No. 15/13 Tennessee (19-6, 6-6 SEC) closes out a three-game home stand, as No. 18/19 Alabama (21-5, 8-4 SEC) comes to Food City Center for a 6:30 p.m. ET tussle on Thursday.

The Lady Vols and Crimson Tide will meet in a contest available on SECN+ and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Chs. 106 & 190).

UT, currently tied for eighth in the SEC standings, will face its second consecutive team ahead of it in the league pack and has an opportunity to greatly improve its seeding for the SEC Tournament if it can log a win vs. a squad currently residing in fifth-place. The Lady Vols earned a big victory on Sunday over an Ole Miss squad that sits in sixth in the standings, prevailing in wire-to-wire fashion by an 80-71 score in Knoxville for the Big Orange's fourth win in its past five games.

The Lady Vols are led by redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, a member of the John R. Wooden, Naismith and Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Watch Lists and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. She puts up 17.0 ppg., 5.9 rpg., 3.4 apg. and 3.2 spg. while shooting 45 percent from the field. Cooper has 10 20+ scoring efforts this season. Also averaging double figures are fifth-year guard and SEC Co-Player of the Week Jewel Spear (13.3 ppg.), junior guard Ruby Whitehorn (12.9 ppg.), junior forward Zee Spearman (11.6 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and senior point guard Samara Spencer (10.5 ppg., 5.2 apg.).

After a 4-4 start in SEC play, Alabama rolls into Knoxville on a four-game winning streak after hitting 12 three-pointers and easily handling Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa on Monday night, 88-49. Leading the Crimson Tide in scoring this season are Sarah Ashlee Barker (17.0), Zaay Green (15.6), Aaliyah Nye (14.2) and Essence Cody (11.0). Cody (6.6) and Barker (6.2) are the team's top rebounders.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Will Boling (play-by-play) and LVFL Kamera Harris (analyst) will have the call for SECN+.
• 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 Hoops Central 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 via SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 & 190.

PARKING, TRAFFIC FLOW, ENTRY ALERTS

• Fans coming to campus looking to purchase basketball parking will do so on-site with a credit card.
• Those parking in the G-10 garage are requested to enter from Neyland Drive.
• There is free public parking on the Ag Campus and a free shuttle to and from there for fans. All shuttles are fully accessible for those with disabilities.
• The shuttle location on the Ag campus is on River Drive near the Brehm Animal Sciences Bldg. and across from the CF lot. Visit https://parking.utk.edu/parking/special-events/athletic/ for maps and more information.
• Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off. Return shuttles run one hour postgame or until the Food City Center is cleared.
• Accessible shuttle loading and unloading for those with disabilities is located next to Arena Dining.
• For regular shuttles, the unloading and loading areas near Food City Center will be as follows: Prior to the game, regular shuttles will unload at Chamique Holdsclaw and Lake Loudoun Blvd. After the game, regular shuttles will load at Lake Loudoun Blvd and Phillip Fulmer Way.
• All tickets and Tennessee Fund parking passes are digital.
• Fans will again see walk-through metal detectors outside of all Food City Center entrances.
• Gates typically open one hour before tip for women's games. Changes for large crowds will be announced publicly.

PHILLIP FULMER WAY CLOSURE INFO.

• Due to the resumption of construction and upgrades to Neyland Stadium, basketball fans and media members should be advised of immediate changes to normal traffic patterns on Phillip Fulmer Way and Peyton Manning Pass during the rest of the 2024-25 season.
• Phillip Fulmer Way from G-10 garage to Neyland Stadium Gate 21 vicinity is now closed.
• The G-10 garage will not be accessible southbound on Phillip Fulmer Way.
• Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed to southbound traffic at Middle Drive, and it will not be accessible via Peyton Manning Pass.
• For events at Food City Center, G-10 and Staff 5 parking areas will be accessible via Lake Loudoun Boulevard, but it is strongly recommended that vehicles enter G-10 via Neyland Drive.
• Lot G5/30 is only accessible from Lake Loudoun Blvd.

