By Danielle Daniels

3 23 2025

UT GAME NOTES

https://utsports.com/documents/2025/3/22/1_-_Tenn_Game_Notes_24-25_vs._Ohio_State.pdf

LADY VOLS 2024-25 RECORD BOOK

https://utsports.com/documents/2024/11/4/2024-25_Lady_Vol_Record_Book_–_Web_Version.pdf

OSU GAME NOTES

https://utsports.com/documents/2025/3/22/NCAA_Second_Round_-_March_23.pdf

NCAA RECORDS BOOK

https://utsports.com/documents/2025/3/18/D1.pdf.crdownload

SEC RECORDS BOOK

https://www.secsports.com/media-wbb/womens-basketball-record-book

SEC NOTES

https://www.secsports.com/media-wbb/womens-basketball-notes

No. 5 seed and No. 20-ranked Tennessee (23-9) will face No. 4 seed and No. 15/13-ranked Ohio State (26-6) in second-round action of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio.

The Lady Vols and Buckeyes will face off at OSU’s Schottenstein Center in a Birmingham Regional 3 contest televised on ESPN and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations as well as audio-streamed on UTSports.com.

Tennessee is coming off a dominating performance vs. No. 12 seed South Florida in the NCAA First Round on Friday night, hitting a Lady Vol NCAA Tournament-record 16 three-pointers and forcing 24 turnovers to cruise past the Bulls, 101-66. In addition to hitting the No. 2 all-time total of treys in NCAA Tournament history and carding a UT tourney best with that mark, the Lady Vol bench posted a season-most 54 points, while the Big Orange limited USF’s reserves to only three (ties lowest by a foe in 2024-25).

The Lady Vols have been led all year by Talaysia Cooper, a member of the John R. Wooden, Naismith and Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Watch Lists and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. The All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Defensive Team selection puts up 16.8 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 3.2 apg. and 3.0 spg. and shoots 45 percent from the field. Cooper has 12 20+ scoring efforts in 2024-25 after carding 20 vs. USF.  Also averaging double figures are fifth-year guard Jewel Spear (13.0 ppg., 76 3FGs), junior forward Zee Spearman (11.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg.), junior guard Ruby Whitehorn (11.4 ppg.) and senior point guard Samara Spencer (10.6 ppg., 4.7 apg., 63 3FGs).

Ohio State is coming off a 20-point win over No. 13 seed Montana State, 71-51, on Friday night, out-working the Bobcats 44-14 the paint, forcing 26 turnovers and shooting 50.9 percent from the field. The Buckeyes are led by All-American honorable mention selection Cotie McMahon, who averages 16.5 ppg., followed by Jaloni Cambridge (15.3), Chance Gray (12.3) and Taylor Thierry (10.3) also in double figures. Former Kentucky standout Ajae Petty is right behind at 9.4 ppg. and leads the team at 7.3 rpg.

This marks the 14th all-time meeting between these programs, including the third time in as many seasons, with UT leading 10-3 in the series but dropping the past two contests.

BROADCAST DETAILS

• Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) will have the call for ESPN.
• 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 and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
• 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 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.

UP NEXT

• The winner of Sunday night’s game between Tennessee and Ohio State will advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 in Birmingham next weekend. Tip times and TV info. for contests in the Birmingham 3 Regional will be announced later.
• If it advances, UT’s contests will be available on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.

COMMON THREADS

• The Tennessee and Ohio State programs have some common threads and feature players that may seem familiar to those who follow these teams.
• UT head coach Kim Caldwell‘s sisters Anne (2002-06) and Jill (2005-09) both played college basketball in the state of Ohio at Cincinnati.
• Assistant coaches Jenna Burdette (Dayton/Coolville, Ohio/Reedsville Eastern H.S.) and Angel Rizor (Cincinnati) both played their college ball in the Buckeye State.
• Assistant Lexie Barrier also is an Ohio native, hailing from Ironton but playing her college ball at JMU.
• UT’s Kaniya Boyd and OSU’s Eboni Walker both are products of Centennial High School in Las Vegas.
• UT’s Alyssa Latham and OSU’s Eboni Walker were previously at Syracuse before transferring to their respective schools. Their paths didn’t cross, though.
• Tennessee’s Kaiya Wynn is from Nashville and attended Ensworth High School until her senior year, while Ohio State sisters Kennedy and Jaloni Cambridge both hail from Nashville. Kennedy, like Wynn, attended Ensworth, while Jaloni went to Montverde Academy.
• OSU’s Ella Hobbs has a brother (Daevin), who is a defensive lineman on the Tennessee football team.
• Ajae Petty formerly played in the SEC against the Lady Vols while at Kentucky.

