Hoops Preview: #11 Lady Vols vs. #13 Missouri

Rennia Davis – Lady Vols Guard / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/11 Tennessee (21-5, 9-4 SEC) begins a two-game road swing Sunday, facing No. 13/13 Missouri (21-5, 9-4 SEC) in Mizzou Arena at 1 p.m. CT/ 2 p.m. ET.

In what will be the 10th meeting between the two programs, Tennessee will look to recover from a 72-63 loss to Alabama while the Tigers are looking to extend their streak of consecutive wins to five.

Leading into Tennessee’s loss to Alabama, the Lady Vols had won four straight games.

The most recent feather in Tennessee’s cap was a 62-46 win over #18/18 Georgia on Sunday afternoon in front of a “Live Pink, Bleed Orange” crowd of 12,523 in Knoxville, improving UT’s record against ranked teams to 6-3 this season.

The Tigers, meanwhile, have won six of their past seven games against Top 25 opponents at home.

The Tennessee-Missouri matchup will serve serve as Mizzou’s annual Play4Kay Kay Yow Cancer Fund game supporting breast cancer awareness.

Broadcast Information

Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will describe the action for the UT-Missouri television broadcast on the ESPNU.
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.

UT’S UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Tennessee’s matchup in Columbia against #13/13 Missouri is the first of two road games the Lady Vols will play before closing out the SEC schedule at home.
The Lady Vols head to Gainesville on Feb. 22 to take on Florida at 7 p.m. ET in a contest carried online via SECN+.
UT closes out the schedule on Feb. 25 with South Carolina on Lady Vol Senior Day. Tip-off has been set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

In SEC play, Jaime Nared leads the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game.
Nared has hit 84 of 98 free throw attempts in SEC games for 85.7 percent.
Last week, Rennia Davis averaged 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds to pace UT to a 2-0 record.
Over her last five games, Nared averaged 21.2 ppg. and 8.4 rpg.
Davis recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama. She has scored in double-figures 16 times this season and in nine of the last 11 games. She is averaging 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in SEC play.
Mercedes Russell has averaged 11.7 rebounds over the past six games and has recorded a double-double in five of those contests.
UT is shooting 70.9 percent on free throws in SEC action.
Jaime Nared has averaged 20.0 ppg. vs. ranked opponents and 16.2 vs. unranked.
Mercedes Russell averages 10.9 rebounds vs. ranked opponents and 8.1 against unranked teams.

WORKING THE BOARDS

The Lady Vols have out-rebounded 22 of 25 opponents this season, including a 50-30 advantage over Georgia on Feb. 11.
Tennessee is 19-2 when it outrebounds its opponents, 1-0 when it ties them and 1-3 when it has fewer boards than foes.
UT ranks No. 4 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (31.0), No. 5 in total rebounds (1,174), No. 5 in rebounds per game (45.15) and No. 11 in rebound margin (9.3).

RUSSELL JOINS 1,500/1,000 CLUB

Mercedes Russell scored 11 points against Alabama to become just the sixth Lady Vol to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.
At 1,510 points she passed Gwen Jackson (21st, 1,508) and Bashaara Graves (20th, 1,509) to rank 19th in all-time scoring behind Cindy Noble (18th, 1,561).
Russell is fifth in career rebounds, sitting behind Sheila Frost (4th, 1,043) and Bashaara Graves (3rd, 1,044) after passing Mary Ostrowski and Tamika Catchings with a game-high 15 boards vs. Georgia.
The other five 1,500/1,000 players: Chamique Holdsclaw (3,025/1,295), Tamika Catchings (2,113/1,004), Sheila Frost (1,790/1,043), Glory Johnson (1,643/1,218), and Bashaara Graves (1,509/1,044)

