WBB Preview: #19/17 Lady Vols at #3/3 South Carolina

February 07, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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No. 19/17 Tennessee (15-5, 7-1 SEC) plays the third of three straight road games on Sunday, taking on No. 3/3 South Carolina (23-2, 9-1 SEC) at Colonial Life Arena.

The Lady Vols face the Gamecocks at 3 p.m. ET in a contest that will be televised nationally on ABC and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Chs. 138 or 191).

UT erased an eight-point, second-quarter deficit and hit a combined 14 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter and extra frame to earn a gritty, 82-77 overtime win at RV/RV Georgia on Thursday night. Kim Caldwell's squad remains as one of only two SEC teams with a single loss in league play, joining South Carolina (9-1).

The Gamecocks, meanwhile, took care of business in Columbia on Thursday night, shooting 55 percent from the field and racing past Mississippi State, 88-45.

The Lady Vols lead the all-time series vs. South Carolina, 51-17, but Dawn Staley's program has won the past eight. UT's last four losses to USC were by no more than 10 points, with Kim Caldwell's unit dropping a 70-63 decision last year.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: South Carolina
Date: Sun., Feb. 8
Tip-off: 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: ABC
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

SOUTH CAROLINA

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

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BROADCAST DETAILS

Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (color analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter) will be on the call for the ABC broadcast.
All of the 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 also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on the WBB Preview page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
The Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 138 or 191.

A LOOK AT THE LADY VOLS

Tennessee is 19th in the NET, 19th in the AP Poll and 16th in the WAB.
UT is led by 6-0 redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper (14.4 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.9 apg., 3.0 spg., 36 3FGs), 6-4 senior forward Janiah Barker (13.8 ppg., 6.9 rpg., 24 3FGs), freshman guard Mia Pauldo (12.2 ppg., 51 assts./27 TOs, 40 3FGs) and senior forward Zee Spearman (11.9 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 20 3FGs).
The Lady Vols rank No. 8 nationally in threes made per game (9.6), with nine games of 10+ treys made (3x in SEC play).
UT is No. 10 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.2) and No. 29 in total rebounds per contest (41.50).
Tennessee is No. 31 in NCAA scoring offense (78.0), including 71.8 in SEC games.
The Lady Vols are No. 31 nationally in steals per game (11.3), carding 10+ steals on 13 occasions after grabbing 11 vs. Miss. State.
Tennessee is No. 32 in turnovers forced per game (20.85) and has caused 20+ turnovers 12 times this season after hurrying Mississippi State into 24 on Jan. 29.
The Big Orange bench contributes 25.5 points per contest, ranking No. 39 nationally.

TRENDING...

Of the Lady Vols' eight remaining games, six are against ranked teams.
Since Jan. 18, Tennessee is in a stretch of playing nine ranked teams in 13 games.
By the time the regular season ends, UT will have played the top seven teams in this week's AP Poll (UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, LSU, Louisville, Vandy).
UT was at No. 1 UConn last Sunday and is at No. 3 South Carolina this Sunday.
With road wins at Auburn, Miss. State, Alabama and Georgia, Tennessee is pursuing a 5-0 record in away SEC contests.
Mia Pauldo leads the Big Orange in SEC play at 16.3 ppg. (12th all, 2nd freshman)
Pauldo has three 20+ scoring efforts in league play after tallying 21 at Georgia.
Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 20 nationally in steals per game (3.00) and matched her season high with four treys vs. UGA.
After tallying 23 at Georgia, Zee Spearman stands just 16 points away from scoring 1,000 for her career.
UT has made 10 and 12 three-pointers its last two games vs. UConn and Georgia.
Against Ga., Janiah Barker hit her 24th trey to card a career season high.

FAMILIAR FACES

Tennessee's Talaysia Cooper, who hails from Turbeville, S.C., began her collegiate career at South Carolina, playing for the Gamecocks in 2022-23 before hitting the court for the Lady Vols in 2024-25.
Lady Vol senior Jersey Wolfenbarger began her career at Arkansas and is a former Razorbacks teammate of South Carolina's Maryam Dauda from 2021-23.
Gamecocks assistant coach Jolette Law was an assistant at Tennessee under Holly Warlick from 2012-17.