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

• EARNING ACCLAIM: Guard Talaysia Cooper is on three national player of the year watch lists and the Naismith Defensive POTY watch list, and she made the All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team. 
• FIVE WHO AVERAGE 10+: UT features five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Talaysia Cooper (16.8). She is joined by Jewel Spear (13.0), Zee Spearman (11.5), Ruby Whitehorn (11.4) and Samara Spencer (10.6).
• TAKEAWAYS: Talaysia Cooper ranks No. 10 nationally (No. 1 SEC) at 3.03 steals per game, an average that ranks No. 4 in a season by a Lady Vol and No. 2 in a career.
• THREE-POINT THREAT: Jewel Spear is No. 30 nationally (No. 2 SEC) in threes per game (2.53) and is No. 52 with 76 total treys.
• ROCK SOLID: Samara Spencer leads UT with 150 assists while committing a career-low 66 turnovers, ranking her No. 32 nationally with a 2.27 assist/turnover ratio.
• BIG INSIDE PRESENCE: Zee Spearman tops UT’s inside presence, leading the team in FG pct. (50.4), rebounds (192/6.0 rpg.) and blocks (21), and she is third in scoring (11.5 ppg.).
• BUCKET-GETTER: Ruby Whitehorn (11.4 ppg.) has UT’s second most games of 10+ points (21).

WHAT WE DO

• FOR STARTERS…: UT has had 17 different starting fives, including the past three games.
• SUB EARLY & OFTEN: A frenetic style of play requires fresh legs. Expect hockey-style substitutions early and often.
• STRONG BENCH: Tennessee ranks No. 5 nationally in bench points per game (29.8).
• PRESS & HOLD ‘EM FOR 10: UT’s press has forced 30 10-second violations.
• FORCE TURNOVERS: Tennessee has forced 717 turnovers (most by the program since 784 in 2007-08) and is No. 9 nationally in TOs forced per game at 22.35.
• CAPITALIZE ON MISCUES: UT averages 29.1 ppg. off TOs after scoring 36 vs. USF.
• LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD: Tennessee ranks No. 2 nationally in points per game (87.6), a mark that is No. 3 in school history and No. 5 in SEC history.
• KNOCK DOWN THREES: UT has made an SEC single-season record 328 three-pointers (old mark: Arkansas, 312, 2019-20).
• HUNT O-BOARDS: Tennessee is No. 3 nationally with 16.9 offensive rebs. per game.
• GET PUT-BACKS: UT averages 16.0 second-chance points per game and is 20-2 (lost to S.C. & Ga.) when it wins this category.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• RECORDS SET BEYOND ARC: UT’s 16 threes vs. USF set a program NCAA Tournament record, ranked second of any school all-time in the tourney and rated as the second-most in school history.
• SEVEN “100” GAMES A BEST: By scoring 101 vs. USF, UT matched the program record of seven (1987-88) for most games scoring 100 points or more in a season.
• RAINING 3s: UT has hit 10+ 3FGs a program-best 17 times in 2024-25 (prev. best: 6).
• FIRST-EVER 50-TREY TRIO: Jewel Spear (76), Samara Spencer (63) and Tess Darby (54) give UT its first-ever trio to hit 50 or more treys each in the same season.
• COOPER NEARING STEALS TOP 10: With 97 steals, Talaysia Cooper is three away from making the Lady Vol single-season top 10. Tamika Catchings is 10th with 100.
• SPEAR IN UT TOP 10s: Jewel Spear’s 76 treys and 195 atts. in 2024-25 are both No. 5 on UT season lists. Her 145 threes at UT rank No. 10 for a career, and her 38.2 3FG pct. is No. 9.
• DARBY ON UT CAREER LISTS: Tess Darby is tied for third in games played (144), No. 5 for 3FG made (224) and tied for No. 4 in  3FG attempts (617).

