Tennessee (12-6 | 5-1 SEC) at Ole Miss (14-5 | 4-2 SEC)
Sunday, January 28th, 2024 | 2:02pm CT/3:02pm ET
Oxford, MS | Sandy & John Black Pavilion | TV: ESPN
Knoxville, TN – After being idle on Thursday, NR/RV Tennessee (12-6, 5-1 SEC) travels to Oxford, MS, for a Sunday matinee vs. Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2 SEC).
The Lady Vols and Rebels will meet at 2:02pm CT (3:02pm ET) inside Sandy and John Black Pavilion for a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
UT begins a stretch of two straight on the road and embarks on the finishing kick of a five-game run with four of those contests being played away from home. The Big Orange women (5-1) find themselves alone in second place in the SEC standings, while UM is tied for fourth along with Vanderbilt behind LSU (5-2).
Tennessee has won eight of its past nine games, forging a 7-1 record since Rickea Jackson returned to the lineup after missing eight contests due to injury.
Ole Miss won its second straight game and third in its last five, taking down Florida in Oxford Thursday night, 81-70.
UM and UT’s common opponents include Oklahoma, Auburn, and Mississippi State and Florida, with the Rebels going 2-2 and the Lady Vols winning all four vs. those foes.
Broadcast Details
Courtney Lyle (PxP) and Carolyn Peck (Analyst) will serve as the announce crew 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. Jay Lifford is the 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 on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then select the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
Air time is typically 30 minutes before tip-off.
Noting The UT Lady Vols
Tennessee stands at No. 55 in the NCAA’s NET rankings through January 25th and will face No. 49 Ole Miss on Sunday.
UT’s last three wins have come vs. Florida (57), Mississippi State (32) and Vanderbilt (51). UT also has wins vs. Oklahoma (44) and Auburn (63) as well.
Tennessee’s schedule is rated No. 15 in the NCAA’s Toughest Schedule Report.
The UT Lady Vols rise to No. 2 in that report for cumulative opposition (which factors past and future games this season).
The 64 points Tennessee gave up to Mississippi State and Kentucky stand as the lowest totals the Lady Vols have yielded against Power 5 opponents this season.
Rickea Jackson is averaging 19.0 ppg. in all games as well as in SEC contests.
Jewel Spear has averaged 13.3 ppg., hit 90 pct. from the FT line (27-30) and recorded 12 assists with only one turnover in SEC play.
Jasmine Powell is averaging 11.0 ppg., 5.3 apg. and 4.2 rpg. in conference play.
Tamari Key (76.2% FG) and Sara Puckett (52% FG, 47% 3FG and 83% FT) have been UT’s top shooters in SEC action.
Season Reset
After functioning without All-America and SEC Player of the Year candidate Rickea Jackson for eight games from Nov. 13 to December 10th and posting a 4-4 record during her absence, Tennessee has been a drastically different team since she was cleared following a lower leg injury.
The UT Lady Vols are 7-1 since Jackson returned to action and are in a season-best stretch where they have won eight of their past nine games.
Among those triumphs are victories the past two games over No. 32 NET team Mississippi State and No. 51 NET Vanderbilt. UT also has a win over No. 44 NET Oklahoma in November, without Rickea Jackson.
In addition to getting Jackson back, UT has been bolstered by the continued improvement of 6-foot-6 center Tamari Key. The school’s all-time leading shot blocker was sidelined after eight games a year ago due to blood clots in her lungs and understandably needed time to reacclimate to the rigors of the game.
Tennessee also has had to absorb the loss of reserve point guard Destinee Wells, who suffered a lower leg injury just prior to the Wofford game and is out for the season. Fifth-year standout Jasmine Powell has impressively picked up more of the load, and junior Kaiya Wynn has stepped up and provided a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor.
With the players available for the past eight contests stepping into and accepting their roles, the Lady Vols have competed cohesively as a team, with different players each game emerging to provide valuable contributions in starring and support capacities.
Recapping The Last Game
Tennessee won for the eighth time in its last nine games and improved to 5-1 in SEC play last Sunday afternoon, defeating in-state rival Vanderbilt in front of a season-best crowd of 9,088 in Food City Center, 73-64.
The win marked Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper‘s 100th triumph while leading the program at her alma mater. Adding more meaning to the milestone was getting a victory in UT’s “We Back Pat” game that honored Harper’s (Jolly’s) college coach, Pat Summitt.
