Thursday night will be a big test for the Lady Vols.
Despite a hot start in SEC play, No. 17 Tennessee (13-3, 5-0 SEC) will be shorthanded when it hosts No. 11 Kentucky (17-3, 4-2) on Thursday night. Senior forward Janiah Barker suffered a late head injury in Tennessee’s win over Alabama on Sunday afternoon and will miss Thursday night’s matchup.
Tennessee is seeking to start 6-0 in SEC play for the first time since the 2022-23 season, when it opened up conference play 8-0. Tennessee is one of the three teams undefeated in the SEC, tied with Vanderbilt and South Carolina atop the conference. Kentucky’s 4-2 record is tied with Texas for second place.
How to watch Lady Vols basketball
The game will air live on SEC Network on ESPN. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast on the Lady Vol Network, with an audio stream available on the women’s basketball preview page at UTSports.com.
Who will step up?
The absence of Barker will be noticeable for the Lady Vols. The senior forward is averaging 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, both second on the team.
The former UCLA transfer suffered a head injury in the fourth quarter against the Crimson Tide and did not return to the contest. With her sidelined, forward Alyssa Latham is expected to take on a bigger role for Tennessee.
The junior has been a quality contributor for Tennessee off the bench, averaging 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. With a larger role on Thursday, she looks to replicate her Jan. 1 performance against Florida. She scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded two blocks in 30 minutes during Tennessee’s 76-65 win over the Gators.
Record against common opponents
The Lady Vols and the Wildcats have faced five common opponents this season: Louisville, Belmont, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State.
Kentucky is 3-2 against these teams, losing to Alabama (64-51 on Jan. 8) and Mississippi State (71-59 on Jan. 18) in its last outing. Tennessee is 4-1, with its lone loss coming to Louisville 89-65 on Dec. 20.
70 is the magic number
Seventy points have been Tennessee’s key benchmark this season. The Lady Vols have scored at least 70 points in each SEC game this season and have held four of their five opponents under that number.
Tennessee is averaging 78.8 points per game this season and has allowed just 62 points per game this season. The Wildcats have averaged 70.1 points per game in conference play this season.
History vs. Kentucky
This will be the 79th all-time meeting between the two teams. Despite an 82-58 loss against Kentucky last season, Tennessee leads the all-time series by a wide margin. The Lady Vols are 61-17 against the Wildcats since their first matchup in 1976, including a 27-4 home record.
Tennessee’s last loss at home to Kentucky came in Jan. 2019 when the Wildcats won a 73-71 thriller in Knoxville.
