Tennessee

LSU women’s basketball at Tennessee Lady Vols: Score prediction, scouting report

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2024

LSU women’s basketball at Tennessee Lady Vols: Score prediction, scouting report

Who’s behind No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC has been a question for weeks.

LSU women’s basketball could supply the official answer by taking down Tennessee on the road inside Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday (11 a.m. ESPN).

A win would secure one of the SEC Tournament’s top 4 seeds for the No. 13 Tigers (23-4, 10-3 SEC) and would put them squarely in the driver’s seat for No. 2. They need two wins out of their final three games to lock up the 2-seed for the conference tournament, which starts March 6 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Kim Mulkey and LSU have won five straight games, including a physical matchup with Auburn on Thursday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

LSU women’s basketball must limit Rickea Jackson

You don’t shutdown Lady Vols senior star Rickea Jackson. You can only hope to limit her.

Mulkey said earlier this week that she believes Jackson is one of the top draft choices in this spring’s WNBA Draft. Jackson’s play, and what she’s meant for Kellie Harper and Tennessee, have proven as much.

The 6-2 combo player is second in the SEC in scoring behind Angel Reese at 18.9 points per game. Jackson also records 7.9 rebounds per game. Her versatility and offensive prowess makes her the focal point of any team’s scouting report for the Lady Vols but her skill set can’t be completely stopped.

Angel Reese will want to get Tennessee C Tamari Key in foul trouble

LSU’s best shot at success in Knoxville will be to feed the ball early and often to Reese inside for a number of reasons.

Yes, Reese is the league’s top scorer and rebounder, posting 19.4 points and 12.8 rebounds and has only seen her impact, looks and usage expand during conference play.

But the 6-4 forward will play a heavy role in LSU’s gameplan as it’ll want to get Tennessee center Tamari Key in foul trouble. Key is a vital part to the Lady Vols’ success and what they want to do in games, especially contests like this. The 6-6 shot-blocker is one of the top rim protectors in women’s college basketball and if LSU can force her to pick up some early fouls, the path to victory becomes much easier.

How Mikaylah Williams can swing the game for Kim Mulkey, LSU

Inside the post will be where all eyes gravitate to in the LSU-Tennessee matchup. And rightly so, Reese-Key and Aneesah Morrow likely guarding Jackson will be popcorn-worthy television.

That’s where LSU having someone on the perimeter having a big scoring outing could be pivotal. To me, freshman Mikaylah Williams could be a matchup that Mulkey and her staff exploits on the offensive end.

Williams, with her bigger frame and ability to create space off the dribble, will be hard for Tennessee to handle on the wings. And Williams is an above average passer as well so if the Lady Vols crash on her, she can find the open teammate. She had six assists in the South Carolina game earlier this year.

ANGEL REESE’S LEADERSHIP How Angel Reese’s intensified leadership is steering LSU women’s basketball down stretch

LSU WBB NCAA TOURNAMENT PROJECTIONS LSU women’s basketball bracketology: Are Kim Mulkey’s Tigers locked in as No. 4 seed?

The past couple of games have been a struggle for Williams, but the freshman is primed for a breakout and she loves the big games.

LSU women’s basketball score prediction at Tennessee

LSU 72, Tennessee 68: Much like the Auburn game, this one will be ugly, physical and gritty for LSU. But thanks to its much-improved defense, LSU gets just enough stops on Rickea Jackson late to fend off the Lady Vols.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

Source link

Click to comment

Tennessee

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

Published

3 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.

Source link

Tennessee

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Published

15 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee football gets commitment from WR Kesean Bowman

Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.

Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.

The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.

Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.

Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.

Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.

Source link

Tennessee

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

What are the Titans’ top remaining needs ahead of 2026 NFL Draft?

The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.

Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.

Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
Advertisement

With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.

There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.

Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.

Source link