The Lady Vols (12-6, 5-1 SEC), who remain in a tie for second place in the SEC standings, were led by fifth-year seniors Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell, who each put up 16 points. Jackson added 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season, and Powell dished out a game-high eight assists. Senior Jewel Spear also had a productive outing with 12 points, and redshirt-senior Tamari Key put up a season-high 10.
Iyana Moore was the top scorer for Vanderbilt (17-3, 4-2 SEC) with 19 points, and Jordyn Cambridge was also in double figures with 12.
Postgame Notes vs. Vanderbilt
Harper Notches 100th Win At Tennessee
Kellie Harper notched her 100th win as the head coach at her alma mater. With her team winning eight of its last nine contests, Harper’s record on Rocky Top now stands at 100-45 in her fifth season. She improved to 48-19 in SEC games, including 29-5 at home in league play. She also moved to 8-2 all-time vs. Vanderbilt, including 7-0 as head coach of the Lady Vols.
Jackson Pockets Third Double-Double
In all 10 games she has played this season, Rickea Jackson has scored in double figures. On Sunday, she turned in her third double-double of the year and 13th of her career, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 29 minutes. She also tied her career high with four steals. UT’s leading scorer and rebounder sat out the final quarter after suffering from asthma symptoms.
JP Swishing and Dishing Again
Jasmine Powell tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points and dished out a game-high eight assists while pulling down five rebounds vs. Vanderbilt on Sunday. It marked Powell’s second-straight game and seventh overall of scoring in double figures, and she ran her total of assists to 15 over the last two games after notching seven at Mississippi State. Over the past eight contests, Powell has accumulated 46 dimes to average 5.8 apg. during that span.
TK Is On Fire
Tamari Key scored a season-most 10 points on Sunday afternoon on five-of-five accuracy from the field. That pushes the redshirt senior center to eight of eight over her last two contests and to 16 of 21 marksmanship in SEC play for a stellar 76.2 percent. In all games, Key is now up to 65.1 percent in 17 contests, connecting on 28 of 43 shots from the field.
Accurate AT The Line
Tennessee was once again sharp at the free-throw line, firing in a season-best 94.4 percent of its shots. The Lady Vols were 17 of 18 for the game, including 10 of 11 (90.0 pct.) in the decisive fourth quarter. With the effort vs. Vandy, UT improved to 79.6 percent as a team in SEC play and 74.8 in all games.
Let’s Talk About The Net Rankings
Tennessee is in the midst of a four-game run of games against opponents that offered a chance for the Lady Vols to enhance their positioning in the NCAA NET Rankings.
UT enters Sunday with a shot to go 3-1 in those tilts.
The Big Orange started out with a loss at No. 27 NET Texas A&M.
UT followed by defeating No. 32 Mississippi State on January 18th and No. 51 Vanderbilt on January 21st to climb from 65 to 56.
UT rose to No. 53 on January 24th but stands at No. 55 through Jan. 25 games and will face No. 49 Ole Miss on Jan. 28 in Oxford.
Tennessee has current top 60 NET wins over No. 32 Mississippi State, No. 44 Oklahoma, No. 51 Vanderbilt and No. 57 Florida.
The UT Lady Vols have losses to six Top 60 NET teams, with four of those coming while Rickea Jackson was out for eight games due to injury.
The losses are to No. 11 Indiana, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 31 Texas A&M, No. 46 Florida State and No. 50 Middle Tennessee. Jackson played only vs. Texas A&M and Florida State, with UT losing by one to the Seminoles in Tallahassee, 92-91.
All Five Starters In Double Figures
Tennessee features all five starters averaging double figures in scoring, including Rickea Jackson (19.0), Jewel Spear (11.8), Sara Puckett (10.8), Jasmine Powell (10.4) and Karoline Striplin (10.1).
In 18 games, six different players have led UT in scoring. Rickea Jackson has done so six times, followed by Karoline Striplin (5), Sara Puckett (4), Jewel Spear (3), Jasmine Powell (3) and Destinee Wells (1).
Milestone Watch
Kellie Harper won her 100th game as head coach of the Lady Vols when UT defeated Vanderbilt on January 21st.
Harper is now 15 shy of 400 for her career.
Rickea Jackson is 54 points shy of 2,000 for her career and 139 away from tallying 1,000 as a Lady Vol.
