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Over the years, Tennessee and Texas have become synonymous with the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Since the NCAA first held a basketball tournament for its women in 1982, Tennessee has qualified for all 43 postseason competitions, while Texas’ 37 appearances are tied with Stanford for the second most. Texas became the NCAA’s first undefeated champion in 1986. Tennessee won its first national title in 1987 and its eighth championship in 2008.
But despite Tennessee playing 167 NCAA Tournament games in its history and Texas playing 88, these basketball blue bloods have never crossed paths before in the postseason. Until Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC, 103.1).
More: Texas basketball's Vic Schaefer: My guards will get it done in Birmingham | Golden
Texas and Tennessee will meet in the third round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Texas (33-3) is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s bracket while Tennessee (24-9) is a No. 5 seed. The winner of this Sweet 16 showdown will advance into an Elite Eight entanglement with either No. 2 TCU (33-3) or No. 3 Notre Dame (28-5).
TV Channel: ABC
Streaming: Fubo, Sling
Radio: 103.1 FM
WATCH TEXAS WOMEN'S HOOPS HERE
Date: March 29
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.
Texas and Tennessee have played before. Back on Jan. 23, Texas recorded an 80-76 win in Austin in a game that featured a tiebreaking shot from Madison Booker with 27 seconds left. En route to eventually winning the SEC player of the week award, Texas forward Taylor Jones had 21 points and 14 rebounds.
There will be some notable differences to this rematch. Texas forward Aaliyah Moore hasn't played since that Tennessee game due to a knee injury, and her absence led to the emergence of Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda. And Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell did not travel to Austin in January following the birth of her child, but she returned to the bench for the Lady Vols' next game.
The SEC player of the year, Booker has opened the NCAA Tournament with two 20-point performances. She made eight of her 11 shots while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds in a first-round rout of William & Mary and she shot 50% from the field in a 17-point beating of Illinois.
The last Longhorn to record two 20-point games in the postseason? Imani McGee-Stafford, who had 24- and 20-point games against Western Kentucky and Cal in 2015. The last Longhorn to record three 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament? Clarissa Davis, who accomplished that feat in 1987.
Booker scored 26 points against Tennessee in January.
Because it plays an aggressive style of defense, Tennessee often substitutes and sometimes swaps in five new players at a time. The Lady Vols have 10 players who are averaging between 13.9 and 25.3 minutes, and each has played in at least 31 of Tennessee's 33 games.
"Our preparation when it comes to this type of team like Tennessee, that they're going to press you, run and jump you for the whole game, and then one second, you're looking at one person, and now, oh this person just got in, and now you have to know who's who," UT guard Rori Harmon said. "Going over scout and personnel, we'll take that seriously and probably go over it for a minute, because they play a lot of people, which is great for them. That is really good. Our preparation will be ready, and I'm excited to prepare for this team. It's fun to play against teams like this."
Texas.
These two teams are seeded as they are for a reason. The Lady Vols have played well in the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn't erase the fact that they lost three of their four games before that. While not all of the wins have been pretty, Texas has still won 17 of its last 18 games and that run of success will continue on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: March Madness games: Texas vs Tennessee women's basketball
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Since the NCAA first held a basketball tournament for its women in 1982, Tennessee has qualified for all 43 postseason competitions, while Texas’ 37 appearances are tied with Stanford for the second most. Texas became the NCAA’s first undefeated champion in 1986. Tennessee won its first national title in 1987 and its eighth championship in 2008.
But despite Tennessee playing 167 NCAA Tournament games in its history and Texas playing 88, these basketball blue bloods have never crossed paths before in the postseason. Until Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC, 103.1).
More: Texas basketball's Vic Schaefer: My guards will get it done in Birmingham | Golden
Texas and Tennessee will meet in the third round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Texas (33-3) is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s bracket while Tennessee (24-9) is a No. 5 seed. The winner of this Sweet 16 showdown will advance into an Elite Eight entanglement with either No. 2 TCU (33-3) or No. 3 Notre Dame (28-5).
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What channel is Texas vs Tennessee?
TV Channel: ABC
Streaming: Fubo, Sling
Radio: 103.1 FM
WATCH TEXAS WOMEN'S HOOPS HERE
What time does Texas women's basketball play?
Date: March 29
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.
Sweet 16 showdown will be a rematch
Texas and Tennessee have played before. Back on Jan. 23, Texas recorded an 80-76 win in Austin in a game that featured a tiebreaking shot from Madison Booker with 27 seconds left. En route to eventually winning the SEC player of the week award, Texas forward Taylor Jones had 21 points and 14 rebounds.
There will be some notable differences to this rematch. Texas forward Aaliyah Moore hasn't played since that Tennessee game due to a knee injury, and her absence led to the emergence of Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda. And Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell did not travel to Austin in January following the birth of her child, but she returned to the bench for the Lady Vols' next game.
Madison Booker nears 38-year-old scoring feat
The SEC player of the year, Booker has opened the NCAA Tournament with two 20-point performances. She made eight of her 11 shots while grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds in a first-round rout of William & Mary and she shot 50% from the field in a 17-point beating of Illinois.
The last Longhorn to record two 20-point games in the postseason? Imani McGee-Stafford, who had 24- and 20-point games against Western Kentucky and Cal in 2015. The last Longhorn to record three 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament? Clarissa Davis, who accomplished that feat in 1987.
Booker scored 26 points against Tennessee in January.
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Expect a lot of Lady Vols to play
Because it plays an aggressive style of defense, Tennessee often substitutes and sometimes swaps in five new players at a time. The Lady Vols have 10 players who are averaging between 13.9 and 25.3 minutes, and each has played in at least 31 of Tennessee's 33 games.
"Our preparation when it comes to this type of team like Tennessee, that they're going to press you, run and jump you for the whole game, and then one second, you're looking at one person, and now, oh this person just got in, and now you have to know who's who," UT guard Rori Harmon said. "Going over scout and personnel, we'll take that seriously and probably go over it for a minute, because they play a lot of people, which is great for them. That is really good. Our preparation will be ready, and I'm excited to prepare for this team. It's fun to play against teams like this."
Texas vs. Tennessee prediction
Texas.
These two teams are seeded as they are for a reason. The Lady Vols have played well in the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn't erase the fact that they lost three of their four games before that. While not all of the wins have been pretty, Texas has still won 17 of its last 18 games and that run of success will continue on Saturday.
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: March Madness games: Texas vs Tennessee women's basketball
Continue reading...
