WBB Preview: #21 Lady Vols at #17 Ole Miss

February 15, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 21 Tennessee (16-7, 8-3 SEC) continues a tough stretch of four games in eight days with a Tuesday night contest at No. 17 Ole Miss (20-6, 7-4 SEC).

UT and UM will make up a Jan. 26. match-up postponed by inclement weather at 6 p.m. CT (7 ET) at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPNU and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Chs. 137 or 192).

The Lady Vols are coming off a near miss against No. 4/4 Texas, falling 65-63 in Knoxville on Sunday. Kim Caldwell's squad joins Vandy (10-3) and Texas among teams with only three SEC losses. South Carolina is first at 11-1.

The Rebels, meanwhile, fell at No. 18/19 Kentucky on Sunday, 74-57. They are a game back of UT in the league standings.

This is the 63rd meeting between these programs, with Tennessee owning a 53-9 advantage in a series that began in 1977. The Lady Vols have won nine of the past 10 match-ups vs. Ole Miss, claiming an 80-71 decision in Knoxville last season.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: Ole Miss
Date: Tues., Feb. 17
Tip-off: 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
Venue: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion
Watch: ESPNU
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

OLE MISS

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

No. 4 Texas Holds Off Challenge From No. 22 Lady Vols, 65-63 #22 Lady Vols Dominate Paint, Shoot Past Missouri, 98-53 #3/3 South Carolina Overpowers No. 19/17 Lady Vols, 93-50 #19/17 Tennessee Outlasts RV/RV Georgia In Overtime, 82-77 Barker Named To Katrina McClain Award Mid-Season Top 10

BROADCAST DETAILS

Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (color analyst) will be on the call for the ESPNU broadcast.
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 137 or 192.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

UT is 20th in the WAB, 20th in the NET and 21st in the AP Poll.
Tennessee is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (15.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 3.9 apg., 3.0 spg., 47 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg., 28 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (11.6 ppg., 53 assts./28 TOs, 40 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (10.6 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 21 3FGs).
The Lady Vols rank No. 8 nationally in threes made per game (9.5), with 11 games of 10+ treys (5x in SEC play).
UT is No. 11 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (15.9) and No. 43 in total rebounds per contest (40.61).
The Lady Vols are 29th nationally in steals per game (11.1), carding 10+ steals 14 times after grabbing an SEC-high 15 vs. Missouri.
The Big Orange is No. 29 nationally in turnover margin at 5.13.
Tennessee is No. 32 in turnovers forced per game (20.61) and has caused 20+ turnovers 13 times this season after hurrying Missouri into 21 on Feb. 12.
UT is No. 33 in NCAA scoring offense (77.0), including 73.5 in SEC games.

TRENDING...

Tennessee ranks No. 1 on the NCAA's Toughest Schedule Report, facing teams with a combined winning percentage of .698 from its past and future opponents.
Of the Lady Vols' five remaining games, four are against ranked teams and two are vs. those in the top 10.
Since Jan. 18, Tennessee is in a stretch of playing nine ranked teams in 13 games.
By the time the regular season ends, UT will have played seven of the top 10 teams in this week's AP Poll, including the top five and all four teams from last year's NCAA Final Four.
Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 18 nationally in steals per game (3.00) and is averaging 19.8 ppg. over her last four contests.
UT made 10+ three-pointers in four of its last five games vs. No. 1 UConn, Georgia, No. 3 South Carolina and Missouri.
Nya Robertson has elevated her play in Mia Pauldo's absence, averaging 12.5 ppg. over the past two contests.
Zee Spearman stands just 10 points away from scoring 1,000 for her career.
Jaida Civil has averaged 7.0 ppg. and 8.5 rpg. over her last two contests.

FAMILIAR FACES

UT's Zee Spearman and UM's Latasha Lattimore were teammates at Miami during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
The Rebels' Denim DeShields is the younger sister of LVFL Diamond DeShields, who played at Tennessee from 2014-17.
UM's Cotie McMahon played for Ohio State last season and faced the Lady Vols in the NCAA Second Round in Columbus last March.
Ole Miss graduate manager Riane Griffin spent three seasons as a basketball manager at UT before graduating in 2023.

