Lady Vols Face Vanderbilt with NCAA Tournament Seeding on the Line

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers (16-11, 8-7 SEC) close out their regular season schedule on Sunday, March 1, 2026, against the No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores (26-3, 12-3 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, with Tiffany Greene and Carolyn Peck calling the game.

Game Details

• Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026
• Time: 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT
• Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo (offers a free trial)

Lady Vols Season Recap

Tennessee has faced a challenging stretch, losing seven of their last nine games, partially due to a postponement of their game against Ole Miss in January due to winter weather. Despite this, they remain in contention for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt’s Tournament Prospects

Vanderbilt enters the game with a strong record of 26-3 and is still in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction

According to Cora Hall, a reporter for Knox News, Vanderbilt is favored to win the game with a predicted score of Vanderbilt 78, Tennessee 75. Even as an upset is possible, the Lady Vols haven’t demonstrated enough consistency, particularly on defense, to confidently predict a victory.

Odds

As of Saturday, February 28, 2026, odds from BetMGM were not available at the time of reporting.

2025-26 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Schedule

• Nov. 4: vs. NC State (L 80-77)
• Nov. 7: ETSU (W 97-47)
• Nov. 9: at UT Martin (W 72-61)
• Nov. 13: Belmont (W 68-58)
• Nov. 20: at MTSU (W 85-41)
• Nov. 23: Coppin State (W 88-35)
• Nov. 30: at UCLA (L 99-77)
• Dec. 3: at Stanford (W 65-62)
• Dec. 14: Winthrop (W 112-40)
• Dec. 20: vs. Louisville (L 89-65)
• Dec. 22: Southern Indiana (W 89-44)
• Jan. 1: Florida (W 76-65)
• Jan. 4: at Auburn (W 73-56)
• Jan. 8: at Mississippi State (W 90-80)
• Jan. 11: Arkansas (W 85-50)
• Jan. 18: at Alabama (W 70-59)
• Jan. 22: Kentucky (W 60-58)
• Jan. 29: Mississippi State (L 77-62)
• Feb. 1: at UConn (L 96-66)
• Feb. 5: at Georgia (W 82-77 OT)
• Feb. 8: at South Carolina (L 93-50)
• Feb. 12: Missouri (W 98-53)
• Feb. 15: Texas (L 65-63)
• Feb. 17: at Ole Miss (L 94-81)
• Feb. 19: Texas A&M (L 82-74)
• Feb. 22: at Oklahoma (L 100-93)
• Feb. 26: at LSU (L 89-73)
• March 1: Vanderbilt
• March 4-8: SEC Women’s Tournament (Greenville, S.C.)

NCAA Tournament Projection

As of February 28, 2026, ESPN projects the Lady Vols as a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, with a potential first-round matchup against 10-seed Fairfield. If Tennessee advances, they could face 2-seed Iowa in the second round, played in Iowa City.