#19 Tennessee (17-5 | 4-5 SEC) at #6 LSU (24-1 | 9-1 SEC)
Sunday, February 9th, 2025 | 4:00pm CT / 5:00pm ET
Baton Rouge, LA | Pete Maravich Assembly Center | TV: ESPN
Knoxville, TN – No. 19/17 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team (17-5, 4-5 SEC) returns to SEC play and is back on the road Sunday, as it meets No. 6/4 LSU in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA, at 3:00pm CT (4:00pm ET).
The Lady Vols and Tigers will meet in a contest televised by ESPN and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Ch. 138 & 190).
Both teams are ranked in the top five in scoring and offensive boards per game, with UT putting up 90.6 ppg. (No. 2) to LSU’s 87.6 (No. 4) and grabbing 19.0 offensive rebounds (No. 1) to the Tigers’ 18.1 (No. 3). LSU survived the first meeting between these programs, 89-87, in Knoxville earlier this season on January 9th.
Tennessee will be playing its fourth top-10 opponent in a five-game stretch after taking down No. 5/5 UConn on Thursday night in Knoxville, 80-76. During this gauntlet, the Big Orange fell at No. 7/7 Texas on Jan. 23, 80-76, and to No. 2/2 South Carolina on Jan. 27, 70-63. It then won at unranked Mizzou, 76-71, and beat No. 5/5 UConn before entering this contest.
The UT Lady Vols are led by redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, one of 15 standouts on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and a member of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. She puts up 17.6 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 3.3 apg. and 3.2 spg. while shooting 46 percent from the field. Cooper has 10 20+ scoring efforts this season.
Also averaging double figures are junior guard Ruby Whitehorn (12.8 ppg.), fifth-year guard Jewel Spear (12.1 ppg.), junior forward Zee Spearman (11.2 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and senior point guard Samara Spencer (11.0 ppg., 5.2 apg.).
LSU has won its past four games, including a 71-60 decision at Missouri on Thursday night, since suffering its only loss of the season at No. 2/2 South Carolina, 66-56, on January 24th. The Tigers feature the impressive trio of Flau’Jae Johnson (19.9 ppg.), Aneesah Morrow (18.4 ppg, 14.2 rpg.) and Mikaylah Williams (17.0 ppg.) leading the way, with Kailyn GIlbert providing 9.6 ppg. off the bench.
Kim Caldwell‘s first Lady Vol team enters this match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in two statistical categories, as of Feb. 7, and is top 10 in five others. UT leads the NCAA in three pointers per game (10.9) and three point attempts per game (32.9), and is second in scoring offense (90.6) and offensive rebounds per game (19.9), fifth in turnover margin (9.23), eighth in bench points per game (30.3), and ninth in turnovers forced per game (23.68).
Broadcast Details
Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will have the call for ESPN.
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 broadcast also will be available via SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 138 and 190.
Individually Speaking
COOP CAN HOOP: Guard Talaysia Cooper is having a break-out season, leading UT in scoring (17.6 ppg.) and steals (3.2 spg.), hitting double figures 19 times, carding 10 efforts of 20+ points and notching 10 quarters where she scored 10 or more points, including 14 in the 1Q and 10 in the 3Q en route to 27 at Missouri last Sunday.
“FEAR DA SPEAR”: Jewel Spear is enjoying her best stretch of the year, averaging 13.4 ppg. in SEC play, hitting 27 of 58 three-point tries in league action (46.6 pct.) to run her overall total to 51 treys and average 2.55 treys per game to rank No. 3 in SEC play.
SMOOTH SAMARA: Samara Spencer (11.0 ppg.) ranks No. 13 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.78), is No. 35 in total assists (114), and is No. 29 in apg. (5.2) while ranking No. 47 in 3FG pct. (40.5) and No. 2 for Tennessee in 3FGs made (47).
GET A BUCKET, RUBY: Ruby Whitehorn is UT’s second-leading scorer at 12.8 ppg., tallying 10+ points in 13 of her past 16 games, including a season-high 21 at #7/7 Texas.
ZEE COMING ON STRONG: Zee Spearman has scored 10+ 13 times, averages 11.2 ppg. and 6.0 rpg., and has hit 15 treys.
From A Team Perspective
PILING UP POINTS: The UT Lady Vols rank No. 2 nationally in scoring offense, generating 90.6 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in ppg. is No. 4, where she was in 2023-24 (85.3) at Marshall.
MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: UT ranks No. 1 in 3FGs made per game at 10.9 and has hit 10+ treys 14 times, eclipsing the old school best of six. It made nine of 17 vs. Texas for its highest pct. (52.9) of 2024-25.
CRASHING O-BOARDS: UT is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 19.0. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 9 in turnovers forced per game (23.68) and No. 5 in T.O. margin (9.23). Miss. State had 20 miscues on Jan. 16 for the 13th 20+ T.O. game (7 were 30+) by a foe in 2024-25.
RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 12 nationally in steals per game (12.5). It now has 13 games of 10+ steals and 268 total in 21 games. It had 159 in 33 contests last year.
TENN-ACIOUS PRESS: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 21 times in 22 games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
Inside The Numbers
UT 11TH IN NET: UT stands 11th in the NET and has wins over No. 2 UConn, No. 19 Florida State, No. 30 Richmond, No. 31 Iowa, No. 32 Mississippi State and No. 51 Middle Tennessee along with narrow losses to No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 Texas, No. 9 LSU, No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 22 Vanderbilt.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: UT’s itinerary is No. 14 on the NCAA Toughest Schedule report.
100 DIMES x 3 FOR SAM: Samara Spencer has dished 100+ assists (114) for the third straight season after putting up 154 in 2022-23 and 115 in 2023-24 at Arkansas.
WHITEHORN NEARING 1K: Ruby Whitehorn has tallied 281 points in 2024-25 (12.8 ppg.) to hit 992 for her career, leaving her eight away from reaching 1,000.
2,000/500+ STAT LINE: Jewel Spear now has 2,059 points and 501 rebounds, achieving a 2000/500+ career stat line. She is one of only four SEC players to score 2,000 career points.
UNCOMMON 1,500/500/500 IN SIGHT: Samara Spencer has 1,609 pts., 487 rebs. and 479 assts., nearing a 1,500/500/500 career stat line. Only five SEC women’s players have done that since 1991-92.
Stat Tracker
Tennessee has made 239 three-pointers and is only three away from tying a school record set in 2010-11, when the Lady Vols fired in 242 in 37 games.
Jewel Spear is No. 10 on UT’s career scoring list (including transfers) with 2,059 points and needs six to move past Meighan Simmons (2,064, 2010-14) into ninth position.
Ruby Whitehorn has tallied 992 points between her time at Clemson (711, 2022-24) and Tennessee (281, 2024-present) and needs only eight to hit 1K for her career.
Bracket Talk
With the win over UConn, Tennessee has moved back into consideration for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, which means the Lady Vols are in play to host first and second round games.
In the February 7th update of ESPN’s Women’s Bracketology, Charlie Creme has the Lady Vols slotted as a No. 4 seed in Spokane Region 1, with UCLA as the No. 1 seed.
In that scenario, the Lady Vols would face No. 13 Belmont in the first round and could face the winner of No. 5 Georgia Tech and No. 12 Middle Tennessee next.
Looking Back At The Last Game
After coming oh-so-close to netting victories over four top-10 teams this season, No. 19/17 Tennessee finally broke through in a big way on Thursday night, outlasting No. 5/5 UConn, 80-76, in an epic battle in front of a raucous crowd of 16,215 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (17-5, 4-5 SEC) snapped a four-game series skid to the Huskies and defeated the perennial power for the first time since 2007. The Big Orange also recorded their first triumph over a top-five team at home since toppling No. 2/3 South Carolina in 2021. UT head coach Kim Caldwell, meanwhile, emerged victorious in her debut game in the series and claimed a hard-earned signature win.
Caldwell and company had suffered a one-point loss to No. 9/10 Oklahoma (87-86), a two-point setback to No. 6/4 LSU (89-87), a four-point defeat to No. 7/7 Texas (80-76) and a seven-point loss to No. 2/2 South Carolina (70-63) before taking down the Huskies and improving to 17-5 this season.
Tennessee featured four players in double figures on the evening. Junior forward Zee Spearman tallied a team-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hit a layup on a dish from Talaysia Cooper with 12 seconds left to all but clinch the win. Senior guard Samara Spencer tossed in 14 points, while fifth-year guard Jewel Spear added 12 points and Cooper contributed 11 points and team-best eight rebounds and four assists. Cooper helped the Lady Vols out-rebound their foes by 12, 46-34, including 17-13 on the offensive glass.
UConn fell to 21-3 with the loss, with UT joining No. 8/10 Notre Dame (79-68) and No. 7/7 USC (72-70) as the only teams to defeat the Huskies this season. Sarah Strong paced her team in scoring with 18 points, while Paige Bueckers chipped in 14 and KK Arnold and Azzi Fudd added 11 and 10, respectively.
Postgame Notes vs. UConn
BIG WIN ON ROCKY TOP: Tennessee produced its first victory over UConn since beating the Huskies, 70-64, in Hartford on January 6th, 2007, and its first win at home over a top-five ranked team since toppling No. 2/3 South Carolina in Knoxville, 75-67, on February 18th, 2021. The victory marked head coach Kim Caldwell‘s highest-ranked NCAA Division I win of her career. The Lady Vols now own two ranked wins this season after also beating No. 17/20 Iowa, 78-68, in Brooklyn, NY, on December 7th, 2024.
