Lady Vols basketball vs Texas A&M prediction for Tennessee, coach Kim Caldwell in SEC Tournament
Lady Vols basketball is playing on the first day of the SEC tournament, failing to secure any byes after losing to Georgia on Sunday.
No. 9 seed Tennessee (21-8, 8-8 SEC) will face No. 16 seed Texas A&M (10-18, 3-13) in the first game of the tournament Wednesday (11 a.m. ET, SEC Network) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Lady Vols lost two straight games to end the regular season, falling to the No. 9 seed, which is Tennessee’s lowest seed in the SEC Tournament since it began in 1980. The previous low was a No. 8 seed in 2019.
Here’s what you need to know about the Lady Vols’ first-round matchup with the Aggies.
Texas A&M a different team without Aicha Coulibaly
Texas A&M showed promise early on in conference play, upsetting Ole Miss and Kentucky, but then leading scorer Aicha Coulibaly suffered a season-ending injury at LSU on Jan. 26. The Aggies haven’t won a game since.
Texas A&M has lost 10 straight games, including two losses to Arkansas. Injuries have started to pile up as SEC play went on, and the Aggies had four players listed as out on the SEC injury report Sunday.
Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor always coaches her team well in the SEC tournament, and it has pulled off upsets the last few years. But the Aggies may not be healthy enough for that to be a possibility this season.
Talaysia Cooper’s injury status in question
Tennessee leading scorer Talaysia Cooper left the Georgia loss in the second quarter after rolling her ankle. She yelled as she fell to the ground and had to be carried off the court, and she did not return to the bench.
Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell didn’t have any updates on Cooper’s status after the game. Even if Cooper’s injury isn’t serious, it’s not guaranteed she will play with such a quick turnaround.
The redshirt sophomore guard hasn’t missed any games this season, but when she has to sit with foul trouble, Tennessee hasn’t looked great. Cooper is averaging 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and three blocks, and she plays a critical role in the Lady Vols’ success.
Sahara Jones leads Aggies in scoring
Graduate guard Sahara Jones is the next leading scorer after Coulibaly, and she’s averaging 9.9 points and 7.1 rebounds. Redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware has also been a key contributor, averaging 12.8 points over the last four games, nearly double her season average of 6.8 points.