#23 Tennessee (9-3 | 1-0 SEC) at Auburn (11-4 | 0-1 SEC)
Sunday, January 4th, 2026 | 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET
Knoxville, TN | Neville Arena | TV: SEC Network
Knoxville, TN – No. 23/22 Tennessee (9-3, 1-0 SEC) travels to Auburn (11-4, 0-1 SEC) for a Sunday SEC matinee at Neville Arena.
The Lady Vols and Tigers will tip off at 3:00pm CT (4:00pm ET) in a contest broadcast on SEC Network and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Channels 210 or 190).
UT enters on a two-game winning streak and has been victorious in four of its last five contests after defeating Florida, 76-65, in Knoxville on Thursday in the SEC opener for both schools. Kim Caldwell‘s squad is one of eight SEC teams who began the league slate with a victory on Thursday.
Auburn, meanwhile, saw a three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night in Starkville, as Mississippi State prevailed, 75-53, at Humphrey Coliseum.
This is the 63rd meeting between these programs, with Tennessee owning a 50-12 advantage in a series that began in 1980. The Lady Vols have won the past three match-ups in the series and have been victorious in nine of the last 10, with the only loss in that run at Auburn in 2022.
Broadcast Details
Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Andrea Lloyd (color analyst) will be on the SEC Network call.
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 210 or 190.
Last Time Out
No. 23/22 Tennessee demonstrated resiliency on Thursday afternoon, grabbing a sizable lead and then taking Florida’s best punch before bouncing back and opening the SEC slate with a 76-65 win in front of 10,230 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (9-3, 1-0 SEC), who built a 17-point lead in the second quarter, saw that advantage disappear in the third frame as the Gators (12-4, 0-1 SEC) reversed the momentum during the middle two periods and seized a four-point lead. The Big Orange, though, responded by outscoring the visitors 30-15 the rest of the way to open conference play on a positive note and stay unbeaten at home in six outings this season.
Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper led three Lady Vols in double figures, firing in 17 points. Senior forward Zee Spearman turned in a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Mia Pauldo chipped in 10 points, with eight of those coming at the free-throw line. Senior forward Janiah Barker hauled down 12 rebounds to help her team win the battle of the boards, 49-26, including 20-5 on the offensive end.
Florida’s Liv McGill tossed in 32 points to lead all scorers, while teammate Jade Weathersby added 11.
Notes From The Florida Game
CAREER MILESTONE FOR CALDWELL: The 76-65 victory over the Gators was the 250th win for Kim Caldwell. Caldwell is now 250-44 in her 10th year of coaching and 33-13 at Tennessee, including 19-4 at Food City Center in her second season leading the Lady Vols.
BIG ORANGE HISTORY ON NEW YEAR’S DAY: Tennessee opened SEC play on New Year’s Day for the fourth time. The Lady Vols are still undefeated with a 4-0 record in Jan. 1 league games, including 3-0 at home and 1-0 on the road.
COOP LEADS THE WAY FOR UT: Talaysia Cooper paced UT in points for the fourth time this season and tallied her 11th game in double figures, checking in with 17 vs. Florida. Cooper leads the team in double-digit performances for the year and now has 39 10+ efforts for her career. She hit seven straight points late in the third quarter to help the Lady Vols overcome a four-point deficit and forge a 53-50 lead.
MAKING HER PRESENCE KNOWN ON BOTH ENDS: The effort of 16 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two assists marked Zee Spearman’s second double-double in the past three games and the tenth of her career. The forward averages 7.7 rebounds per game, the highest average for the Lady Vols, and ranks third with 11.3 points per contest.
ANOTHER DOUBLE-FIGURE EFFORT FOR MIA: Mia Pauldo recorded her fifth game in a row with 10+ points. Since December, the freshman has been on fire, averaging 14.2 points per game and 3.8 assists per contest. Pauldo’s career total for double-digit performances is now up to seven in twelve games.
A Look At The UT Lady Vols
UT is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.7 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 4.3 apg., 3.3 spg., 21 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.2 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 15 3FGs), senior forward Zee Spearman (11.3 ppg., 7.7 rpg., 12 3FGs) and senior guard Nya Robertson (10.6 ppg., 29 3FGs).
Freshman guard Mia Pauldo (9.9 ppg., 31 assts./11 TOs, 23 3FGs) joins them.
