#20 Tennessee (4-2) vs. #16 Ohio State (5-1)
Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 | 4:05pm CT/5:05pm ET
Knoxville, TN | Food City Center | TV: ESPN
Knoxville, TN – The No. 20/22 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team (4-3) welcomes No. 16/13 Ohio State (5-1) to Food City Center on Sunday evening to play in the 2023 Jimmy V Women’s Classic.
The Lady Vols and Buckeyes are set to meet at 4:05pm CT in a contest televised by ESPN.
The UT-OSU game is the finale in a trio of high-profile matchups on Sunday, preceded by #1/1 South Carolina at Duke at 12:00pm CT (ABC) and #11/12 UConn at #10/11 Texas at 2:00pm CT (ABC). Tennessee will face its fourth-straight ranked opponent and its fifth AP Top-25 foe in eight games this season when Ohio State comes calling.
With leading scorer and rebounder Rickea Jackson (22 ppg./12 rpg.) sidelined due to injury, the Lady Vols have managed a 3-2 record but are 1-2 during that stretch vs. ranked squads. UT lost vs. No. 21/19 Indiana (71-57) and defeated No. 22/20 Oklahoma (76-73) in the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off before falling at home to No. 18/14 Notre Dame on Wednesday night, 74-69. UT also has a 92-91 loss at No. 18/22 Florida State on November 9th. FSU has risen to No. 15/15 this week.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, ride a five-game winning streak into the contest, with the only loss coming vs. (then) No. 21/21 USC, 83-74, at Las Vegas, NV, in the Hall of Fame Series. USC now sits at No. 6/8. OSU’s wins against Power 5 foes this season are over Boston College (88-66 on November 16th) and Oklahoma State (75-57 on November 22nd). Those teams had 3-5 and 3-3 records, respectively, as of December 1st.
Tennessee-Ohio State Storylines
Additional Broadcast Details
Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will describe the Tennessee-Ohio State game for the ESPN broadcast.
All 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 can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
The game also is available with Rice’s call on SiriusXM channels 190 or 210 (SEC Channel)
Game Promotions
The UT-OSU game also is a Rowdy Rewards pickup event, where rewards points can be traded for prizes.
The autograph player will be Tamari Key.
Download the Tennessee Athletics app to join the Coca-Cola GBO Zone Lightshow.
Purchase tickets at AllVols.com or call the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office at 1.800.332.VOLS or 865.656.1200.
Parking, Traffic Flow, Entry Alerts
Fans coming to campus looking to purchase parking will do so on-site with a credit card for all events, including men’s and women’s hoops.
All tickets and Tennessee Fund parking passes are digital.
Just like last season, fans will see walk-through metal detectors outside of all Food City Center entrances.
The designated rideshare drop-off/pick-up area will be on Todd Helton Drive west of Food City Center.
Campus parking is limited for large Food City Center events, but there is a free shuttle service from the Ag Campus for all fans, dropping off and picking up immediately adjacent to Food City Center.
ADA shuttles and entry operate the same as previous years.
(New) Phillip Fulmer Way Closure Information
Due to 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 2023-24 basketball 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.
Additionally, G5/30 will only be accessible from Lake Loudon Boulevard.
Recapping The Notre Dame Game
No. 20/22 Tennessee dropped a thriller to No. 18/14 Notre Dame on Wednesday night, suffering a 74-69 loss in front of a crowd of 8,211 in Food City Center.
Fifth-year senior Jasmine Powell led UT (4-3) with 14 points and seven rebounds. Three other Lady Vols were in double figures, with senior Destinee Wells close behind Powell with 13, and senior Jewel Spear and junior Karoline Striplin finishing with 11 and 10, respectively.
Maddy Westbeld and Natalija Marshall led Notre Dame (6-1) with 15 each. Westbeld pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double. Hannah Hildalgo, who came into the game averaging 25.0 points, was limited to 13, along with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Postgame Notes vs. The Fighting Irish
Fine First Half Defense
Tennessee held Notre Dame to 11 points in the first quarter and 25 total in the first half. Those represented season lows for UT opponents in both of those time periods. The Lady Vols allowed 74 total points to the Fighting Irish in the game, marking ND’s second-lowest output of the season behind the 71 it scored in a blowout loss to No. 1/1 South Carolina to open the year.
UT also held its fifth straight opponent to 74 points or fewer, lowering its season points allowed average to 74.4 per contest.
Powell Continues To Shine
Fifth-year senior guard Jasmine Powell enjoyed her fourth straight game scoring in double figures, leading the Lady Vols with 14 points. She also added seven rebounds to pace UT. Powell, who played at Minnesota before transferring to Tennessee last season, had not tossed in 10+ points in that many consecutive contests since doing so during a four-game stretch for the Gophers midway through the COVID-curtailed 2021-22 season.
Her longest streak last season as a Lady Vol was two straight games in the third and fourth contests of the year.
Team Scoring Effort
Four Lady Vols recorded double-digit points vs. Notre Dame. It marked the fifth game this season. Tennessee had four or more players scoring in double figures.
Holding Hannah Hidalgo
Tennessee’s defense slowed Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, who averaged 25 points per game over the first six contests, limiting her to just 13 points. She also came in leading the country at 6.3 steals her game and managed just four vs. UT.
