KNOXVILLE — Tennessee (2-0) is back at Food City Center on Tuesday night, as Middle Tennessee (2-0) comes to Knoxville for a showdown of undefeated teams who received votes in the AP and WBCA/USA TODAY Coaches preseason top 25 polls.  

The Lady Vols and Blue Raiders will meet at The Summitt at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday in a contest streamed live on SECN+. The matchup is the third in a string of six straight and a run of seven of the first eight contests taking place on Rocky Top at the outset of the 2024-25 campaign.

Tennessee carries a 22-1 series record into the game on Tuesday night, with the schools facing off in the second of a four-game series between them. Middle Tennessee captured its first-ever win in the  all-time series on Dec. 6, 2023, as the Blue Raiders hit 12 three-pointers and out-played an injury-hampered Lady Vol squad en route to a 73-62, neutral-site victory inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

• Opponent: MTSU
• Date: Tues., Nov. 12
• Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Food City Center
• Watch: SECN+
• Radio: Lady Vol Network
• Online: Live Audio, Live Stats

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TENNESSEE

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MIDDLE TENNESSEE

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BROADCAST DETAILS

• Myan Patel (play-by-play), LVFL Kamera Harris (analyst) and Sarah Detwiler (sideline reporter) will have the call for the SECN+ broadcast.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
• The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play.
• A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com. 
• For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
• Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

GAME PROMOTIONS

• The Middle Tennessee contest is Lady Vol Basketball’s Salute To Service game.
• Current military members and veterans who present their Military ID or DD 214 at the gates upon entry for the Nov. 12 Lady Vol game vs. MTSU receive complimentary admission for themselves and immediate family members.
• Otherwise, tickets are available at AllVols.com.

PARKING, TRAFFIC FLOW, ENTRY ALERTS

• Fans coming to campus looking to purchase basketball parking will do so on-site with a credit card for men’s and women’s hoops.
• Those parking in the G-10 garage are requested to enter from Neyland Drive.
• There is a free shuttle service from the Ag Campus for all fans. All shuttles are fully accessible for those with disabilities.
• The shuttle location on the Ag campus is on River Drive near the Brehm Animal Sciences Bldg. and across from the CF lot. 
• Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off. Return shuttles run until two hours postgame or until the Food City Center is cleared. 
• Accessible shuttle loading and unloading for those with disabilities is located next to Arena Din-ing. 
• For regular shuttles, the unloading and loading areas near Food City Center will be as follows: Prior to the game, regular shuttles will unload at Chamique Holdsclaw and Lake Loudoun Blvd. After the game, regular shuttles will load at Lake Loudoun Blvd and Phillip Fulmer Way.
• All tickets and Tennessee Fund parking passes are digital.
• Fans will again see walk-through metal detectors outside of all Food City Center entrances.  

LADY VOLS VS. IN-STATE FOES

• The Tennessee women are 264-62-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State through the 90-50 home win over UT Martin on Nov. 7, 2024.
• The Lady Vols went 3-1 in 2023-24 (win vs. Memphis, loss vs. MTSU, wins vs. Vanderbilt and at Vanderbilt).
• They have four in-state regular season games slated in 2024-25, including vs. UT Martin (Nov. 7), vs. Middle Tennessee (Nov. 12), at Memphis (Dec. 18) and at Vanderbilt (Jan. 19).
• UT has won 20 of 22 over schools from within the state border and 36 of the last 38, with the lone setbacks during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019, and a 73-62 loss to Middle Tennessee in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023, while Rickea Jackson and Jillian Hollingshead were out with injuries.

HOME SWEET HOME

• This is the 38th season that the Tennessee women’s and men’s basketball teams have called Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center home. The Lady Vols own a remarkable 521-60 record (.897) in the mammoth venue through the UT Martin game.
• The 500th win came on Jan. 1, 2023, via an 89-76 victory over Alabama.
• The Lady Vols have built a combined 674-84 (.889) home mark in contests played at Food City Center, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym as of 11/9/24.
• Kim Caldwell officially is 2-0 in games played on The Summitt through the UT Martin contest.
• UT finished last season No. 7 nationally in attendance, averaging 8,880 fans through 15 regular season home dates and ranks No. 5 in 2024-25 at 9,652 through two games at Food City Center.

