WBB Preview: #RV/RV Lady Vols at SEC Tournament (Second Round)

Tennessee (16-12, 8-8 SEC, t6th) enters the 2026 SEC Tournament as the No. 6 seed and will begin play in the second round on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville, S.C.

The Lady Vols will meet the winner of Wednesday night’s first-round contest between No. 11 seed Alabama (21-9 7-9 SEC, t10th) and No. 14 seed Missouri (16-15, 4-12 SEC, 14th).

Thursday night’s game will be televised by SEC Network and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite SEC Radio (Ch. 106 or 190). Thursday night’s winner will advance to play No. 3 seed Texas (28-3, 13-3, t2nd) in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

UT is coming off an 87-77 home loss to No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday, in which the Big Orange led by six at the half. Bama enters play on a two-match losing streak, dropping five of the past six. MU carries a six-game skid to Greenville.

Tennessee defeated both of these teams during the regular season, winning at Alabama, 70-59, on Jan. 18 and at home vs. Mizzou, 98-53, on Feb. 12.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will be on the call for the SEC Network 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 Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 or 190.

TENNESSEE IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT

• Tennessee is 87-29 (.750) all-time entering the 47th year of the tourney.
• UT is 11-3 vs. Alabama and 1-0 vs. Missouri in SEC Tournament play.
• The Lady Vols are 41-5 all-time in their opening game of the SEC Tournament and 5-2 in second round contests specifically entering the 2025-26 event.
• Additionally, UT is 3-0 in first round games, 37-8 in the quarterfinals, 24-12 in the semifinals, 17-7 in the championship game and 1-0 in consolation games.
• Tennessee has won a league-leading 17 SEC Tournament championship trophies.
• UT won in 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
• The Lady Vols have been runners-up on seven occasions, including 1982, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2015 and 2023.
• UT last advanced to the title game in 2023 as a No. 3 seed, defeating No. 14 seed Kentucky in the quarterfinals, 80-71; and No. 2 LSU in the semifinals, 69-67; before falling to No. 1 seed South Carolina, 74-58, in Greenville.
• Tennessee has had 15 SEC Tournament MVPs through the years.
• Isabelle Harrison (2014), Glory Johnson (2012), Shekinna Stricklen (2011) and Alyssia Brewer (2010) were the past four MVPs from Tennessee.
• The Lady Vols won the very first SEC Tournament title in 1980, defeating Ole Miss, 85-71, at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville.

BACK IN GREENVILLE

• This marks the ninth time Greenville has played host to the SEC Tournament.
• UT stands at 11-7 in games played in the city after beating Texas A&M in the first round and then falling to Vanderbilt in the second round a year ago.
• The Lady Vols have advanced to the semifinal round in Greenville five times (2005, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and made it to the championship game in two of those years (2005, 2023).
• No. 2 seed Tennessee defeated #1 seed LSU in the tourney title game, 67-56, on March 6, 2005, the first time the event was held in Greenville.
• Shyra Ely was named the SEC Tournament MVP that year, while Shanna Zolman and Brittany Jackson joined her on the all-tournament team.
• UT beat Auburn in the second round (64-54) and Vanderbilt in the semifinals (76-73) that year.

KIM CALDWELL IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT

• Tennessee enters with a 1-1 record in SEC Tournament action under second-year head coach Kim Caldwell.
• A year ago, the No. 9-seeded Lady Vols defeated No. 16 seed Texas A&M, 77-37, in the first round and fell to No. 8 seed Vanderbilt, 84-76, in the second round.
• This season, Tennessee improved to a No. 6 seed after earning a No. 9 placement in 2025.

SEC TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE

• Tennessee enters the 2026 SEC Tournament with four active players possessing experience with the Lady Vols in the SEC Tournament, including Kaniya Boyd, Talaysia Cooper, Alyssa Latham and Zee Spearman
• Two Lady Vols also went to the SEC Tournament with other schools before transferring to Tennessee, including Janiah Barker with Texas A&M and Jersey Wolfenbarger with LSU and Arkansas.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

• UT is ranked 21st in the NET, 30th in the WAB and is receiving votes in the Associated Press Poll.
• Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (16.1 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 3.7 apg., 2.7 spg., 57 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg., 36 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (10.7 ppg., 59 assts./38 TOs, 44 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (10.1 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 23 3FGs).
• The Lady Vols rank No. 7 nationally in threes made per game (9.5), with 15 contests of 10+ treys, including eight of the past 10.
• UT is No. 17 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (15.4) and No. 63 in total rebounds per contest (39.71).
• Tennessee is No. 28 in NCAA scoring offense (77.4), including 75.4 in SEC games.
• UT is 27th in bench points per game (25.3).
• The Lady Vols are 40th nationally in steals per game (10.6), carding 10+ steals 14 times after grabbing an SEC-high 15 vs. Missouri.
• Tennessee is No. 52 in turnovers forced per game (19.57) and has caused 20+ turnovers 13 times this season.

