The postseason is here for Lady Vols basketball.
Tennessee (16-12) earned a bye in the SEC Tournament and will begin playing in the second round on March 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network). The Lady Vols will face the winner of No. 11 seed Alabama (21-9) and No. 14 Missouri (16-15) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Tennessee defeated the Crimson Tide 70-59 in Tuscaloosa, and won 98-53 in Knoxville against the Tigers, who are led by former Lady Vols coach and player Kellie Harper.
Here’s what you need to know about Tennessee’s path in the SEC Tournament.
Lady Vols to face Alabama or Missouri
Alabama was the first ranked win of the season for Tennessee, and it was one of the Lady Vols’ best showings of the season.
Five players scored in double figures and Tennessee scored 20 points off 14 forced turnovers while also outscoring Alabama in the paint 28-20. However, the Crimson Tide did not have star forward Essence Cody, who was out with an injury. The 6-foot-4 junior averages 11.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and one block while shooting 56.3% from the field.
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Alabama having Cody back makes the matchup harder for Tennessee, but it’s still a winnable game.
If Missouri pulls off the upset, it would be an ideal rematch for the Lady Vols. The Tigers were no match for Tennessee in any area, and UT had five players score in double figures again. The Lady Vols dominated the boards 49-30 and scored 27 points of 21 forced turnovers.
A rematch with the Longhorns awaits in the semifinals
If the Lady Vols win, they’ll advance to the quarterfinals where they’ll face No. 3 seed Texas (28-3) on March 6 (8:30 p.m., SEC Network).
The Longhorns beat Tennessee 65-63 in Knoxville on Feb. 15, but Texas is a good matchup for the Lady Vols when they’re playing their best.
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Texas isn’t a team that’s going to take a lot of 3-pointers, and Tennessee stayed even with it on the boards 31-31 in February. The Lady Vols fouled too much in the first matchup, but they managed to outscore Texas in points off turnovers 20-17 despite committing 23 to the Longhorns’ 17.
Texas couldn’t stop Talaysia Cooper, either, who had 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting with two assists, two steals and a rebound – although she also had nine turnovers. But among all the top 4 seeds, Texas is probably the best rematch Tennessee could pick of the bunch.
Lady Vols prediction for SEC Tournament
Tennessee will finally break its losing streak and earn a win over most likely Alabama. The Lady Vols will play Texas close again, but I’m not sure I’d pick an upset until I see it. The Longhorns will come out on top and end Tennessee’s SEC Tournament run in the quarterfinals.
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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee women’s basketball’s SEC Tournament path, prediction