LOOKING BACK AT THE WIN OVER UT MARTIN

• Tennessee forced an opponent into 30+ turnovers for the second straight game and scored 48 points off those miscues on its way to a 90-50 victory over UT Martin last Thursday night at Food City Center.
• The Lady Vols (2-0) were led by junior guard Ruby Whitehorn, who produced a double-double by halftime and finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds on the night. She had help on the scoring front from fifth-year guard Jewel Spear with 13, senior forward Sara Puckett with 11 and senior guard Samara Spencer with 10. 
• Whitehorn’s work on the boards enabled the Big Orange to finish with a 54 to 28 advantage on the glass, including 33-7 on the offensive end and a 32-5 edge in second-chance points.
• The Skyhawks (0-2), who were led by Kenley McCarn with 13 points, committed 31 turnovers on the night, with the Lady Vols posting a 48-11 margin in points off turnovers. Because of those miscues, UTM managed only 45 field goal attempts to Tennessee’s 84.

NOTES FROM THE LAST GAME

• PRESSURE COOKING: Tennessee’s pressure defense continued to cause opponents problems. The Lady Vols forced their second foe of the season into two 10-second violations, preventing UT Martin from getting across the timeline. The two penalties marked the third and fourth times the Lady Vols have forced that kind of turnover this season after only generating one such infraction all of last season. 
• BACK-TO-BACK 30+ TURNOVER NIGHTS: The Lady Vols have posted back-to-back games of forcing their opponents to turn the ball over thirty or more times. Tennessee caused UT Martin to turn the ball over 31 times in Thursday’s contest. The Skyhawks tossed it away seven times in the first quarter, 11 in the second, eight in the third and five in the fourth. UT’s foes have turned it over 37 (Samford) and now 31 times, marking the first back-to-back 30+ turnover games for Lady Vol opponents since the 2014-15 squad forced Winthrop into 34 and Tennessee State into 38 on Nov. 21, 2014, and Nov. 24, 2014.
• RUB-A-DUB-DUB: Junior Ruby Whitehorn, whose nickname is “Rub Dub,” showcased her skills on both sides of the ball, nabbing her second career double-double in the game against UT Martin. The guard fired in 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to tie her career high on the boards. She finished with eight on the offensive end and six defensively. Whitehorn was eight for 14 on field goals while also adding three steals and a pair of assists. She also was perfect at the charity stripe, sinking both free throws that she attempted.
• A TEAM AFFAIR: Every player that was available on head coach Kim Caldwell‘s squad got to see the court during the UT Martin game. Eleven players scored and a total of 13 players saw action, including a new starting combination of Sara Puckett, Zee Spearman, Jewel Spear, Kaniya Boyd and Talaysia Cooper. The fresh five featured a first-time collegiate starter in Boyd and a first-time Lady Vol starter in Spearman. 
• BETTER ON THE BOARDS: After grabbing 41 rebounds, including 21 of the offensive variety, vs. Samford on Tuesday, Tennessee was even stronger on Thursday night vs. UT Martin. The Lady Vols finished the evening with 54 total rebounds and grabbed 33 on the offensive glass. Those were margins of +26 vs. the Skyhawks in both areas.

PRESS CREATES STRESS

• Tennessee’s press has resulted in four 10-second violations by opponents in only two games. 
• The Lady Vols surpassed last season’s total of those calls (1) in the season’s first game when Samford was whistled twice for failing to cross the timeline in the required 10 seconds.
• Coach Kim Caldwell‘s squad followed by forcing two more violations vs. UT Martin, with its total of four in 2024-25 through two games even ranking ahead of the Big Orange’s combined total for both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons (1).
• The next time the Big Orange defense prevents its foe from advancing the ball across the timeline in 10 seconds, UT will tie its combined total of violations caused over the past five seasons (5).
• With UT not utilizing a press in most cases, the breakdowns of 10-second infractions by opponents during that five-year span were 0 in 2019-20, 0 in 2020-21, 4 in 2021-22, 0 in 2022-23 and 1 in 2023-24.

GENERATING OFFENSE THROUGH DEFENSE

• As of Nov. 9, Tennessee ranks No. 4 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the SEC in steals per game at 22.5 per contest.
• The Lady Vols are eighth nationally and No. 2 in the league in turnovers forced per game at 34.0.
• As a direct result of those numbers, UT has generated 49.0 points per game off those turnovers vs. its opposition (while allowing only 12.5 ppg.).
• UT tallied 50 points off turnovers vs. Samford and 48 vs. UT Martin in its opening two games.
• Tennessee also is outscoring its opponents 32.5 to 15.5 in fast break points.
• The Lady Vols got 36 points on the break vs. Samford and 29 vs. UT Martin.

