Big Blue Preview: No. 11/12 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Plays at No. 17/17 Tennessee on Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 11/12 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program (17-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference), who also is 11th in the latest NET rankings, will play No. 17/17 Tennessee (13-3, 5-0 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena at the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
It is the second game of a two-game road stretch before the team returns home for alumni day against RV/RV Georgia on Sunday and a bye week thereafter.
Fans in the Knoxville area can purchase tickets to the border battle here.
Darren Headrick will have the radio call for UK Sports Network on 630 AM WLAP in Lexington and on 790 AM WKRD in Louisville. It also will be carried on SiriusXM channel 161 or 191 and on the SiriusXM App.
Big Blue Nation also can watch the game on SEC Network, with Tiffany Greene and Carolyn Peck on the call for the third time this season.
Kentucky enters the game 17-3 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, currently tied for fourth place in the league with Texas. Kentucky is 6-2 on the road after coming off a loss at Mississippi State, 71-59, on Sunday.
The Wildcats have four players averaging double-digit scoring, while Amelia Hassett is close behind with 9.7. All-SEC junior center Clara Strack is leading the team on 16.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game, while she is the only player in the nation to have both those numbers with 3.0 blocks per game, a value that is ranked third in the nation. Tonie Morgan is adding on 15.0 ppg and 8.6 apg for the team, while she also is the only player in the nation to have both of those numbers, too.
The Wildcats will play their fifth opponent ranked in the Associated Press poll in the Lady Vols on Thursday, as the Cats boast a 3-1 record against opponents ranked in the AP poll thus far this season. Two of those ranked wins came on the road, including at No. 21/19 Louisville in November and at No. 5/5 LSU this month.
UK is one of five teams nationwide with two wins over opponents ranked in the current AP Top 10 (at UofL, at LSU), sharing that accomplishment with UConn (3), Vanderbilt (2), South Carolina (2) and Texas (2).
The Wildcats were with starting forward Teonni Key for both performances at UofL and at LSU, while they were without Key for their home win over then-No. 5/5 Oklahoma Sooners.
This is the 79th all-time meeting between the Kentucky and Tennessee.
Kentucky trails the series with Tennessee, 61-17, which began in 1976. UK also trails UT in games played in Knoxville, 28-4. Those four wins came in 2018-19, 2013-14, 1984-85 and 1982-83.
The Wildcats have a one-game win streak over the Lady Vols.
No. 15 Kentucky defeated No. 11 Tennessee, 82-58, in Historic Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 27. It was the largest margin of victory ever for Kentucky over Tennessee, besting the 21-point win (86-65) the Cats had over the Lady Vols in the 2020 SEC Tournament.
Clara Strack had 23 points on a school-record, 11-of-11 from the field and also tied her then-career high with 15 rebounds. She added three blocked shots and two assists.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