THE LATEST ON TENNESSEE

Rennia Davis was named the SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 12, averaging 22.0 ppg., 11.0 rpg. and 3.5 apg. It was her second honor this season.
Two other UT freshman (Evina Westbrook, Anastasia Hayes) have earned the honor this season as well, while Jaime Naredhas twice been named the SEC Player of the Week.
Nared also was named the College Sports Madness National and SEC Player of the Week on two occasions this season.
Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell have been included as members of the Wade Trophy Award Midseason Watch List and Citizen Naismith Trophy Late Season Watch List. Nared is among the top 10 for the Cheryl Miller Awards, while Nared is in the same company for the Lisa Leslie Awards.
Mercedes Russell crossed the 1,000-rebound mark vs. Georgia and the 1,500 point mark against Alabama, becoming only the sixth Lady Vol to reach 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. The others in that club are Chamique Holdsclaw, Glory Johnson, Bashaara Graves, Sheila Frost and Tamika Catchings.
Against Missouri, Holly Warlick will coach her 201st game and seek the 150th win of her career.
UT has led every game this season at the half except for three. UT trailed Mississippi State by 13, Alabama by five and was tied vs. Auburn.
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.
UT is 18-0 when leading with 5:00 left in the game, 2-0 when tied and 1-5 when trailing.
The Lady Vols have allowed only six opponents to score more than 72 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75, Vandy – 73, A&M – 79, Notre Dame – 84, Arkansas – 85) and have allowed only eight teams to shoot better than 41 percent from the field (Vanderbilt in Knoxville, .491; Texas A&M, .484 in Knoxville; Notre Dame, .478; Arkansas, .477; Vanderbilt, .469; Marquette, .437; Miss. State, .418; Alabama, .426).
Tennessee is averaging 77.1 points and giving up 73.6 vs. ranked teams, and those numbers shift to 80.8 to 60.9 vs. unranked foes.
On the boards, the Lady Vols have a 46.7 to 34.4 advantage vs. unranked teams but only a 42.2 to 38.7 edge vs. ranked programs.
UT is averaging 80.6 points and allowing 60.6 in home games. On the road, it’s 76.8 to 70.3.
UT has three starters averaging double figures in scoring, including seniors Jaime Nared (17.5) and Mercedes Russell (16.0), and freshman Rennia Davis (12.0). Freshmen Anastasia Hayes (9.3) and Evina Westbrook (8.5) are on the brink of double digits.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in 17 of 26 games, averaging a 39.8 to 34.4 difference.
The Lady Vols bested their foes in second chance points 16 times and tied on three occasions.
Tennessee has won the points on fast break war in 19 games, averaging 12.3 per contest. In losses, that number is 8.3.
When UT has more fouls than its opponent, the Lady Vols are 2-3, losing to Texas A&M, Notre Dame and LSU, beating Marquette in OT and winning by 14 at Kentucky.

UT-MIZZOU SERIES NOTES

The Lady Vols hold an 8-1 all-time record vs. Missouri, dating back to Jan. 14, 1978.
The Lady Vols have won four straight from the Tigers.
Holly Warlick is 5-1 in the series vs. Missouri, possessing a 2-1 record in Columbia vs. Robin Pingeton’s squad.
Against Missouri, the Lady Vols are 4-0 in games played in Knoxville, 1-0 in neutral sites, and 3-1 in Columbia.
Tennessee beat MU, 84-39, in Knoxville on Jan. 10, 2013, in their first-ever SEC meeting. Later that season Mizzou evened the score, defeating UT 80-63 in Columbia.
In the four games following that loss, UT has won by an average score of 66.8 to 56.
Prior to 2013, the Lady Vols defeated Missouri as a non-conference foe three times, most recently at the 2010 Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 82-44, with Holly Warlick serving as UT’s assistant coach.
Warlick also has had a hand in two wins in the series as a player for Tennessee.
No. 2-ranked UT defeated the No. 18 Tigers in Warlick’s sophomore year, taking a 101-83 victory at former Lady Vol home arena Stokely Athletics Center on Jan. 14, 1978.
No. 1 Tennessee prevailed over the No. 19 hosts, 74-61, on Dec. 9, 1978, in Mizzou’s Midwestern Classic in Warlick’s junior season.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND MU

Diamond DeShields fired in 22 points, as the Lady Vols pulled away from Missouri in the fourth quarter to win, 77-66, in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Although the teams fought neck and neck through the first three periods of play, #24/25 Tennessee exploded in the fourth to put a gritty Missouri team away behind 75 percent shooting from the field during the final period.
UT had four players in double digits for the night. DeShields’ 22 points marked the ninth time she’d cracked the 20-plus plateau on the season. She also added six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the contest.
Jaime Nared, Mercedes Russell and Jordan Reynolds added 18, 12, and 12, respectively, as the Lady Vols pulled out the win versus the Tigers.
Reynolds posted an SEC-high eight assists and four rebounds on the night.

