Hoops Preview: #10/10 Lady Vols at LSU

BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 10/10 Tennessee (17-3, 5-2 SEC) begins a stretch of three out of four road games, traveling to Baton Rouge, La. to face LSU (12-6, 4-3 SEC) Sunday at 12:02 p.m. CT.

UT enters the 63rd meeting in the series with a 48-14 edge, including a 21-3 record in Knoxville, 15-7 slate in Baton Rouge and a 12-4 mark at neutral sites.

Tennessee is coming off a 75-66 victory at home over Ole Miss on Sunday. Before matching up against Ole Miss, Tennessee faced a gauntlet of four ranked teams in 11 days, including three top-10 squads and two in the top five. All three of Tennessee’s losses came during that stretch.

The Lady Tigers (12-6, 4-3 SEC) have not played since losing at No. 15 Texas A&M on Monday night, 69-59.

The Lady Tigers are seeking their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Their first came against No. 15 Missouri in Columbia 69-65 on Jan. 4. That win marked LSU’s first win over a Top-15 team since March 1, 2015 when LSU defeated No. 12 Texas A&M in Baton Rouge.

Tennessee is 4-2 on the road this season and 13-0 vs. unranked teams. They hold a 14-game win streak vs. unranked opponents since beating Dayton in the NCAA First Round last season.

Broadcast Information

Cara Capuano (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) will describe the action for the UT-LSU TV broadcast on the SEC Network.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

We Back Pat Week Continues

Jan. 21 – Jan. 28 marks the seventh annual observance of We Back Pat Week.
The Mississippi State game on Jan. 21 was UT’s We Back Pat game, and a season-high crowd of 13,436 turned out to support the cause.
The initiative began in collaboration with the SEC basketball coaches is dedicated to remembering legendary Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt and bringing awareness to the Pat Summitt Foundation.
The Pat Summitt Foundation was created by Pat and (son) Tyler Summitt in 2011 to support organizations that deliver care to patients with Alzheimer’s disease, provide resources for caregivers and families, and conduct research for treatment and a cure.
You can visit www.patsummitt.org to learn more about the Pat Summitt Foundation.

Tennessee in SEC Play

UT is 382-66 in SEC regular-season games through the Ole Miss game, winning 18 championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles through the years.
During the Holly Warlick era, Tennessee is 65-22 in league games, making Warlick the top-ranked active SEC coach in terms of winning percentage in league play at .747 among coaches with at least one season at a school.
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley is the next coach behind Warlick at .687 (103-47), followed by UK’s Matthew Mitchell at .634 (104-60).
In only her sixth year as a head coach, Warlick already ranks fourth in total league wins among active SEC coaches and has won regular season titles in 2013 and 2015, and a tourney crown in 2014.
Warlick is 80-27 in non-conference games.

Bracketology Says…

ESPN’s Charlie Creme has Tennessee projected for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and slotted in the Kansas City Regional.
Creme has the Lady Vols hosting a first round game vs. No. 14 Drake and meeting either No. 6 Oregon State or No. 11 Dayton in the second round.

UT’s Upcoming Schedule

The LSU contest is the beginning of three games out of four on the road for the Lady Vols.
UT will host No. 15/15 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 1 before packing its bags to play at Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on Feb. 4 and at Arkansas at 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) on Feb. 8. Those games will be carried by ESPNU and SECN+, respectively.