LADY VOLS IN SEC PLAY THIS SEASON

Tennessee enters the South Carolina game with a 7-1 league record that ranks second in the SEC standings.
UT and South Carolina are the only one-loss teams.
The Big Orange has ranked league wins over No. 11/12 Kentucky and No. 21/21 Alabama, and its only loss is to Mississippi State in Knoxville in the teams' second meeting of the year. UGA was just outside the top 25.
The Lady Vols are 4-0 on the road in SEC play thus far.
Freshman guard Mia Pauldo leads Tennessee in scoring in Southeastern Conference play, averaging 16.4 ppg. to rank No. 12 among all league players and second among freshmen.
Pauldo also paces her squad in three-pointers with 16 and free throws (36-41, .878), ranking No. 8 in the league in free throw percentage.
Talaysia Cooper is averaging 15.3 ppg. (14th SEC) and leads the Big Orange with 18 steals in seven conference games to rank No. 5 in the SEC at 2.57 per contest.
Cooper is No. 7 in SEC play in 3FG pct. at 36.6.
Janiah Barker paces the team on the boards with 7.9 rpg. in SEC play to rank fifth and is fourth for UT in scoring at 12.3 ppg. vs. conference foes.
Barker also is fifth in blocked shots at 1.57 and third in defensive rebounds per game (6.71).
UT ranks No. 3 in scoring defensive in SEC play (65.25), No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.263)and No. 4 in field percentage defense (.389).
Tennessee is No. 3 in offensive rebounds per game (15.00) vs. league foes.
The Lady Vols are No. 4 in turnover margin (+4.00).

A LOOK AT OUR LAST GAME

No. 19/17 Tennessee battled back from an eight-point first-half deficit and hit 10 of 12 free throws in the extra frame to fight off Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum and claim a gritty, 82-77 road win in overtime on Thursday night.
Senior forward Zee Spearman fired in 23 points in her return to the Peach State, tallying eight of UT's 14 in the extra period. The Dacula, Ga., native was joined in double figures by freshman guard Mia Pauldo with 21 and redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper with 16. Marietta, Ga., product Janiah Barker pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds to go with her nine points and three blocks, as the Big Orange improved to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in SEC play. Tennessee joins South Carolina as the only teams in league play with only one loss.
Dani Carnegie, who sent the game to overtime with three free throws with five seconds remaining, finished with 25 points for the Lady Bulldogs (18-5, 4-5 SEC), while Rylie Theuerkauf and Mia Woolfolk added 15 and 14, respectively.

NOTES FROM THE GEORGIA GAME

ZEE WAS CLUTCH: Zee Spearman turned in an SEC-career high 23 points and led UT in scoring for the fourth time this season and the seventh time in her UT career. Spearman's performance marked her third time with 20+ points in 2025-26 and the fourth for her career. The forward also contributed three assists, which tied her career high for the fourth time in the past six games.
CONTINUING HER FINE SEC CAMPAIGN: Mia Pauldo tossed in 21 points, the second Lady Vol with 20+ in the game. The freshman guard has three career games now with 20-plus points. Pauldo has been on a tear in conference play, averaging 15 points and 2.4 assists per contest. The New Jersey native also has been clutch from the stripe with a 88-percent free-throw percentage in SEC competition.
CAUGHT FIRE: Mia Pauldo caught fire in the second quarter, tallying her fourth double-digit scoring quarter this season. Pauldo leads the team with four quarters where she personally scored 10 or more points this season. Pauldo's last 10+ scoring performance in a quarter came when she closed the Alabama win out with 10 in the fourth.
TREYS WERE FALLING: The Big Orange hit 12 treys against the Bulldogs, marking their second game in a row with 10+ deep balls. The Lady Vols have made 10+ threes on nine occasions and have done so for the second-most times in school history.
TENNESSEE IN OVERTIME: Tennessee's 58th game in overtime resulted in the Lady Vols improving to 36-22 in extra frame games overall, including 14-13 on the road. UT's last overtime win came at home against Memphis in 84-74 fashion on Nov. 13, 2023.
CLUTCH FREE THROWS: Tennessee was 16 of 22 from the line for the game against Georgia for 72.7 percent, including four of four in the fourth quarter and 10 of 12 in the overtime period. Free throws were the name of the game in the fourth quarter and overtime, with Mia Pauldo and Zee Spearman performing perfectly from the line. Pauldo (8 of 8) and Spearman (6 of 6) hit a collective 14 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime to help close out a win.