TRENDING…

• Tennessee has played ranked teams in 10 of its past 13 games and could face an 11th if RV/25 Alabama defeats Missouri.
• Six of UT’s last 10 contests were vs. top-10 ranked teams, including the last three games of the regular season.
• All told, UT has played the top seven teams in this week’s AP Poll.
• Tennessee has victories over No. 17 (AP) Kentucky, No. 22 (AP) Georgia and No. 25 (Coaches) Alabama and lost by two to No. 3 (AP) Texas on Feb. 15.
• Talaysia Cooper is scoring 21.3 ppg. (4 games of 20+) over her last six contests.
• Over the past seven games, Nya Robertson has averaged 11.7 ppg.
• Cooper is one point away from becoming the 51st player in program history to score 1,000 or more solely at Tennessee.
• Janiah Barker (36) is four treys away from giving UT its first-ever quartet of players with 40 or more three-pointers.
• In addition to potentially reaching that first, Talaysia Cooper (57), Nya Robertson (55) and Mia Pauldo (44) also are trying to become the program’s second-ever trio with 50+ deep balls.

SIZING UP THE NET RANKINGS

• Tennessee is sitting at No. 21 in the NCAA’s NET rankings through games of March 1.
• UT is one of only 17 teams nationally to have five Quad 1 wins and one of only three to play at least 15 Quad 1 opponents this season.
• The Big Orange’s next possible opponents, Alabama or Missouri, are slotted at No. 28 and No 83.
• The Lady Vols’ top NET victories are over current No. 16 Kentucky, No. 28 Alabama, No. 34, Georgia, No. 39 Mississippi State, No. 42 Stanford and No. 50 Florida.
• UT’s losses are to NET No. 1 UConn, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 LSU, No. 7 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 13 Louisville, No, 20 Ole Miss, No. 23 NC State, No. 39 Mississippi State and No. 61 Texas A&M.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

• Tennessee pushed No. 5 Vanderbilt and led by as many as seven points in the third quarter, but the Commodores used 69-percent shooting in that period to separate from and defeat the Lady Vols, 87-77, in front of a crowd of 12,037 on hand for Senior Day at Food City Center.
• UT (16-12, 8-8 SEC) was paced by 23 points from redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper, while senior forward Janiah Barker, senior guard Nya Robertson and senior forward Zee Spearman contributed 17, 12 and 10 points, respectively. Barker added a game-high eight boards as well.
• VU (27-3, 13-3 SEC) got 34 points from Mikayla Blakes, 24 from Aubrey Galvan and 16 from Sacha Washington on the afternoon. Blakes finished six of nine beyond the arc, while Galvan was four of seven.

NOTES FROM THE VANDERBILT GAME

• COOPER THE HOOPER: Talaysia Cooper led the Lady Vols with 23 points, marking the 12th time this season and the 26th time in her career she has paced UT in scoring. Cooper has hit double figures 24 times in 2025-26 and 52 times during her college career. Cooper has been on fire recently, scoring 20 or more points in four out of her past six games. In her performance vs. Vanderbilt, she logged her fourth double-digit quarter this season, leading the way with 11 points in the second frame. Cooper’s four quarters with 10+ points tie for the team lead with Mia Pauldo and Janiah Barker.
• SENIOR IMPACT ON SENIOR DAY: Sunday was Senior Day for the Lady Vols. The seniors combined to score 39 points and grab 14 caroms, which was 51 percent of Tennessee’s points and 44 percent of its rebounds. Barker (17 pts., 8 rebs.), Robertson (12 pts., 2 rebs.) and Spearman (10 pts., 4 rebs.) were the most productive of the quintet on the afternoon.

UT/ALABAMA SERIES NOTES

• Tennessee leads the all-time series, 57-9, after defeating Alabama, 70-59, in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 18.
• Against the Crimson Tide, UT is 26-1 all-time in games played in Knoxville, 20-5 in Tuscaloosa and 11-3 at neutral sites.
• The Lady Vols have won eight of the past 10 in the series after Alabama had forged a five-game victory string from 2016-19.
• UT is 18-4 vs. Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, losing for the first time there on Feb. 16, 2017, 65-57, and losing during trips there on Feb. 8, 2024 (72-56) and on Feb. 17, 2022 (74-64) before prevailing there this season.
• From 2011-16, the Crimson Tide women played in Foster Auditorium, where UT was 2-1.