POTENT POINT PRODUCTION

• Tennessee is averaging 95.5 points per game and has scored a combined 191 points in its opening two contests of the 2024-25 season.
• After scoring 101 vs. Samford and 90 vs. UT Martin, the Lady Vols’ two-game sum ranks as the fourth-best total to open a campaign in program history.
• The only better offensive starts came in 2001-02 (203 / 97 vs. Chattanooga, 106 vs. Southern Cal), 1999-2000 (197 / 64 vs. Louisiana Tech, 133 vs. UT Martin) and 1989-90 (193 / 112 vs. Stetson, 81 vs. Virginia Tech).
• UT has scored 21 or more points in seven of eight quarters thus far and hit 19 in the period in which it didn’t vs. UT Martin.
• Tennessee’s best offensive quarter of 29 came in the third stanza vs. Samford.

UT/MTSU SERIES NOTES

• Tennessee enters Tuesday night’s game with a 22-1 series record vs. Middle Tennessee.
• The Lady Vols are 12-0 at home, 5-0 on the road and 5-1 at neutral sites vs. MTSU. UT also is 2-0 vs. the Blue Raiders in the NCAA Tournament, including 1-0 at home and 1-0 at neutral sites.
• The teams met last season in Huntsville, Ala., in the opening contest of a four-game series. MT came out on top, 73-62.
• The Lady Vols are 58-19 all-time vs. teams currently in Conference USA, splitting with Liberty and Middle Tennessee last season. Liberty will be UT’s next opponent at noon on Saturday.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE RAIDERS

• For the third consecutive season, MTSU was voted number one in the Conference USA Preseason Poll and had three preseason all-conference selections. 
• Anastasiia Boldyreva, a 6-7 center; Jalynn Gregory, 5-8 guard; and Ta’Mia Scott, a 6-0 guard; were named to the Preseason All-CUSA Team. 
• Scott leads the Blue Raiders in per game averages for points (20.5) and assists (4.0) in 2024-25.
• Boldyreva is right behind Scott in points (15.5), while Courtney Blakely is Middle Tennessee’s third-leading scorer at 13.0 ppg.
• Elina Arike is the team’s top rebounder at 7.0 rpg., while Scott and Boldyreva pulled down 6.5 rpg.
• The Blue Raiders are averaging 68.0 points per contest, while holding opponents to 52.5 thus far.
• MTSU is coming of a phenomenal 2023-24 campaign that saw it finish 30-5 overall and 16-0 in CUSA.
• The Blue Raiders swept the CUSA regular season and tournament crowns, picked up a win over Louisville in the NCAA First Round and challenged LSU on its home court before falling in the NCAA Second Round.  

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE’S HEAD COACH

• Rick Insell is MT’s all-time winningest coach, sporting a 465-156 record in his 20th season.
• He has led the Lady Raiders to 19 consecutive postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA Tournaments.
• Insell was 775-148 as head coach of the Shelbyville Central High School girls program from 1975-2005 before taking the job at Middle Tennessee in 2005.

MTSU’S LAST GAME

• Middle Tennessee overcame deficits of 13-8 in the first quarter and 27-26 at halftime to defeat Grand Canyon, 57-47, Friday night in Murfreesboro.
• Ta’Mia Scott led three Blue Raiders in double figures with 17 points along with seven rebounds and six assists, while Anastasiia Boldyreva tossed in 16 on 7-of-7 shooting and Courtney Blakely added 11.
• The Blue Raiders outscored GCU 31-20 in the second half to stayed unbeaten at 2-0.
• MT held Grand Canyon to 27.3 percent shooting for the game, including a 2-for-12 effort (16.7 pct.) in the fourth quarter.

THE LAST TIME THESE TEAMS MET

• An injury-riddled UT squad could not overcome a sharp-shooting MT squad that went 12 of 24 from behind the arc on Dec. 6, 2023, falling inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., 73-62.
• Karoline Striplin had 29 to lead the Lady Vols.
• MT was paced by Jalynn Gregory with 22 points, while Anastasiia Boldyreva added 17, Savannah Wheeler contributed a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double and Ta’Mia Scott chipped in 10.

UP NEXT

• Tennessee plays at home again on Saturday, as Liberty travels to Knoxville for a return trip after the two squads met in Lynchburg, Va., last season.
• Tipoff is slated for noon, with the game available for streaming on SECN+.
• The start time offers Big Orange fans an opportunity to be at Food City Center to cheer on the Lady Vols and be home in plenty of time to catch the Tennessee football game at Georgia at 7:30 that night.
• The Lady Vol Radio Network broadcast may be heard on stations statewide and via the web on UTSports.com.
• Please purchase tickets at AllVols.com or by calling the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-332-VOLS or 865-656-1200.