Coach Jumper
"the right words"
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- Feb 22, 2016
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Lambo 12-0
- Opponent: Texas A&M
- Date: Thurs., Jan. 2
- Tip-off: 8 p.m. ET (7 ET)
- Venue: Reed Arena
- Watch: SECN+ (with A&M Audio Feed)
- Radio: Lady Vol Network
- Online: Live Audio, Live Stats
Score predictions:
Masse: TN 76-66
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From Hoop Central:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 15/13 Tennessee (12-0) travels to College Station, Texas, where it will meet Texas A&M (7-5) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools on Thursday night at Reed Arena. The Big Orange will attempt to open the year 13-0 for only the second time in the past 19 seasons and join the 2017-18 (15-0) Holly Warlick-coached squad in beginning their campaigns that way. A 13-0 start to a season would mark only the seventh time in program history UT has compiled that record during a campaign's outset. Tennessee is coming off its sixth 100-point offensive showing of the season, rolling past Winthrop, 114-50, on Sunday afternoon at Food City Center in Knoxville. UT forced 32 turnovers, racked up 17 steals, hit 10 three pointers, shot a season-best 53 percent from the field, allowed a season-low 29 percent shooting and put six players in double figures in the victory.
Kim Caldwell will coach her first game in SEC play but enters 1-0 vs. league teams after her Marshall squad beat Florida on Dec. 2, 2024, 91-88, in Huntington, W. Va. Caldwell's first Lady Vol team enters Thursday's match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in seven statistical categories through Dec. 30. UT is tops in the NCAA in scoring offense (98.8), three pointers per game (12.4), three point attempts per game (37.7), offensive rebounds per game (21.7), turnovers forced per game (27.58), turnover margin (13.25) and winning percentage (100.0). It is third in scoring margin (33.9) and steals per game (14.9) and sixth in bench points per game (36.6). Texas A&M enters having won its last two games and four of its past five after defeating Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 19, 96-54. The Aggies have a Power 4 win to their credit over Syracuse in College Station on Dec. 4, 57-45, but also fell at home to Kansas State on Dec. 8, 89-50, and at West Virginia, 83-62, on Nov. 15.
INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
- PUCKETT'S IN A GROOVE: Sara Puckett is averaging 17.0 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. while shooting 59.1% on FGs, 66.7% on 3FGs and 100% on FTs over the past two games.
- FEAR THE SPEAR: After putting up only 5.3 ppg. over her previous four outings, Jewel Spear has netted 15+ in three of her last four contests to produce 14.3 ppg.
- CAREER DAY FOR KANIYA: Freshman Kaniya Boyd enjoyed a career day vs. Winthrop, hitting all five field goal tries and four of five free throws for a UT-best of 15 points. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 31 for her performance.
- ZEE SPREE: After scoring in double figures once in her first four games, Zee Spearman has had 10+ points in six of her last eight contests, averaging 13.8 ppg. and 8.5 rpg. over Tennessee's past four outings.
- SMOOTH SAMARA: Samara Spencer is averaging 12.2 ppg. and 5.4 apg., ranking No. 4 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.82) with 65 assists and 17 turnovers and No. 10 in 3FG percentage at 47.7 with 31 treys.
- QUICK-HANDS COOP: Talaysia Cooper is ninth nationally at 3.33 steals per game and 13th in total steals with 40.
- PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense, generating 98.8 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in ppg. is No. 4, where she was in 2023-24 (85.3) at Marshall.
- MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: UT ranks No. 1 in 3FGs made per game at 12.4 and has hit 10+ treys eight times, eclipsing the old school best of six at Memphis for most games with double-digit totals in a season.
- ELITE ON O-BOARDS: UT is No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 21.7. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
- TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 1 in turnovers forced per game (27.58) and T.O. margin (13.25) after Winthrop had 32 miscues for the ninth 20+ turnover game (6th with 30+) by a foe in 2024-25.
- RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 3 nationally in steals per game (14.9). It now has 179 in 12 games but its 162 in only 11 contests passed last year's 159 in 33 games.
- THAT'S A 10-COUNT: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 15 times in 12 games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
- A NUMBER THAT COUNTS: UT is tied with seven teams at No. 1 nationally with a win percentage of 100 through Dec. 30.
- SEEKING A 13-0 START: With a win over Texas A&M, Tennessee would open up 13-0 for the first time since 2017-18 (15-0) and the seventh time in program history.
- FAST STARTS FOR CALDWELL: UT's 12-0 start is the second-best opening of a season in Kim Caldwell's nine years as a head coach behind her 29-0 start at Glenville State in 2021-22 on the way to 35-1.