A LOOK AT THE CRIMSON TIDE

• Alabama features two players averaging double-figure scoring, including Jessica Timmons (16.8 ppg.) and Essence Cody (11.5).
• Cody did not play against Tennessee during their meeting in January due to injury.
• Karly Weathers (9.5) and Ta’Mia Scott (9.4) are contributing just shy of 10 ppg.
• UA is averaging 70.4 ppg and holding foes to 61.2 ppg.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Kristy Curry is in her 13th season at Alabama and in her 27th campaign overall as a college head coach.
• She is 242-171 with the Tide and 551-320 overall.
• Curry and the Crimson Tide made their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years and 14th all-time bid during the 2024-25 season.

UA’S LAST GAME

• The No. 24/23 Alabama women’s basketball team concluded the 2025-26 regular season Sunday, falling to No. 4/4 Texas, 72-65, inside Coleman Coliseum.
• The Crimson Tide (21-9, 7-9 SEC) outscored the Longhorns 45-42 in the second half, but UA was unable to overcome Texas in the seven-point setback.
• Jessica Timmons posted her 25th double-figure game after scoring a team-high 24 points, which included shooting 6-of-11 (55 percent) from the field and 10-of-10 (100 percent) from the free-throw line. Essence Cody added 16 points.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED ALABAMA

• No. 20/20 Tennessee completed its largest comeback of the season and won its sixth-straight game, bouncing back from 10 down in the first quarter to stay unbeaten at 5-0 in SEC play with a 70-59 victory over No. 21/21 Alabama on Jan. 18 at Coleman Coliseum.
• Talaysia Cooper led five UT players in double figures with 16 points. Mia Pauldo was next with 13, while Zee Spearman and Alyssa Latham chipped in 12 and Janiah Barker added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
• Jessica Timmons paced UA (17-3, 3-3 SEC) with a game-high 22 points, while Karly Weathers contributed 11 and Naomi Jones yanked down 11 boards as they saw their 18-game home winning streak come to an end.

UT/MISSOURI SERIES NOTES

• The Lady Vols hold a 17-3 all-time record vs. Missouri, standing 8-1 in games played in Knoxville, 7-2 in Columbia and 2-0 at neutral sites.
• The Big Orange carries a series-best nine-game winning streak vs. Missouri into the SEC Tournament.
• If these teams meet, it would mark the second time they have faced off in SEC Tournament play. Tennessee won the first meeting on March 5, 2020, when a No. 6 Lady Vols unit toppled a No. 11 Tigers squad, 64-51, in the second round in Greenville.
• UT’s 98-53 win in Knoxville earlier this season tied for the highest margin of victory in the all-time series (+45) and featured the Lady Vols’ second-highest point total behind the 101 it tallied vs. MU in 1978.

A LOOK AT THE TIGERS

• Missouri is paced by three players scoring in double digits on the season, including Grace Slaughter (18.9), Shannon Dowell (15.7) and Jordana Reisma (10.2).
• Reisma did not play against Tennessee during their meeting in February due to injury.
• Mizzou averages 73.23 ppg. while allowing 76.97 ppg.
• MU makes 14.5 free throws per contest and shoots 78 percent from the line.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• The Tigers are led by Kellie (Jolly) Harper, who is in her first year in Columbia and possesses a 409-275 career record in 21 seasons.
• Prior to arriving at Missouri, she served as Tennessee’s head coach from 2019-24, compiling a 108-52 record with five NCAA appearances in as many seasons.
• The Sparta, Tenn., native is a 1999 graduate of UT, playing point guard for the legendary Pat Summitt and helping Tennessee to NCAA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The ’98 squad finished 39-0.

MU’S LAST GAME

• Shannon Dowell scored 33 points, Grace Slaughter chipped in 15 and Jordana Reisma added 13, but No. 7 Oklahoma was able to hold off Missouri on Sunday, 84-78, in Columbia.
• The loss was the sixth straight for the Tigers, who outscored OU, 28-17, in the final quarter to nearly catch the Sooners.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED MIZZOU

• No. 22/22 Tennessee shot 52 percent from the field and outscored Missouri in the paint by a 54-24 margin to claim a 98-53 wire-to-wire victory in front of 10,489 at Food City Center on Feb. 12.
• The Lady Vols were led by 22 points from Janiah Barker. Talaysia Cooper added 17 points, while Alyssa Latham, Nya Robertson and Deniya Prawl chipped in 15, 14 and 13, respectively.
• Prawl and Jaida Civil pulled down 10 rebounds each to lead UT.
• Missouri (16-11, 4-8 SEC) was paced by Grace Slaughter with 20 points, while Shannon Dowell had 11.

NEXT UP

• The winner of Thursday night’s game advances to the quarterfinal round, where it will meet No. 3 seed Texas on Friday.
• The game will tip at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., and will be televised by SEC Network.
• UT contests will be carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming available on UTSports.com.
• For bracket and other info., please go to: https://www.secsports.com/championships/womens-basketball-championship.