Shutting Down The Three
The UT Lady Vols didn’t allow Notre Dame to make a single three-pointer, holding the Irish to 0-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. The last time Tennessee held an opponent to no threes was against Georgia last season (1/15/23), holding the Bulldogs to 0-of-14 shooting.
About the Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Team
Jazzing It Up
Jasmine Powell is averaging 15.5 points and shooting 48.8 percent from the field over the past four games.
First Class Rising
Sara Puckett (14.0 ppg.) and Karoline Striplin (10.3 ppg.), part of the first full class Kellie Harper recruited after she came to Tennessee, have taken huge steps forward this season statistically.
Portal Pick-Up Progress
Jewel Spear (13.1 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) and Destinee Wells (7.0 ppg., 3.9 apg.) came to UT via the portal during the offseason. Both have shown flashes of hitting their stride as they become more and more comfortable in the Lady Vol system.
No. 7 In Attendance
Despite facing only one ranked team at home thus far, and that one coming at 5:00pm on a Wednesday, Tennessee ranks No. 7 nationally in attendance at 7,852 per game. They had a season-high mark of 8,211 vs. Notre Dame on November 29th.
92 Is The Anomaly
Tennessee gave up 92 points in a 92-91 loss at No. 18/22 Florida State on November 9th, but other than that, the Lady Vols are surrendering 71.5 points per contest in a slate of games that featured three more Top 25 teams.
Four In A Row vs. Ranked Teams
The Tennessee Lady Vols’ game vs. Ohio State will be their fourth vs. a ranked team this season and their fourth in a string of four consecutive contests vs. Top 25 foes.
Improved At The Line
The UT Lady Vols are improving at the charity stripe, which is a key development since they are earning 21.6 free throw attempts per game. Tennessee has elevated its team shooting percentage to 71.5 after hitting 33 of 43 free throw tries over the past two games for 76.7 percent accuracy.
Scorers Galore
In six games, five different players have led UT in scoring. Jewel Spear (20), Rickea Jackson (31), Sara Puckett (24) Karoline Striplin (19) did so in games one through four. Jasmine Powell had 19 vs. Oklahoma in game six.
Lots Of Eyes On Us
Tennessee’s game vs. Indiana in the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off on November 23rd drew 1,118,000 viewers, making it the most watched college women’s basketball game ever on FOX with the largest audience of any televised women’s game this season by any network.
Series Notes
This is the 13th meeting between these schools in women’s basketball, with Tennessee holding a 3-0 at home, 1-1 on the road, and 6-1 at neutral sites vs. the Buckeyes.
These programs opened the season in Columbus last season, with OSU taking an 87-75 victory to snap a five-game series win streak by UT.
The UT Lady Vols are 81-18 all-time vs. teams from the Big Ten Conference, including 0-1 this season after a loss to Indiana in the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off on November 23rd.
About the Ohio State Buckeyes
OSU was picked second in the Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings behind Iowa.
Guards Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon were named the coaches’ preseason All-Big Ten team.
The Buckeyes rank No. 10 in free throws made per game (17.8), No. 18 in scoring offense (84.5), and No. 31 in three-point percentage defense (23.2).
Taylor Thierry is No. 11 in FG pct. (67.4), Jacy Sheldon is No. 11 in FT pct. (95.0) and Sheldon is No. 44 in 3FG pct. (46.2) with 12 makes thus far.
About Head Coach Kevin McGuff
Kevin McGuff has led the Buckeyes to six NCAA appearances, including the program’s first Elite Eight showing in 30 years just last season.
Previously, McGuff was head coach at Washington (2011-13) and Xavier (2002-11).
Most Recent Game
The No. 15/12 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) beat Cornell (2-4) last Sunday afternoon inside Value City Arena by an 83-40 margin.
The Buckeyes used runs of 9-0 and 6-0 to build a 22-11 lead after 10 minutes. Ohio State outscored Cornell 23-2 in the second quarter to lead 45-13 at the half.
Rebeka Mikulášiková was the first in the game to reach double figures and finished with 14 points, while Jacy Sheldon (10), Cotie McMahon (14) and Taylor Thierry (13) also scored in double figures.
Last UT-OSU Contest
No. 5/4 Tennessee dropped its season opener at No. 14/15 Ohio State, 87-75, in Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center on November 8th, 2022.
The Lady Vols (0-1) struggled with pressure from the Buckeye defense, turning the ball over 29 times and leading to 37 points for Ohio State (1-0).
Offensively, Tennessee shot 47 percent from the field and scored 44 points in the paint. UT held the edge on the boards, out-rebounding OSU 40-30.
Columbus, Ohio, native Jordan Horston logged her 14th career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for UT, while senior guard Jasmine Powell had 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting in her UT debut.
Taylor Mikesell led five OSU players in double figures with 25 points, including four treys.
Next Up For Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team travels to Huntsville, AL, next week for their third neutral site game of the season.
Tennessee will meet in-state rival Middle Tennessee inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center on Wednesday, December 6th, at 6:30pm CT (7:30pm ET). The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
UT’s second game next week will feature a 1:00pm CT Sunday matinee vs. EKU at Food City Center in Knoxville.
