Hoops Central: NCAA First Round: No. 5 Seed Lady Vols vs. No. 12 Seed South Florida

No. 5 seed and No. 20-ranked Tennessee (22-9) will meet No. 12 seed South Florida (23-10) in first-round action of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship on Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio.

The Lady Vols and Bulls will face off at Ohio State University's Schottenstein Center in a Birmingham Regional 3 contest televised on ESPN and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com. 

Tennessee, which tied for eighth this season in the Southeastern Conference at 8-8, enters the NCAA Tournament after splitting a pair of games at the SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C., on March 5 and 6.

The Lady Vols ran away from Texas A&M, 77-37, in the first round before falling in the second round, 84-76, to in-state rival Vanderbilt.

The Lady Vols have been led all season by 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. The All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Defensive Team selection puts up 16.7 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.2 apg. and 3.1 spg. and shoots 45 percent from the field. Cooper has 11 20+ scoring efforts this season.  Also averaging double figures are fifth-year guard Jewel Spear (13.1 ppg., 74 3FGs), junior guard Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 ppg.), junior forward Zee Spearman (11.5 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and senior point guard Samara Spencer (10.5 ppg., 4.7 apg., 60 3FGs).

South Florida, which finished third this season in the American Athletic Conference at 13-4, has won 10 of its past 12 games, including a run of three straight over Tulane, North Texas and Rice to claim the AAC Tournament title March 10-12. The Bulls are led offensively by Sammie Puisis, a transfer from Florida State who averages 14.8 ppg. and has made 101 three-pointers in 2024-25, and Vittoria Blasigh, who puts up 10.5 ppg. and has made 47 treys.

This marks the second all-time meeting between these programs, with UT winning by three, 52-49, in the initial clash in Knoxville on Nov. 15, 2021.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) will have the call for ESPN.
• 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.
• SiriusXM Ch. 137 or 205 also will carry the UT broadcast. 

UP NEXT

• The winner of the Tennessee-South Florida game will advance to the second round and face the victor of Friday's other Columbus first-round game between No. 4 seed Ohio State (25-6) and No. 13 seed Montana State (30-3) on Sunday. Tip time and TV designation will be announced later. 
• The contest also will be available on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

• EARNING ACCLAIM: Guard Talaysia Cooper is on three national player of the year watch lists and the Naismith Defensive POTY watch list, and she made the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team. 
• FIVE WHO AVERAGE 10+: UT features five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Talaysia Cooper (16.7). She is joined by Jewel Spear (13.1), Ruby Whitehorn (11.6), Zee Spearman (11.1) and Samara Spencer (10.5).
• I'LL TAKE THAT: Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 10 nationally (No. 1 SEC) at 3.06 steals per game, an average that ranks No. 4 in a season by a Lady Vol and No. 2 in a career.
• THREE-POINT THREAT: Jewel Spear is No. 30 nationally (No. 2 SEC) in threes per game (2.55) and is No. 52 with 74 total treys.
• ROCK SOLID: Samara Spencer leads UT with 145 assists while committing a career-low 64 turnovers, ranking her No. 32 nationally with a 2.27 assist/turnover ratio.
• BIG INSIDE PRESENCE: Zee Spearman tops UT's inside presence, leading the team in FG pct. (50.2), rebounds (188/6.1 rpg.) and blocks (19), and she is fourth in scoring (11.5 ppg.).
• BUCKET-GETTER: Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 ppg.) has UT's second most games of 10+ points (21).

