WBB Preview: #15/15 Lady Vols at #1/1 UConn

January 30, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 15/15 Tennessee (14-4, 6-1 SEC) begins a three-game stint of road games vs. ranked teams on Sunday, meeting No. 1/1 UConn (22-0, 12-0 BIG EAST) at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn.

The Lady Vols face the Huskies at noon ET in a contest that will be televised on FOX and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Chs. 106 or 190).

UT saw a seven-game winning streak snapped on Thursday night in Knoxville, as Mississippi State (16-6, 3-5 SEC) exacted revenge for a loss to the Big Orange earlier this season, 77-62. Kim Caldwell's squad remains as one of only three SEC teams with a single loss in league play, joining No. 3/3 South Carolina and No. 5/6 Vanderbilt.

UConn, meanwhile, has been seriously challenged only once in a 72-69 victory over Michigan on Nov. 21. It is winning by an average margin of 39.7 points.

The Huskies lead the series, 17-10, winning four of five meetings since the series resumed in 2020, but the Lady Vols prevailed last season in Knoxville, 80-76.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: UConn
Date: Sun., Feb. 1
Tip-off: Noon ET
Venue: PeoplesBank Arena
Watch: FOX
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

UCONN

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

Tennessee, Ole Miss Announce Date For Rescheduled SEC Contest Hot-Shooting Bulldogs End Lady Vol Winning Streaks, 77-62 Cooper Named To Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List Rookies Shine As #17 Lady Vols Edge #11 Kentucky To Win Seventh Straight

BROADCAST DETAILS

Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Sarah Kustok (color analyst) will be on the call for FOX.
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 106 or 190.

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

Mississippi State shot 48 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, claiming a 77-62 victory over No. 15/15 Tennessee on Thursday night at Food City Center, ending the Lady Vols' seven-game winning streak and run of eight-straight victories at home.
UT (14-4, 6-1 SEC) limited the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) to 30-percent shooting in the first quarter to take a 12-9 lead after one, but it was unable to hold MSU under 50 percent in each of the final three quarters in suffering its first SEC loss as well as its first setback on The Summitt this season.
Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper led the Big Orange in scoring with 19 points, while Mia Pauldo and Janiah Barker chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.
Mississippi State had four scorers in double figures, with Kharyssa Richardson leading the way with 21 points. Trayanna Crisp fired in 15, while Madison Francis tallied a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and Favour Nwaedozi also did so with 11 points and 14 boards on the evening.

NOTES FROM THE MISSISSIPPI STATE GAME

STAYING HOT IN SEC PLAY: Freshman Mia Pauldo's 13 points, all in the second half, made it five games in a row she has scored in double figures. The guard now has 12 games with 10+ points in her first year on Rocky Top with half of them coming in SEC play. Pauldo is averaging 15.6 points in conference action.
DOUBLE DIGITS AGAIN FOR COOP: Talaysia Cooper's 19 points marked her 15th double-digit scoring performance in the 17 games she has played during the 2025-26 season. Cooper leads the Lady Vols with the most 10+ point performances and has paced UT in scoring seven times this year.
TURNING THEM OVER: The Big Orange forced the Bulldogs into 24 turnovers, making it 12 opponents on the season UT has hurried into 20+ miscues. The Lady Vols increased their opponent turnover average to 21.72 per game. That number ranks in the top 25 nationally. Tennessee also collected 11 steals against MSU, marking the 13th time UT has tallied 10 or more this season.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

Tennessee stands at No. 18 in the NET rankings and is No. 15 in the AP Poll.
UT is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.7 ppg., 5.5 rpg., 4.1 apg., 3.2 spg., 30 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (14.0 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 20 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (12.1 ppg., 44 assts./22 TOs, 37 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (11.2 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 18 3FGs).
UT is No. 7 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.6) and No. 25 in total rebounds per contest (42.06).
The Lady Vols rank No. 10 nationally in threes made per game (9.4), with seven games of 10+ treys made (2x in SEC play).
Tennessee is No. 19 in turnovers forced per game (21.72) and has caused 20+ turnovers 12 times this season after hurrying Mississippi State into 24 on Thursday.
Tennessee is No. 24 nationally in steals per game (11.8), carding 10+ steals on 13 occasions after forcing Miss. State into 11.
UT is No. 28 in NCAA scoring offense (78.4) and No. 27 in scoring margin (17.2).
The Big Orange bench contributes 26.7 points per contest, ranking No. 26 nationally.

TRENDING...

The Lady Vols travel to No. 1-ranked UConn, No. 23 Georgia and No. 3 South Carolina in their next three games.
After beating four ranked teams in 2024-25, UT notched its first back-to-back wins over ranked teams since 2021-22 by defeating No. 21 Alabama and No. 11 Kentucky on Jan. 18 and 22, 2026.
Tennessee has won four straight road games, marking the longest streak of road victories since the 2022-23 season.
The Big Orange bench has outscored its opponents' reserves in 16 of 18 games.
Mia Pauldo has been in double figures 10 times in her past 11 games, averaging 15.5 ppg. since her 14-point effort at Stanford.
Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 14 nationally with an average of 3.24 steals per game.
After making a school and SEC record 343 threes in 2024-25, UT's 169 in 18 games already stands 16th in program history.
Kim Caldwell ranks No. 9 among active coaches in all NCAA divisions in career winning percentage (255-45, .850).
Tennessee is pursuing its first back-to-back victories over UConn since winning three straight from 2005-07.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Tennessee is the last team to defeat UConn, earning an 80-76 decision in Knoxville on Feb. 6 last season.
With Kim Caldwell at the helm of the Lady Vols in her first season, she directed her team in ending a four-game series skid to Geno Auriemma and company.
The Huskies have not lost since that setback, winning their final 16 games in 2025 to claim the NCAA title.
That streak continues into Sunday, with 22-0 UConn possessing a 38-game victory string.
It's the fifth-longest streak in Huskies history.

