KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Assistant Coach Dean Lockwood met with members of the media before practice on Wednesday in Thompson-Boling Arena.  The No. 11 Lady Vols (21-4, 9-3 SEC) will close out a two-game home stand Thursday, welcoming Alabama (15-10, 5-7 SEC) for another SEC clash.

Answering questions from the media, Lockwood talked about the series against the Crimson Tide and how the Lady Vols match up.

Tennessee vs. Alabama will tip off at 6:32 p.m. ET and be televised on the SEC Network.

Assistant Coach Dean Lockwood

On Alabama out-rebounding Tennessee in the last two games:
“I think rebounding is an area that goes down to competing. They out-competed us. Rebounding is one strain of the virus, and the virus was they out-competed us. They just played harder, and they worked harder. Again, that was last year, so I don’t want to dwell on it, but if we go back and look at the tape of those games, you can see clearly for the full 40 minutes Alabama is playing harder in most of those minutes. That’s something we want to correct and, believe me, it is stuck in the mind of the veterans too.”

On how the returning players feel about losses to Alabama:
“They are not happy. We are playing a team that is not a final four team, or hasn’t been, but they beat us three times consecutively. Just being competitors, and the way we are this year, I think we’re wired a little bit more competitive and mature that way. It’s not lost on them.”

On having beaten Alabama 30 times previously and if that still gives Tennessee an advantage:
“I’ll tell you this, Kristy Curry is a heck of a coach, and what she has done in a relatively short time… Our public today thinks a new coach flips a switch, and in two years, we are going to win. It usually takes longer. Kristy Curry, in the time that she has been there, has made significant improvement in that program. They have gotten better. They play harder. They’re defending better. They have more people on the floor that can attack in different ways. We have a very healthy respect as coaches for them. We didn’t ever feel like, ‘Oh gosh, we have this.’ Because last year is last year. It is nice to have a string like that, but that speaks to the players, the maturity of the players, and how well we prepare. We didn’t look at that as nearly as big of a factor as the fact that we had a team that was good, and we had to respect them. We just didn’t get the job done.”

On Alabama coming into the game with more confidence:
“I can’t answer for them, but if I’m in their shoes, I’m going to say (the 30-game losing streak) is ancient history. The mystique is gone. They won the last three games, so I think those players come in here with a mindset of saying, ‘We’ve done it the last three games, forget about ancient history now. We just know recent history, and we’ve tackled this team three times.’ They have to have a certain amount of confidence knowing that they have beaten Tennessee. I think that’s in the history books.”

On the level of concern on the amount of turnovers:
“There is a certain amount that is acceptable. What I mean by that is one time we had two charges. That’s okay. We can live with that. Mercedes (Russell) one time was posting and kind of got a foul with the left arm trying to clear someone out. We can live with those. We had a couple jump balls, so any time you lose the possession, that’s a turnover. We can live with some of those. The biggest thing that we are focusing on is the decision making and the careless, sloppiness of our play – dragging your feet on a drive, not coming to a good jump stop, not pivoting correctly, and some of our forced passes. Holly (Warlick) has said repeatedly, ‘We try to hit a home run, but singles and doubles win games too.’ We are trying to kind of hit more singles and doubles, as opposed to throwing the home run… It is a lot safer to make one, two, maybe three passes, and it gets to the hole, versus trying to go for it right away. (After) showing our players that on video, (we’re) understanding the simpler we make the game the more solid we become.”

On Kasiyahna Kushkituah seeing increased minutes against Georgia:
“The reason she got in, and certainly that she got in as early as she did and got the minutes she did, was her work in practice. One of the core values of this program has always been that you earn playing time. You earn it. There’s only one way to get on that court, and you earn it. Her practices, specifically her tempo, her intensity and her focus, those three things were significantly better in practice during the three or four days leading up to that game. She’s also been putting in a little bit of extra work, so those two things combined to make us, and specifically Holly (Warlick) say, ‘Hey, we need to put her in.’ Because she’s going to be a good player for us down the line. Kasi is going to be a very good player. We’ve believed that from day one, she’s just been a little bit behind with the conditioning piece and then some of the focus. Like a lot of freshman she’s had to learn how to work hard and learn to practice hard, but when she did that, she showed us that she was moving ahead and she earned that opportunity.”

UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/11 Tennessee (21-4, 9-3 SEC) closes out a two-game home stand Thursday, welcoming Alabama (15-10, 5-7 SEC) to Thompson-Boling Arena for another conference clash at 6:32 p.m. ET.

The 55th meeting between the Lady Vols and Lady Bulldogs is an important one, as UT tries to maintain its second-place position in the league standings, while the Crimson Tide tries to improve its chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid with a quality win on the road. The Lady Vols, who lead the series, 49-5, also look to end a three-game losing skid vs. Bama.

Tennessee has won four straight and five of its last six games to improve its position for seeding in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. 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.

Alabama, meanwhile, has lost four of five and six of its last eight games after standing 13-4 following a 65-51 home victory over LSU on Jan. 11. The Crimson Tide went on the road to end a four-game skid on Sunday, edging Ole Miss in Oxford, 82-79, by outscoring the Rebels by 10 in the second half after trailing by seven at the break.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) will describe the action for the UT-Alabama television 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.

PROMOTIONS FOR THURSDAY NIGHT

• Postgame autographs with Anastasia Hayes at section 116 on the concourse.
• High-five tunnel for first 50 kids every game! Pick up a wristband for the tunnel at section 113 on the concourse.
• Free parking & shuttle service from UT’s Ag Campus.
• Halftime performance by Something Ridiculous.

UT’S UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• After facing Alabama to close out a two-game home stand, the Lady Vols will hit the road for two contests before returning home to close out the 2017-18 regular season slate.
• On Sunday, the Lady Vols are in Columbia to take on #13/13 Missouri at 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on ESPNU.
• The Lady Vols then 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.

REMEMBER WHERE WE STARTED?

• As we head down the stretch with UT at 21-4 overall, 9-3 in the SEC, No. 11 nationally and in second place in the league, it seems like a good time to recall the outlook Tennessee had at the beginning of the season.
• UT was predicted to finish fourth in the SEC by the media and fifth by the coaches.
• Tennessee opened the season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
• UT had lost two starters and three other players with starting experience from last year’s team.
• Holly Warlick returned five players from a year ago, but only three with extensive minutes.
• The Lady Vols welcomed five new players, including the No. 1-ranked 2017 signing class and a JUCO All-American coming off a redshirt year after having knee surgery.
• Tennessee was coming off 22-14/8-8 SEC and 20-12/10-6 SEC records with league finishes of seventh and fifth, respectively, the past two years.

BRACKETOLOGY SAYS…

• ESPN’s Charlie Creme has UT projected for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and slotted in the Lexington Regional in his Feb. 12 edition of Bracketology.
• Creme has the Lady Vols hosting a first round game vs. No. 14 American and meeting either No. 6 Oregon State or No. 11 South Dakota State in the second round.

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 Nared has 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 with her eighth rebound en route to 15 for the afternoon.
• She stands one point short of 1,500 for her career.
• Russell will become 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 Alabama, Holly Warlick will coach her 200th game and seek the 150th win of her career.
• UT has led every game this season at the half except for two. UT trailed Mississippi State by 13 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 1-4 when trailing.
• The Lady Vols have allowed only six opponents to score more than 71 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75, Vandy – 73, A&M – 79, Notre Dame – 84, Arkansas – 85) and have allowed only seven 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; and Miss. State, .418).
• Tennessee is averaging 77.1 points and giving up 73.6 vs. ranked teams, and those numbers shift to 81.9 to 60.2 vs. unranked foes.
• On the boards, the Lady Vols have 46.8 to 34.1 advantage vs. unranked teams but only a 42.2 to 38.7 edge vs. ranked programs.
• UT is averaging 81.9 points and allowing 59.7 in home games. On the road, it’s 75.1 to 68.5.
• UT has three starters averaging double figures in scoring, including seniors Jaime Nared (17.3) and Mercedes Russell (16.2), and freshman Rennia Davis (11.8). Freshmen Anastasia Hayes (9.5) and Evina Westbrook (8.7) are on the brink of double digits.
• Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in 16 of 25 games, averaging a 40.1 to 34.6 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 18 games, averaging 12.4 per contest. In losses, that number is 8.4.
• 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.

