View attachment 707526
View attachment 707527
Vs
You can get the event pass here:
BallerTV - Live Stream Youth Sports
For a limited time, you can also use this promo code which would give you 20% off.Promo Code: ZDMAYA1
So instead of $20.00, it'll be $16.00 with the discount.
- West Palm Beach Classic
Dec 20 (Fri)
2:15 P.M. ET
Richmond: 9-2, #50 in Masse,
Last 3 games: L Georgetown 55-53,,W Columbia 85-76, L #6 Texas65-58
@Coach Jumper: 92-70
@knoxvol52: 81-74
@th2421: 88-74
@Orange931: 95-78
@the_great_pumpkin: 82-65
@Golfteacher: 85-52
@Fletcher3g: 95-65
@dillyo51: 79-64
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- No. 18/16 Tennessee (9-0) will take on a highly-regarded Richmond squad (9-2) on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET in the Lady Vols' opening game of the West Palm Beach Classic. The teams will meet at Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University in a contest streamed live on BallerTV and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com. The Spiders, who are receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll, are rated just four spots behind No. 27 Tennessee at No. 31 in the NCAA NET Rankings as of Dec. 19. UT played at Memphis on Wednesday night and arrived at its hotel in West Palm Beach at 3 a.m. on Thursday. The Lady Vols are navigating a schedule that includes three games over four days in two different time zones before they get a brief break for the holidays. UR's most recent contest was last Sunday at home vs. Texas. The Big Orange will attempt to start the year 10-0 for only the third time in the past 13 seasons and join the 2017-18 (15-0) and 2013-14 (10-0) post-Pat Summitt era UT squads in opening their campaigns that way. If they are successful, it would mark only the 13th time in program history a Lady Vol squad won its first 10.
Kim Caldwell's team enters the match-up ranked No. 1 nationally in six statistical categories after winning at Memphis on Wednesday night, 90-75, at FedExForum, home of the NBA's Grizzlies. UT is tops in the NCAA in scoring offense (97.4), three pointers per game (12.9), three-point attempts per game (39.8), offensive rebounds per game (21.9), turnovers forced per game (28.78) and winning percentage (100.0). It is second in steals per game (16.1) and turnover margin (14.0). Richmond has lost two of its last three after winning its first eight, but those losses were to Georgetown, 55-53, and No. 6 Texas, 65-54. The Spiders also suffered a narrow loss to Oklahoma State, 57-53, on Nov. 30. This will mark the second all-time meeting between these programs, with UT leading 1-0 in the series after defeating UR, 80-54, in Knoxville on Jan. 14, 1991. Tennessee senior
Samara Spencer and Richmond redshirt junior Jada Green are both products of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, getting to play a game close to home this weekend.
INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
- SIX IN DOUBLE FIGURES: UT has had six players score in double figures the past two games, and the Lady Vols now have a balanced six players averaging 10 or more points per contest.
- JEWEL SHINES AGAIN: After missing the N.C. Central game with an injury and going scoreless vs. Iowa, Jewel Spear tallied season highs of 18 points, six rebounds and four assists vs. Memphis.
- COOP & ZEE DOUBLE UP: Talaysia Cooper (19.3 ppg.) and Zee Spearman (11.1 ppg.) produced pts./rebs. double-doubles vs. Memphis, carding 12/11 and 18/12 nights. It marked the first time this season UT had two players in the same game do so. Cooper added six assists and four steals vs. UM.
- 9-0 WITH EIGHT DIFFERENT FIVES: UT has begun the year 9-0 with eight different starting lineups and nine different players appearing in the first five. The Memphis game marked the first time where a repeat lineup was used (same five vs. Florida St.).
- GREEN LIGHT ON 3s: Thirteen of the 14 active players on UT's roster have hit at least one trey this season, a program-best total replacing the 12 in 2022-23.
FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE
- PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense, generating 97.4 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 12.9 and has hit 10+ treys six times, eclipsing the school record vs. 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 21.9. It has twice reached 30+ this season.
- TURNING OVER THE OPPOSITION: UT is No. 1 in turnovers forced per game (28.78) and No. 2 in turnover margin (14.0) after hurrying Memphis into 17 miscues on Wednesday night at FedExForum.
- RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 2 nationally in steals per game, averaging 16.1, and its total of 145 in nine contests is only 14 behind last year's sum of 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 11 times in nine games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- A NUMBER THAT COUNTS: UT is No. 1 nationally with nine other teams with a win percentage of 100 through Dec. 18.
- AIMING FOR TEN: With a win Friday, Tennessee would open up 10-0 for the first time since 2017-18, when it started 15-0.
- FAST STARTS FOR CALDWELL: UT's 9-0 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 9-0) eight straight to open her tenure, making it the best coaching debut in the rich history of Lady Vol basketball.
- UT HOOPS STANDS ALONE: UT is the only school to have both its women's (9-0) and men's (11-0) basketball teams still undefeated entering this weekend.
- UT NO. 27 IN NET RANKINGS: UT is No. 27 in the NCAA's NET rankings through Dec. 18, with wins over No. 24 Florida State, No. 32 Iowa and No. 62 Middle Tennessee.
- NO. 28 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols' cumulative schedule ranks No. 28 on the NCAA's Toughest Schedule report.
A LOOK AT THE SPIDERS
- The Spiders have been picked to repeat as Atlantic 10 champions after sweeping the regular season and postseason titles in 2023-24.
- Addie Budnik and Maggie Doogan were named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference First Team, while Rachel Ullstrom was picked for second team honors. Budnik, who was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24, was also named to the Preseason All-Defensive Team.
- Richmond is paced by Ullstrom and Doogan, who average 16.5 and 14.5 points per game, respectively, while hitting 56.5 and 53.8 percent from the field.
- Ullstrom has drained 44.6 (29-65) of her attempts behind the arc to lead five players making 10+.
- As a team, the Spiders are shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 39 percent beyond the arc, firing in 99 of 254 tries from long range thus far.
- Defensively, Richmond is surrendering only 54.6 ppg. and allowing foes to shoot only 35.7 percent.
UR'S LAST GAME
- The Spiders went toe-to-toe with No. 6 Texas, dropping a hard-fought game, 65-54, last Sunday afternoon inside the Robins Center in Richmond. With the loss, Richmond fell to 9-2 on the season, while the Longhorns improved to 10-1.
- UR held Texas to its lowest point total of the season.
- Rachel Ullstrom paced the Spiders with 20 points, marking her fourth 20-point game this season. Addie Budnik and Maggie Doogan also reached double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Katie Hill dished out a team-high five assists.
- Richmond connected on 20 of 49 attempts from the floor, including seven of 22 from deep, and hit seven of 10 from the charity stripe, but it committed 24 turnovers and Texas tallied 26 points off those.
UP NEXT
- After facing Richmond, the Big Orange will meet Tulsa (5-5 entering Friday's game vs. Montana) at Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET to close out the teams' stays at the West Palm Beach Classic.
- The contest will be streamed live by BallerTV and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations with audio streamed on UTSports.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 380.