FACING NO. 1 TEAMS

Tennessee has won 14 games in program history over No. 1-ranked teams and stands 14-41 all-time in those games dating back to 1976, including 2-14 at home, 6-10 away and 6-17 at neutral sites.
UT is 3-8 vs. UConn when the Huskies are ranked No. 1, including 0-2 at home, 2-2 away and 1-4 at neutral sites.
The Big Orange last defeated a No. 1 squad in 2004-05, when the late Pat Summitt's No. 5/4 Lady Vols took down No. 1/1 LSU, 67-65, in the SEC Championship game at Greenville, S.C., on March 6, 2005.
Tennessee's last game vs. a No. 1-ranked team came on March, 9, 2024, when South Carolina hit a last-second three-pointer to stave off the Lady Vols' upset bid in Greenville, S.C..
UT's last win over a No. 1-rated UConn squad came on Feb. 2, 2000, when the No. 4/4 Lady Vols prevailed, 72-71, in Storrs, Conn.

UT/UCONN SERIES NOTES

UT is 8-12 vs. the Huskies during the regular-season and 2-5 during the postseason.
The Lady Vols are 4-6 on the road, 4-6 at home and 2-5 at neutral sites vs. the Huskies.
The Lady Vols are 2-5 in games played in Hartford and 2-1 on campus in Storrs.
The late Pat Summitt won eight NCAA titles while at Tennessee, and UConn's Geno Auriemma has claimed 12, making them the most successful coaches in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Tennessee won NCAA titles in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007 and 2008.
UConn won NCAA crowns in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2025.

A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES

UConn is led by the trio of Sarah Strong (19.1 ppg., 8.0 rpg., 60% FG, 34 3FGs), Azzi Fudd (16.7 ppg., 62 3FGs, 97% FT) and Blanca Quiñonez (10.7 ppg., 57% FG).
The Huskies are scoring 90.2 ppg. and shooting 52.7 percent from the field (39.3% 3FG).
UConn is allowing only 50.5 ppg. and limiting foes to 33.7 percent from the field.
The Huskies are forcing 25.4 turnovers per game and averaging 16.0 steals per contest.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Geno Auriemma is 1,272-165 in his 41st year as a head coach, all at UConn.
He has guided the Huskies to 12 NCAA Championships, 24 Final Fours, six perfect seasons and 60 conference championships.

UCONN'S LAST GAME

Allie Ziebell had a UConn program record-tying 10 3-pointers and a career-high 34 points, and Sarah Strong scored 19 of her 25 points in the first half, as the top-ranked Huskies won their 38th consecutive game with a 97-39 win over Xavier on Wednesday night despite key players Blanca Quiñonez and Serah Williams sitting out.
Ashlynn Shade added 12 points, nine steals, six rebounds and six assists for UConn (22-0, 12-0 Big East), which posted its 50th regular-season win in a row in Big East play.

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, • After coming oh-so-close to netting victories over four top-10 teams, No. 19/17 Tennessee finally broke through in a big way on Feb. 6, 2025, outlasting No. 5/5 UConn, 80-76, in front of a crowd of 16,215 in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols (17-5, 4-5 SEC) snapped a four-game series skid to the Huskies, and UT head coach Kim Caldwell emerged victorious in her debut game in the series and claimed a hard-earned signature win.
Junior forward Zee Spearman tallied a team-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hit a layup on a dish from Talaysia Cooper with 12 seconds left to all but clinch the win. Senior guard Samara Spencer tossed in 14 points, while fifth-year guard Jewel Spear added 12 points and Cooper contributed 11 points and team-best eight rebounds and four assists.
Sarah Strong paced her team in scoring with 18 points, while Paige Bueckers chipped in 14 and KK Arnold and Azzi Fudd added 11 and 10, respectively.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN HARTFORD

Jordan Horston turned in a game-high 26 points, but No. 7/7 Tennessee came up short vs No. 10/9 Connecticut, falling 75-56 in Hartford on Feb. 6, 2022.
For the Lady Vols (19-4, 8-2 SEC), senior Rae Burrell joined Horston in double figures with 11 points on the day.
UConn (15-4, 9-0 Big East) was led by Azzi Fudd with 25, while Aaliyah Edwards and Evina Westbrook each turned in 14.

NEXT UP

Jordan Horston turned in a game-high 26 points, but No. 7/7 Tennessee came up short vs No. 10/9 Connecticut, falling 75-56 in Hartford on Feb. 6, 2022.
For the Lady Vols (19-4, 8-2 SEC), senior Rae Burrell joined Horston in double figures with 11 points on the day.
UConn (15-4, 9-0 Big East) was led by Azzi Fudd with 25, while Aaliyah Edwards and Evina Westbrook each turned in 14.