UT/USC SERIES NOTES

Tennessee leads the all-time series, 51-17, but South Carolina has won the last eight meetings and 11 of the past 12 match-ups.
The Lady Vols are 23-6 in Knoxville, 21-5 in Columbia and 7-6 at neutral sites vs. the Gamecocks.
UT is 1-0 in overtime games vs. USC, taking a 79-73 extra-frame decision over the Gamecocks in the Palmetto State on Feb. 15, 1996.
The Big Orange is 3-5 vs. USC in the SEC Tournament after falling, 74-73, in Greenville, S.C., on a last-second three-pointer in the SEC semifinals on March 9, 2024.
Tennessee is seeking its first victory in Columbia since winning back-to-back contests at Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 30, 2017, (76-74) and Jan. 14, 2018 (86-70).

A LOOK AT THE GAMECOCKS

Joyce Edwards leads four Gamecocks scoring in double figures at 20.4, followed by Ta'Niya Latson (15.2), Tessa Johnson (13.6) and Madina Okot (13.3.).
USC is even more balanced in SEC play, with Edwards (18.3), Tessa Johnson (13.4), Raven Johnson (11.5), Latson (10.6) and Okot (10.6) averaging 10+.
Edwards became just the third sophomore in program history to surpass 1,000 career points behind A'ja Wilson and Shelia Foster.
South Carolina averages 80.8 ppg. in SEC games and allows 60.6, and it is outscoring foes, 222-140 (22.2-14.0), in the first quarter of league contests.
The Gamecocks have won 17 straight games at home and 53 consecutive SEC games at Colonial Life Arena.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Dawn Staley is in her 18th season at South Carolina, forging a 498-112 mark there.
She led USC to NCAA titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
South Carolina has won nine SEC regular season and nine postseason tourney titles under Staley.
Staley won three Olympic gold medals as a player and guided the USA to gold in 2020 as head coach.

SOUTH CAROLINA'S LAST GAME

Joyce Edwards scored 21 points and No. 3 South Carolina won its eighth straight over Mississippi State with an 88-45 victory on Thursday night in Columbia.
USC had four other players in double figures and two more with eight points each.
The Gamecocks, who led 38-22 at the half, shot 54.8 percent and held the Bulldogs to 27.6 percent.
USC had assists on 23 of 34 field goals.

LAST TIME WE MET

No. 18/17 Tennessee held No. 2/2 South Carolina to one of its lowest point totals of the season, but the Gamecocks escaped, 70-63, in front of a season-high crowd of 12,033 on Jan. 27, 2025, at Food City Center.
UT (15-5, 3-5 SEC) outscored USC, 24-13, in the final quarter and trimmed a 22-point deficit to six but could not overcome the Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 SEC), who won their 55th straight SEC regular season contest.
In Kim Caldwell's return after missing the Texas game due to the birth of her first child, Ruby Whitehorn paced the UT offensive attack, finishing with 12 points, while former USC guard Talaysia Cooper added 11.
Joyce Edwards fired in 18 points to lead five South Carolina players in double digits.

LAST TIME WE PLAYED IN COLUMBIA

UT challenged No. 1 South Carolina fiercely in front of a sold-out Senior Day crowd of 18,000 at Colonial Life Arena before falling, 76-68, on March 3, 2024.
The Lady Vols were led in scoring by Rickea Jackson, who shined in the spotlight with 29 points.
South Carolina had five in double figures, led by the 18-point, 14-rebound effort of 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso.

NEXT UP

Tennessee happily returns home for its next two games, beginning with a Thursday night contest vs. Missouri at Food City Center.
February is Black History Month, and UT will reveal its Lady Vol Hidden Figure to commemorate the occasion.
The Big Orange and Tigers will meet at 6:30 p.m. ET in a contest broadcast on SECN+.
The game also will be carried on Lady Vol Radio Network stations with audio streaming available on UTSports.com.