FAMILIAR FACES FROM DIFFERENT PLACES

• First-year Tennessee assistant coach Roman Tubner served as an assistant coach and then associate head coach at Alabama from 2021-24.
• UT senior forward Jillian Hollingshead and Alabama graduate student guard Sarah Ashlee Barker were teammates at Georgia during the 2021-22 season.
• Alabama graduate student guard Zaay Green started her career at Tennessee in 2018-19 as a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team before ending up in Tuscaloosa this season after stops at Texas A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
• Tennessee fifth-year guard/forward Tess Darby and junior guard Edie Darby (Greenfield, Tenn.) played against Alabama junior Karly Weathers (Loretto, Tenn.)during the Tennessee high school state tournament.
• Tennessee senior forward Sara Puckett is a native of Muscle Shoals, Ala.

SEEKING OUR 48TH 20-WIN SEASON

• Tennessee is seeking to record 20 or more wins in a season for the 48th time in program history.
• The Lady Vols hit that plateau in 2023-24 vs. Green Bay in the NCAA First Round before ending the year at 20-13 after falling to N.C. State in the second round.
• Since 1974, when Margaret Hutson led UT to a then program-best 25-2 record, the Lady Vols have had 47 20-win campaigns over a 51-year period.
• The only seasons shy of 20 victories were when Tennessee went 16-8 and 16-11 during Pat Summitt's first two seasons in 1974-75 and 1975-76, a 19-13 mark in 2018-19 under Holly Warlick and a 17-8 effort in 2020-21 under Kellie Harper during a schedule limited by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CALDWELL PURSUING 20 WINS AGAIN

• Kim Caldwell will be trying to card her eighth 20-win season as a head coach and first as leader of the Lady Vols.
• The only season she didn't reach 20 was during a 12-4 2020-21 year at Glenville State when the schedule was limited to 16 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• She has reached 25 wins six times and had 30 or more on four occasions.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

• COOP IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Guard Talaysia Cooper, who is on three POTY watch lists and the Naismith Defensive POTY watch list, leads UT in scoring (17.0 ppg.) and steals (3.2 spg.), hitting double figures in points 22 times, carding 10 efforts of 20+ points and notching 11 quarters where she scored 10 or more during that frame.
• SPEAR FOR THREE: Jewel Spear is enjoying her best stretch of the year, averaging 15.4 ppg. in SEC play, hitting 40 of 77 three-point tries in league action (52 pct.) to run her overall total to 64 treys and average 2.78 treys per game to rank No. 2 in the league.
• SMOOTH SAMARA: Samara Spencer (10.5 ppg.) ranks No. 15 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.63), is No. 32 in total assists (129), and is No. 32 in apg. (5.2) while ranking No. 54 in 3FG pct. (40.0) and No. 2 for Tennessee in 3FGs made (50).
• GET A BUCKET, RUBY: Ruby Whitehorn is UT's third-leading scorer at 12.9 ppg., tallying 10+ points in 15 of her past 19 games, including a season-high-tying 21 at #6/4 LSU.
• ZEE COMING ON STRONG: Zee Spearman has scored 10+ 16 times, averages 11.6 ppg. and 6.0 rpg., and has hit 17 treys.

FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE

• PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 2 nationally in scoring offense, generating 90.0 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in ppg. is No. 4, where she was in 2023-24 (85.3) at Marshall.
• UT RECORD FOR 3s: UT ranks No. 1 nationally for 3FGs made per game at 10.6 (265 total) and broke the old Lady Vol single-season record of 242 (37 games in 2010-11) in only 23 contests this season.
• CRASHING O-BOARDS: UT is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 18.0. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
• TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 10 in turnovers forced per game (22.96) and No. 9 in T.O. margin (8.12). Auburn had 21 miscues on Feb. 13 for the 15th 20+ T.O. game (7 were 30+) by a foe in 2024-25.
• RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 15 nationally in steals per game (12.0). It now has 14 games of 10+ steals and 300 total in 25 games. It had 159 in 33 contests last year.
• TENN-ACIOUS PRESS: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 23 times in 25 games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• UT 11TH IN NET: UT is 11th in the NET and has wins over No. 1 UConn, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 28 Fla. St., No. 29 Iowa, No. 32 Richmond, No. 35 Miss. St., No. 52 Middle Tennessee, No 55 Auburn and No. 63 Missouri along with losses to No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Texas, No. 9 LSU (twice), No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 23 Vanderbilt.
• SIX DIMES FROM 1,500/500/500: Samara Spencer has 1,631 pts., 505 rebs. and 494 assts., needing six dimes to card a 1,500/500/500+ career stat line. Only five SEC women have done that since 1991-92.
• SPEAR NEARS SEASON LIST: With 64 treys in 2024-25, Jewel Spear stands five away from cracking the UT single-season top 10 for the second time. She had 69 last season for the No. 10 total on that list.
• FIVE AWAY FROM 50 TREY TRIO: Tess Darby (45) is five three-pointers away from giving Tennessee it's first-ever trio of players to hit 50 or more treys in the same season. Jewel Spear (64) and Samara Spencer (50) are already there.
• COOP WILL TAKE THAT: Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 8 nationally in steals per game (3.20) and No. 10 in total steals (80).

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

• After scoring 30 points in Oxford last season, Jewel Spear turned in her second straight gem against Ole Miss, firing in 28 on Sunday afternoon as No. 15/16 Tennessee shot 52.5 percent from the field and defeated the Rebels, 80-71, in front of 12,402 at Food City Center.
• The 5-foot-10 fifth-year 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). Junior forward Zee Spearman added 14 points and eight rebounds, senior guard 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), which entered the game giving up only 54.4 points per game and allowed a team to reach 80 for only the second time all season, was paced by 22 points from KK Deans, who had a 6-for-12 day at the three-point arc. Tameiya Sadler contributed 14, while Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott added 11 and 10, respectively.

POSTGAME NOTES VS. OLE MISS

• DEFENSE ON DISPLAY: The Big Orange defense was on point all afternoon, as it forced 19 turnovers and held Ole Miss below its 76.7 average. The Lady Vols turned those miscues into a 24-4 points-off-turnovers advantage against the Rebels, with the four allowed being the second fewest surrendered by Tennessee this season. The Tennessee press resulted in another 10-second violation, with a foe's 23rd infraction this year occurring at the 3:32 mark in the first quarter.
• SPEAR'S RED HOT AGAINST THE REBS: Jewel Spear has been a key factor in back-to-back matchups against Ole Miss. Last season on Jan. 28, Spear produced 30 points, following it up a year later on Sunday afternoon with a team-leading 28 points. The fifth-year guard has now carded back-to-back games of hitting five three-pointers and has knocked down five on five occasions in 2024-25. Spear also has tallied four consecutive games of scoring 12 or more points, dating back to the UConn contest on Feb. 6. She also moved into eighth place on the Lady Vols' all-time scoring list (including transfers), totaling 2,123 during her collegiate career. Spear surpassed Tamika Catchings' 2,113 points from 1997-2001.
• SPEARMAN HITTING HER STRIDE: Zee Spearman was clutch against Ole Miss, netting 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Spearman has now assembled four consecutive games in double figures and three straight games of six rebounds or more. The junior collected her 16th game thus far with 10 or more points, the 29th of her career.
• DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR SAM: Samara Spencer's effort on both sides of the ball was instrumental against the Rebels. Spencer charted 13 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native notched her second double-double performance of the season, the fifth of her career. Spencer's other double-double effort came against N.C. Central, when she produced 33 points and ten assists.
• SHOOTING WELL AGAIN: Tennessee finished the game at 52.5 percent, marking the first time this season the Lady Vols have hit above 50 percent in consecutive games. UT, which had tallied a season-high 55.7 percent vs. Auburn, has now made shots at a rate of 50 percent or better for the sixth time in 2024-25.