TENNESSEE – THE ONLY SCHOOL IN ALL 43

• The Lady Vols are making their 43rd consecutive NCAA Tournament, continuing as the only school to appear in every Division I women’s tourney.
• UT kept its record of playing in every NCAA Tournament perfect under Kim Caldwell, who is in her first season leading the program and is the fourth coach to guide the Lady Vols into the tourney. The breakdown of appearances as the Big Orange’s head coach includes Pat Summitt (30), Holly Warlick (7), Kellie Harper (5) and Kim Caldwell (1).
• Tennessee is an at-large qualifier for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, finishing in a tie for eighth in the SEC regular season and falling in the SEC Tournament second round.
• The Lady Vols are 132-34 in NCAA Tournament play through the USF game, and they rank first in games played (166) and second in victories (132) in NCAA tourney history.
• Tennessee also is second behind UConn in winning percentage at .795 in tourney play.
• UT earned a No. 5 NCAA seed for the third time and drew higher than a four seed for the sixth time in its tournament history.
• Tennessee is 6-5 when seeded higher than fourth, including 2-2 at No. 5 (2009, 2017, 2025), 1-1 at No. 6 (2024), 3-1 at No. 7 (2016) and 0-1 at No. 11 (2019).
• UT has advanced to the NCAA regional round on 36 occasions, owning a 28-8 mark in the Sweet 16.
• The only seasons UT did not make the regional level were in 2009, from 2017 to 2021 and in 2024.
• UT has made the Elite Eight 28 times, posting an 18-10 record in that round.
• The Lady Vols have seen their season ended in the regional championship game five times in the past 12 years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).
• UT has advanced to 18 NCAA Final Fours and won eight of them (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008), ranking second to UConn.
• Tennessee has finished second in the nation five times and third on five more occasions.
• UT is 3-0 vs. Ohio State in NCAA women’s tourney games.
• The Lady Vols are 8-4 all-time vs. schools in the Big Ten.
• In facing South Florida, UT played its 94th different foe during all rounds of the NCAA Tournament, with these teams meeting in postseason play for the first time.
• The American Athletic Conference is the 29th different league to send a team into battle vs. Tennessee during the postseason.
• UT is now 1-0 vs. current AAC member teams in NCAA games, and the Lady Vols are now 47-1 all-time vs. schools who are currently members of that league.

UT IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS

• Tennessee is making its 43rd appearance in the NCAA First/Second Rounds, and it owns a 65-6 record in those rounds after beating South Florida.
• The Lady Vols are 35-2 all-time in the NCAA First Round and 30-4 in the NCAA Second Round.
• The only blemishes are a first-round loss to Ball State, 71-55, in Bowling Green, Ky., on March 22, 2009; a second-round setback to Louisville, 75-64, in Louisville, Ky. on March 20, 2017; a second-round loss to Oregon State, 66-59, in Knoxville, on March 18, 2018; a first-round ouster by UCLA, 89-77, on March 23, 2019, in College Park, Md.; a second-round loss to Michigan, 70-55, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 2021; and a second-round setback at NC State in Raleigh on March 25, 2024.
• In NCAA First/Second Round play, Tennessee is 49-1 at home, 4-3 away and 12-2 at neutral sites.
• The breakdown for that is 25-0 home/0-1 away/10-1 neutral for the first round and 24-1 home/4-2 away/2-1 neutral for the second round.

CALDWELL NCAA HISTORY AS A COACH

• Kim Caldwell is making her ninth different NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach and first with UT, owning a 13-6 combined record between her time at NCAA Division I and Division II schools.
• This is her second trip to NCAA Division I March Madness, owning an 1-1 postseason record at this level after her 2023-24 Marshall team lost in the first round to Virginia Tech (92-49) a year ago and her Tennessee square pummeled South Florida, 101-66, on March 21, 2025 in the NCAA First Round..
• From 2016-17 to 2022-23, Caldwell led her Glenville State (W. Va.) squads to seven NCAA Division II Tournament bids, forging a 12-5 mark in those contests.
• Caldwell’s teams advanced to two NCAA Division II Final Fours (2022, 2023), with her 2021-22 squad winning a national championship.
• Her 2021-22 team went 6-0 in NCAA play, while her 2022-23 squad was 5-1. Her 2017-18 and 2018-19 units finished 1-1, while her 2016-17 and 2020-21 ensembles went 0-1. The 2019-20 tourney was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

• No. 20 Tennessee opened its 43rd-straight NCAA appearance in dominant fashion on Friday night, hitting 16 three-pointers and smashing the SEC season record for treys during a 101-66 triumph in NCAA First Round play at the Schottenstein Center.
• The Lady Vols (23-9), who are seeded fifth in the Birmingham 3 Regional, came in needing three buckets beyond the arc to surpass the previous mark of 314 by Arkansas in 2019-20 and took care of that with four alone in the first quarter. Jewel Spear’s deep ball with 5:13 to go was the record-breaker. UT’s 16 threes, meanwhile, was a program NCAA Tournament record, ranked second in all games in school history and tied for second most in NCAA Women’s Tournament history.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, one of three Lady Vols to hit three treys and one of eight UT players to connect from beyond the arc, led her team with 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Samara Spencer hit a trio of three-pointers to finish with 15 points and five assists, while Zee Spearman matched Spencer’s total from long range and netted 13 points, and Spear added 11.
• USF (23-11) was paced by Sammie Puisis, who knocked down five threes and finished with 28 points. L’or Mputu contributed 12, as her team was unable to keep pace with a deep Lady Vols squad that featured a 54-3 bench points advantage. The Bulls also suffered 24 turnovers and were outscored on points off turnovers by the Lady Vols, 36-10.