SPARKING THE SUMMITT: A season-high crowd of 16,215 fans attended Food City Center during the matchup against the Huskies, and its presence was felt. It was the largest Lady Vol crowd in the venue since 18,563 watched the Florida matchup on February 26th, 2012, when the Big Orange posted a 75-59 win. It marked the fifth 10,000-plus crowd of the 2024-25 season. The other 10,000-plus crowds: South Carolina (12,033), LSU (10,220), Oklahoma (11,321) and Winthrop (11,152). UT is now averaging 10,461 over 13 home dates.
THE ZEE SPEARMAN FACTOR: Zee Spearman carded her 13th double-digit contest of the season against the Huskies. The forward secured a team-leading 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist and a block. The junior has now produced back-to-back double-digit performances, firing in 13 at Missouri and 16 against the Huskies and paced her team in scoring for only the third time.
TEAM EFFORT ON THE BOARDS: The Big Orange collected 46 rebounds against UConn, marking the 14th time this season the team has snagged 40 boards or more and the eighth occasion with 45-plus. Tennessee out-rebounded UConn 46-34 (17-13 on the offensive glass) and tallied 42 points from the paint. Talaysia Cooper led the pack with eight rebounds, while Zee Spearman grabbed seven.
UT/LSU Series Notes
UT enters the 74th meeting in the series with a 53-20 advantage over the Tigers.
The Lady Vols are 23-6 vs. LSU in Knoxville, 16-10 in Baton Rouge and 14-4 at neutral sites.
Tennessee is 1-1 vs. LSU in overtime games. The last time the two teams went to an extra period was on March 1, 1997. The Lady Volunteers won that game 100-99 to advance to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
LSU won the first meeting this season in Knoxville, 89-87, and the teams are 5-5 in their past 10 contests.
The Tigers, though, have emerged victorious in four of the past five matchups vs. UT, and five of the past nine meetings have been one possession games.
A Look At The LSU Tigers
LSU is led in scoring by Flau’Jae Johnson (19.9), Aneesah Morrow (18.4) and Mikaylah Williams (17.0).
Morrow also puts up 14.2 rebounds per game.
The Tigers score 87.6 ppg. and allow only 63.5.
LSU’s only loss was at No. 2 South Carolina, 66-56.
About LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey
Kim Mulkey is in her fourth season at LSU (115-15) and 25th year overall (747-119) as a head coach.
Leading the Tigers to the 2023 NCAA trophy, Mulkey became the first head coach in college hoops history to win national championships with multiple programs. She won at Baylor in 2005, 2012 and 2019, and did so with LSU in 2023.
She played for UT legend Pat Summitt on the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team that won gold in Los Angeles.
LSU’s Last Game
Missouri came within six in the fourth quarter, but LSU prevailed, 71-60, on Thursday night in Columbia.
Flau’Jae Johnson finished with a game-high 19 points, while Mikaylah Williams had 16 and Aneesah Morrow added a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds to help LSU carve out a 20-3 advantage on second chance points.
Last Time Tennessee Played LSU
Facing its second top-10 opponent in five days, No. 16/15 Tennessee overcame an 18-point second-quarter deficit and pushed unbeaten No. 6/4 LSU to the brink before falling, 89-87, on Jan. 9, 2025, in front of 10,220 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (13-2, 1-2 SEC) took two-point leads twice over the last four minutes and tied the game three times inside the final three minutes, including 87-all with 32 ticks left on the clock. LSU’s Kailyn Gilbert hit an acrobatic shot with a second remaining, however, to put her team back on top. After a timeout to advance the ball and a lob on the inbound play, a desperation attempt from the paint by UT with one second left wouldn’t fall, allowing the Tigers to improve to 18-0 overall and 3-0 in league play.
Jewel Spear led all scorers with 25 points, while Talaysia Cooper followed with 24.
The Tigers were paced by a 23-point, 21-rebound double-double from Aneesah Morrow, 22 from Gilbert and 20 from Flau’Jae Johnson.
Last Time Tennessee Played LSU In Baton Rouge
Tennessee pulled within one in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling to No. 3/3 LSU in a 76-68 nail-biter at the Maravich Center on January 30th, 2023.
Jordan Walker was the top scorer for UT with 19 points, while Rickea Jackson was close behind with 17 points and Jordan Horston added 11.
The Tigers were led by Alexis Morris with 31 points, while Angel Reese managed a double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds.
Next Up For UT Women’s Basketball
After the Tennessee women’s basketball team faces LSU, the Lady Vols will turn their focus to the first of three straight games at home.
On deck Thursday at Food City Center is Auburn at 5:30pm CT (6:30pm ET), with that contest available for streaming on SECN+.
The contest also will be broadcast on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.
The matchup will be UT’s Play4Kay game, bringing awareness to the fight against breast cancer.
