Lady Vol Hoops Releases Non-Conference Schedule

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee released the non-conference portion of its 2022-23 women's basketball schedule on Thursday. The slate features an array of challenges for a talented squad with lofty expectations entering the upcoming campaign.

Fourteen of the 17 teams the Lady Vols are scheduled to play or could possibly meet in the Bad Boy Mowers Women's Battle 4 Atlantis saw postseason action a year ago. Eight of those squads join Tennessee in ESPN's "Way-Too-Early" Top 25.

In addition to an exhibition game, there are eight home non-conference contests, including three in November, four in December and one in January. Tickets are available here.

All four of last season's NCAA Final Four squads are in the mix for Tennessee, which is ranked No. 4 in the ESPN Top 25 poll. National runner-up UConn, ranked No. 2 by ESPN, is ticketed for a Jan. 26 clash at Thompson-Boling Arena between the two most successful programs in women's hoops history. Earlier in the season, UT will travel to California to face 2021 NCAA champion and 2022 Final Four semifinalist No. 3 Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Dec. 18. ABC will broadcast that game nationally.

The date hasn't been announced, but the SEC previously revealed that defending NCAA champion and No. 1-ranked South Carolina will make a trip to Knoxville this season. The other Final Four team is Louisville. The No. 7 Cardinal, which defeated UT at the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16 in Wichita, is among the teams the Big Orange could face in the Atlantis tourney. The schedule for that event on Paradise Island, Bahamas, has not been announced.

Kellie Harper begins her fourth season at the helm of the Lady Vols with an Oct. 30 exhibition game vs. Carson-Newman, followed by a challenging season opener on the road at defending Big Ten champ and preseason No. 15 Ohio State on Nov. 8. Tennessee will return to Rocky Top, making it three straight 2022 NCAA Tournament participants at the outset of the campaign, with UMass and No. 12 Indiana are ticketed to visit The Summitt to complete that run on Nov. 10 and 14, respectively.

Up next is the Women's Battle 4 Atlantis, and potential opponents include No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Louisville and No. 23 South Dakota State as well as Gonzaga, Marquette, Rutgers and UCLA. The Lady Vols will meet three of those foes from Nov. 19-21, with six of those seven boasting 2022 postseason experience.

A Nov. 27 contest vs. Eastern Kentucky starts a run of five out of six at home. The Jimmy V. Women's Classic vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech is slated for Dec. 4, followed by 2021 NCAA qualifier Wright State and 2022 NCAA participant UCF on Dec. 11 and Dec. 14, respectively, before the trek to Stanford to wrap up the first semester's itinerary.

Wofford closes out the pre-conference slate on Dec. 27 right after the holiday break, and the UConn match-up completes the list of regular-season non-league foes during the throes of the SEC schedule on the last Thursday in January.

Dates of SEC contests as well as tip times and broadcast designations for all games will be announced later.

The Lady Vols return 10 players, including four starters, from a squad that started 18-1 and finished 25-9 overall and 11-5 in the SEC (3rd) while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen despite season-ending injuries to three key contributors.

Leading the way are All-SEC/All-America Honorable Mention guard Jordan Horston and All-SEC/All-Defensive Team center Tamari Key. Additional regular contributors include returning starters in point guard Jordan Walker and wing Tess Darby, as well as two others with starting experience in 2022 SEC All-Freshman wing Sara Puckett and 2021 SEC All-Freshman forward Marta Suárez.

The Lady Vols also bring aboard four gifted transfers and a five-star freshman, including starters and previous all-league performers in forward Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State), power forward Jasmine Franklin (Missouri State) and point guard Jasmine Powell (Minnesota), as well as a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in sophomore transfer forward Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia) and true freshman wing Justine Pissott.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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