NOTES FROM THE SOUTH FLORIDA GAME

• SIXTEEN TREYS AGAINST THE BULLS: The Lady Vols drained 16 three-pointers versus South Florida. It marked a school-best 17th time that UT has made 10 or more treys in a single game this season. The 16 tied for the second most in school history, the best by the Lady Vols in an NCAA Tournament game and tied for second best of any team in NCAA Tournament history.
• SINKING THE LONG BALL INTO HISTORY: After hitting 16 deep balls vs. USF, Tennessee now has made 328 three-pointers this season, breaking the SEC record of 314 set by Arkansas during the 2019-20 campaign. Tennessee notched its highest three-point game against N.C. Central on Dec. 14, 2024, draining an NCAA, SEC and school-record 30 treys.
• A RECORD-SETTING 100-POINT AFFAIR: The Lady Vols scored 100 points for the seventh time in 2024-25, tying the program record for most trips above the century mark in a season with the 1987-88 squad. That gives the program 94 all-time scoring efforts of 100 or more points through the USF contest.
• SUCCESS IN THE BIG DANCE: Tennessee made its 43rd straight appearance in the NCAA First/Second Rounds, and it now owns a 65-6 record during games played in those rounds. The Lady Vols improved to 35-2 all-time in the NCAA First Round.
• MISCUE MADNESS: The Lady Vols forced the Bulls to turn the ball over 24 times, making them the 20th team this season to commit at least 20 miscues. UT used that to build a 36-10 points-off-turnovers differential vs. USF.
• 17TH NEW STARTING LINEUP: Tennessee crafted its 17th different starting lineup of the season on Friday, with Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer, Tess Darby, Ruby Whitehorn and Jillian Hollingshead opening the contest against the Bulls. Ten different players have been in the starting lineup for the Big Orange this season.

UT/OSU SERIES NOTES

• This is the 14th meeting between these schools in women’s basketball, with Tennessee holding a 3-1 record at home, 1-1 on the road and 6-1 at neutral sites vs. the Buckeyes for a 10-3 series edge.
• Sunday’s match-up will mark the third straight season these teams have faced off, with Ohio State defeating UT in Columbus, 87-75, in the 2022-23 season opener on Nov. 8 and claiming a contest in Knoxville on Dec. 3, 78-58.
• The Lady Vols are 110-29 all-time vs. teams from the Big Ten Conference, including 1-0 this season after a win over Iowa on Dec. 7, 78-68, at the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.

LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES

• Ohio State (26-6, 13-5 Big Ten) features four players averaging double figures in points, including AP H.M. All-American Cotie McMahon (16.5), Jaloni Cambridge (15.3), Chance Gray (12.3) and Taylor Thierry (10.3).
• McMahon and Cambridge were named All-Big Ten First Team, while Thierry was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Cambridge also was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year.
• Former Kentucky standout Ajae Petty leads Ohio State in rebounding (7.3) and chips in 9.4 ppg.
• The Buckeyes average 78.6 points and allow 63.1.
• OSU has forced its opponent into 710 turnovers (22.2 per game) and averages 12.4 steals per contest.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Kevin McGuff is 224-110 in his 12th year at Ohio State and is 479-209 in his career over 23 seasons.
• He also spent nine seasons at Xavier (2002-11) and two years at Washington (2011-13) before arriving at OSU.
• This is the 14th team during his career he has guided to the NCAA Tournament, including seven at OSU.
• He led Xavier (2010) and OSU (2023) to Elite Eights.

OSU’S LAST GAME

• The No. 15/13 ranked and No. 4 seeded Ohio State (26-6, 13-5 B1G) defeated No. 13 seeded Montana State (30-4, 17-1 Big Sky) 71-51 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Cotie McMahon was the first Buckeye to reach double figures and finished with 15 points. Chance Gray totaled 15 points, making five of eight shots from behind the arc. Taylor Thierry (16), Jaloni Cambridge (12) and Ajae Petty (11) also scored in double figures, as all five starters had at least 10 points.

LAST TIME WE FACED OHIO STATE

• In its fourth straight matchup against a ranked foe, No. 20/22 Tennessee couldn’t overcome No. 16/13 Ohio State, falling 87-75 in Food City Center on Dec. 3, 2023.
• Senior Destinee Wells was the high scorer for UT (4-4) with 11 points, and junior Sara Puckett was close behind with 10.
• Ohio State (6-1) was led by Cotie McMahon and Rebeka Mikulášiková with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Celeste Taylor posted a double-double with 15 points.

LAST TIME WE FACED OHIO STATE IN COLUMBUS

• No. 5/4 Tennessee dropped its 2022-23 season opener against No. 14/15 Ohio State, 87-75, at the Schottenstein Center on Nov. 8.
• The Lady Vols (0-1) struggled with the pressure from the Buckeye defense, turning the ball over 29 times which led to 37 points for Ohio State (1-0).
• A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jordan Horston logged her 14th career double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Big Orange. Making her Tennessee debut, senior guard Jasmine Powell finished with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four assists.
• OSU’s Taylor Mikesell led all scorers with 25 points.

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