Nya Robertson (29), Mia Pauldo (23), Talaysia Cooper (21), Janiah Barker (15) and Zee Spearman (12) give UT five players with double-digit three-pointer totals.
UT is outscoring opponents 80.9 to 60.1 for a +20.8 margin on the year.
Tennessee averages 10.0 three-pointers per game to rank No. 8 nationally.
UT is No. 16 nationally in rebounds per game (44.83) and No. 6 in offensive boards per contest (17.7).
The Lady Vols have hurried nine opponents into 20 or more turnovers and rank No. 17 in steals per game at 13.2 and No. 20 at 22.75 miscues forced per contest.
Tennessee’s bench has outscored its opponents’ reserves in 10 of 12 games by a 28.9 to 15.9 average margin.
Trending…
Kim Caldwell picked up her 250th career victory on Thursday vs. Florida in only her 10th season as a head coach. The 37-year-old Caldwell has averaged an impressive 26.8 wins per season and entered 2025-26 ranking among the top 10 in all NCAA divisions in winning percentage.
Mia Pauldo recorded her fifth-straight game in double figures, contributing 10 points vs. Florida and has averaged 14.2 ppg. with 19 assists and four turnovers during that span.
Talaysia Cooper led UT with 17 points vs. Florida, marking her best effort since the Stanford game on Dec. 22 and putting her in double figures for the 11th time in 12 contests this season.
Alyssa Latham has elevated her contributions to 7.8 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. over the past four outings, scoring in double figures twice and flirting with a double-double (9 pts., 8 rebs.) vs. Florida.
Zee Spearman has had double-doubles in two of her past three games and is averaging 13.7 ppg. and 9.7 rpg. over that span.UT’s 19 second-chance points vs. UF were its second-most this season.
The Lady Vols’ held UF to a UT-opponent season-low-tying rebound total of 26.
Lady Vols In Openers/Road Debuts
The Lady Vols are 34-9 all-time in their initial SEC road game of a season and have won their last five and 15 of their past 16.
They opened 2024-25 on the road at Texas A&M on Jan. 2, defeating the Aggies, 91-78.
Through January 1st, 2026, vs. Florida, Tennessee is 38-6 all-time in its first Southeastern Conference game of a season, including 20-3 at home and 18-3 on the road.
After beating Florida, the Lady Vols have won their past 12 SEC openers, last losing a conference lid-lifter to LSU, 80-77, on January 2nd, 2014.
Tennessee is 38-6 in its first SEC home game of a season through 2025-26, winning eight of its last 10 such contests after defeating Florida, 76-65, on January 1st, 2026.
UT’s contest vs. Florida on January 1st marked the Big Orange’s first time opening SEC play at home since beating Alabama, 62-44, on December 30th, 2021.
Tennessee vs. Auburn In SEC Road Debuts
Tennessee is 3-2 when its first SEC road game of the season is played at Auburn.
The Lady Vols also played the Tigers on January 4th, 2024, in their last trip to The Plains, prevailing, 75-67, at Neville Arena.
UT also won in 2019 (78-69) and 2012 (73-52) and dropped games in 1989 (67-59) and 1987 (75-69).
Kim Caldwell In League Openers
Kim Caldwell is 10-0 all-time in league-opening games after UT’s victory over Florida on January 1st, 2026, including 5-0 at home and 5-0 on the road.
Caldwell is 2-0 in SEC openers at Tennessee, including 1-0 at home and 1-0 on the road.
The UT coach is 1-0 at UT and 7-2 all-time in the first conference road game of a season.
She is 1-0 at UT and 9-1 all-time in the first conference home game of a season.
UT’s Schedule Ranks As The Toughest
The NCAA’s Toughest Schedule Report as of Jan. 2 ranks Tennessee’s slate as the most difficult in the nation in 2025-26.
Counting games played and games scheduled (cumulative opposition), Lady Vol foes currently possess a .786 winning percentage (308-84).
The breakdown includes the 53rd toughest for past opposition (98-58, .628) and No. 1 toughest for future opposition (210-26, .890).
Head Coach Kim Caldwell entered the 2025-26 with her team ticketed to play the top six teams in the AP Preseason Top 25, seven of the top 10 and 11 total ranked squads.