PUTTING TURNOVERS IN PERSPECTIVE

• Tennessee is averaging 80.2 points, 17.1 turnovers per game, has seven games of 20+ turnovers and two more with 19 miscues.
• Mistakes are more likely to happen with an uptempo team, vs. aggressive guard-oriented opponents and with three of Tennessee’s top performers being freshmen.
• Nobody likes turnovers, but this year’s numbers are in the ballpark (in some cases fewer) than those recorded by some of Tennessee’s finest (NCAA title) teams.

YEAR / PPG / TOPG / 20+ TOs / 19 TOs

’17-18 / 80.2 / 17.1 / 7 / 2
’88-89 / 81.5 / 19.1 / 17 / 4
’96-97 / 77.3 / 18.2 / 16 / 2
’90-91 / 78.5 / 17.5 / 11 / 3
’86-87 / 81.1 / 17.1 / 12 / 1
’97-98 / 88.8 / 16.6 / 5 / 6
’07-08 / 76.7 / 16.4 / 7 / 6
’95-96 / 77.9 / 15.5 / 6 / 2
’06-07 / 73.6 / 15.4 / 8 / 1

UT-BAMA SERIES NOTES

• The Lady Vols hold a 49-5 all-time record vs. Alabama, dating back to Jan. 22, 1977.
• Against the Tide, the Lady Vols are 22-0 in games played in Knoxville and are 18-2 in Tuscaloosa.
• UT is 16-1 vs. Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, losing for the first time there on Feb. 16, 2017, 65-57, on Feb. 16.
• Tennessee is 9-3 vs. Alabama at neutral sites.
• From 2011-16, Crimson Tide women’s basketball played in Foster Auditorium, where UT was 2-1, including a 54-46 loss on Feb. 25, 2016.
• That loss in 2016 ended a 42-game UT win streak.
• Prior to that victory, the last Alabama win was on March 3, 1984, at the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga., by a score of 85-66.
• The other came at the 1981 SEC Tournament, as the Tide knocked off #10-ranked Tennessee, 77-71, on Jan. 30.
• Second-year Tennessee assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Sharrona Reaves played at Alabama (1995 grad.) for head coach Rick Moody.
• Alabama coordinator of player development, recruiting and video operations Brian Johnson is a 2016 Tennessee graduate who served as a manager on Holly Warlick‘s staff for four seasons.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND UA

• Despite a double-double by Mercedes Russell, Tennessee was never able to get in a consistent groove against Alabama in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, falling 72-64 on March 2, 2017.
• Russell finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the contest, both of which were game highs. Diamond DeShields posted another all-around performance, totaling 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
• Jordan Reynolds and Jaime Nared also cracked double-digit scoring, with 14 and 11, respectively. Nared also added seven rebounds and three assists.
• Five players reached double-digit scoring for the Crimson Tide, who were led by Meoshonti Knight’s 16 points and six rebounds. Ashley Knight posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds as well as six blocks in the contest.

LAST TIME IN KNOXVILLE

• Jaime Nared had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Te’a Cooper scored 17 points and No. 19/23 Tennessee stormed past Alabama, 70-42, on Jan. 31, 2016, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The Lady Vols (13-8, 4-4 SEC) extended their win streak to 42 straight games against the Crimson Tide (13-9, 2-7 SEC), marking (then) the third-longest active in-conference winning streak in NCAA Division I.
• The victory gave Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick her 99th career victory.
• Alabama’s 42 points were its fewest of the season and the fewest allowed by Tennessee since UT beat Georgia, 75-41, on March 6, 2015.
• Mercedes Russell registered her eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. She also had two blocks and a career-best three assists in the win.
• Tennessee limited Alabama to its worst shooting performance of the season at just 27.5 percent (14-of-51). The Crimson Tide was 2-of-14 from 3-point range, marking its second-worst performance on the year.
• Meoshonti Knight led Alabama with 11 points and five rebounds.

