The UW women's basketball team plans to renew its multiyear series with historic rival the University of Tennessee from 2024 to 2025, according to multiple reports.
The Huskies and Lady Vols are two of college basketball's most storied programs, but the balance of the rivalry has shifted since the team was revived after a 13-year hiatus under former Lady Vols coach Kelly Harper in 2020. ing. Tennessee's last win in this series was 70 wins. 64 against Hartford on January 6, 2007, legendary coach Pat Summitt canceled the regular season matchup the following season due to a dispute over Maya Moore's admission to the university. cancelled.
UW has won four straight against Tennessee, including an 84-67 victory in their last meeting in Knoxville in 2023. The Huskies lead the series 17-9 all-time in tournament games, a record that includes a 5-2 mark against the Lady Vols in NCAA play. The teams met in the Final Four in 1996 and 2002, and the Huskies won the national championships in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2006, going 4-0.
Tennessee had a tumultuous offseason, firing Harper after the team failed to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in four seasons. The Lady Vols hired former Marshall coach Kim Caldwell, who won the Division II national title in 2022-23 but coached at the Division I level for only one season. Tennessee will be something of a mystery entering next season, as star forward Rikea Jackson was also selected fourth overall in the WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
A return to Knoxville would be meaningful for Huskies star Paige Bueckers, who will return for a fifth season in 2024-25. The Buccaneers missed the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL, but coach Geno Auriemma said during the NCAA Tournament that the only time he became emotional during his injury recovery was when he missed the 2023 game against Tennessee. said.
“She was always the brightest and most positive person in the gym. When she came home, you knew… it killed her and tore her apart,” Auriemma said. “I've only seen it come up once…You come to college and you want to play in the Tennessee game. It's not the same, but it's still UConn-Tennessee and it's in Tennessee. I saw her break down in tears in the locker room at that game.
The Buccaneers have faced Tennessee only once in their career, during Naismith's Player of the Year season in 2020-21. The then-freshman was 3-of-14 from the field, her lowest performance of the year, but she added eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals for nine points. The superstar guard surpassed her rookie numbers in 2023-24, averaging career-bests of 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.2 steals.
UW signed three top-20 prospects in the 2024 freshman class (No. 1 Sarah Strong, No. 5 Arie Ziebell and No. 18 Morgan Celli) and added standout Princeton guard from the transfer portal. , added Caitlin Chen. The Huskies also plan to have 2021 No. 1 prospect Ajee Fudd back next season after suffering a torn ACL two games into 2023. UW lost two players to the portal in junior center Amari DeBerry and sophomore guard Ines Bettencourt, neither of whom averaged more than six points per game. Minutes per game.