#18 Tennessee (8-0) at Memphis (2-7)
Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 | 8:30pm ET / (7:30pm CT)
Memphis, TN | FedEx Forum | Watch: ESPNEWS
Knoxville, TN – No. 18/16 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team (8-0) makes the trip to the “Bluff City” this week, where it will face Memphis (2-7) at FedExForum on Wednesday at 7:30pm CT (8:30pm ET) in the second meeting of a two-game series.
This marks the second of three appearances at the home arena of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies this season for the UM women. They first faced South Carolina in an exhibition at the venue on October 15th (L, 106-63) and will host Louisville on December 21st, four days after UT visits. Wednesday night’s contest will be televised live by ESPNews and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream at UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 388.
The Big Orange will attempt to start the year 9-0 for only the fourth time in the past 13 seasons and join the 2021-22 (9-0), 2017-18 (15-0) and 2013-14 (10-0) post-Pat Summitt era UT squads in opening their campaigns in that fashion. Kim Caldwell‘s team enters the match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in eight statistical categories after crushing North Carolina Central in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon, 139-59.
UT is tops in the NCAA in scoring offense (98.4), three-pointers per game (13.0), three-point attempts per game (40.1), offensive rebounds per game (21.8), steals per game (17.3), turnovers forced per game (30.25), turnover margin (15.63) and winning percentage (100.0).
The Tigers enter on a six-game losing streak after falling at Troy on Saturday, 85-67. Tennessee and Memphis each have played Samford this season, with UT prevailing in the season opener on Nov. 5, 101-53, and UM winning vs. SU, 88-75, on November 10th.
Memphis head coach and LVFL Alex (Fuller) Simmons is hoping to have point guard DeeDee Hagemann (12.3 ppg., 5.2 apg.) in uniform vs. Tennessee. The All-Big Ten performer sat out the first semester after transferring from Michigan State and as of December 16th Hagemann had not been confirmed as being active for this game.
This will mark the 29th meeting between these programs, with UT leading 27-1 in the series after winning in overtime, 84-74, on November 13th, 2023, in Knoxville.
Broadcast Details
Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will have the call for ESPNews.
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.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central 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 radio broadcast also can be heard on SiriusXM channel 388.
Individually Speaking
FIVE 20s IN A ROW FOR COOP: Talaysia Cooper has scored 20+ points in her past five games, firing in 33 vs. Liberty, 20 vs. Western Carolina, 22 vs. Florida State, 23 vs. Iowa and 21 vs. N.C. Central to average 23.8 ppg. during that span. She has elevated her season average to 20.3, shooting 55.8 pct. from the field, 40 pct. on threes and 84.2 pct. on free throws thus far.
8-0 WITH EIGHT DIFFERENT FIVES: UT has begun the year 8-0 with eight different starting lineups and nine different players appearing in the first five. Talaysia Cooper, Samara Spencer and Ruby Whitehorn have seven starts each to lead the team.
GREEN LIGHT ON THREES: Nine Lady Vols hit threes vs. N.C. Central, and every active player has at least one in 2024-25.
LOCKED IN FROM DEEP: Samara Spencer (22 3FGs, 51 pct.) and Tess Darby (21 3FGs, 37 pct.) pace UT from behind the arc. Talaysia Cooper (12, 40 pct.) and Jewel Spear (12, 29 pct.) are right behind them.
PLAYING TAKEAWAY: Talaysia Cooper (25), Kaniya Boyd (15), Alyssa Latham (14) and Ruby Whitehorn (13) lead seven Lady Vols with double-figure steal totals.
From A Team Perspective
RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 1 nationally in steals per game, averaging 17.3, and its total of 138 in eight contests is only 21 behind last year’s sum of 159 in 33 games.
THAT’S A 10-COUNT: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 11 times in seven games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
TURNING THEM OVER: UT is No. 1 in turnovers forced per game (30.25) and turnover margin (15.63) after hurrying N.C. Central into 44 miscues for the third-most by a Lady Vol opponent all-time.
PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense, generating 98.4 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in scoring is No. 4, which Marshall did last season (85.3).
MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: UT ranks No. 1 in 3FGs made per game at 13.0 and has hit 10 or more treys five times, tying the school best for most games with double-digit three-pointer totals in a season.
ELITE ON O-BOARDS: UT is No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 21.8. It has twice eclipsed 30 this season.
Inside The Numbers
A NUMBER THAT COUNTS: UT is No. 1 nationally with nine other teams with a win percentage of 100 through Dec. 15.
WINNING THE FIRST EIGHT: Tennessee has won its first eight games for the initial time since beginning 2021-22 at 9-0.
FAST STARTS FOR CALDWELL: UT’s 8-0 start is the second-best opening of a season in Kim Caldwell‘s nine years as a head coach behind her 29-0 start at Glenville State in 2021-22 on the way to 35-1.
UT’S BEST COACHING START: The win over N.C. Central gave Kim Caldwell eight straight to open her tenure, making it the best coaching debut in Lady Vol history.
UT HOOPS STANDS ALONE: UT is the only school to have both its women’s (8-0) and men’s (10-0) basketball teams still undefeated entering this week.
