KNOXVILLE – The 25th-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team will welcome No. 16 Texas A&M to Thompson-Boling Arena for a key Southeastern Conference clash at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The host Lady Volunteers are coming off a 75-65 loss Thursday at LSU that dropped them to 17-7 overall and 7-4 in the SEC this season. The Aggies (19-5, 7-4) defeated Vanderbilt 74-53 that same night.
With a logjam in the middle of the SEC standings – LSU is 8-3 in league play; Tennessee is tied with Texas A&M, Arkansas and Kentucky – the matchup in Knoxville could have huge postseason implications. ESPN2 will televise the game.
Here are three keys for the Lady Vols to get a win:
1. Grind it out: Neither team is elite on the offensive end of the court, but both defenses are in the upper echelon of the conference. In games against SEC opponents, the Aggies rank second in scoring defense and third in field-goal percentage defense; Tennessee is third and second, respectively. Possessions will be tough and points will be scarce, which is why it will be so important for each team to take advantage whenever it has the ball. The Lady Vols have been plagued by turnovers this season, but they have to find a way to avoid them against the Aggies. One reason why is Chennedy Carter – who has missed seven of Texas A&M’s games this season due to injury but has averaged 21.6 points.