Info on how I generated this in AI thread. No editing. Thought it was funny that ChatGPT decided that Mia and Mya are easy to mix up! Also, it still thinks Zee can "stretch the floor." I'd say Barker is more likely to put on a show. My impression is she stat stuffs, especially rebounds, against weaker teams. Maybe I'm being too harsh. I'm not in a good mood about Lady Vol basketball this morning.
Texas A&M @ #21 Tennessee
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 | 6:30 PM ET | SECN+
Food City Center (Knoxville)
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY
This is a “don’t get punked” home game: A&M isn’t good enough to beat you if you’re sharp, but they’re physical enough to beat you if you keep handing out turnovers and foul shots.
WHERE THIS ONE SITS
• Tennessee: 16–8 (8–4 SEC), NET #20, Q1: 5–7
• Texas A&M: 10–11 (3–9 SEC), NET #76, Q1: 0–9 (but with a top-3 NET SOS)
RECENT FORM (LAST 3 GAMES)
• Tennessee:
— L @ Ole Miss 94–81 (away)
— L vs Texas 65–63 (home)
— W vs Missouri 98–53 (home)
• Texas A&M:
— W vs Auburn 81–63 (home)
— L @ Kentucky 75–55 (away)
— W vs #21 Alabama 72–69 (home)
TEXAS A&M IDENTITY (WHAT YOU’RE REALLY PLAYING)
• Grind + physicality more than finesse. They play slower than Tennessee (A&M pace ~67; UT ~75).
• Pryor drives everything: Ny’Ceara Pryor (5'3) is their scorer + engine (points and assists leader).
• They’re live for an upset when you help them: if you foul and turn it over, they don’t need to shoot great to hang around.
TENNESSEE “LAST GAME” TELL (at Ole Miss)
• Cooper dropped 30… and it still didn’t matter because Ole Miss lived at the line (36 FTAs for Ole Miss vs 15 FTAs for UT).
• UT was better with the ball than vs Texas (UT had 16 TO at Ole Miss), but you still can’t give away possessions *and* give away whistles.
INJURIES / AVAILABILITY WATCH
• I’m not going to guess injuries. What we do know: UT’s rotation has been in flux recently, and both Mia Pauldo (Fr., 5'6) and Mya Pauldo (Fr., 5'6) are on the roster (easy to mix up). Day-of availability matters.
LIKELY STARTING LINEUPS (BASED ON MOST RECENT STARTERS)
TEXAS A&M (starters vs Auburn)
• G Ny’Ceara Pryor (5'3) — lightning PG; scorer + distributor, chaos creator
• G Janae Kent (6'1) — wing scorer/spacing
• G Lemyah Hylton (5'11) — secondary handler/connector
• F Fatmata Janneh (6'2) — boards + paint production
• C Lauren Ware (6'5) — rim protection/shot deterrence
TENNESSEE (starters at Ole Miss)
• G Talaysia Cooper (6'0) — primary creator/closer
• G Nya Robertson (5'7) — shooter/secondary creator
• G Jaida Civil (6'0) — pace pusher; must stay out of foul trouble
• F Janiah Barker (6'4) — physical mismatch (and yes, it’s her former school)
• F Zee Spearman (6'4) — spacing big; if she’s not a threat, UT gets easier to guard
KEYS TO THE GAME
Tennessee MUST:
1. Win the possession game (turnovers + defensive rebounds). Don’t let A&M turn this into a 60-possession mud fight.
2. Make Pryor see bodies early without hacking. If she’s getting downhill and you’re reaching, you’re gifting them points.
3. Get a real second scorer next to Cooper. If it’s “Cooper or bust,” you’re begging for another late-game coin flip.
Tennessee AVOID:
• Whistle spirals (early fouls on Civil/Barker/Spearman that wreck your rotations).
• Slow starts that let A&M believe. This is one of those games where the crowd goes quiet fast if you play sloppy.
X-FACTOR: Zee Spearman’s shot-making. If she stretches the floor, A&M’s bigs have to move and Pryor can’t just load up on Cooper drives.
