Game Thread: SEC Tournament Second Round. #18/14 Lady Vols (9 seed) vs. Vandy (8 seed). Thurs., March 6, 11 am ET, SECN

[Orange.]

​

Site: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC

Media:
TV: SECN
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Audio-stream: UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (Ch. 81).
Live stats: StatBroadcast Mobile Stats

Represent!

The Lady Vols
Tennessee (22-8) — coming off an impressive win — advances to play 8-seed Vanderbilt on Thursday. The Lady Vols improved to 41-5 all-time in SEC Tournament opening games.

After a slow first quarter, the LVs poured it on, overwhelming Texas A&M in the first game of the 2025 SEC Tournament, 77-37. The LVs’ 40-point margin of victory was the fifth largest in SEC Tournament history.

Talaysia Cooper — bouncing back from a worrisome ankle sprain in the final regular season game — tallied 19 points and 8 rebounds, leading Tennessee. Cooper had a plus-minus score of +39 in 23 minutes played.

Jewel Spear added 11 points and three 3-pointers. Zee Spearman also scored 11 points, and Samara Spencer finished with 10 for the LVs. The LV’s scrappy defense created 32 Texas A&M turnovers.

Tennessee closed the third quarter on a 17-0 run to go ahead 60-28 on a long 3-pointer by Spear. A 14-2 run to start the fourth made it 74-30.

The LVs are looking for revenge against Vandy. Tennessee dropped a 71-70 contest against the Drawers on Jan. 19 when Mikayla Blakes tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer.

More importantly, Thursday’s matchup is the only thing standing between the LVs and a rematch with highly-touted South Carolina in Round 3.


Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes was named as the 2024-25 SEC Freshman of the Year, voted on by the league’s coaches on Tuesday. Additionally, the coaches voted Blakes to the All-SEC first team and All-SEC freshman team.

Sophomore Khamil Pierre improved her scoring average by 11.9 points per game from her freshman season. The 6'2" forward registered 20-plus points in 16 games this season and collected three or more steals in 17 contests.

The Commodores enter the SEC Tournament leading the SEC in steals per game at 12.8 and force the third-most turnovers this season at 21.4. Vanderbilt’s 12.8 steals per game ranks eighth in the nation.

Vandy heads into the game with a 21-9 overall record. The Dores went 8-8 in SEC play, tied with Tennessee in the standings. VU has won two-straight, scoring 90-plus points in wins over Texas A&M (91-58) and at Missouri (100-59).

Vanderbilt is 49-38 all-time at the SEC Tournament, 1-3 under head coach Shea Ralph.


Tournament bracket

 

[glv98]

Simple. We have to shoot better. Just have to hope tomorrow is a decent day on the shooting pendulum

 

[knoxvol52]

Gotta hit the boards hard, lost only game vs Vanderbilt due to missing a blocking out assignment...

 

[TNRazor]

Vandy really only has two scoring threats, slow them down and we win easily

 

[Voltopia]

Now I may be talking out of my rear end here, but it seems to me that Tennessee's best chance tomorrow probably starts with - checks notes - not having the first quarter scoring equivalent of a rotting four day old dead skunk carcass smeared over a highway.

And I mean like, really spread out. Enough that you can't even visually identify it. But. You know. You can smell it. Because you've smelled that 15% shooting before and boy do you know the smell long before you see it on the road. The first few shots are hurried or missed gimmies, some stuff flung up there, the shots keep missing or drawing iron, and next thing you know it's 2-12 on the box score halfway through the first. Bleah.

To be clear, I don't think they're bad or that somehow the team can't win or be competitive, I just think starting off not in a hole would be a nice change of pace. Hoping for a fiery start tomorrow. Want to see them reach that South Carolina game and put their big game pants back on.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Now I may be talking out of my rear end here, but it seems to me that Tennessee's best chance tomorrow probably starts with - checks notes - not having the first quarter scoring equivalent of a rotting four day old dead skunk carcass smeared over a highway.

And I mean like, really spread out. Enough that you can't even visually identify it. But. You know. You can smell it. Because you've smelled that 15% shooting before and boy do you know the smell long before you see it on the road. The first few shots are hurried or missed gimmies, some stuff flung up there, the shots keep missing or drawing iron, and next thing you know it's 2-12 on the box score halfway through the first. Bleah.

To be clear, I don't think they're bad or that somehow the team can't win or be competitive, I just think starting off not in a hole would be a nice change of pace. Hoping for a fiery start tomorrow. Want to see them reach that South Carolina game and put their big game pants back on.

 

[lvocd]

I'm liking that we have the 11 a.m. game again tomorrow since today's game went so well. Maybe this team is a group of morning people. The players usually prefer to play early so they don't have to endure the excruciating loooooong wait to play the evening games. I know *I'm* glad I won't have to wait all day.

 

[chuckiepoo]

I'm liking that we have the 11 a.m. game again tomorrow since today's game went so well. Maybe this team is a group of morning people. The players usually prefer to play early so they don't have to endure the excruciating loooooong wait to play the evening games. I know *I'm* glad I won't have to wait all day.

Weren’t they doubling up on fridays with an early morning workout last fall?

 

[volsagain]

Need to shoot 40% or better and don't lose the rebound margin. Going be a rough game. Just win Lady VOLS

 

[Rooster1]

This will be an interesting matchup. Statistically, in conference games, UT scores 81 ppg and VD scores 79. Defensively, UT gives up 76 ppg while Vandy gives up 80. Yes, VD has a negative margin in conference games. Both teams are near the top of the conference in turnovers created and each has a turnover margin of +4. Vandy has the edge in FT %, .80 vs .69, however Vandy is outrebound by 7 rpg whereas UT is basically even in rpg.

This is not the game for UT to send their opponent to the FT line often. UT should focus on dominating the boards. Spearman could have a big game for the Vols, UT would be wise to work her often in the post against Pierre to try and force her into some foul trouble, VD does not have a replacement for her on their bench.

I expect a higher scoring game than the previous matchup between these two.

UT 83
VD 79

 

[Volfan2012]

Vandy really only has two scoring threats, slow them down and we win easily

Blakes and Pierre and guess you would have to include Moore since she is average 12.1 but if you stop Blakes and Pierre they are not going to win unless we shoot like the Georgia game.

 

[mcannon1]

Vandy really only has two scoring threats, slow them down and we win easily

Yes. Put a box on Michaela Blakes. Make the others beat us.

 

[Rooster1]

Yes. Put a box on Michaela Blakes. Make the others beat us.

That would probably be a mistake. Better to just assign your best defender on the court to her and keep rotating fresh legs on her. Assigning two or more defenders on any one player opens up the court for the four others to get too many easy looks.

Both teams thrive on creating offense off of turnovers. The focus should be on taking care of the ball and owning the boards imo, and of course not fouling as much as in the first contest where Vandy won the game by shooting 19-22 from the charity stripe.

Vanderbilt 71-70 Tennessee (Jan 19, 2025) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Tennessee Lady Volunteers NCAAW game from January 19, 2025 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

 

[Rooster1]

Two hours until tipoff.