WHAT WE DO

• FOR STARTERS...: UT has had 10 different starters and 16 different starting lineups.
• SUB EARLY & OFTEN: A frenetic style of play requires fresh legs. Expect hockey-style substitutions early and often. 
• STRONG BENCH: Tennessee ranks No. 6 nationally in bench points per game (29.0).
• PRESS & HOLD 'EM FOR 10: UT's press has forced 30 10-second violations.
• FORCE TURNOVERS: Tennessee has forced 693 turnovers (most by the program since 2007-08) and ranks No. 9 nationally in TOs forced per game at 22.35.
• CAPITALIZE ON MISCUES: Tennessee averages 28.9 ppg. off turnovers.
• LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD: Tennessee ranks No. 2 nationally in points per game (87.2), a mark that is No. 3 in school history and No. 5 in SEC history.
• KNOCK DOWN THREES: UT has made a program-best 312 three-pointers and is just  three shy of breaking the SEC record.
• HUNT O-BOARDS: Tennessee is No. 3 nationally with 17.1 offensive rebs. per game.
• GET PUT-BACKS: UT averages 16.1 second-chance points per game and is 19-2 (lost to S.C. & Ga.) when it wins this stat category.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• FIRST-EVER 50-TREY TRIO: Tennessee has its first-ever trio of players to hit 50 or more treys each in the same season. The group includes Jewel Spear (74), Samara Spencer (60) and Tess Darby (52).
• COOPER NEARING STEALS TOP 10: With 95 steals, Talaysia Cooper is five away from making the Lady Vol single-season top 10. Tamika Catchings is 10th with 100.
• SPEAR IN UT TOP 10s: Jewel Spear's 74 treys and 190 atts. in 2024-25 stand No. 6 on UT season lists. Her 143 threes at UT rank No. 10 for a career, and her 38.1 3FG pct. is No. 9.
• DARBY ON UT CAREER LISTS: Tess Darby is No. 4 for games played (143), No. 5 for 3FGs made (222) and att. (610), and No. 12 for 3FG pct. (36.4) on UT's career lists.
• FREE-THROW PROWESS: Jewel Spear ranks No. 2 at UT for career FT pct. (86.0) and No. 6 for a season (88.0, 2024-25).
• SAM PUTTING UP NUMBERS: Samara Spencer is five treys and nine assists from tying her career bests of 65 and 154, respectively. Her 4.68 assists per game put her No. 4 on UT's career list, while she is No. 10 for career 3FG pct. (37.5). Her nine threes vs. N.C. Central on Dec. 14 were a UT record.

TENNESSEE - THE ONLY SCHOOL IN ALL 43

• The Lady Vols are making their 43rd consecutive NCAA Tournament, continuing as the only school to appear in every Division I women's tourney.
• UT kept its record of playing in every NCAA Tournament perfect under Kim Caldwell, who is in her first season leading the program and is the fourth coach to guide the Lady Vols into the tourney. The breakdown of appearances as the Big Orange's head coach includes Pat Summitt (30), Holly Warlick (7), Kellie Harper (5) and Kim Caldwell (1).
• Tennessee is an at-large qualifier for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, finishing in a tie for eighth in the SEC regular season and falling in the SEC Tournament second round.
• The Lady Vols are 131-34 in NCAA Tournament play, and they rank first in games played (165) and second in victories (131) in NCAA tourney history. 
• Tennessee also is second behind UConn in winning percentage at .794 in tourney play.
• UT earned a No. 5 NCAA seed for the third time and drew higher than a four seed for the sixth time in its tournament history.
• UT is 5-5 when seeded higher than fourth, including 1-2 at No. 5 (2009, 2017), 1-1 at No. 6 (2024), 3-1 at No. 7 (2016) and 0-1 at No. 11 (2019).
• UT has advanced to the NCAA regional round on 36 occasions, owning a 28-8 mark in the Sweet 16. 
• The only seasons UT did not make the regional level were in 2009, from 2017 to 2021 and in 2024. 
• UT has made the Elite Eight 28 times, posting an 18-10 record in that round.
• The Lady Vols have seen their season ended in the regional championship game five times in the past 12 years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).
• UT has advanced to 18 NCAA Final Fours and won eight of them (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), ranking second to UConn.
• Tennessee has finished second in the nation five times and third on five more occasions. 
• In facing South Florida, UT is playing its 94th different foe during all rounds of the NCAA Tournament, with these teams meeting in postseason play for the first time. 
• The American Athletic Conference is the 29th different league to send a team into battle vs. Tennessee during the postseason. 
• UT is 0-0 vs. current AAC member teams in NCAA games, and the Lady Vols are 46-1 all-time vs. schools who are currently members of that league.

UT IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS

• Tennessee is making its 43rd appearance in the NCAA First/Second Rounds, and it owns a 64-6 record during games played in those rounds.
• The Lady Vols are 34-2 all-time in the NCAA First Round and 30-4 in the NCAA Second Round.
• The only blemishes are a first-round loss to Ball State, 71-55, in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 22, 2009; a second-round setback to Louisville, 75-64, in Louisville, Ky. on March 20, 2017; a second-round loss to Oregon State, 66-59, in Knoxville, on March 18, 2018; a first-round ouster by UCLA, 89-77, on March 23, 2019, in College Park, Md.; a second-round loss to Michigan, 70-55, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 2021; and a second-round setback at NC State in Raleigh on March 25, 2024.
• In NCAA First/Second Round play, Tennessee is 49-1 at home, 4-3 away and 11-2 at neutral sites.
• • The breakdown for that is 25-0 home/0-1 away/9-1 neutral for the first round and 24-1 home/4-2 away/2-1 neutral for the second round.

