WBB Preview: #17/17 Lady Vols vs. #11/12 Kentucky

January 20, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 17/17 Tennessee (13-3, 5-0 SEC) plays at home on Thursday evening, as No. 11/12 Kentucky (17-3, 4-2 SEC) visits Food City Center for a key conference clash.

The Lady Vols and Wildcats will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET in a contest broadcast on SEC Network and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Ch. 145).

UT enters on a six-game winning streak and has been victorious in eight of its last nine contests after toppling No. 21/21 Alabama, 70-59, in Tuscaloosa on Sunday. Kim Caldwell's squad is one of only three unbeaten teams in league action, joining 5-0 South Carolina and Vanderbilt with two-game leads over their nearest foes.

UK, meanwhile, lost at Miss. State on Sunday, falling 71-59. Versus other common SEC foes, the Cats lost at Alabama, 64-51, and won at home vs. Florida, 94-89.

This is the 79th meeting between these programs, with Tennessee owning a 61-17 advantage in a series that began in 1976. The Lady Vols have won four of the past five match-ups vs. Kentucky but dropped an 82-58 decision a year ago in Lexington.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Kentucky
Date: Thurs., Jan. 22
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Food City Center
Watch: SEC Network
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

KENTUCKY

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

#20 Lady Vols Overcome 10-Point Deficit To Topple #21 Tide, 70-59 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

BROADCAST DETAILS

Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (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 channel 145.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

UT is tied for first in the SEC standings and is No. 15 in the NET rankings.
Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.9 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 4.1 apg., 3.3 spg., 28 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.3 ppg., 6.9 rpg., 19 3FGs), senior forward Zee Spearman (11.5 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 16 3FGs) and freshman guard Mia Pauldo (11.5 ppg., 41 assts./16 TOs, 33 3FGs).
Senior guard Nya Robertson (8.6 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 33 3FGs) is right behind them.
The Lady Vols rank No. 6 nationally in threes made per game (9.9), with seven games of 10+ treys (two in SEC play).
UT is No. 9 nationally in off. rebs. per game (16.9), tallying 20 vs. Arkansas for its third 20+ performance of the year.
Tennessee is No. 24 nationally in steals per game (11.9), No. 25 in TO margin (6.13) and No. 24 in TOs forced per contest (21.63), carding 10+ steals on 11 occasions and forcing 20+ turnovers 10 times.
UT is No. 22 in NCAA scoring off. (80.6) and No. 21 in scoring margin (20.2).
The Big Orange bench contributes 27.4 points per contest, ranking No. 24 nationally.

TRENDING...

The Lady Vols are seeking to start 6-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2022-23, extend their overall winning streak to seven games and improve to 8-0 at home.
In the win at Alabama, UT ran its win streak in SEC games to five straight and its road win streak to four contests, which are both Kim Caldwell-era bests.
Tennessee will attempt to secure back-to-back wins over ranked times for the first time in the Caldwell era and the first time since beating No. 19/20 Kentucky and No. 13/13 Georgia on Jan. 16 and 23, 2022.
UT is No. 2 in SEC games in scoring off. (78.8) and third in scoring def. (62.0).
The Lady Vols won at Alabama despite making only eight threes, being out-rebounded, having only three steals, scoring only two fast-break points and forcing only 14 turnovers. It did, however, hold UA to a season-low 35.6% FG and 59 points, made 12 of 14 FTs and had only 12 TOs.
Mia Pauldo is hitting 15.1 ppg. and is 29 of 30 on FTs (96.7) the past nine games.
With a season-best 12 vs. Bama, Alyssa Latham has scored in double digits three times after not doing so in 2024-25.

FAMILIAR FACES

Kentucky has 6-foot-4 senior forward Teonni Key on its roster, and Tennessee fans may recall she is the younger sister of 6-foot-6 LVFL center Tamari Key.
Tamari Key played for the Lady Vols from 2019-24 and holds UT records for blocks in a season (119, 2021-22) and a career (347), with those marks ranking fourth and sixth in SEC history.
Tamari also owns UT records for most triple-doubles in a career (2) and in a season (2, 2021-22) and stands fifth in career field goal percentage (.590).

STREAKING INTO SEC PLAY

Tennessee carries several streaks into Thursday's game.
The Big Orange will attempt to extend its current winning streak to seven consecutive.
The Lady Vols are trying to win their sixth straight in SEC play and stay unbeaten and tied for first place.
UT is aiming to remain perfect at home and post its eighth triumph in a row at Food City Center.
Coach Kim Caldwell is seeking her first-ever back-to-back wins over NCAA Division I ranked teams and UT's first consecutive triumphs over top 25 squads since beating No. 19/20 Kentucky on Jan. 16, 2022, and No. 13/13 Georgia on Jan. 23, 2022.

HOLDING FOES TO 60 OR FEWER

Tennessee has held three of its first five SEC opponents under 60 points in 2025-26 and ranks No. 3 in conference games in scoring defense at 62.0 ppg.
By comparison, the Lady Vols did not hold any league foe under 60 during regular season SEC play in 2024-25. It did limit Texas A&M to 37 in the SEC Tournament.
UT held Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama to 56, 50 and 59, respectively, this season.
It has been since 2022-23 (5 times) that the Big Orange held as many opponents to 60 points or fewer in league games.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

No. 20/20 Tennessee completed its largest comeback of the season and won its sixth-straight game, bouncing back from 10 down in the first quarter to stay unbeaten in SEC play with a 70-59 victory over No. 21/21 Alabama on Sunday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum.
The Lady Vols (13-3, 5-0 SEC), fell behind 13-3 early, built a pair of 10-point leads in the third quarter and fell behind by one, 54-53, with 7:19 to go in the game before outscoring the Crimson Tide, 17-5, over the final seven minutes. That closing kick enabled the Big Orange to win for only the second time in its last seven trips to Tuscaloosa and post a couple of Kim Caldwell era bests with a fifth-straight SEC win and fourth-consecutive triumph on the road.
Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper led five UT players in double figures with 16 points. Freshman guard Mia Pauldo was next with 13, while junior forward Zee Spearman and junior forward Alyssa Latham chipped in 12 and senior forward Janiah Barker added a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Jessica Timmons paced UA (17-3, 3-3 SEC) with a game-high 22 points, while Karly Weathers contributed 11 and Naomi Jones yanked down 11 boards as they saw their 18-game home winning streak come to an end.

