BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee’s Southeastern Conference home and away opponents for the upcoming season have been revealed. The league office announced Tuesday each school’s foes for the 2026-27 campaign, with conference play set to begin on Thurs., Dec. 31.
As part of the 16-game SEC schedule awaiting third-year UT head coach Kim Caldwell and her squad, the Lady Vols play host to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
On the road, the Big Orange will battle Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
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 Kentucky.
This marks the 18th season of the 16-game schedule for SEC women’s basketball and the third with 16 teams after Oklahoma and Texas made their debuts in the league in 2024-25. Times, dates and television information for the 2026-27 SEC schedule will be released at a later date, as will the remainder of the Lady Vol non-conference slate. Season tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com, and single-game tickets will go on sale in early October.
Seven of the league opponents UT will face are ranked among the USA TODAY Sports “Way-Too-Early Top 25,” including defending NCAA runner-up and No. 1-ranked South Carolina, No. 7 LSU, No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 23 Oklahoma at home. The Lady Vols will battle No. 6 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Texas on the road.
Tennessee has previously shared a trio of non-conference games away from Knoxville, including a Nov. 5 contest at Coppin State, a Dec. 3 match-up at Virginia Tech in the SEC/ACC Challenge and a Dec. 18 neutral site battle with Baylor at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The regular season concludes with the 2027 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament being held for the 10th time at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. The tournament, which will include all 16 teams, begins on Wednesday, March 3, and concludes with the championship game on Sunday, March 7.
UT, which is ranked No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports “Way-Too-Early” Top 25, heads into year three of the Caldwell era and seeks its third straight NCAA appearance under her watch. The Lady Vols finished 16-14 (8-8 in the SEC) in 2025-26, tying for sixth in the league and falling in the NCAA First Round.
Caldwell will lead an entirely new 15-player roster, comprised of 13 transfers and two freshmen, that she and her staff finalized in just 22 days. USA TODAY Sports rated the Big Orange’s portal class No. 9 overall and No. 2 in the SEC, while On3 has the Big Orange tabbed at No. 10 overall and fourth in the SEC.
