Women’s basketball will be busy this week, playing three games after a record-breaking performance last week. Football will also have their first playoff game at Ohio State this week.
Here’s a look at this week.
Dec. 18: Diving at Auburn Invitational
Diving will head south to compete in the Auburn Invitational this week. A handful of athletes competed in the Winter Nationals over the weekend, with three Vols finishing top 15 in their event and Maddie Reese finishing 19th for the Lady Vols.
Dec. 18: Women’s basketball at Memphis
The Lady Vols (8-0) will take on Memphis (2-7) for their first true road game of the year. Memphis has heavily struggled this year, with its two wins over Samford and Mississippi Valley State. While the Tigers squeaked out a 13-point win over Samford, Tennessee took home a 48-point victory.
The Lady Vols have started the season on fire, setting a record last game for the most made 3-pointers in a game and setting the SEC record for points in a game. On top of that, Kim Caldwell has won her first eight games, which is the best start ever by a Lady Vols basketball coach.
The Lady Vols will have a busy week, playing three games in four days, but expect Caldwell’s rotations to play a big role in how fresh her team stays. Tennessee is 27-1 against the Tigers, winning the last 20 games, so don’t expect this game to be anything out of the ordinary.
Dec. 20-21: Women’s basketball at the West Palm Beach Classic
The Lady Vols will get a day off before they are right back at it. They will head down to South Florida to play Richmond (9-2) on the 20th and Tulsa (5-5) on the 21st.
The matchup with Richmond could certainly be interesting, as the Spiders lost to No. 6 Texas by a narrow 11 points, losing 65-54. Although putting up 54 is nothing to write home about, the Spiders held the Longhorns to their lowest-scoring output of the season. Richmond sits just outside the top 25 but could certainly be ranked next week if Tennessee can’t get the job done.
The Lady Vols boast a 1-0 series advantage, winning 80-54 in 1991.
No matter the result of the game, the Lady Vols will take on the Tulsa Hurricanes for the first time. Tulsa is on a three-game win streak heading into the tournament, where it will faces Montana in the first round.
Dec. 21: Football at Ohio State
Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will travel to Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big 10) for the first round of the College Football Playoff. This marks the first CFP appearance for the Vols since its introduction in 2014, and the first year of an expanded 12-team field.
The Vols will be faced with much adversity in this game. One of the key storylines heading into this matchup is how the Vols perform on the road. Head coach Josh Heupel has been less than ideal on the road, losing to Arkansas and Georgia in night road games this year. The weather could play a role as well, as the real feel is projected to be 20 degrees at kickoff.
While the game will be away at Ohio State, Tennessee fans are especially encouraged to “invade the Shoe,” with the Buckeyes’ athletics director coming out and saying that the invasion needs to be stopped. While multiple factors will stand in the way of a Vols win, fans can certainly help their team by supporting them in person on Saturday night.
Tennessee is 1-0 against Ohio State, with the only matchup coming in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. This will also be the first time the Vols play a football game in the state of Ohio.
Dec. 23: Men’s basketball vs. MTSU
Wrapping up the week is men’s basketball. The No. 1 Vols (11-0) will face MTSU (8-3). Last week, Tennessee picked up a tight win over Illinois after Jordan Gainey sunk a game-winning layup with less than a second remaining. This week, the Vols will be able to kick back for a couple of days before SEC play begins on Jan. 4.
The Vols are 9-2 against the Blue Raiders, with the last matchup being a 71-64 loss in 2012.
