The Tennessee women’s basketball program will be represented by head coach Kim Caldwell, fifth-year guard Kaylene Smikle and senior guard Riley Theuerkauf at Southeastern Conference Tip-Off ’27 on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Caldwell, Smikle and Theuerkauf will take part in a variety of publicity activities, including a news conference, live television and radio interviews, photo and video content sessions and various engagements involving SEC and other initiatives from 4:50-7:10 p.m. Eastern Time (3:50-6:10 Central) at the Grand Bohemian Hotel – Mountain Brook in suburban Birmingham, Alabama.
In the main media room, Caldwell will take questions from 4:50-5:05 p.m. ET (3:50-4:05 p.m. CT), followed by Smikle and Theuerkauf from 5:05-5:15 p.m. ET (4:05-4:15 CT). The Lady Vol trio will appear together live on the SEC Network set from 6:05-6:20 p.m. ET (5:05-5:20 p.m. CT).
Caldwell’s squad was ranked at No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 in April. The Lady Vols feature an entirely new roster in 2026-27, with USA TODAY rating Tennessee’s 13-player 2026 portal signing class No. 9 overall and On3 slotting the Big Orange at No. 13.
Through 10 seasons as a head coach, Kim Caldwell is 257-55 (.824), ranking her No. 11 among all active NCAA coaches and No. 4 among those at the NCAA Division I level. Her teams have earned 10 NCAA Tournament berths, including in her first two seasons on Rocky Top.
Tennessee has nine players on its roster who have averaged double-figure scoring at least once during their careers, including eight last season. Smikle and Theuerkauf are among them.
Smikle is listed at No. 19 player in the USA TODAY Sports portal rankings. She was All-Big Ten (1st Team. – Media / 2nd Team. – Coaches) in 2024-25 at Maryland and All-Big Ten Second Team (Coaches & Media) and Big Ten All-Freshman in 2022-23 at Rutgers. Her 2025-26 season ended after seven games when she opted to have surgery to repair a nagging knee injury. Despite physical limitations, she averaged 13.1 ppg. for Maryland and scored in double figures in six of seven contests a year ago, shooting 44 percent from the field, 35 percent from deep and 91 percent at the charity stripe in 2025-26.
A starter in 71 of 87 games between her time at Rutgers and Maryland, Smikle has averaged 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals for her career. The 6-foot native of Bay Shore, N.Y., has scored in double figures 74 times, including 38 times at RU and 36 at UM, and has tallied 20+ points on 35 occasions, including 21 at Rutgers and 14 at Maryland.
Theuerkauf, meanwhile, is the No. 57 player in the USA TODAY Sports portal rankings. She averaged 11.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists, starting 31 of 32 games for Georgia last season while shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 40.6 from beyond the arc and 86.2 from the free-throw line. The Tenafly, N.J., native ranked No. 3 in the SEC and 30th nationally in three-point field goal percentage and No. 2 in the SEC and No. 40 nationally in free-throw percentage in 2025-26.
The 5-foot-9 SEC veteran scored in double figures 18 times as a junior, including nine times vs. league opponents, and hit 71 three-pointers. She finished in double figures in nine of her final 12 games, including three games of 22+, averaging 14.7 ppg. during that span of a dozen contests. Theuerkauf carded three or more treys in 13 games, including seven with four-plus.
Tennessee will host an exhibition game vs. Florida A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 27 and open the season at Food City Center at 6:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 2 vs. Duquesne. Both contests will be streamed on SECN+.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
