Tennessee Lady Vols to face West Virginia in 2020 SEC/Big 12 Challenge
Tennessee Lady Vols women’s basketball will face the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2020-21.
We now know of one more imposing opponent for the Tennessee Lady Vols when the 2020-2021 season arrives. Kellie Harper will take on Mike Carey’s West Virginia Mountaineers in her second year on the job.
The matchup is part of the 2020 SEC vs. Big 12 Challenge, announced by both conferences on Thursday. UT will play the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va., making things a good bit tougher for them. Start times have not been confirmed yet for the games during the challenge.
In 2019-2020, West Virginia underwent somewhat of a rebuilding year, as they went 17-12 in the regular season and 7-11 in Big 12 play. However, they didn’t have a chance to prove anything in the conference tournament, as COVID-19 shut it down before it could occur.
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However, WVU only loses one starter, Tynice Martin, assuming the season does return. As a result, they’ll be in great position to end their three-year NCAA Tournament drought, and the Tennessee Lady Vols will have a tough road playing them on the road.
While Carey’s program is looking to get back to its NCAA Tournament days, UT is looking to get back to its powerhouse days. The Lady Vols did go 21-10 this past year and 10-6 in the SEC. Also, they didn’t lose to anybody outside of the top 50 of the RPI.
On the other hand, they only won one game against top 50 RPI teams, finishing the year 1-10 on that front. As a result, they did not prove themselves against elite competition, meaning Harper has a real test next year.
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Combining that with the transfers of Zaay Green and Jazmine Massengill puts even more pressure on her, even if she has found other ways to upgrade. Simply put, the Tennessee Lady Vols and West Virginia Mountaineers will both be playing this game with something to prove to themselves. Carey and Harper are under a lot of pressure to deliver.