in Austin last season on Jan. 23 after giving birth to son Conor on Jan. 20.

A LOOK AT TEXAS

• A balanced and deep Texas team features Madison Booker (18.7), Jordan Lee (13.3), Aaliyah Crump (11.5) and Kyla Oldacre (10.8) averaging double figures in scoring, with three more players at 8.5 ppg. or above.
• The Longhorns are giving up only 55.96 points in all games and 62.27 vs. SEC opponents.
• Texas is shooting 50 percent in all games and 46.1 in SEC play.
• SEC foes are averaging 21.4 turnovers per game.
• The Horns’ league losses are to LSU, S.C. and Vandy.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Head coach Vic Schaefer is 167-39 in his sixth season at Texas and is 468-211 in his 21st year overall.
• Schaefer has guided programs at Sam Houston State, Mississippi State and Texas, earning national coach of the year on two occasions (2018 & 2019 at MSU), and was an assistant at Texas A&M and Arkansas as well.
• Vic Schaefer was named the 2024-25 SEC Coach of the Year after tying with South Carolina for the title.
• Schaefer guided Texas to the NCAA Final Four in 2025, marking Texas’ first visit in 22 years.

THE LONGHORNS’ LAST GAME

• Madison Booker led No. 4 Texas with 20 points, and the Longhorns outscored No. 5 Vanderbilt in the second half but fell 86-70 on Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.
• Breya Cunningham scored 14 points and Jordan Lee added 11 for UT, while Mikayla Blakes paced VU with 34.
• Vandy shot 50.9 percent and held Texas to 38.5.
• The Commodores also hit 21 of 25 free throws.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED TEXAS

• No. 20 Tennessee, seeded No. 5 in the Birmingham Regional, fell to top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas, 67-59, in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Sweet 16 at Legacy Arena on March 29, 2025.
• The Lady Vols (24-10) and Longhorns (34-3) were tied after three quarters, and the Big Orange knotted the score twice in the fourth period. After Texas built a four-point lead with 6:19 remaining, Kim Caldwell‘s squad fought back within one, 59-58, by the 4:53 mark but could not get over the hump.
• Ruby Whitehorn paced UT with 16 points, while Zee Spearman and Samara Spencer added 13 and 12.
• Texas was led by 17 from Madison Booker.

LAST TIME WE MET IN KNOXVILLE

• Tying a program-record 15 blocks in a game and overcoming an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, No. 16/12 Tennessee took down No. 12/21 Texas in Knoxville, 74-70, in overtime on Nov. 21, 2021.
• Tamari Key posted the fifth triple-double in program history, scoring 10 points and adding 18 rebounds and 10 blocks in 39 minutes. Jordan Horston fired in a career-high 28 points to aid the cause.
• Aliyah Matharu paced Texas with 27 points.

NEXT UP

• Tennessee begins a challenging stretch of three games in six days next week on Tuesday, as it travels to Oxford, Miss., to make up a game with Ole Miss slated for Jan. 26 that was postponed due to an ice storm that hit the region.
• The Lady Vols and Rebels will meet at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT (7 ET).
• The contest will be televised on ESPNU and also carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming available on UTSports.com.
• UT will follow that contest by hosting Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday (SECN+) and playing at No. 10/10 Oklahoma at 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN2).