LADY VOLS IN SEC PLAY THIS SEASON

Tennessee is launching into a run of three games in a span of six days, including playing at No. 17 Ole Miss on Tuesday, hosting Texas A&M on Thursday and playing at No. 11 Oklahoma on Sunday.
The Big Orange has ranked league wins over No. 11/12 Kentucky and No. 21/21 Alabama.
The Lady Volunteers have held five SEC opponents under 60 points thus far, including Auburn (56), Arkansas (50), Alabama (59), Kentucky (58) and Missouri (53).
UT is No. 1 in three-point field goal percentage defense (.256) in SEC games, No. 5 in scoring defense (66.64) and No. 7 in field goal percentage defense (.412).
The Lady Vols are No. 3 in turnover margin (+3.45) and No. 5 in steals per game (9.18).
Tennessee is fourth in offensive rebounds per game (14.73) vs. league foes.
UT is No. 3 in three-point field goals per game (8.55).
Talaysia Cooper is averaging 17.00 ppg. (11th SEC) and leads the Big Orange with 27 steals in 10 conference games to rank No. 4 in the SEC at 2.70 per contest.
Cooper ranks seventh in SEC games in three-point field goal percentage (.371) and is fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.60).
Freshman guard Mia Pauldo is averaging 14.44 ppg. to rank No. 16 among all league players and second among freshmen.
Pauldo also ranks No. 5 in the league in free-throw percentage (.878).
Janiah Barker paces the team on the boards with 7.60 rpg. in SEC play to rank ninth and is third for UT in scoring at 13.0 ppg. vs. conference foes.
Barker also is ninth in the SEC in blocked shots at 1.22 and fifth in defensive rebounds per game (5.50).
Zee Spearman is 12th in league games in offensive rebounds per contest at 2.55.

NCAA RANKS UT SCHEDULE AS TOUGHEST

The NCAA's Toughest Schedule Report as of Feb. 16 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 .698 winning percentage (489-212).
The breakdown includes the No. 1 toughest for past opposition (394-182, .684) and No. 9 toughest for future opposition (95-30, .760).
Kim Caldwell entered 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.
The current (Feb. 16) AP Poll features seven of the top 10 teams in the country on the Lady Vols' schedule, and the Top 25 includes 12 programs on UT's 2025-26 slate.
Through Feb. 15, the Lady Vols are 2-6 vs. teams that were in the top 25 at the time they played them.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper fired in a season-high 29 points to help No. 22/22 Tennessee erase an early 14-point deficit and push No. 4/4 Texas to the brink before falling, 65-63, on Sunday afternoon in front of a season-best crowd of 13,351 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (16-7, 8-3 SEC) had possession of the ball with six seconds remaining in the game and a chance to tie or win, but the Longhorns (24-3, 9-3 SEC) eliminated any chance of a shot when Bryanna Preston came up with a steal to seal the win.
Cooper made 12 of 19 field goal attempts, including four of seven from beyond the arc, to lead her team and provide 10 of the team's 16 points in the fourth quarter. Joining her in double figures were senior forward Janiah Barker with 12 and senior guard Nya Robertson with 11.
Texas was paced by14 points from Madison Booker, while Rori Harmon and Jordan Lee chipped in 12 apiece.

NOTES FROM THE TEXAS GAME

COOP CAUGHT FIRE: Talaysia Cooper's 29 points led all scorers. It was her ninth time this season being UT's leading scorer and 23rd time for her career. Cooper leads the team in 2025-26 in double-digit scoring performances with 19 and in 20+ efforts with three (15 career). Cooper was a factor on the defensive side of the ball, too, leading the team in steals with two. The guard has been the Lady Vols' steal leader in 15 of 22 games played this campaign.
SHOUT OUT TO LADY VOL NATION: UT had its ninth home game this season with over 10,000 in attendance, marking the most 10K crowds since the 2015-16 campaign. The crowd of 13,351 on hand vs. Texas was the Lady Vols' largest since 16,215 were in the house for the win vs. UConn last season on Feb. 6, 2025.