UT NO. 25 IN NET RANKINGS: UT stands at No. 25 in the NCAA’s NET rankings through Dec. 16, with wins over No. 23 Florida State, No. 32 Iowa and No. 65 Middle Tennessee.
NO. 25 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols’ cumulative schedule ranks No. 25 on the NCAA’s Toughest Schedule report.
Looking Back At The Last Game
No. 19/18 Tennessee broke the NCAA single-game record for three-pointers made in game, draining 30 from beyond the arc, and also snapped school and SEC marks for most points in a 139-59 victory over North Carolina Central on Saturday at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols improved to 8-0, running their home winning streak to eight games dating back to last season. With the eighth win to begin her tenure, UT head coach Kim Caldwell carded the best start by a Big Orange women’s skipper in her first season on Rocky Top.
UT rewrote program, SEC and NCAA bests with the 30-trey total. They also topped program and conference bests with 63 attempts from long range. The scoring total surpassed UT’s previous peak tally of 133 that was accumulated vs. Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on November 29th, 2002, at the San Juan Shootout.
Senior guard Samara Spencer set the tone from three-point range, notching a program record with nine treys on 13 attempts to card a career-high 33 points. She added 10 assists to notch her first double-double as a Lady Vol and the fourth of her career.
Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper swished five three-pointers in nine attempts to score 21 points and eclipse 20 or more for the fifth straight game
N.C. Central, which fell to 0-12, was led by Shakiria Foster with 17 points, while Terriana Gray added 10. The Eagles were plagued by 44 turnovers, which ranks as the third-most ever by a UT opponent and the highest total since Memphis committed 46 on February 16th, 1999. The record is 50, set by Hawaii Pacific on December 20th, 1985.
UT/UM Series Notes
Tennessee has built a 27-1 lead in the all-time series, winning the past 20 match-ups.
This will mark the first time UT has played the Tigers in Memphis since December 29th, 2001, when a No. 2/2-ranked Big Orange squad earned a 92-66 victory at The Pyramid.
Tennessee is 10-1 on the road vs. UM, losing its only contest in the series, 79-75, on February 24th, 1979, in Memphis.
A Look At The Tigers
Memphis enters at 2-7 after losing its past six, and it returns home after three straight road games.
The Tigers feature five players scoring in double figures, including Tilly Boler (15.6), Alasia Smith (11.9), Hannah Riddick (11.5), Elauna Eaton (11.3) and Tanyuel Welch (10.2). Eaton and UT’s Samara Spencer were teammates at Arkansas in 2021-22.
UM has been a good first quarter team, outscoring its foes, 147-146, but it has been out-pointed the final three frames by 197-158, 207-179 and 193-162 counts.
About Memphis Tigers Head Coach
Alex (Fuller) Simmons is in her second year at Memphis, possessing a 15-24 with the Tigers. She is 105-83 in her seventh season as a head coach.
A year ago, she guided UM to a 13-17 overall record and fifth place in the American Athletic Conference.
Prior to coming to Memphis, she led Gardner-Webb (N.C.) to a 90-59 record in five seasons there.
Her final squad at GWU forged a 29-5 overall mark and a perfect 18-0 record in the Big South in 2022-23.
She was named the 2023 Big South Coach of the Year, leading the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, the two-time NCAA Champion (2007, 2008) played for the Lady Volunteers under the late Hall of Fame head coach Pat Summitt from 2004-09
Simmons also made career stops as a G.A. at Kansas (2009-10) and an assistant at Middle Tennessee (2010-13) and Ole Miss (2013-18).
UM’S Last Game
Memphis women’s basketball fell at Troy on Saturday, 85-67, as the Trojans used a 26-16 second quarter to build a lead they would not relinquish.
Down seven players, the Tigers (2-7) battled to cut the lead from 17 to six but were unable to string together enough stops to complete the comeback.
Tanyuel Welch led the team with a career-high 20 points on 60-percent (9-for-15) shooting. Alasia Smith again filled up the stat sheet, logging 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Last Time UT Met Memphis
Four players scored in double figures, helping No. 15/12 UT overcome the absence of its leading scorer in an 84-74 OT win over Memphis on November 13th, 2023.
Sara Puckett led the Big Orange with a career-high 24 points and added eight rebounds in 39 minutes of duty. Jewel Spear recorded her first double-double as a Lady Vol, carding 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Jasmine Powell followed with 17 points and Jillian Hollingshead added 14 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.
UT (2-1), with standout forward Rickea Jackson missing the contest with a lower leg injury, came from nine down in the second quarter to claim victory. The Lady Vols finished 28 of 67 from the field for 41.8 percent and 24 of 32 from the free-throw line for 75 percent, including 9-of-10 marksmanship at the charity stripe in the overtime period.
Kai Carter led UM with 18 points, while Madison Griggs and Alasia Smith added 16 and 10.
Next Up For UT Women’s Basketball
After facing Memphis, the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team will fly to Florida for a pair of games at the West Palm Beach Classic.
The Big Orange will meet Richmond (9-2) on Friday at 2:15pm ET at Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University and follow with an 11:00am ET tilt on Saturday vs. Tulsa (5-5).
Those contests will be shown by BallerTV and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations with audio streamed on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 388.
