As the calendar turns to 2026, college basketball fans are in for a thrilling matchup as the #23/22 Tennessee Lady Vols prepare to take on the Florida Gators in their SEC opener. This contest, set for January 1 at 2 p.

The Lady Vols and Blue Raiders will meet at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) at the Murphy Center (11,520). The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on Lady Vol Radio Network stations statewide and via live stream on UTSports.com. Tennessee and MTSU will meet for the 25th time in series history, with UT holding a 23-1 all-time record.

Lady Vols basketball was without junior forward Alyssa Latham at Auburn due to a shoulder injury she suffered in practice.

It's no secret that Talaysia Cooper is the engine that makes Lady Vols basketball go, but in a near-loss to Stanford on Dec. 3, she was the freight train dragging it to victory. The 6-foot guard gave everything she had and affected every aspect of the game ...

Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper and senior forward Janiah Barker combined for 35 points on Sunday afternoon, leading No. 23/22 Tennessee past Auburn in SEC action, 73-56,