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Tennessee Lady Vols preview at Kentucky: Live stream, game time, TV, radio

By Caleb Calhoun

LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 20: General view as the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on January 20, 2015 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 65-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - JANUARY 20: General view as the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on January 20, 2015 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 65-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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After missing a week’s worth of SEC games for the second time this season due to a COVID outbreak, the Tennessee Lady Vols return to the court for the beginning of a brutal stretch Thursday. The first part of that stretch is a rematch against a top 20 team on the road.

Ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll, Kellie Harper’s team travels to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. to take on the Kentucky Wildcats, who are ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll. UT beat Kentucky on Rocky Top 70-53 back on Sunday, Jan. 24.

Kentucky hasn’t played since last Thursday, when they lost on the road 72-60 to the Ole Miss Rebels. The Tennessee Lady Vols’ last outing was a 79-65 win over the Florida Gators on Sunday, Jan. 31 thanks to a triple-double from Tamari Key. Here is all the information you need for Thursday night’s matchup.

Live stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Lady Vol Network; UK Sports Network

Listen online: UTSports; UKAthletics

The last time these two teams played, Rennia Davis was the star, coming away with 15 points and 20 rebounds. Davis helped UT dominate the post, outrebounding Kentucky 56-25. Centers Tamari Key and Kasiyahna Kushkituah used that dominance in the paint to their advantage with 19 and 11 points each, and Rae Burrell added 13 points.

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However, led by first-year head coach Kyra Elzy, a former teammate of Harpers with the Tennessee Lady Vols when they won three straight national championships back in the late 1990s, this team hasn’t missed a beat. Kentucky is still going strong after the retirement of longtime UK head coach Matthew Mitchell back in November, just before the season started.

Combine that with the fact that they have payback on their mind, and Kentucky will definitely be a dangerous team Thursday night. They will make some adjustments to not get dominated down low again, and Harper has to make sure her team is prepared for that.

This is the first of five straight games against teams currently ranked in the top 25 for UT, all of which will come in 11 days. The SEC has found a way to reschedule their postponed matchups with the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies from last week, which they had to miss due to that COVID outbreak.

Rocky Top will visit A&M, ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, on Sunday. Then it will visit MSU, ranked No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, on Tuesday. On Thursday, it will host the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks before going back on the road a week from Sunday to face the Georgia Bulldogs, ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, in a rematch.

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Given this brutal stretch, games like Thursday are crucial for the Tennessee Lady Vols. Kentucky, despite its status, is a beatable opponent and would get Harper’s kids off on the right foot during this stretch. After UT, the Wildcats will visit the Florida Gators Monday.