Jackson has scored 1,946 in 112 career games, including 861 in 45 contests as a Lady Vol.
Tamari Key has 950 points and is only 50 away from reaching the 1,000-point plateau.
Jackson and Key will become the 49th and 50th players to accumulate 1,000 points in a Lady Vol uniform.
With a blocked shot vs. MTSU on December 6th, Tamari Key reached 300 for her career and became the ninth player in SEC history to hit that mark.
After blocking 16 shots over the past seven games, Key now has 319 blocks through the Vanderbilt game and needs two to catch Sylvia Fowles (LSU, 321, 2004-08) in eighth on the SEC’s all-time career list.
Against Liberty, Tess Darby hit six three-pointers and surpassed Taber Spani (143) and Shannon Bobbitt (147) to move into eighth on UT’s career three-pointers list. She now has 152 through the Vanderbilt game.
Darby is pursuing Brittany Jackson (161, 2001-05), Shekinna Stricklen (163, 2008-12), and Ariel Massengale (164, 2011-15), who reside in seventh, sixth, and fifth, respectively.
The senior currently ranks No. 8 in career three-pointers attempted at 401, standing behind No. 7 Brittany Jackson (443, 2001-05).
UT-UM Series History
Tennessee leads the all-time series vs. Ole Miss by a 52-8 count and enters the game having won the past eight meetings.
UT is 24-2 in games played in Knoxville, 22-4 in Oxford and 6-2 at neutral sites.
UT’s Kellie Harper is 7-0 vs. Ole Miss as a head coach, including 6-0 while leading the Lady Vols.
Harper was 6-1 vs. Ole Miss during her playing days at Tennessee from 1995-99.
A Look At The Rebels
Marquesha Davis (13.1 ppg.) and Snudda Collins (10.4 ppg.) lead Ole Miss in scoring in 2023-24, while Madison Scott is right behind them at 9.9.
In SEC play, Davis is putting up 16.7 ppg. on 53-percent shooting, while UNC transfer Kennedy Todd-Williams has elevated to 10.3 ppg., followed by Scott and Collins at 9.5.
The Rebels have held their foes to 56.3. ppg. over 19 games this season and to 63.7 in SEC play.
Ole Miss averages 7.9 steals per game and forces foes into 17.3 turnovers per contest.
About Ole Miss Rebels Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
Yolett McPhee-McCuin is in her sixth season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels and has compiled a 93-80 record.
She guided the Rebels to their 19th NCAA Tournament appearance last season and directed them to the program’s 11th Sweet 16.
“Coach Yo” led UM to a runner-up finish in the WNIT in 2020-21 despite placing 11th in the SEC.
Ole Miss’s Most Recent Games
Highlighted by the most points scored in a first half this season, Ole Miss had just enough gas left in the tank to halt a Florida comeback at the SJB Pavilion on Thursday, toppling the Gators 81-70.
With 48 points in the first half, Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2 SEC) held Florida (10-8, 1-5 SEC) at bay to grab its second win-in-a-row in conference play.
Marquesha Davis pieced together her second 20-point game of the season, scoring a team-high 23 points.
Madison Scott followed with 16 points. Dishing out a season-high eight assists, Kennedy Todd-Williams also carried the Rebels with a team-high nine rebounds and 11 points.
Last UT-UM Contests
Tennessee bounced back from a pair of setbacks to top-five teams, utilizing solid defense and timely buckets to secure a 65-51 wire-to-wire victory over Ole Miss in Thompson-Boling Arena on February 2nd, 2023, to improve to 9-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
Senior guard Jordan Horston was the game’s top scorer with 20 points, adding seven rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Rickea Jackson was also in double digits for UT (17-8, 9-1 SEC) with 16, while 5-foot-8 graduate guard Jordan Walker paced the Big Orange on the boards with eight to go along with a game-high four steals, four assists and six points.
Angel Baker and Marquesha Davis led UM (18-5, 7-3 SEC) with 14 and 11 points, respectively, as Tennessee held the Rebels to their lowest point production of the season. The 51 points by Ole Miss also represented the fewest surrendered by UT in league play and the second-fewest of the season behind the 39 they allowed Chattanooga on December 6th.
Next Up For UT Women’s Basketball
After facing Ole Miss, the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team will journey to Athens to face Georgia on Thursday at 6:00pm CT on SEC Network.