LAST TIME IN COLUMBIA

No. 12 Tennessee put together a complete performance to knock No. 20 Missouri from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 71-55 victory on Jan. 4, 2016 at Mizzou Arena.
The Lady Vols held the Tigers to a season-low 55 points and 2-for-21 shooting from 3-point range to open Southeastern Conference play with a victory for the second consecutive year.
With the win, UT improved to 3-2 against ranked opponents on the season and extended its winning streak to three games.
Tennessee held a 7-point lead at the break thanks in large part to creating and scoring off of turnovers.
The Big Orange forced 10 Missouri turnovers in the first half and generated 14 points off them.
The Lady Vols came out hot in the second half and outscored the Tigers, 20-11, in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 16 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Four different players scored in double figures for Tennessee on the night, led by Jaime Nared‘s season-high 13 points. It was the third time in four contests the sophomore reached double figures after missing the first nine games of the season to injury.
Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell chipped in 11 points apiece as well. DeShields also led the team with nine rebounds on the night.

MORE ABOUT THE TIGERS

Mizzou was picked to finish third in the SEC by both the coaches and media in preseason polls; the Tigers currently sit in five-way tie for third.
At 9-4 and 21-5 overall, the Tigers enter the game with the exact same record as Tennessee.
Missouri returned two starters from last year’s squad (Sophie Cunningham and Cierra Porter), which finished 22-11 overall, 11-5 in the SEC, and finished tied for third in the league.
Redshirt senior Jordan Frericks is just 12 rebounds shy of becoming the third Tiger ever in the 1,000-point, 1000-rebound club.
The Tigers are on a four game winning streak, defeating Auburn 59-51 in Auburn Arena on Thursday.
Mizzou has posted a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 24 of 26 games this season.
In SEC play, Missouri has defeated 14 of its last 18 opponents.
The Tigers have won six of their past seven games against Top 25 opponents at home.

MIZZOU LAST TIME OUT (MU 59, AU 51)

Redshirt senior Jordan Frericks scored a game-high 19 points to power Missouri past Auburn with a 59-51 win on the road Thursday night.
The win marked Mizzou’s seventh true road win of the season, the team’s most since 2003-04.
The Tigers dominated in the first quarter, holding Auburn scoreless for the final 4:33 of the period, building a lead that they never surrendered.
Mizzou held Auburn’s to a 27.6-percent shooting performance, the lowest of any Missouri opponent in league play this season and the lowest by an opponent since SIUE shot 25.8 percent on Dec. 10.
Frericks’ 19 points were her most since Jan. 4. She also recorded a season-high three blocked shots moving her career total to 125 and tying for fifth on Mizzou’s all-time career blocked shots list.

TENNESSEE LAST TIME OUT (UT 63, UA 72)

Senior Jaime Nared was one of three Lady Vols in double figures for scoring, putting up a game-high 22 points, but it was not enough as No. 11/11 Tennessee lost to Alabama 72-63 Thursday night in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee out-rebounded Alabama 45-39, but Alabama won behind a 42.6% field goal percentage.
Freshman Rennia Davis collected her sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She has scored in double-figures 16 times this season and in nine of the last 11 games. Davis scored 12 of Tennessee’s 25 third quarter points.
Redshirt senior Mercedes Russell recorded her 43rd career double-double to surpass 1,500 career points, making her just the sixth Lady Vol to ever reach 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The Crimson Tide’s offense was paced by Jordan Lewis with 19 points and Ashley Williams with 16. Williams also registered 10 rebounds to complete a double-double.

UT Athletics