WBB Preview: #20/20 Lady Vols at #21/21 Alabama

January 16, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 20/20 Tennessee (12-3, 4-0 SEC) plays its third away game in its past four contests on Sunday, traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 21/21 Alabama (17-2, 3-2 SEC) in Coleman Coliseum.

The Lady Vols and Crimson Tide will tip off at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) in a contest broadcast on SEC Network and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Ch. 106 or 190).

UT enters on a five-game winning streak and has been victorious in seven of its last eight contests after taking care of Arkansas, 85-50, at home last Sunday. Kim Caldwell's squad, which was idle Thursday, is one of only three remaining undefeated teams in league action, joining 5-0 South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

UA, meanwhile, had suffered only a loss at No. 3/3 South Carolina in the SEC opener on Jan. 1, 83-57, before being upset on Thursday night at Auburn, 58-54.

This is the 66th meeting between these programs, with Tennessee owning a 56-9 advantage in a series that began in 1977. The Lady Vols have won the past two match-ups and four of the past five.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Alabama
Date: Sun., Jan. 18
Tip-off: 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET)
Venue: Coleman Coliseum
Watch: SEC Network
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

ALABAMA

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

LVFL Catchings Set To Receive NCAA Silver Anniversary Award Mia Pauldo Earns Second USBWA, SEC Freshman Of The Week Honors #20/22 Tennessee Rolls Past Arkansas, 85-50, To Stay Unbeaten In SEC Play Mia Pauldo Fires In 26 To Fuel #20/22 Tennessee Past MSU, 90-80 Two Lady Vols In Wooden Award Midseason Top 25

BROADCAST DETAILS

Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (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 106 or 190.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

With guards Talaysia Cooper and Kaniya Boyd sidelined with injuries, No. 20/22 Tennessee employed a next-player-up mentality to take care of Arkansas, 85-50, and remain unbeaten in SEC play last Sunday in front of a season-best crowd of 11,335 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (12-3, 4-0 SEC), who won their fifth-straight game and improved to 7-0 at home this season, were led in scoring and rebounding by senior forward Zee Spearman with 20 points and eight boards, along with three assists, three steals and two blocks. Freshman guard Mia Pauldo continued her strong play, firing in 18 points, while senior forward Janiah Barker and freshman guard Jaida Civil chipped in 13 and 12, respectively.
Arkansas (11-8, 0-4 SEC), which was forced into 26 turnovers on the day and held to 27.3-percent shooting, was led by 13 points and nine rebounds from Jada Bates. Ashlynn Chlarson added 10 points.

NOTES FROM THE ARKANSAS GAME

ZEE CATCHING FIRE IN CONFERENCE PLAY: Zee Spearman has caught fire in SEC play, with her 20 points vs. Arkansas marking her third game out of four in double figures. The forward is averaging 13.3 points in conference play, and after yanking down eight caroms vs. the Razorbacks, she is tallying seven rebounds per game in her past four outings.
FORCING TURNOVERS: Arkansas was the tenth opponent this season who the Lady Vols have forced into 20 or more miscues. UA's total of 25 was the most the Big Orange has forced against an SEC opponent in the 2025-26 campaign, and UT improved its turnovers-forced-per-game average to 22.1 in 15 contests.
THE THREES WERE FALLING: UT knocked down 11 threes against the Razorbacks on Sunday, marking the seventh time this season 10 or more have fallen for Tennessee and the second game in a row. UT has now hit 10+ in six of its last ten games, and its season total of seven such games ranks as the second-most in a season all-time by the Lady Vols behind last year's 18.
GENERATING POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: UT won the points-off-turnovers battle for the 12th time this season, forging a 25-6 advantage against UA from the Razorbacks' 26 miscues. Six points were the fewest the Lady Vols have allowed from miscues all season.
WE'LL TAKE THAT!: The Big Orange grabbed 11 steals to make it 29 times during the Caldwell Era that UT has registered double digits. Tennessee has recorded a large chunk of that total with 11 of those efforts this season.

FRESHMAN IMPACT VS. ARKANSAS

Tennessee's five freshmen flexed their muscles against Arkansas, combining for 42 points, 24 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.
Mia Pauldo led the way with 18 points, four assists and four rebounds.
Jaida Civil was good for 12 points, six rebounds, four steals and an assist.
Lauren Hurst had career bests of five points, five rebounds, 19 minutes, one assist and one steal.
Deniya Prawl contributed four points, five rebounds and two steals.
Mya Pauldo added three points, four rebounds and one assist.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

UT stands third in the SEC standings and No. 17 in the NCAA NET rankings.
Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 4.3 apg., 3.4 spg., 25 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.5 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 18 3FGs), senior forward Zee Spearman (11.5 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 16 3FGs) and freshman guard Mia Pauldo (11.4 ppg., 41 assts./16 TOs, 30 3FGs).
Senior guard Nya Robertson (9.1 ppg., 3.0 rpg., 30 3FGs) is right behind them.
The Lady Vols rank No. 6 nationally in threes made per game (10.0), with seven games of 10+ treys (two in SEC play).
UT is No. 7 nationally in off. rebs. per game (17.2), tallying 20 vs. Arkansas for its third 20+ performance of the year.
Tennessee is No. 19 in steals per game (12.5) and No. 21 in turnovers forced per contest (22.13), carding 10+ swipes in 11 games and forcing 20+ miscues on 10 occasions.
UT is No. 21 in NCAA scoring offense (81.3) and No. 23 in scoring margin (20.8).
The Big Orange reserves contribute 28.2 points per contest, ranking No. 22.

TRENDING...