Lady Vols And Alumns In The News

Seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell, who were on the John R. Wooden Award preseason watch list, have advanced to the midseason list.
Signees Amira “Mimi” Collins, Zarielle “Zay” Green and Jazmine Massengill were chosen to play in the McDonald’s All American Game. UT’s fourth signee, Rae Burrell was nominated from the state of Nevada but was not chosen.
Collins, Green and Massengill are all on the Naismith midseason watch list.
Lady Vol alum Chamique Holdsclaw and former UT assistant coach Mickie DeMoss were recently named as finalists vying for spots in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2018.
Cindy Brogdon (1977-79) was named as Tennessee’s 2018 SEC Basketball Legend. The three-time All-American and 1976 U.S. Olympian will be honored at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

The Latest On Tennessee

UT is 13-0 vs. unranked teams this season and has won 14 in a row vs. squads outside the top 25, including last year’s NCAA First Round win over Dayton.
UT’s roster features seven players 6-2 or taller, tying the 2004-05 team as the second tallest in Lady Vol history behind the 2014-15 unit that boasted eight.
The Big Orange women have won 14 of 20 games by double-digit margins.
Tennessee is surrendering 57.3 points per game against unranked teams and 78.4 vs. ranked foes.
The Lady Vols shoot .488 vs. unranked teams and .450 vs. those in the top 25.
UT has led every game this season at the half except for two. UT trailed Mississippi State by 13 and was tied vs. Auburn.
Tennessee has owned a double-digit advantage at the intermission in 11 of 20 contests.
The Lady Vols have allowed only five opponents to score more than 71 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75, Vandy – 73, A&M – 79, Notre Dame – 84) and have allowed only four teams to shoot better than 41 percent from the field (Vanderbilt, .491, Notre Dame, .478, & Marquette, .437; Miss. State, .418).
Holly Warlick has started the same five players every game thus far. That quintet includes Jaime Nared and Rennia Davis at the forward positions, Mercedes Russell at center and Evina Westbrook and Meme Jackson at guard.
It’s the longest Tennessee has opened a season with the same starting five since at least the 1977-78 season. Box scores that season and prior do not indicate who started.
In Lady Vol history, the most recent long streak for the same starting five reached 11 games in 2007-08, when Pat Summitt chose the same lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle to report for the opening tip. UT went 10-1 in that span and went on to win the NCAA title with a 34-3 record and the SEC title with a 14-0 mark. In game 12, in the team’s visit to Chicago, Parker missed curfew and didn’t get the starting nod vs. DePaul on Jan. 2, 2008.
UT has three starters averaging double figures in scoring, including seniors Jaime Nared (17.0) and Mercedes Russell (16.7), and freshman Rennia Davis (11.3). Freshman Evina Westbrook is on the brink (9.8) and freshman reserve Anastasia Hayes is also in double digits (10.1).
Russell (8) and Nared (7) have led UT in scoring the most times, followed by Hayes, Meme Jackson and Davis (2), and Westbrook (1).
Russell has scored in double figures 20 times, followed by Nared (18), Hayes (12), Davis (11), Westbrook (10), Jackson (5), Green (4) and Dunbar (1).
UT is averaging 19.2 free throws made in wins and only 10.0 in losses.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in 15 of 20 games, averaging a 41.9 to 31.5 difference.
The Lady Vols bested their foes in second chance points 12 times and tied on three occasions.
Tennessee shot its second-best field goal percentage of the season (56.9) vs. Notre Dame.

Nationally Notable Stats

UT is No. 1 nationally in free throw attempts (501) and No. 2 in free throws made (356).
UT is No. 2 in defensive rebs. per game (32.0).
The Lady Vols are No. 4 in rebounds per game (46.30), No. 9 in rebound margin (9.9) and No. 6 in total rebounds (926).
Tennessee is No. 17 in scoring margin (17.2).
Jaime Nared is No. 11 in free throws made (110).
UT is No. 13 in field goal percentage (47.5), while Mercedes Russell is No. 8 (64.1).

