They appear on track to have the most loaded team they have had in years. As a result, it makes sense for the Tennessee Lady Vols to have one of the most loaded schedules to go with it. Part of that tough slate appears to be giving fans lots of entertaining games at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT revealed four non-conference home games for the 2022-23 season Thursday. One of those is the national championship runner-up UConn Huskies. The series renewal between those two schools was revealed in June, and the date for that one is to be determined.
However, beyond UConn, the Tennessee Lady Vols are set to host three other teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year. They will face the Indiana Hoosiers Monday, Nov. 14, the Virginia Tech Hokies Sunday, Dec. 4, and the UCF Knights Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Indiana made the Sweet 16 last year, and UCF made the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Virginia Tech is part of the Jimmy V Classic. When you put all these teams together, the Lady Vols are clearly on track to have the best home slate in the nation.
If it were just these four non-conference games, that wouldn’t be the case. However, regardless of if they play the South Carolina Gamecocks once or twice this year, Dawn Staley’s team will be coming to Knoxville, Tenn., since they played in Columbia, S.C., for the only game last year.
That means UT will host both teams who played for the national championship and three Sweet 16 teams at a minimum. When you factor in their Battle 4 Atlantis trip in The Bahamas, it’s pretty clear they’re going to have a brutal schedule in general.
The home slate is what stands out, though. It’s a safe bet that these aren’t the only teams the Tennessee Lady Vols will welcome to Rocky Top throughout the year, so the fact that the schedule already looks entertaining speaks to what will happen going forward.
Kellie Harper and UT owe the fans this, though. They dominated in the transfer portal this offseason, and when you combine that with who they add on the recruiting trail, who is coming back and who should return to health, expectations for this team are through the roof.
For the first time in years, they have a full scholarship roster, and that roster involves a ton of talent. It’s crucial to have a schedule to reflect that talent, and Harper appears to be working to make sure they do just that.
Of course, the schedule will be even tougher when you factor in road games, as it’s likely the Tennessee Lady Vols visit the Texas Longhorns and Stanford Cardinal. Both teams played each other in last year’s Elite Eight, and Stanford made the Final Four. With this home slate, it may be the toughest schedule in the nation.