#19 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Travel to Athens for SEC Showdown Against Georgia Bulldogs Thursday Night

UT returns to conference play after falling at No. 1/1 UConn, 96-66, on Sunday in Hartford, Conn.

Feb. 4, 2026 at 7:55pm

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No. 19/17 Tennessee (14-5, 6-1 SEC) plays the second of three straight road games, visiting Athens on Thursday night to take on RV/RV Georgia (18-4, 4-4 SEC) at Stegeman Coliseum. The Lady Vols face the Lady Bulldogs at 5:30pm CT (6:30pm ET) in a contest that will be broadcast on SECN+ and available on the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

Why it matters

Tennessee and South Carolina are the only one-loss teams in SEC play this season, making this matchup between the two top teams in the conference standings an important one. Georgia has a win over Kentucky and a split with Ole Miss, so they will be looking to pull off an upset at home against the highly-ranked Lady Vols.

The details

Tennessee is led by redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper, senior forward Janiah Barker, freshman guard Mia Pauldo, and senior forward Zee Spearman. The Lady Vols rank in the top 25 nationally in several categories, including offensive rebounds, three-pointers made, turnovers forced, and steals. Georgia features four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Georgia Tech transfer Dani Carnegie.

  • Tennessee and Georgia will tipoff at 5:30pm CT (6:30pm ET) on Thursday, January 5th, 2025.
  • The last time these teams met, Georgia defeated Tennessee 72-69 in Knoxville on March 2nd, 2025.
  • The last time Tennessee played in Athens, they defeated Georgia 95-73 on February 1st, 2024.

The players

Talaysia Cooper

A 6-0 redshirt junior guard who leads Tennessee in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.

Janiah Barker

A 6-4 senior forward who is second on the team in scoring and rebounding.

Mia Pauldo

A freshman guard who has scored in double figures in five straight games and leads the team in three-pointers made.

Zee Spearman

A senior forward who is fourth on the team in scoring and rebounding.

Dani Carnegie

A Georgia Tech transfer who leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game.

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What they’re saying

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

What’s next

Tennessee next heads to Columbia to take on No. 3/3 South Carolina (22-2, 8-1 SEC) at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Vols and Gamecocks will meet at 2:00pm CT (3:00pm ET) in a contest televised nationally on ABC.

The takeaway

This SEC matchup between two of the top teams in the conference standings will be an important game for both Tennessee and Georgia as they jockey for position in the league. The Lady Vols' tough schedule, which has them facing 11 ranked opponents, will prepare them for this challenge against the Lady Bulldogs.