UT/UA SERIES NOTES

• Tennessee leads the all-time series, 55-9, after splitting a pair of games in 2023-24.
• UT lost during the regular season in Tuscaloosa before beating the Tide at the SEC Tournament.
• Against the Crimson Tide, UT is 25-1 all-time in games played in Knoxville, 19-5 in Tuscaloosa and 11-3 at neutral sites.
• The Lady Vols have won six of the past eight after Alabama had forged a five-game victory string from 2016-19.
• UT is 17-4 vs. Alabama in Coleman Coliseum, losing for the first time there on Feb. 16, 2017, 65-57.
• From 2011-16, the Crimson Tide women played in Foster Auditorium, where UT was 2-1.

LOOK AT THE CRIMSON TIDE

• Alabama is paced by Sarah Ashlee Barker, who averages 17.0 ppg. and 6.2 rpg.
• She has help from former Lady Vol Zaay Green (15.6 ppg.), Aaliyah Nye (14.2 ppg.) and Essence Cody (11.0 ppg., 6.6 rpg.)
• Nye is among the nation's leaders with 87 three-pointers made thus far and helps her team shoot 39.1 percent beyond the arc to rank No. 3 nationally.
• Bama limits its foes to 60.4 ppg. and 36.6 FG pct.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Kristy Curry is in her 12th season at Alabama and in her 26th campaign overall as a college head coach.
• She is 218-158 with the Tide and 527-307 overall.
• Curry and the Crimson Tide made their third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years and 13th all-time bid during the 2023-24 season.

THE TIDE'S LAST GAME

• No. 18/20 Alabama rolled past Texas A&M, 88-49, on Monday night in Tuscaloosa.
• The Crimson Tide (21-5, 8-4 SEC) showcased a strong defensive performance during the first half to help build a 30-point cushion and cruise to the win.
• Sarah Ashlee Barker led all scorers with 18 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field including a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Zaay Green (16), Aaliyah Nye (15) and Essence Cody (10) also contributed to the Tide's overall 88 points.
• Green led the Crimson Tide on defense, swatting three shots, while adding six rebounds and six assists. Karly Weathers led the Tide by pulling down 10 rebounds.

LAST TIME WE FACED ALABAMA

• No. 5 seed Tennessee rolled past No. 4 seed Alabama, 83-61, advancing to the semifinals of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament on March 8, 2024.
• The Lady Vols, who led 19-14 after the first quarter, outscored the Crimson Tide (23-10) by a 23-15 count in the second stanza and a 26-15 margin in the third frame to turn the game into a blowout. The victory avenged a 72-56 loss in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 8.
• Jewel Spear led all scorers with 24 points, setting an SEC record with a perfect 6-of-6 day beyond the arc. Rickea Jackson turned in a 22-point, nine-rebound effort, while Sara Puckett added 10 points.
• Sarah Ashlee Barker led the way for UA with 17.

LAST TIME WE MET IN KNOXVILLE

• Tennessee never trailed in cruising to an 89-76 victory over #RV/NR Alabama in Knoxville on Jan. 2, 2023.
• Rickea Jackson led UT with 22 on the day, while Tess Darby, Jillian Hollingshead and Jordan Walker all posted season bests with 16, 15 and 15, respectively. Senior Jordan Horston narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a career-high-tying nine assists.
• Megan Abrams was the leading scorer for UA (12-3, 1-1 SEC) with a game-high 24 points, and Loyal McQueen was close behind with 21.

UP NEXT

• Next on the schedule for the Lady Vols is a 1 p.m. ET Sunday matinee vs. Florida in Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
• The contest will be televised on SEC Network and also will be broadcast on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.