Approaching Milestones

Mercedes Russell has tallied 1,427 points and 948 rebounds in her career, needing only 73 points to reach 1,500 and 52 rebounds to hit 1,000.
Evina Westbrook is two assists away from hitting 100 for her brief career. It takes 158 to break onto the single-season top-10 list, and 162 is the top mark for a UT freshman.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Russell is a combined 48 of 72 from the field the past six games (67 percent) and has hit 70 percent or more from the field in six of her last eight contests.
In SEC play, Mercedes Russell leads the team at 17.9 ppg. and 7.6 rpg. while shooting 64.6 percent (53-82).
Jaime Nared has hit 45 of 49 free throw attempts in SEC games for 91.8 percent.
In league games, Meme Jackson has 20 assists and 12 turnovers, while Evina Westbrook has 37 assists and 31 turnovers.
UT is shooting 74.1 percent on free throws in SEC action, with Russell hitting 73.1 percent (19-26) as a career 61 percent shooter.
UT has averaged 17.8 turnovers over its last five games vs. opponents’ 11.4.
In its wins, UT is averaging 16.8 turnovers, while in its losses the Lady Vol have averaged 19.0.
Evina Westbrook has averaged 12.1 ppg. vs. ranked opponents and 8.5 vs. unranked.
Tennessee’s bench combined for 24 points compared to just 10 points scored by Ole Miss’ bench. In SEC play, UT’s bench has outscored its opponents in five of seven games thus far (Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Kentucky).

Last Meeting Between UT & LSU

Four Tennessee players reached double figures and the No. 25 Lady Vols held LSU to 11 fourth quarter points in a 77-58 victory on Feb. 2, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in the annual Live Pink, Bleed Orange Game.
The reigning SEC Co-Player of the week, Jaime Nared, led Tennessee (15-7, 6-3 SEC) with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Nared potted 11 points in the opening quarter to extend her double-figure scoring streak to 19 straight contests.
Diamond DeShields nearly recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 11 boards, and eight assists after being held scoreless in the first half. Mercedes Russell also had a strong performance, adding 18 points and eight rebounds with two blocks.
Tennessee shot 53 percent from the floor and dominated down low, out-rebounding LSU, 42-28, while outscoring the Lady Tigers by 20 points in the paint.
Raigyne Moncrief led LSU (15-7, 4-5 SEC) offensively with 20 points and seven rebounds.
With the win, The Lady Vols improved to 10-2 at home on the season, with their only two losses coming against top-five opponents Baylor and Mississippi State.

Last Time In Baton Rouge

No. 24 Tennessee fought its way back from a 10-point halftime deficit, but was unable to capitalize at the free throw line down the stretch in a 57-56 loss to LSU on Feb. 21, 2016, at the Maravich Center.
The Lady Tigers (9-18, 3-11 SEC) ended their three-game losing streak to UT (16-11, 7-7 SEC), while the Lady Vols dropped to .500 in conference play. It was LSU’s first victory over Tennessee at home since 2009.
Diamond DeShields scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The redshirt sophomore netted 17 in the second half, accounting for 44.7 percent of the team’s second-half scoring (17-of-38 points). With a three pointer with 9:38remaining, DeShields scored her 1,000th point, becoming the sixth Lady Vol to score 1,000 points in her second season and the 43rd career Lady Vol to reach the milestone.
Free throws proved to be the difference in the game as LSU shot 82 percent (14-for-17) while Tennessee shot 56 percent (9-for-16) from the line.
Bashaara Graves recorded nine points and eight rebounds while Mercedes Russell added seven points with seven boards. UT held the edge on the glass, out-rebounding LSU 39-33.
LSU’s Alexis Hyder made two free throws to give the Lady Tigers the decisive 57-56 advantage after being fouled with three seconds left in the game. Hyder finished with 17 points and was the only LSU player to reach double figures.
A Mercedes Russell free throw gave Tennessee a 50-49 lead with 2:54remaining, but that lead would slip as the Lady Vols went 2-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 15 seconds of the game.

