KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Undefeated Tennessee (7-0) is back in the friendly confines of the Food City Center after its first road trip of the season last weekend, welcoming North Carolina Central (0-11) to Rocky Top for a Saturday matinee.

The Lady Vols, who debuted in the AP and USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Polls this week at No. 19 and No. 18, respectively, will clash with the Eagles at 2 p.m. ET. in a contest streamed on SECN+ as well as carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations and via UTSports.com.

UT is coming off impressive back-to-back wins, taking down RV/RV Florida State in Knoxville on Dec. 4, 79-77, and knocking off No. 17/20 Iowa, 78-68, during a nationally-televised game on Dec. 7 in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic at the Barclays Center.

The Big Orange women have opened up at 7-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when they got off to a 9-0 start. They are 6-0 on The Summitt in 2024-25 and looking to extend their home winning streak to eight games, dating back to a 75-66 victory over Texas A&M on Feb. 29 last season. UT’s last eight-game home streak was in 2022-23.

N.C. Central, meanwhile, is still seeking its first triumph of the season after dropping a narrow, 67-63 home decision to Presbyterian on Wednesday in Durham. This will mark the first time these programs have met.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

• Opponent: North Carolina Central
• Date: Sat., Dec. 14
• Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Food City Center
• Watch: SECN+
• Radio: Lady Vol Network
• Online: Live Audio, Live Stats

RELATED LINKS

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TENNESSEE

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NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL

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THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

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BROADCAST DETAILS

• Will Boling (play-by-play) and LVFL Kamera Harris (analyst) will have the call for SECN+.
• 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.

PARKING, TRAFFIC FLOW, ENTRY ALERTS

• Fans coming to campus looking to purchase basketball parking will do so on-site with a credit card.
• Those parking in the G-10 garage are requested to enter from Neyland Drive.
• There is free public parking on the Ag Campus and a free shuttle to and from there for 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. Visit https://parking.utk.edu/parking/special-events/athletic/ for maps and more information.
• Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off. Return shuttles run one hour postgame or until the Food City Center is cleared. 
• Accessible shuttle loading and unloading for those with disabilities is located next to Arena Dining. 
• 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.  
• Gates typically open one hour before tip for women’s games.

PHILLIP FULMER WAY CLOSURE INFO.

• Due to the resumption of construction and upgrades to Neyland Stadium, basketball fans and media members should be advised of immediate changes to normal traffic patterns on Phillip Fulmer Way and Peyton Manning Pass during the rest of the 2024-25 season. 
• Phillip Fulmer Way from G-10 garage to Neyland Stadium Gate 21 vicinity is now closed.
• The G-10 garage will not be accessible southbound on Phillip Fulmer Way. 
• Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed to southbound traffic at Middle Drive, and it will not be accessible via Peyton Manning Pass.
• For events at Food City Center, G-10 and Staff 5 parking areas will be accessible via Lake Loudoun Boulevard, but it is strongly recommended that vehicles enter G-10 via Neyland Drive.
• Additionally, G5/30 will only be accessible from Lake Loudoun Blvd.

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 525-60 record (.897) in the mammoth venue through the Florida State game.
• The 500th win came on Jan. 1, 2023, via an 89-76 victory over Alabama.
• The Lady Vols have built a combined 678-84 (.890) home mark in contests played at Food City Center, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym through the Florida State game.
• Kim Caldwell officially is 6-0 in games played on The Summitt through the Florida State contest.
• UT finished last season No. 7 nationally in attendance, averaging 8,880 fans through 15 regular season home dates and ranks No. 6 in 2024-25 at 9,454 through six games at Food City Center.
• Tennessee has sold more than 8,000 season tickets this year for the first time since 2015-16.
• UT has had crowds of 9,000+ at its first six home games, which marks the strongest start to a season since 2013-14, when the final average was 11,038 (No. 1 nationally).

 INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING

• COOP IS HOOPIN’: Talaysia Cooper has scored 20+ points in her past four games, firing in 33 vs. Liberty, 20 vs. Western Carolina, 22 vs. Florida State and 23 vs. Iowa to average 24.5 ppg. during that span. She has elevated her season average to 20.1 while shooting 55.7 pct. from the field, 33 pct. on threes and 84.2 pct. on free throws.
• 7-0 WITH SEVEN DIFFERENT FIVES: UT has begun the year 7-0 with seven different starting lineups and nine different players appearing in the first five. Talaysia Cooper, Samara Spencer and Ruby Whitehorn have six starts each to lead the team.
• SHARING THE ROCK: UT has had seven different players score in double figures, with Talaysia Cooper and Samara Spencer hitting 10+ in six of seven contests. 
• GUARDS HITTING THE BOARDS: Tennessee’s top two rebounders are guards. Ruby Whitehorn and Talaysia Cooper lead the way at 6.3 and 6.1, respectively.
• THREE-POINT TRIO: Tess Darby (16), Samara Spencer (13) and Jewel Spear (12) have led UT’s three-point arsenal this season, with Darby coming off a three-trey, 11-point outing vs. Iowa last Saturday night.

FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE

• RACKING UP STEALS: UT is No. 1 nationally in steals per game, averaging 16.6 and grabbing 13 or more in six contests.
• THAT’S A 10-COUNT: Tennessee has prevented its foes from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds a total of 10 times in seven games. UT forced only five violations the previous five years combined.
• PILING UP POINTS: The Lady Vols rank No. 3 nationally in scoring offense, generating 92.6 points per game. The lowest a Kim Caldwell team has ranked in scoring is No. 4, which Marshall did last season (85.3).
• MAKING THREES IN BUNCHES: Tennessee ranks No. 5 in 3FGs made per game at 10.6 and has hit 10 or more treys four times this season. That is one shy of tying the school best for most games with double-digit three-pointer production.
• LETTING ‘EM FLY: UT is No. 1 in three-pointers attempted at 36.9 per contest. That’s more than the school’s previous single-game best of 36 (2010), which this team has eclipsed four times in 2024-25.  
• ELITE ON O-BOARDS: UT is No. 1 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 22.0. It has twice eclipsed 30 this season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• A NUMBER THAT COUNTS: UT is No. 1 nationally with nine other teams with a win percentage of 100 through Dec. 11.
• WINNING THE FIRST SEVEN: Tennessee has won its first seven games for the initial time since beginning  2021-22 at 9-0.
• FAST STARTS FOR CALDWELL: UT’s 7-0 start is the second-best opening of a season in Kim Caldwell‘s nine years as a head coach behind her 29-0 start at Glenville State in 2021-22 on the way to 35-1. 
• CHASING A UT BEST: A win over N.C. Central would give Kim Caldwell eight straight to open her tenure, making hers the best debut-season start in Lady Vol history. 
• UT HOOPS STANDS ALONE: UT is the only school to have both its women’s (7-0) and men’s (9-0) basketball teams still undefeated entering Saturday’s games vs. N.C. Central and at Illinois, respectively.
• UT NO. 26 IN NET RANKINGS: UT stands at No. 26 in the NCAA’s NET rankings through Dec. 11 after defeating (then) NET No. 27 Florida State and No. 29 Iowa.
• NO. 25 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE: The Lady Vols’ cumulative schedule ranks No. 25 on the NCAA’s Toughest Schedule report.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

• Tennessee picked up its first ranked win of the season and improved to 7-0, knocking off No. 17/20 Iowa, 78-68, at the Barclays Center in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic on Dec. 7.
• The Lady Vols, who only shot 39 percent for the game, rode 53.3-percent fourth-quarter shooting to victory, including three-of-five marksmanship beyond the arc, to outscore the Hawkeyes (8-1), 23-16, in the closing period and hand them their first loss on the season. UT forced UI into seven of its 30 turnovers for the game in the final stanza, generating 12 of the Lady Vols’ 42 total points off those miscues in that period.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper, who played less than five minutes and had only four points in the first half due to foul trouble, made up for it after halftime. She tallied 19 of her team-high 23 points to fuel the Tennessee attack over the final 20 minutes. Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn chipped in 16 points, while senior guard Samara Spencer and fifth-year guard/forward Tess Darby added 11 each, with Darby nailing two three-pointers in as many tries during the decisive quarter. 
• Cooper and senior forward Jillian Hollingshead grabbed six rebounds each to pace UT, and Cooper added a team-high three assists and blocked shots as well.
• Iowa was led by Lucy Olsen with 23 points, while Addison O’Grady produced a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. 

UT/NCCU SERIES NOTES

• This marks the first meeting between Tennessee and North Carolina Central.
• NCCU is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and is located in Durham, N.C.
• The Lady Volunteers are 3-0 vs. schools who are currently members of the MEAC.
• UT last faced a MEAC school on Dec. 29, 2019, defeating Howard by an 88-38 result in Knoxville.

A LOOK AT THE EAGLES

• The Eagles come into this contest with an 0-11 record after losing by their narrowest margin of the season on Wednesday at Presbyterian, 67-63.
• North Carolina Central is led by two players scoring in double figures, including 6-foot graduate forward Morgan Callahan (11.3 ppg.) and 5-8 sophomore guard Kyla Bryant (10.8 ppg.).
• Callahan also is tops in rebounds at 6.7 per game.
• Aysia Hinton, a 5-8 sophomore guard, has joined Callahan and Bryant in the starting lineup for all 11 contests, producing 5.5 ppg. and 3.0 rpg.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

• Terrence Baxter was named interim head coach for the Eagles before the start of the the 2023-24 campaign and is 16-26 in year two leading the Eagles.
• Baxter guided North Carolina Central to a 16-15 overall record in 2023-24, which was the program’s first winning season since joining the MEAC in 2011-12.
• NCCU also went 9-5 in conference play in Baxter’s first year piloting the team, tying the MEAC-era program record for league wins. 
• He was hired at N.C. Central in June of 2021 as an assistant after guiding the women’s team at Catawba to a 36-21 from 2018-20.

NCCU’S LAST GAME

• Graduate forward Morgan Callahan was one rebound shy of a double-double, leading three Eagles in double figures on Wednesday in North Carolina Central’s 67-63 loss to Presbyterian in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
• Callahan led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, one board shy of her third double-double of the season. She was six for 11 from the floor, while also grabbing a season-high three steals and blocking three shots.
• Sophomore guard Kyla Bryant and freshman guard Shakiria Foster each had 14 points for the Eagles, while freshman guard Terriana Gray was just shy of double figures with a season-high nine points.

UP NEXT

• Tennessee will play three games away from home over the next seven days, heading west for a contest in the Bluff City and then making its way east to West Palm Beach, Florida.
• The Lady Vols meet in-state rival Memphis, coached by LVFL Alex (Fuller) Simmons), on Wednesday at FedExForum. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 CT), with the contest televised by ESPNews.
• UT will then fly to the Sunshine State for a pair of games at the West Palm Beach Classic. Those contests will be streamed by BallerTV.
• The Big Orange will meet Richmond on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET and follow with an 11 a.m. ET tilt on Saturday vs. Tulsa before heading home.