CALDWELL NCAA HISTORY AS A COACH

• Kim Caldwell is making her ninth different NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach and first with UT, owning a 12-6 combined record between her time at NCAA Division I and Division II schools.
• This is her second trip to NCAA Division I March Madness, owning an 0-1 postseason record at this level after her 2023-24 Marshall team lost in the first round to Virginia Tech (92-49) a year ago.
• From 2016-17 to 2022-23, Caldwell led her Glenville State (W. Va.) squads to seven NCAA Division II Tournament bids, forging a 12-5 mark in those contests.
• Caldwell's teams advanced to two NCAA Division II Final Fours (2022, 2023), with her 2021-22 squad winning a national championship.
• Her 2021-22 team went 6-0 in NCAA play, while her 2022-23 squad was 5-1. Her 2017-18 and 2018-19 units finished 1-1, while her 2016-17 and 2020-21 ensembles went 0-1. The 2019-20 tourney was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

• No. 18/17 Tennessee put four players in double figures but it wasn't enough, as No. 8 seed Vanderbilt defeated the No. 9 seed Lady Vols, 84-76, on March 6 in the second round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 
• Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn led UT (22-9) offensively with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while fifth-year senior Jewel Spear, senior guard Samara Spencer and redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper chipped in 13 apiece. Junior forward Zee Spearman led UT on the boards with 10. 
• Vanderbilt (22-9) was paced by Mikayla Blakes, who led all scorers with 24 points. Iyana Moore was right behind with 23, while Khamil Pierre produced a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double. 
• UT out-shot VU from the field, 47.1 to 46.3 percent, but the Commodores outscored the Big Orange, 16-3 at the free-throw line, won the battle on the glass by eight and held a 21-6 margin on second-chance points. 

UT/USF SERIES NOTES

• Tennessee is 1-0 all-time vs. South Florida, including 1-0 in Knoxville.
• UT is 46-1 all-time vs. current members of the American Athletic Conference after defeating Memphis and Tulsa this season.

LOOK AT THE BULLS

• South Florida is led by Sammie Puisis (14.8 ppg., 101 3FG) and Vittoria Blasigh (10.5 ppg., 47 3FG).
• The Bulls feature three Power 4 transfers in Puisis (Florida State), Mama Dembele (Missouri) and Romi Levy (Auburn), two of whom played against UT in the past.
• USF allows only 60.45 points per game and has allowed only six opponents this season to score more than 70 points in a contest.
• South Florida beat Duke, 65-56, on Dec. 21 and lost by four to Louisville (64-60), by seven to Mississippi State (59-52), by 13 to Vanderbilt (62-49) and by 16 to South Carolina (78-62).
• UConn (86-49) and TCU (87-46) had blowout wins.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• USF is led by head coach Jose Fernandez, who is 485-316 in his 25th year with the Bulls.
• He has guided the Bulls to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including nine in the past 13 seasons.
• Fernandez is a two-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2018, 2021).

USF'S LAST GAME

• No. 3 seed South Florida (23-10) defeated No. 9 seed Rice (17-17), 69-62, in the 2025 American Women's Basketball Championship final on March 12 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
• After trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Owls (17-17) cut the deficit to six points with 9:11 remaining in the game but could not get any closer.
• This is South Florida's second American Athletic Conference Championship tournament win, as the Bulls became just the second team in conference history to win multiple conference tournament titles joining UConn (7).
• Sophomore guard Vittoria Blasigh led all scorers with 20 points, while junior forward Carla Brito added a stat line of 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. 
• Graduate guards Sammie Puisis (12 points, three assists) and Mama Dembele (13 points, eight assists) combined for 25 of the Bulls' points.

LAST TIME WE FACED SOUTH FLORIDA

• Overcoming a six-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, the No. 16/12 Lady Vols took down No. 23/22 South Florida in Knoxville, 52-49, on Nov. 15, 2021, to improve to 3-0 on the season.
• Jordan Horston led the furious fourth-quarter comeback, scoring 12 of the 14 points for UT. The junior tied a career high with 24 points, adding nine rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. 
• Horston's offensive prowess was complemented by Tamari Key's dominance in the paint. Key pulled down 10 rebounds, five in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points and blocking six shots. She posted the fifth double-double of her career and first this season.
• Current Lady Vols Sara Puckett (4 pts., 2 rebs., 2 assts., 1 stl.), Kaiya Wynn (4 pts., 4 rebs.) and Tess Darby (1 reb.) played in that game.