LSU Reset

LSU will look to recover from its 69-59 loss at No. 15 Texas A&M. Despite cutting TAMU’s lead to four points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers couldn’t overcome the Aggies who shot 60.9% in the second half and held a 39-29 advantage in rebounds.
The Lady Tigers have logged wins over four SEC opponents this season. They defeated Vandy by double digits (85-65) while victories over Auburn (59-56), Florida (66-59), and Missouri (69-65) were each decided by seven points or less.
LSU’s SEC losses have come against No. 5 Mississippi State (83-70), Alabama (65-51), and No. 15 Texas A&M (69-59).
The Lady Tigers are averaging 64.3 ppg while holding opponents to 58.4 ppg.
LSU has committed just 14.7 turnovers on average while forcing opponents into 19.6.
Junior Chloe Jackson leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game in SEC play. She has scored 20+ points on nine occasions this season, with four of those coming against ranked opponents.
Senior Raigyne Louis is also in double figures, averaging 15.6 ppg on the season and 15.0 ppg in SEC play.
Head coach Nikki Fargus is a former standout player for UT and was a member of the 1991 National Championship team. She also spent time at Tennessee both as a graduate assistant and an assistant coach, helping UT capture its seventh and eighth national titles in 2007 and 2008.

LSU Last Time Out (TEXAS A&M 69, LSU 59)

The Lady Tigers dropped a close road contest at No. 15 Texas A&M on Mondaynight, falling to the Aggies 69-59.
LSU (12-6, 4-3 SEC) forced 14 turnovers, but Texas A&M (16-5, 5-2 SEC) leveraged a 39-29 rebounding advantage to pull away in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Tigers closed out the first half with a 22-10 run and took a three-point lead into the break. A&M knotted the game back up five minutes into the third quarter.
Senior Raigyne Louis led LSU with 18 points, while Chloe Jackson recorded 16 and Ayana Mitchell added 13 points and six rebounds.
LSU cut the deficit to four in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome a 38 percent shooting night from the floor. The Lady Tigers were also only able to connect on two of their 17 3-point attempts.
Forward Anriel Howard paced the Aggies with 21 points and 14 rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting.

Tennessee Last Time Out (UT 75, OM 66)

Rennia Davis tied her career high with 18 points and Jaime Nared recorded her eighth double-double of the season to lead the 10th-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team to a 75-66 victory over Ole Miss on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. Nared’s 15-point, 10-board double-double was the 17th of her career, while Davis matched her season-best scoring output from the Alabama State game on Dec. 3.
The Lady Vols (17-3, 5-2 SEC) ended a two-game skid by holding the Rebels (11-9, 1-6 SEC) to just 37 percent shooting and finishing the game with a 20-4 edge in fastbreak points.
Anastasia Hayes came off the bench to score 16 points, including a pair of fourth-quarter three-pointers that helped the Lady Vols pull away from the Rebels. Mercedes Russell added 13 points and Evina Westbrook dished five assists.
Ole Miss guard Madinah Muhammad scored a career-high 31 points and made seven three-pointers. Muhammad’s 22 points and six three-pointers in the first half kept the Rebels in the game after Tennessee scorched the nets for 30 points in the first quarter to tie the school record for points in quarter in an SEC game.
Tennessee led by as many 15 the first quarter, 30-15, after Hayes stole the ball and made a layup with just under a minute to go. Ole Miss closed the gap to two behind a 14-0 run to close the first half. Muhammad made four consecutive three-pointers in the final five minutes of the second quarter as UT took a 40-38 lead into halftime.
Ole Miss tied the game 49-49 at the 2:54 mark in the third quarter after guard Alissa Alston (19 points) converted back-to-back layups. Tennessee answered with a 14-2 run sparked by Hayes, however. The rookie reserve point guard found Davis for a layup to put UT in front, 55-49, with one minute remaining in the third quarter.
The Lady Vols stormed past the Rebels for good early in the fourth quarter when Hayes made a three-pointer from the corner to make the score 60-51 with 9:10left in the contest. Hayes drilled another triple later in the fourth quarter with just over three minutes left to give UT a 71-55 lead.

-UT Athletics