NOTES FROM THE ALABAMA GAME

GLAD TO HAVE COOP BACK: After missing the game against Arkansas, Talaysia Cooper was back to her scoring ways, leading UT in points for 20th time in her career with 16. Cooper's 14 times in double figures this season lead the team. Cooper also provided on the defensive end with two steals against the Crimson Tide. The guard leads all Lady Vols at 3.3 steals per game.
EFFICIENT ON BOTH ENDS FOR JB: Janiah Barker grabbed her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The forward has 19 double-doubles for her career and has grabbed 10+ caroms 21 times in college, four with the Lady Vols.
MIA CLOSED IT OUT: Mia Pauldo's third double-digit scoring quarter of the season helped close the win out for the Big Orange. The New Jersey native was perfect from three and the charity stripe, going two for two on threes and four of four from the line. Pauldo's 10 points in the fourth quarter put her in first on the team with the most 10+ point quarter performances.
DIDN'T FRET: UT overcame its largest deficit of the year in a win after going down 10 in the first quarter. The previous best comeback this season was when the Lady Vols fell behind UT Martin by eight in the second quarter of that game. The comeback was the fourth largest comeback of the Caldwell era, falling behind 12 at Missouri, 11 at Florida and 11 at Ohio State, all last season.

UT/UK SERIES NOTES

Tennessee leads the all-time series, 61-17, and the Lady Vols have won four of the past five meetings.
The Big Orange owns a 27-4 mark against Kentucky in Knoxville, is 22-11 vs. the Wildcats in Lexington and 12-2 in games at neutral sites.
UT has claimed the past three contests between these teams at Food City Center.
In the Bluegrass, UT has a 21-9 record at Memorial Coliseum and a 1-2 mark in Rupp Arena.
Tennessee is 9-3 in SEC Tournament games vs. UK.
UT is 3-1 in overtime games vs. Kentucky, including 3-0 in Lexington and 0-1 in Knoxville.
Kim Caldwell is seeking her first win vs. Kenny Brooks after falling at UK in 2024-25 and at VT in 2023-24.

A LOOK AT KENTUCKY

Kentucky features five players averaging double-figure scoring for the season but four in SEC play.
In conference games, Tonie Morgan leads the way at 19.6 ppg., while Clark Strack averages 14.5, Teonni Key put up 11.0 in two games before being injured and Asia Boone contributes 10.5 ppg.
Key has missed the past four contests after being injured vs. Missouri, and UK has consequently suffered tough losses at Alabama and Mississippi State.
Strack (10.7 rpg.) and Key (11.0) avg. double-doubles.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Kenny Brooks is 40-11 in his second year at UK and 557-215 in his 24th season, spending 14 years at JMU (337-122) and eight years at Virginia Tech (180-82) before making the move to Lexington in 2024-25.
He led V.T. to the 2023 NCAA Final Four and has guided teams to 11 NCAA Tournaments.

THE WILDCATS' LAST GAME

Tonie Morgan scored 15 points and handed out seven assists, but No. 7 Kentucky fell at Mississippi State, 71-59, on Sunday.
Jordan Obi had 12 points for UK, while Asia Boone and Amelia Hassett each had 11. Clara Strack had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Strack also blocked five shots.
MSU shot 46.6 percent to UK's 31.9 (17.2 3FG) and outscored the Wildcats by 15 in the second half.

LAST TIME WE MET

No. 11/11 Tennessee suffered through a rough shooting night, while No. 15/14 Kentucky hit shots at a 52-percent clip and ran away from the Lady Vols, 82-58, in front of 5,951 at Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 27, 2025.
Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper fired in 25 points and was the only player in double figures for Tennessee (21-7, 8-7 SEC), which struggled to a season low in points and its second lowest field goal percentage at 31.1 while seeing its four-game winning streak come to an end.
Kentucky (22-5, 11-4 SEC) had four players in double figures, led by a 23-point, 15-rebound double-double from Clara Strack. Georgia Amoore and Teonni Key added 18 points apiece, while Dazia Lawrence had 13.

LAST TIME WE MET IN KNOXVILLE

Tennessee outscored Kentucky 48-20 in the second half to overcome a 17-point second-quarter deficit and take an 87-69 victory against the Wildcats on Jan. 7, 2024, at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols, who won their fifth straight and ended UK's four-game streak, hit 32 of 60 attempts for a season-best field goal percentage of 53.3 on the day.
Fifth-year senior Rickea Jackson led UT (9-5, 2-0 SEC) with 27 points, and senior Jewel Spear poured in a season-high 21 points.
Eniya Russell led UK (8-8, 1-1 SEC) with 16 points, while Ajae Petty added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

NEXT UP

Tennessee returns to action on Monday night, as the Lady Vols travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on No. 18/18 Ole Miss (16-4, 3-2 SEC).
The match-up is slated for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss.
The game will be televised on ESPNU and carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 106 or 190).