The Lady Vols are seeking to start 5-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2022-23 and also extend their overall winning streak to six games.
Additionally, the Lady Vols are trying to earn their longest SEC win streak (five games) and longest road win streak (four games) of the Kim Caldwell era.
Tennessee is 5-1 in road games this season, including 2-0 in SEC action.
Tennessee has recorded 10 or more steals in three of four SEC games with 11 in its last two contests.
The Lady Vols are shooting better from the field (44.2 to 42.2), beyond the arc (30.7 to 30.4) and free-throw line (71.4 to 66.5) in SEC play than for the season.
In away league contests, UT is shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 39.6 from deep and 72.7 from the free-throw line while averaging 81.5 ppg. compared to 38.8, 24.2, 70.5 and 80.5 ppg. at home.
Mia Pauldo ranks No. 2 in SEC games in free-throw pct., hitting 18 of 19 (.947).
Talaysia Cooper (16.33 ppg.) and Mia Pauldo (15.5 ppg.) rank No. 10 and No. 12 in scoring in SEC games.

FAMILIAR FACES

Second-year Tennessee assistant coach Roman Tubner served on Kristy Curry's staff at Alabama from 2021-24.
Tubner, a native of Montgomery, Ala., and graduate of Montgomery Catholic High School, was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UA from 2021-23 and associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator from 2023-24.
Brian Johnson, who serves as the Crimson Tide's director, operations and NIL partnerships, spent four seasons as a manager for the Tennessee women's basketball team before graduating from UT in 2016 with a degree in education and sport management.

LAST EIGHT FOR MIA PAULDO

Freshman guard Mia Pauldo has been a key to Tennessee winning seven of its past eight games, including five in a row and a 4-0 start in SEC play.
She has scored in double figures seven times and recorded four career-high scoring efforts.
She leads the Lady Vols at 15.4 ppg. during that span.
Pauldo is second in SEC freshman scoring in league games (15.5 ppg.) and 12th overall among all players.
She is shooting 46% FG / 37% 3FG / 96% FT over the past eight games and has totaled 29 assists, nine turnovers and four games with 0 turnovers.
Pauldo has made 25 of 26 free-throw attempts, dating back to the Stanford game on Dec. 3. Her only miss came during an 8-of-9 night at Mississippi State.

UT/ALABAMA SERIES NOTES

Tennessee leads the all-time series, 56-9, after defeating Alabama, 88-80, last season in Knoxville.
Against the Crimson Tide, UT is 26-1 all-time in games played in Knoxville, 19-5 in Tuscaloosa and 11-3 at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols have won seven of the past nine after Alabama had forged a five-game victory string from 2016-19, but UA has claimed five of the last six games played in Tuscaloosa.
UT is 17-4 vs. Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, losing for the first time there on Feb. 16, 2017, 65-57, and dropping its last two trips there on Feb. 8, 2024 (72-56) and on Feb. 17, 2022 (74-64).
From 2011-16, the Crimson Tide women played in Foster Auditorium, where UT was 2-1.

A LOOK AT THE CRIMSON TIDE

Alabama features two players averaging double-figure scoring in all games, including Jessica Timmons (15.5 ppg.) and Essence Cody (13.9).
Cody has not played the past two contests, so in SEC action the Crimson Tide's double-figure scorers are Timmons (15.4) and Karly Weathers (11.4).
UA is averaging 72.4 ppg. in all games and 65.2 in SEC play, while allowing 53.4 for the year and 60.6 in league games.
Bama has been out-rebounded 38.3-36.2 in SEC play.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Kristy Curry is in her 13th season at Alabama and in her 27th campaign overall as a college head coach.
She is 238-164 with the Tide and 547-313 overall.
Curry and the Crimson Tide made their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five years and 14th all-time bid during the 2024-25 season.

ALABAMA'S LAST GAME

No. 21/21 Alabama suffered only its second loss of the season, falling at Auburn, 58-54, on Thursday night.
The Crimson Tide (17-2, 3-2 SEC) saw three players finish in double digits, including Jessica Timmons (16), Ta'Mia Scott (12) and Karly Weathers (10). Weathers added a game-high 11 rebounds.
Auburn (13-6, 2-3 SEC) was led by Khady Leye with 16 points and Kaitlyn Duhon with 10.
AU out-rebounded UA, 32-28, and outscored Bama, 13-6, on second-chance points to claim the win.

LAST TIME WE MET

Jewel Spear led the way with 20 points, as No. 15/13 Tennessee claimed its 20th victory of the season with an 88-80 triumph over No. 18/19 Alabama on Feb. 20, 2025, at Food City Center the last time these teams met.
Spear hit four of six shots from the field and went 11 of 11 at the free-throw line to tally 20 or more points for the second straight game and for the fifth time this season. She helped UT improve to 20-6, 7-6 in SEC play
Spear got scoring help from redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper and junior forward Zee Spearman, who tossed in 16 and 13, respectively.
The Crimson Tide (21-6, 8-5) was led by Sarah Ashlee Barker with 22. Zaay Green scored 16, while Essence Cody, Aaliyah Nye and Karly Weathers chipped in 13, 13 and 11 each.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN TUSCALOOSA

The Lady Vols suffered a tough shooting night the last time they were in Tuscaloosa, falling to Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, 72-56, on Feb. 8, 2024.
Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell were the leading scorers for Tennessee (14-8, 7-3 SEC) with 13 and nine points, respectively.
Aaliyah Nye was the top producer for Alabama (19-6, 6-4 SEC) with 23 points. Jessica Timmons also was in double figures with 14, and Loyal McQueen had 10.

NEXT UP

Tennessee returns home for its next contest on Thursday, as No. 7/9 Kentucky pays a visit to Knoxville.
The match-up is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET at Food City Center.
The game will be televised on SEC Network and carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com.