Tennessee (16-13, 8-8 SEC, t6th) enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed in Fort Worth Regional 3 and will face No. 7 seed NC State (20-10, 13-5 ACC, 4th) on Friday in the NCAA First Round in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Lady Vols and Wolfpack will meet at 8 p.m. ET at the Crisler Center on the University of Michigan campus. ESPN will televise the contest. No. 2 seed Michigan (25-6) will face No. 15 seed Holy Cross (23-9) in the other first-round battle in Ann Arbor at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN2) on Friday.

The pairing of UT and NCSU creates a rematch of the season’s first game for those schools, which the Wolfpack claimed by a narrow margin, 80-77, on Nov. 4 in the Ro Greensboro Invitational at the First Horizon Center in Greensboro, N.C.

Tennessee holds a 12-5 advantage in the all-time series vs. NC State, but the Wolfpack own a two-game winning streak. Prior to this season’s first match-up, NCSU eliminated UT in the 2024 NCAA Second Round, 79-72, in Raleigh.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Debbie Antonelli (analyst) and Jess Sims (sideline reporter) will be on the call for the ESPN 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 game also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 81.

TENNESSEE – THE ONLY SCHOOL IN ALL 44

• The Lady Vols are making their 44th consecutive NCAA Tournament, continuing as the only school to appear in every Division I women’s tourney.
• UT kept its record of playing in every NCAA Tournament perfect under Kim Caldwell, who is in her second season leading the program and is the fourth coach to guide the Lady Vols into the tourney. The breakdown of appearances as the Big Orange’s head coach includes Pat Summitt (30), Holly Warlick (7), Kellie Harper (5) and Kim Caldwell (2).
• Tennessee is an at-large qualifier for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, finishing tied for sixth in the SEC regular season and earning an SEC Tournament six seed.
• The Lady Vols are 133-35 in NCAA Tournament play, and they rank first in games played (168) and second in victories (133) in NCAA tourney history.
• Tennessee also is second behind UConn in winning percentage at .792 in tourney play.
• UT earned a No. 10 NCAA seed for the first time and a double-digit seed for only the second time in 44 trips to the tournament. UT was a No. 11 seed in 2019.
• The Lady Vols also drew higher than a four seed for only the seventh time in their tournament history.
• UT is 7-6 when seeded higher than fourth, including 3-3 at No. 5 (2009, 2017, 2005), 1-1 at No. 6 (2024), 3-1 at No. 7 (2016) and 0-1 at No. 11 (2019).
• Tennessee has advanced to the NCAA regional round on 37 occasions, owning a 28-9 mark in the Sweet 16.
• The only seasons UT did not make the regional level were in 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 (no tourney), 2021 and 2024.
• The Big Orange has made the Elite Eight 28 times, posting an 18-10 record in that round.
• UT has advanced to 18 NCAA Final Fours and won eight of them (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), ranking second to UConn.
• Tennessee has finished second in the nation five times and third on five more occasions.

MORE RARE AIR FOR TENNESSEE HOOPS

• Tennessee is the only school whose women’s and men’s basketball teams have appeared in each of the past eight NCAA Tournaments.
• The closest teams are UConn and Texas, who’ve had both of their programs in the past six tournaments.
• UT is one of 30 schools with both teams competing in the 2026 championships.

UT IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS

• Tennessee is making its 44th appearance in the NCAA First/Second Rounds, and it owns a 66-6 record during games played in those rounds.
• The Lady Vols are 35-2 all-time in the NCAA First Round and 31-4 in the NCAA Second Round.
• The only blemishes are a first-round loss to Ball State, 71-55, in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 22, 2009; a second-round setback to Louisville, 75-64, in Louisville, Ky. on March 20, 2017; a second-round loss to Oregon State, 66-59, in Knoxville, on March 18, 2018; a first-round ouster by UCLA, 89-77, on March 23, 2019, in College Park, Md.; a second-round loss to Michigan, 70-55, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 2021; and a second-round setback at NC State in Raleigh on March 25, 2024.
• In NCAA First/Second Round play, Tennessee is 49-1 at home, 5-3 away and 12-2 at neutral sites.
• The breakdown for that is 25-0 home/0-1 away/10-1 neutral for the first round and 24-1 home/5-2 away/2-1 neutral for the second round.

