(This story was updated to add new information.)
Lady Vols basketball is on the road to start SEC play.
No. 13 Tennessee (12-0) will play Texas A&M (7-5) at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network+). The Lady Vols are off to their best start since the 2017-18 season when they went 15-0.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
Tennessee’s rebounding is a concern
The Lady Vols are the top offensive rebounding team in the country, but they have also given up too many at times.
Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell was not pleased with her team giving up 18 offensive rebounds to Winthrop on Sunday, a team they had a significant size advantage against. Opponents have averaged 14 offensive rebounds per game the last four games.
The Aggies’ rebounding numbers are average in the SEC – they grab 41.8 per game and have a rebounding margin of 9.2. But they’ll be physical and a challenge for Tennessee on the boards.
Texas A&M ranks No. 7 in the SEC in defensive rebounding percentage (72.8%). If Tennessee can’t keep its offensive rebounding pace, things could get ugly.
Aggies led by pair of veteran guards
Fifth-year senior guards Aicha Coulibaly and Sahara Jones lead Texas A&M in scoring, averaging 12.1 and 11.3 points, respectively. Neither are strong 3-point shooters, but they’re great drivers and can get themselves to the rim.
Coulibaly shoots 51.8% from the field and does a little bit of everything. The 6-foot guard averages 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks. Jones, also 6-0, averages 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 46.5% from the field.
Other key contributors include 6-5 senior Lauren Ware, who averages 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Sophomore Solè Williams leads the team in assists (2.2) and averages 5.8 points. Williams and Kyndall Hunter lead the team with 12 made 3-pointers each.
Texas A&M will test Tennessee’s physicality
Texas A&M hasn’t had a great start to its season, but playing in College Station is never easy. The Lady Vols lost their road matchup with the Aggies last season and they had an ugly win on the road during the 2022-23 season.
Texas A&M will be physical and won’t make things easy offensively. It plays a much slower pace – the Aggies only average 71.4 possessions per 40 minutes compared to Tennessee’s 82.2, according to Her Hoop Stats. So Texas A&M will try to slow down the pace to force the Lady Vols to play in the half court.
Tennessee has to match the Aggies’ physicality and be disciplined offensively. If UT settles too much for 3-pointers and isn’t hitting, Texas A&M will sit back in the paint and offensive rebounds won’t be easy to come by.
FORMER LADY VOL: What Semeka Randall Lay said about running Pat Summitt’s play against Lady Vols, coach Kim Caldwell
Lady Vols vs Texas A&M injury updates
Tennessee is only without senior guard Kaiya Wynn, who’s out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Sophomore forward Vanessa Saidu has been out all season for the Aggies and was listed as out on the SEC student-athlete availability report Wednesday.
All 10 active Texas A&M players logged minutes in its last game on Dec. 19, but Aicha Coulibaly, Janae Kent and Taliyah Parker were all listed as questionable on Wednesday’s report.
How to watch Lady Vols vs Texas A&M: Time, TV channel, live stream
Tip off: 8 p.m. (ET), Thursday
Live stream: SEC Network+
The game can be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app when logged into a TV provider like Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Lady Vols vs Texas A&M prediction
Tennessee 85, Texas A&M 68: It probably won’t be pretty, but Tennessee has enough offensive firepower to win this road matchup. The Aggies are also a bit turnover prone – they average 17.3 and have a -2.7 turnover margin – which is a good sign for the Lady Vols, who thrive off of their full-court press and ability to create havoc and turnovers.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll . If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it .
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
