WBB Preview: #20/22 Lady Vols at Mississippi State

January 04, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 20/22 Tennessee (10-3, 2-0 SEC) travels to Starkville for a Thursday night SEC match-up with Mississippi State (14-2, 1-1 SEC) at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Lady Vols and Bulldogs will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) in a contest broadcast on SECN+ and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Channel 384).

UT enters on a three-game winning streak and has been victorious in five of its last six contests after winning at Auburn, 73-56, on Sunday afternoon. Kim Caldwell's squad is one of six SEC teams who are tied for first in the league standings at 2-0 after two games.

State, meanwhile, saw a 10-game winning streak snapped on the road on Sunday, as No. 8/9 Oklahoma ran away with a 95-47 victory in Norman.

This is the 50th meeting between these programs, with Tennessee owning a 41-8 advantage in a series that began in 1986. The Lady Vols have won the past two match-ups and have been victorious in four of the last five, with the only loss in that run at MSU in 2023 (91-90 2OT).

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Mississippi State
Date: Thurs., Jan. 8
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET)
Venue: Humphrey Coliseum
Watch: SECN+
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

Cooper, Barker Combine For 35 Points To Lead #23/22 UT Past Auburn, 73-56 #23/22 Lady Vols Fend Off Gators, 76-65, In SEC Opener #23/18 Lady Vols Drain 18 Threes, Dash Past Southern Indiana, 89-44 #17/18 Lady Vols Fall To #16/17 Louisville At Women's Champions Classic Mia Pauldo Nets USBWA, SEC Co-Freshman Of The Week Honors

BROADCAST DETAILS

Will Kollmeyer (play-by-play) and Brittany Lange (color analyst) will be on the SECN+ 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 384.

LAST TIME OUT

Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper and senior forward Janiah Barker combined for 35 points on Sunday afternoon, leading No. 23/22 Tennessee past Auburn in SEC action, 73-56, at Neville Arena.
Cooper fired in a game-high 18 points, while Barker scored 17 and added a game-best eight rebounds as the Lady Vols (10-3, 2-0 SEC) won their third straight game and fifth time in the past six contests. Freshman guards Mya and Mia Pauldo finished with nine and eight points, respectively, with Mya leading UT's season-best 42.9-percent three-point shooting with 3-of-3 accuracy and Mia knocking down two of six.
Auburn (11-5, 0-2) was paced by Khady Leye, who tossed in 14 points and grabbed six boards.

NOTES FROM THE AUBURN GAME

COOPER THE HOOPER: Talaysia Cooper's 18 points and 12th time in double figures this season helped fuel the win over the Tigers. She leads the team in double-digit performances and now has 40 on her career. The guard also affected the game in other ways with her team-leading four assists and four steals. That's now 30 times in her two seasons at UT she has led the Big Orange in steals for a game.
JB TOOK OVER IN THE THIRD: Janiah Barker produced her second double-digit scoring effort in a quarter this season with 11 in the third frame. Barker last had 10+ over 10 minutes in her return to UCLA on Nov. 30, scoring eleven in the first period en route to 25 vs. the Bruins. Barker joins Talaysia Cooper, Nya Robertson and Mia Pauldo with double-figure efforts in a period this season.
TWIN BACKCOURT: Mya and Mia Pauldo, known as TwinBackCourt combined for 17 points and five three-pointers vs. Auburn, with Mya netting three treys and nine points and Mia contributing eight points and a pair of deep balls.
SHOOTING IT WELL: Tennessee shot 51 percent (26-51) from the field for the game and 42.9 percent (9-21) from the three-point arc. The field goal accuracy by UT ranked second this season behind an effort of 54.5 vs. Winthrop, while the marksmanship from deep stands as the top showing of the year for the Big Orange, with the 38.1 vs. Winthrop ranking second. In the first half, the Lady Vols fired at a 55.6 clip, which was the highest percentage allowed by AU in a first half all season. UT's 73 points stands as the second-most allowed by the Tigers in 2025-26 as well.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