CALDWELL NCAA HISTORY AS HEAD COACH 

• Kim Caldwell is making her 10th NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach and second with UT, owning a 14-7 combined record between her time at NCAA Division I (2-2) and Division II (12-5) schools.
• Tennessee made the Sweet 16 in Kim Caldwell‘s first season at the Power 4 level at Tennessee in 2024-25.
• She made her second trip to NCAA Division I March Madness in 2024-25, owning a 2-2 postseason record at this level after her 2023-24 Marshall team lost in the first round to Virginia Tech (92-49) in 2023-24 and her Tennessee squad beat South Florida, 101-66, and No. 15/13 Ohio State, 82-67, in the 2025 NCAA First & Second Rounds before falling to Texas, 67-59, in the Sweet 16.
• From 2016-17 to 2022-23, Caldwell led her Glenville State (W. Va.) teams to seven NCAA Division II Tournament bids, forging a 12-5 mark in those contests.
• Caldwell’s teams advanced to two NCAA Division II Final Fours (2022, 2023), with her 2021-22 squad winning a national championship.
• Her 2021-22 team went 6-0 in NCAA play, while her 2022-23 squad was 4-1. Her 2017-18 and 2018-19 units finished 1-1, while her 2016-17 and 2020-21 ensembles went 0-1. The 2019-20 tourney was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COACHING STAFF NCAA EXPERIENCE 

• Entering the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Kim Caldwell‘s full-time coaches have a combined total of 58 NCAA Tournament games between them.
• Kim Caldwell will be coaching in her 10th NCAA Tournament (3 NCAA DI/7 NCAA DII) and has 21 overall NCAA Tournament games under her belt, including four at the NCAA Division I level (one at Marshall and three in the 2025 tourney with Tennessee).
• Caldwell was head coach at Marshall in 2024-25 and was joined by Jenna Burdette (assistant), Angel Rizor (assistant) on a staff that guided the Thundering Herd to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, MU’s first since 1997.
• Burdette (6 NCAA games) and Rizor (10 NCAA games) are second-year assistants at Tennessee.
• Burdette also was part of NCAA berths in 2019 and 2020 at Glenville State as an assistant for Caldwell.
• Rizor also was part of an NCAA berth alongside Caldwell with Glenville State in its 2022 title season.
• Second-year assistant Gabe Lazo (7) has two previous NCAA berths under his belt, including 2023 at Mississippi State and 2021 at Stony Brook.
• Second-year assistant Roman Tubner (10) has five previous NCAA appearances as an assistant coach, including two at Alabama (2022 and 2023) and three DII appearances at Arkansas Tech.
• Assistant Lexie Barrier (4) has one previous NCAA berth to her credit, including 2023 at James Madison.
• While not a coach, Maggie Stanley, UT’s second-year assistant director of women’s basketball operations/special assistant to the head coach, was operations director at Marshall for Caldwell before coming to UT.
• Additionally, second-year graduate assistant Mashayla Cecil played for Caldwell for three seasons, including on the 2021-22 NCAA Championship team at GSU.

LADY VOL PLAYING EXPERIENCE 

• Tennessee has six players on its roster who have a combined 32 games of NCAA Tournament experience entering the 2026 NCAA First Round.
• As UT opens play, Talaysia Cooper (7) leads Tennessee with the most NCAA games played. She is followed by Zee Spearman (6), Janiah Barker (6), Alyssa Latham (5), Jersey Wolfenbarger (5) and Kaniya Boyd (3).
• Senior Nya Robertson and freshmen Jaida Civil, Lauren Hurst, Mia Pauldo, Mya Pauldo and Deniya Prawl are awaiting their first taste of March Madness.
• Players with NCAA starts include Alyssa Latham (2), Janiah Barker (1) and Jersey Wolfenbarger (1).
• UT’s active scoring leaders in NCAA games include Zee Spearman (7.8 ppg.), Janiah Barker (7.0 ppg.), Talaysia Cooper (6.6 ppg.), Alyssa Latham (5.6 ppg.), Kaniya Boyd (1.7 ppg.) and Jersey Wolfenbarger (1.4 ppg.).