- UT'S BEST COACHING START: The win over N.C. Central on Dec. 14 gave Kim Caldwell (now 12-0) eight straight to open her tenure, making it the best coaching debut in the rich history of Lady Vol basketball.
- TENNESSEE STANDS ALONE: UT is the only DI school with undefeated women's (12-0) and men's (12-0) hoops teams, as of Dec. 31.
- UT NO. 19 IN NET RANKINGS: UT is No. 19 in the NCAA's NET rankings, with wins over No. 24 Florida State, No. 30 Iowa, No. 37 Richmond and No. 68 Middle Tennessee.
- NO. 22 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols' full schedule ranks No. 22 on the NCAA Toughest Schedule report (12/30).
- No. 15/13 Tennessee improved to 12-0, shooting a season-high 53 percent from the field to run away from Winthrop on Sunday, 114-50, in front of a season-best crowd of 11,152 at Food City Center in the Lady Vols' final game before SEC play.
- Senior forward Sara Puckett matched her season high of 17 points that she recorded in the previous game vs. Tulsa on Dec. 21 and added a season-best eight rebounds to lead six Lady Vols scoring in double figures.
- Joining her in double digits were Ruby Whitehorn with 16, Jewel Spear and Kaniya Boyd with 15, Zee Spearman with 14 and Tess Darby with 10. Boyd's point total surpassed her previous career scoring high of six vs. Richmond on Dec. 20, and her four assists equaled her personal best vs. Liberty on Nov. 16 and tied Samara Spencer for team honors vs. the Eagles on Sunday.
- Winthrop, which fell to 6-7, featured only one player scoring in double figures. Amourie Porter contributed 14 points to her team's cause, making most of them via an 8-for-8 day at the charity stripe.
- PUCKETT MEANS BUSINESS: Senior guard Sara Puckett has produced back-to-back double-digit contests, draining six total field goals and one trey vs. Winthrop. Puckett finished with a season-high-tying 17 points, a season-best eight rebounds along with two steals. The Muscle Shoals, Ala., native logged her sixth double-digit scoring game of the season. Her other 17-point contest came against Tulsa on Dec. 21.
- 100-POINT DUB: Tennessee has reached 100 points six times in 2024-25. The all-time record for the Lady Vols is seven in 1987-88. That gives the program 93 all-time regular-season scoring efforts of 100 or more points through the Winthrop game. UT had 101 in the opener vs. Samford on Nov. 5, 109 vs. Liberty on Nov. 16, 102 vs. Western Carolina on Nov. 26, a school and SEC-record 139 vs. N.C. Central on Dec. 14 and 102 vs. Tulsa on Dec. 21.
- 12-0 WITH 11 DIFFERENT FIVES: The Lady Vols have begun the year 12-0 with 11 different starting lineups and nine different players appearing in the first five. Tennessee repeated a previous quintet vs. Memphis but had new ones in the past three contests. Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer, Sara Puckett, Zee Spearman and Ruby Whitehorn opened Sunday's contest. Spencer leads the team with 12 starts, Whitehorn follows with ten and Spearman notched her eighth. Spear and Puckett tallied their sixth starts vs. the Eagles.
- In the series vs. Texas A&M, UT is 5-2 in Knoxville, 2-5 in College Station and 4-1 at neutral sites.
- Tennessee split last season with the Aggies, losing at Reed Arena but winning at Food City Center.
- The Big Orange have won three of the past four matchups but have lost five of the last six in Reed Arena.
- UT is 9-8 vs. TAMU since the Aggies joined the SEC.
- A&M is 2-0 in overtime games vs. the Big Orange, with both of those taking place in College Station.
- On Feb. 28, 2013, Tennessee defeated Texas A&M, 82-72, on Senior Day to give UT an SEC regular-season title on the Lady Vols' home court.
- Aicha Coulibaly paces the Aggies at 12.1 ppg. and is joined in double figures by Sahara Jones (11.3) and Jada Malone (10.5).
- Coulibaly was named to the 2024 Preseason All-SEC Second Team (Coaches) and the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award Preseason Watchlist.
- Texas A&M holds opponents to 61.1 ppg. and 37.3 field goal percentage, with only Kansas State (89) and West Virginia (83) surpassing 75 points.
- Joni Taylor is 35-38 in her third season with Texas A&M and 175-113 overall in 10 years after previously leading the program at Georgia.
- The Aggies are 20-3 during the Taylor era when holding teams to 35.0 percent from the field and 5-0 this year when hitting that mark.
- Taylor was an assistant coach on the U.S. Women's National Team this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping guide the team to gold.
- Tennessee will play its next two games at home against a pair of top 10 foes, as No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 6 LSU visit Food City Center on Jan. 5 and 9.
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