MORE ABOUT ALABAMA

• Alabama was picked to finish ninth by both the coaches and media in preseason polls, and the Crimson Tide currently sits in eighth place.
• Alabama returned all five starters from last year’s squad, which finished 22-14 overall, 5-11 in the SEC, and placed 11th in the league.
• The Tide beat UT in Tuscaloosa during the regular season and in the SEC Second Round in Greenville last season after defeating the Lady Vols the previous year in Tuscaloosa as well.
• Kristy Curry is in her fifth season at Alabama and stands at 79-75 with a 3-3 mark vs. UT.
• Alabama has three players sharing the last name Knight — Coco, Meoshonti and Ashley.
• Roger Hoover, a 2010 Tennessee graduate, is the radio play-by-play voice of Alabama women’s basketball.
• First-year Tennessee head football coach Jeremy Pruitt was the defensive coordinator on Alabama’s 2018 football national championship team, served on the staff during the 2009, 2011 and 2012 title years and played two seasons under Gene Stallings for the Crimson Tide.

BAMA LAST TIME OUT (UA 82, UM 79)

• Trailing by one with 36 seconds to go, junior Shaquera Wade converted on a layup after a timely steal, and sophomore Jordan Lewis followed with a pair of free throws moments later to seal the 82-79 victory for Alabama at Ole Miss in women’s basketball action on Sunday.
• Lewis finished with a career-high 23 points, converting 11-of-13 from the free throw line, along with a game-high seven rebounds and game-best three steals. The Crimson Tide’s four other starters also had double-digit points in the win as senior Quanetria Bolton ended with 16, senior Hannah Cook with 15, senior Ashley Williams with 11 and Wade with 10.
• For the Rebels, junior Torri Lewis led the way with 26 points, 21 of which came from beyond the arc, while sophomore Shelby Gibson added 20.
• Alabama (15-10, 5-7 SEC) trailed by as many as nine points in the game but outscored the Rebels by 10 in the second half. Ole Miss (11-14, 1-11 SEC) knocked down 15 threes in the contest, however the Tide took advantage of its 34 trips to the free throw line, hitting 28 to finish at 82.4 percent for the game. Alabama also outrebounded the Rebels by two, 32-30, and forced 15 Ole Miss turnovers, 10 of which were steals by the Tide.

TENN. LAST TIME OUT (UT 62, UGA 46)

• Mercedes Russell collected the 1,000th rebound of her fantastic career, leading No. 11/11 Tennessee to a 62-46 victory over No. 18/18 Georgia on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The 6-foot-6 senior center became the sixth Lady Vol to reach the 1,000-rebound mark, joining all-time greats Chamique Holdsclaw (1,295), Glory Johnson (1,218), Bashaara Graves (1,044), Sheila Frost (1,043) and Tamika Catchings (1,004). The redshirt senior finished with 13 points and a game-high 15 boards to help UT (21-4, 9-3 SEC) move into a tie for second place in the SEC standings.
• The Lady Vols put on a stellar defensive performance in holding Georgia to a season-low 46 points and 29.5 percent shooting (18-of-61) from the field. UT dominated on the glass throughout the game, finishing with a 50-30 rebounding advantage, and forced UGA into 20 turnovers.
• Senior forward Jaime Nared contributed 15 points for the Lady Vols, while Meme Jackson and Rennia Davis added 11 apiece. Taja Cole and Mackenzie Engram scored 12 each to lead the Lady Bulldogs (21-4, 9-3 SEC).

UT Athletics