KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Southeastern Conference released its 2022-23 women’s basketball schedule on Wednesday morning, and Tennessee’s 16-game slate features a marquee showdown with defending NCAA and SEC champion South Carolina in the final home contest of the regular season.
The Lady Vols and Gamecocks are expected to be among the top teams in the nation, with ESPN ranking them No. 4 and No. 1, respectively, in the June 14 edition of its “Way-Too-Early” Top 25. UT and USC are among 11 league teams that saw postseason action a year ago, including a nation-best eight of them in the NCAA Tournament.
While tip times and broadcast details have yet to be announced, season tickets for an impressive home schedule are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Conference play will begin on Thursday, Dec. 29, and run through Sunday Feb. 26. The schedule consists of a single round robin (10 games) of home and away contests with one permanent opponent (2 games) and two rotating opponents (4 games). The permanent opponents are Alabama-Auburn, Arkansas-Missouri, Florida-Georgia, Kentucky-South Carolina, LSU-Texas A&M, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, and Tennessee-Vanderbilt. Each team will play eight home games and eight away games. The rotating opponents (UT has Florida and Mississippi in 2022-23) change annually. The 2023 season marks the 14th year of the 16-game schedule for women’s basketball and the 11th season with 14 teams.
Kellie Harper‘s squad will pop the top on the conference itinerary on Dec. 29, hitting the road and closing out the 2022 side of the schedule at Florida. It then opens the 2023 portion with back-to-back home contests vs. Alabama and Mississippi State on Jan. 1 (Sun.) and Jan. 5 (Thurs.), respectively. The contest vs. the Crimson Tide is one of four SEC Sunday home games and among eight during the year.
Other January home games include No. 25 Georgia and Florida on Jan. 15 (Sun.) and 19 (Thurs.). February features visits from Ole Miss (Thurs., Feb. 2), Vanderbilt (Sun., Feb. 12), Auburn (Sun., Feb. 19) and South Carolina (Thurs., Feb. 23). Those eight SEC contests, combined with eight non-conference tilts vs. such foes as No. 2 UConn, No. 11 Virginia Tech and No. 12 Indiana, provide the Big Orange with the most attractive home schedule in years.
Aside from the trip to Gainesville to begin the SEC gauntlet, other road destinations include back-to-back visits to Vanderbilt and Texas A&M on Jan. 8 (Sun.) and Jan. 12 (Thurs.) and stops at Missouri (Sun., Jan. 22) and No. 14 LSU (Mon., Jan. 30) to close out the first month of the new year. The non-conference home game vs. UConn on Jan. 26 (Thurs.) is sandwiched between the tussles with the two Tiger squads.
February features three treks, including visits to Mississippi State (Mon., Feb. 6) and Arkansas (Thurs., Feb. 16) as well as the SEC finale at defending SEC Tournament champion Kentucky (Sun., Jan. 26.).
After a year in Nashville the SEC Tournament returns to Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., for the sixth time, including the fourth occasion in the past five seasons.
The Lady Vols return 10 players, including four starters, from a squad that started 18-1 and finished 25-9 overall and 11-5 in the SEC (3rd) while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen despite season-ending injuries to three key contributors.
Leading the way are All-SEC/All-America Honorable Mention guard Jordan Horston and All-SEC/All-Defensive Team center Tamari Key. Additional regular contributors include returning starters in point guard Jordan Walker and wing Tess Darby, as well as two others with starting experience in 2022 SEC All-Freshman wing Sara Puckett and 2021 SEC All-Freshman forward Marta Suárez.
The Lady Vols also bring aboard four gifted transfers and a five-star freshman, including starters and previous all-league performers in forward Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State), power forward Jasmine Franklin (Missouri State) and point guard Jasmine Powell (Minnesota), as well as a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in sophomore transfer forward Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia) and true freshman wing Justine Pissott.