UT is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.9 ppg., 6.2 rpg., 4.2 apg., 3.4 spg., 23 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.4 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 15 3FGs), senior forward Zee Spearman (10.6 ppg., 7.5 rpg., 12 3FGs) and senior guard Nya Robertson (10.2 ppg., 30 3FGs).
Freshman guard Mia Pauldo (9.8 ppg., 34 assts./14 TOs, 25 3FGs) joins them.
Janiah Barker averages a 13.0 ppg./10.0 rpg. double-double in SEC games.
Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 18 nationally in steals per game at 3.38 per contest.
Nya Robertson (30), Mia Pauldo (25), Talaysia Cooper (23), Janiah Barker (15) and Zee Spearman (12) give UT five players with double-digit threes made.
UT is outscoring opponents 80.3 to 59.8 for a +20.5 margin on the year.
Tennessee averages 9.9 three-pointers per game to rank No. 8 nationally.
UT is No. 9 in off. rebs. per game (17.1) and No. 21 in rebs. per game (44.00).
The Lady Vols have hurried nine opponents into 20 or more turnovers and rank No. 21 in steals per game at 12.8 and No. 23 with 22.31 miscues forced per contest.

TRENDING...

The Lady Vols rose three spots to 20th in this week's AP Top 25 Poll.
While Tennessee is shooting 41.9 percent from the three-point arc for the season, the Lady Vols have upped that to 44.4 percent early in SEC play.
The same can be said for accuracy at the free-throw line, where UT has hit 77.5 percent (31-40) over two conference games vs. 66.8 (161-241) for the season.
After scoring only six points vs. Southern Indiana in Tennessee's last game before winter break on Dec. 22, 2025, Talaysia Cooper is averaging 17.5 ppg. in 2026 after firing in 18 vs. Auburn for her 12th game in double figures in 13 contests.
Alyssa Latham, who sat out the last game due to injury, has elevated her contributions to 7.8 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. over the past four outings, scoring in double figures twice and just missing a double-double (9 pts., 8 rebs.) vs. Florida.
Freshman Lauren Hurst has recorded season highs in points (5 vs. Florida), rebounds (4 vs. Auburn), three-pointers (1 vs. Florida) and minutes (13 vs. Auburn) over her past two games.

FAMILIAR FACES

Tennessee assistant coach Gabe Lazo was an associate head coach at Mississippi State and spent two seasons in Starkville before joining Kim Caldwell's Lady Vol staff prior to the 2024-25 season.
Lazo helped the Bulldogs to a pair of 20-win seasons, a top-15 prep signing class and a top-three portal class.
At UT, he has helped Kim Caldwell sign a highly-regarded five-player portal class in spring 2024, ESPN's No. 2 prep group in 2025, one of the top portal classes in 2025 and the No. 9 prep signing group in 2026.
Second-year Mississippi State assistant coach Samantha Williams spent three seasons at Tennessee on Kellie Harper's staff from 2021-24 and previously worked with MSU head coach Sam Purcell when they were assistants at Louisville.

ONE OF THE FASTEST TO 250 WINS

In the SEC opener vs. Florida on Jan. 1, Kim Caldwell surpassed 250 career victories in her 10th season as a head coach.
One of the youngest to ever do it, Caldwell reached 250 victories at the age of 37 years, one month and eight days.
She is one of only nine active coaches at all levels of NCAA women's basketball to reach 250 victories by her 10th season as a head coach.
Caldwell ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I women's coaches in career winning percentage (.851) and is 10th among active women's coaches from all NCAA Divisions with at least a complete season of head coaching experience.
Caldwell has a career record of 251-44 (.851) entering Thursday night's game, including 34-13 in her second year at Tennessee and 60-20 in her third season at the DI level (26-7 at Marshall in 2023-24).
Including a COVID year in which her team played only 16 games, Caldwell entered 2025-26 averaging 26.8 wins per season. Her teams at Glenville State won 30+ on four occasions.