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

• Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (15.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 3.6 apg., 2.7 spg., 57 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.3 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 38 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (10.6 ppg., 63 assts./38 TOs, 46 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (10.2 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 24 3FGs).
• Cooper was All-SEC Second Team, while Pauldo was named SEC All-Freshman.
• Senior Nya Robertson has elevated her play and is averaging 8.6 ppg. while hitting 56 treys to rank second on the team.
• UT ranks No. 8 nationally in threes made per game (9.4), with 15 contests of 10+ treys, including eight of the past 11.
• The Lady Vols are No. 21 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (15.1), winning that category in 22 of 29 contests.
• Tennessee is No. 26 in NCAA scoring offense (77.0), including 75.4 in SEC games.
• UT is 29th in bench points per game (25.0).
• The Lady Vols are 45th in steals per game (10.4), carding 10+ steals 14 times.
• Tennessee is No. 52 in turnovers forced per game (19.34) and has caused 20+ turnovers 13 times this season.

TRENDING…

• Tennessee is making its 44th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, standing as the only school to make all of them.
• UT played 13 ranked teams this season, including 10 in its last 14 games, contributing to the team’s recent challenges.
• Six of UT’s last 11 contests were vs. top-10 ranked teams, including the last three games of the regular season.
• All told, UT has played seven teams in this week’s AP Poll top 10.
• UT has wins vs. No. 17 Kentucky, No. 22 Georgia and No. 25 Alabama and lost by two to No. 3 Texas on Feb. 15.
• With four points vs. Alabama, Talaysia Cooper became the 51st player in program history to reach 1K as a Lady Vol.
• She joins Janiah Barker, Nya Robertson and Zee Spearman with 1,000+ points.
• Janiah Barker (38) is two treys away from giving UT its first-ever quartet of players with 40 or more three-pointers.
• Talaysia Cooper (57), Nya Robertson (56) and Mia Pauldo (46) hope to become UT’s second-ever trio with 50+ deep balls.
• Mia Pauldo (10.6) is UT’s highest scoring rookie since Rennia Davis (12.0, 2017-18).

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

• Janiah Barker scored 20 points, and Zee Spearman added 13, but it wasn’t enough as No. 11 seed Alabama eliminated No. 6 seed Tennessee from the SEC Tournament in second-round play on Thursday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
• The No. 25-ranked Crimson Tide (23-9) got 23 points from Jessica Timmons and 20 from Ta’Mia Scott to balance the season results vs. the Lady Vols (16-13), who had claimed a 70-59 win in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 18.

NOTES FROM THE ALABAMA GAME

• BARKER GOING TO WORK: Janiah Barker had 20 points vs. Alabama, hitting 20 points or more for the sixth time this season (11th career) and led the Lady Vols in scoring for the seventh time during the 2025-26 campaign. It was Barker’s 21st occurrence scoring double figures this season and 64th of her career (both of which rank second on the team).
• 1K AS A LADY VOL: Talaysia Cooper’s four points enabled her to become the 51st player in program history to surpass 1,000 points (1,003) while representing the Big Orange. Rickea Jackson (1,176) and Tamari Key (1,040) were the last Lady Vols to join that club in 2023-24, ranking 35th and 48th, respectively, on that list.

UT/NC STATE SERIES NOTES

• UT is 12-5 all-time vs. NC State, including 5-0 at home, 4-3 on the road and 3-2 at neutral sites.
• The Lady Vols have won three of the past five meetings in the series, but the Wolfpack has taken the past two match-ups, including an 80-77 decision on Nov 4, 2025, at the Ro Greensboro Invitational.
• Tennessee dropped an NCAA Second Round decision in Raleigh, 79-72, the last time these teams met in the NCAA Tournament on March 25, 2024.
• UT is 140-51 vs. teams who are current members of the ACC, with a win over Stanford and losses to NC State and Louisville earlier this season.