BOTTOM LINE
This isn’t a “style points” game—it’s a handle-your-business game. A&M’s record screams “safe win,” but their schedule strength screams “don’t be dumb.” If Tennessee plays at its pace and doesn’t donate turnovers + free throws, UT wins. If it turns into another sloppy, whistle-heavy grinder, you’re letting an under-.500 team drag you into the swamp.
Texas A&M @ #21 Tennessee
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 | 6:30 PM ET | SECN+
Food City Center (Knoxville)
ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY
This is a “don’t get punked” home game: A&M isn’t good enough to beat you if you’re sharp, but they’re physical enough to beat you if you keep handing out turnovers and foul shots.
WHERE THIS ONE SITS
• Tennessee: 16–8 (8–4 SEC), NET #20, Q1: 5–7
• Texas A&M: 10–11 (3–9 SEC), NET #76, Q1: 0–9 (but with a top-3 NET SOS)
RECENT FORM (LAST 3 GAMES)
• Tennessee:
— L @ Ole Miss 94–81 (away)
— L vs Texas 65–63 (home)
— W vs Missouri 98–53 (home)
• Texas A&M:
— W vs Auburn 81–63 (home)
— L @ Kentucky 75–55 (away)
— W vs #21 Alabama 72–69 (home)
TEXAS A&M IDENTITY (WHAT YOU’RE REALLY PLAYING)
• Grind + physicality more than finesse. They play slower than Tennessee (A&M pace ~67; UT ~75).
• Pryor drives everything: Ny’Ceara Pryor (5'3) is their scorer + engine (points and assists leader).
• They’re live for an upset when you help them: if you foul and turn it over, they don’t need to shoot great to hang around.
TENNESSEE “LAST GAME” TELL (at Ole Miss)
• Cooper dropped 30… and it still didn’t matter because Ole Miss lived at the line (36 FTAs for Ole Miss vs 15 FTAs for UT).
• UT was better with the ball than vs Texas (UT had 16 TO at Ole Miss), but you still can’t give away possessions *and* give away whistles.
INJURIES / AVAILABILITY WATCH
• I’m not going to guess injuries. What we do know: UT’s rotation has been in flux recently, and both Mia Pauldo (Fr., 5'6) and Mya Pauldo (Fr., 5'6) are on the roster (easy to mix up). Day-of availability matters.
LIKELY STARTING LINEUPS (BASED ON MOST RECENT STARTERS)
TEXAS A&M (starters vs Auburn)
• G Ny’Ceara Pryor (5'3) — lightning PG; scorer + distributor, chaos creator
• G Janae Kent (6'1) — wing scorer/spacing
• G Lemyah Hylton (5'11) — secondary handler/connector
• F Fatmata Janneh (6'2) — boards + paint production
• C Lauren Ware (6'5) — rim protection/shot deterrence
TENNESSEE (starters at Ole Miss)
• G Talaysia Cooper (6'0) — primary creator/closer
• G Nya Robertson (5'7) — shooter/secondary creator
• G Jaida Civil (6'0) — pace pusher; must stay out of foul trouble
• F Janiah Barker (6'4) — physical mismatch (and yes, it’s her former school)
• F Zee Spearman (6'4) — spacing big; if she’s not a threat, UT gets easier to guard
KEYS TO THE GAME
Tennessee MUST:
1. Win the possession game (turnovers + defensive rebounds). Don’t let A&M turn this into a 60-possession mud fight.
2. Make Pryor see bodies early without hacking. If she’s getting downhill and you’re reaching, you’re gifting them points.
3. Get a real second scorer next to Cooper. If it’s “Cooper or bust,” you’re begging for another late-game coin flip.
Tennessee AVOID:
• Whistle spirals (early fouls on Civil/Barker/Spearman that wreck your rotations).
• Slow starts that let A&M believe. This is one of those games where the crowd goes quiet fast if you play sloppy.
X-FACTOR: Zee Spearman’s shot-making. If she stretches the floor, A&M’s bigs have to move and Pryor can’t just load up on Cooper drives.
BOTTOM LINE
This isn’t a “style points” game—it’s a handle-your-business game. A&M’s record screams “safe win,” but their schedule strength screams “don’t be dumb.” If Tennessee plays at its pace and doesn’t donate turnovers + free throws, UT wins. If it turns into another sloppy, whistle-heavy grinder, you’re letting an under-.500 team drag you into the swamp.