UT/MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES NOTES

Tennessee has a 41-8 all-time record vs. Mississippi State after winning four of the past five meetings.
UT is 19-3 vs. MSU in Knoxville, 18-3 vs. the Bulldogs in Starkville and 4-2 at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols are 2-2 in their last four trips to Humphrey Coliseum, winning in 2024 and 2017 and falling in 2023 and 2019.
State has a 2-0 record in overtime games between these programs, winning a 65-63 affair in Starkville on Jan. 29, 2016, and a 91-90 double-overtime thriller at Humphrey Coliseum the last time these programs met on Feb. 26, 2023.
UT and MSU have faced off six times in the SEC Tournament, with the Lady Vols owning a 4-2 record.

A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS

Mississippi State features a balanced attack, led by Favour Nwaedozi (13.6 ppg., 10.6 rpg.), Madison Francis (12.4 ppg., 7.1 rpg.), Destiney McPhaul (11.9 ppg.) and Jaylah Lampley (10.4 ppg.).
MSU is 11-0 at home, and its only loss in 2025-26 entering SEC play was to Texas Tech on Nov. 20, 69-62.
State shares common victories over MTSU (69-47) and Auburn (75-53) with Tennessee.
The Bulldogs allow only 56.3 ppg. on the season and out-rebound foes, 45.6 to 32.8.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Sam Purcell is in his fourth season at State and is 81-37 overall and 25-25 in SEC play during his tenure.
He has guided MSU to two NCAA berths (2023, 2025).

MSU'S LAST GAME

No. 8/9 Oklahoma dominated Mississippi State in Norman on Thursday, 95-47, outscoring the Bulldogs, 60-22, in the paint and out-rebounding them, 64-37.
Aaliyah Chavez led six Sooners in double figures, as OU displayed a 28-2 advantage on fast-break points.
Kharyssa Richardson led the Bulldogs with 13 points.

LAST TIME WE MET

No. 15 Tennessee shot 46 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 12 of 26 attempts, to hand Mississippi State an 86-73 loss on Jan. 16, 2025, in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols were eight of 15 from three-point land in the first half and hit four more over the second 20 minutes.
Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn made eight of 16 shots from the field, including two of five tries from three-point range, to lead UT (15-2, 3-2 SEC) with a season-high 20 points. Senior point guard Samara Spencer hit four treys and had 18 points, while redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper added a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double and fifth-year guard Jewel Spear tossed in 13 on 4-of-6 marksmanship from long range.
The Bulldogs (15-4, 2-3 SEC) placed three players in double figures, led by 17 points from Jerkaila Jordan. Debreasha Powe and Destiney McPhaul chipped in with 16 and 11, respectively.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN STARKVILLE

The Lady Vols got back in the win column in a big way on Jan. 18, 2024, overcoming a 13-point second-quarter deficit to claim a 75-64 victory at Mississippi State.
Tennessee (11-6, 4-1 SEC) was led by fifth-year senior Rickea Jackson, who turned in 19 points and seven rebounds. Junior Kaiya Wynn came off the bench to contribute a career-high 13 points, and fifth-year senior Jasmine Powell and junior Sara Puckett each tallied 11.
The Big Orange forced State into 15 turnovers on the evening and allowed the hosts only 19 points combined in the middle two quarters.
Erynn Barnum was the top scorer for MSU (15-5, 2-3 SEC) with 15 points, and Jessika Carter and Debreasha Powe each had 12.

NEXT UP

Tennessee is back at Food City Center on Sunday for its only home game in a four-game stretch, facing Arkansas (11-6, 0-2 SEC) at 2 p.m. ET.
The match-up between the Lady Vols and Razorbacks is part of the SEC's "We Back Pat" Week.
The contest will be broadcast on SECN+ and carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com.