A LOOK AT THE WOLFPACK

• NC State is led by Khamil Pierre (16.9 ppg., 12.0 rpg.), Zoe Brooks (16.3 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 4.4 apg.), Zamareya Jones (14.3 ppg., 3.7 apg., 65 3FGs) and Tylda Trygger (10.9 ppg., 7.2 rpg.).
• NCSU ranks No. 6 in rebs. per game at 43.07.
• The Wolfpack commit only 12.1 fouls and 12.4 turnovers per game, ranking No. 4 and No. 13, respectively, in the NCAA.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• NC State is led by Wes Moore, who is 879-274 in his 37th year of coaching, including 321-105 in his 13th season in Raleigh.
• Moore is a four-time ACC Coach of the Year and 2021 WBCA National Coach of the Year, leading NC State to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Moore has several connections to the Volunteer State, including coaching stints at Maryville College (1987-1993) and Chattanooga (1998-2013).
• Moore also earned a B.S. in religion from Johnson University just outside of Knoxville in 1984 and has two degrees from the Univ. of Tennessee, including a B.S. and M.S. in physical education in 1986.

NCSU’S LAST GAME

• No. 4-seeded NC State fell to No. 5-seeded Notre Dame, 81-63 in the 2026 Ally ACC Tournament Quarterfinals on March 6, 2026.
• Notre Dame led for 39:09 and shot 48.5 percent (32-of-66) from the field. NC State finished with 17 turnovers, which the Irish converted into 16 points.
• Khamil Pierre led the Pack with her 21st double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED NC STATE

• No. 8/9 Tennessee overcame an eight-point third-quarter deficit and grabbed a one-point lead with 54 seconds remaining before falling, 80-77, on Nov. 4, 2025, in the season-opener to No. 9/8 NC State in the Ro Greensboro Invitational at First Horizon Coliseum.
• Mia Pauldo’s layup with just under a minute left lifted the Lady Vols (0-1) on top, 77-76, but the Wolfpack (1-0) answered with a fast-break bucket and a pair of free throws to close out the win in the season-opener.
• Talaysia Cooper paced UT with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double and added game highs of seven assists and three steals on the day. Janiah Barker, Jaida Civil and Pauldo chipped in 15, 13 and 10 points, respectively.
• Khamil Pierre led NCSU with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Tilda Trygger tossed in 19, Zamareya Jones added 18 and Zoe Brooks produced a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.

LAST NCAA MEETING WITH THE PACK

• No. 6 seed UT erased all but two of a 20-point second-half deficit but came up short in falling to No. 3 seed and 11th-ranked NC State, 79-72, on March 25, 2024, in the NCAA Second Round in Raleigh.
• Rickea Jackson scored a season-high 33 points and added 10 rebounds to lead the Big Orange (20-13).
• NC State (29-6) was led by Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers with 22 and 20, respectively. Zoe Brooks tallied 16, while River Baldwin added 11.

VS. NC STATE & ACC IN POSTSEASON

• Tennessee is 0-1 vs. NC State in the postseason, falling to the Wolfpack in the 2024 NCAA Second Round, 79-72, in Raleigh, N.C.
• The Atlantic Coast Conference is one of 29 different leagues the Lady Vols have faced during the postseason, and UT is 17-9 vs. teams from that conference in NCAA play.

NEXT UP

• The winners of Friday night’s first-round Tennessee-NC State and Michigan-Holy Cross games advance to the second round on Sunday.
• They would meet at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor to compete for the right to advance to the Fort Worth Regional 3 Sweet 16 at Dickies Arena.
• Tip time and TV info. for Sunday’s contest will be announced later.
• All UT contests during the NCAA Tournament will be carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming available on UTSports.com.