On the slate, the Lady Vols are at No. 1 UConn, at No. 2 South Carolina, at No. 3 UCLA, vs. No. 4 Texas in Knoxville, at No. 5 LSU, at No. 6 Oklahoma and vs. No. 9 NC State in Greensboro, NC.
Six of those seven games are away from home.
The other challenges include games at No. 12 Ole Miss, vs. No. 19 Vanderbilt in Knoxville, vs. No. 20 Louisville in Brooklyn, NY, and vs. No. 24 Kentucky in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols currently are 0-3 vs. preseason top 25 teams, falling to NC State (80-77) on November 4th, at UCLA (99-77) on November 30th and vs. Louisville (89-65) on December 20th.
Tennessee/Auburn Series Notes
The Tennessee Lady Vols are 50-12 all-time in the series, including 25-2 vs. the Tigers in games played in Knoxville, 16-6 at Auburn and 9-4 at neutral sites.
UT is 2-0 vs. AU in overtime, winning extra-frame contests in Knoxville vs. the Tigers in 1996 and 2004.
Tennessee and Auburn played for the 1989 NCAA Championship in Tacoma, Wash., with the Lady Vols prevailing, 76-60.
Tennessee also beat the Tigers in regional finals in 1987 and 1991 en route to NCAA Final Fours they ended up winning.
UT and AU played four times for SEC Tourney titles from 1985 to 1990, with the Lady Vols winning three of those (1985, 1988, 1989).
A Look At The Tigers
Auburn is led by freshman Harissoum Coulibaly (11.1 ppg.) and senior Mya Petticord (10.4 ppg.).
The Tigers allow only 55.1 points per game, force 21.5 turnovers and average 12.1 steals per contest.
AU has held 11 foes to fewer than 60 points, and the 75 by Mississippi State on Jan. 1 is the most allowed.
Auburn has a 6-9 RS freshman forward, Arek Angui.
About the Auburn Tigers Head Coach Larry Vickers
Larry Vickers is 188-103 in his 11th year in coaching, including 11-4 in his first season at Auburn.
Vickers was 177-99 (.641) in 10 years at Norfolk State before taking over the AU program.
While at NSU, he led the Spartans to three straight MEAC titles and NCAA appearances from 2022-25.
His last team there finished 30-5, 14-0 in league play.
Auburn’s Last Game
Auburn came up short in its SEC opener, as Mississippi State pulled away in the second half for a 75-53 win Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.
Freshman Harissoum Coulibaly led the Tigers with 14 points along with a pair of steals.
Kaitlyn Duhon was stellar on the defensive end, matching a career high with seven steals to go along with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block.
Last Time Tennessee and Auburn Met
No. 15/16 Tennessee shot a season-high 55.7 percent from the field and scored its most points against an SEC foe in 14 years to roll past Auburn, 99-61, on February 13th, 2025, at Food City Center the last time these foes met.
The Lady Vols (18-6, 5-6 SEC), who carded their highest output since a 110-45 home win over Alabama on January 6th, 2011, were led offensively by fifth-year guard Jewel Spear, who knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 17 points. Junior forward Zee Spearman added 14, while redshirt freshman guard Kaniya Boyd and redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
The Tigers (12-13, 3-9 SEC) were paced by DeYona Gaston, who recorded a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Yuting Deng chipped in 13 points, with 10 of those coming in the first quarter before the Lady Vols limited her to 1-of-4 shooting the rest of the way.
Last Time Tennessee Played At Auburn
Rickea Jackson turned in a double-double, helping Tennessee erase an 11-point, second-quarter deficit to seize a 75-67 victory over Auburn in the SEC opener for both teams at Neville Arena on January 4th, 2024.
Jackson finished the game with 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds to lead Tennessee (8-5, 1-0 SEC) in both categories. Fifth-year senior Jasmine Powell was also in double figures with 16, and junior Kaiya Wynn turned in 10 points and a game-high six assists.
Auburn (11-3, 0-1 SEC) was led by Mar’shaun Bostic with 17 points. Honesty Scott-Grayson and JaMya Mingo-Young also were productive with 16 and 11, respectively.
Next Up For UT Women’s Basketball
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team plays its second straight on the road on Thursday, traveling to Starkville to take on Mississippi State.
The Lady Vols and Bulldogs (14-1, 1-0 SEC) will meet at 6:30pm CT (7:30pm ET) at Humphrey Coliseum.The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network and carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com.