UT/OLE MISS SERIES NOTES

Tennessee leads the all-time series vs. Ole Miss by a 53-9 count and enters this game having won nine of the past 10 meetings.
UT is 25-2 in games played in Knoxville, 22-5 in Oxford and 6-2 at neutral sites.
Tennessee has won 37 of the last 40 meetings with Ole Miss, and the Lady Vols have won 22 straight over the Rebels in Knoxville, with the last UM victory (69-65) on Jan. 31, 1987, in Stokely Athletics Center.
The Lady Vols have lost only twice to the Rebels since 1996, but both of those occasions came in Oxford, including Tennessee's last trip there on Jan. 28, 2024 (80-75) and a meeting on Jan. 12, 2017 (67-62).
This marks the first time these programs have met when both were ranked since the 1996 SEC Tournament.

A LOOK AT THE REBELS

Former Ohio State standout Cotie McMahon paces the Rebels in all games (19.8 ppg.) and in SEC play (21.5 ppg.).
Sira Thienou (12.5 ppg.) and Latasha Lattimore (12.3 ppg.) both have stepped up their games in SEC action.
The Rebels are 12-0 at home this season.
UM is averaging 15.8 made free throws in SEC play.
It is holding league foes to 65.82 ppg.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in her eighth season as head coach of the Rebels and has compiled a 145-101 record at Ole Miss. She is 239-164 overall in 13 years.
She has guided the Rebels to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including Sweet 16s in 2023 and 2025.
"Coach Yo" led UM to a runner-up finish in the WNIT in 2020-21 despite placing 11th in the SEC.

UM'S LAST GAME

No. 14/16 Ole Miss fell to No. 18/19 Kentucky, 74-57, Sunday afternoon in Lexington.
The Wildcats turned 14 Rebel turnovers into 22 points, while holding UM to only eight off miscues.
UK also outshot Ole Miss, 50.9 to 27.1 percent.
Cotie McMahon went 4 of 18 but had 18 points, while Latasha Lattimore contributed a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double and Christeen Iwaula added 10 points.
UK's Clara Strack torched the Rebels for 28 points.

LAST TIME WE MET

After scoring 30 points in Oxford in 2024, Jewel Spear turned in her second straight gem against Ole Miss, firing in 28 on Feb. 16, 2025, as No. 15/16 Tennessee shot 52.5 percent from the field and prevailed, 80-71, in front of 12,402 at Food City Center in Knoxville.
The 5-foot-10 guard was an efficient nine of 11 from the field, knocking down five of seven tries from beyond the arc to match her previous season high in points vs. Oklahoma for the Lady Vols (19-6, 6-6 SEC). Zee Spearman added 14 points and eight rebounds, Samara Spencer contributed 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Talaysia Cooper chipped in 11 points, six assists and six steals.
Ole Miss (17-8, 8-5 SEC) was paced by 22 points from KK Deans, who had a 6-for-12 day beyond the arc.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN OXFORD

The Lady Vols dropped a heartbreaker on Jan. 28, 2024, in a game that featured nine lead changes and five ties, with the Rebels taking an 80-75 victory in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Senior Jewel Spear was the game's top scorer, pouring in a season-high 30 points for Tennessee (12-7, 5-2 SEC) on 64.7-percent shooting from the floor. Fifth-year senior Rickea Jackson also was in double digits with 15 points and six rebounds on the day.
Ole Miss (15-5, 5-2 SEC) was led by Marquesha Davis with 23 points. Kharyssa Richardson, Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd Williams chipped in 21, 15 and 12.

NEXT UP

Tennessee returns to Knoxville and will have a quick turnaround to prepare to host Texas A&M (10-11, 3-9 SEC) on Thursday night.
The Lady Vols and Aggies will meet at Food City Center at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The contest will be broadcast on SECN+ and also carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming available on UTSports.com.
UT will conclude its arduous week by playing at No. 10/10 Oklahoma at 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on Sunday (ESPN/ESPN2).