Tomorrow, Memphis Women’s Basketball plays in the biggest game they’ve had in quite a while. They face off against the Tennessee Volunteers, who are the No. 18 team in the country, in FedEx Forum on national TV. This is the first of two trips to the Forum for the Tigers, with the second capping off a double-header with the men's team against Louisville.
Ahead of the massive matchup, I spoke with Jack Church of the Daily Beacon, which is the University of Tennessee’s student newspaper, to break down the game. Church is the women’s basketball beat reporter for the Beacon and their assistant sports editor.
Coming into the season, Church says that “people didn’t know what to expect.” They had a new coach, Kim Caldwell, coming in after an exit in the Sweet 16 last season. Everyone was skeptical about whether or not Caldwell could translate her success at Marshall to the Volunteers, so they were predicted to finish seventh out of 16 in the bloodbath known as the SEC.
Those doubts would very quickly be put to rest. The Volunteers are coming into the game undefeated, with quality wins over Florida State and Iowa State, and a historic pummeling of North Carolina Central.
Tennessee has looked phenomenal out of the gates while Memphis has had a bit of a slower start. The Tigers, who sit at 2-7, were mainly hindered by a lack of availability from Hannah Riddick and Deedee Hagemann, who makes her Tigers debut in their biggest game of the season.
In order for the Tigers to pull the massive upset, Tennessee’s main weakness as a team is also their biggest strength, their speed. The Vols love to force turnovers and keep the game in transition, so much so that they lead the country with 30 forced turnovers a game. The problem is that sometimes they go too fast.
“The problem is because they go so fast, every turnover will lead into a fast break,” said Church.
Both teams find success when they are playing up close and personal on the defensive end. Expect a very tough, grindy game from the jump; there will be lots of traps, 94 feet worth of a press defense, and physical play down low.
“If you can keep Tennessee below 80 [points], you have a shot,” said Church. Memphis is 2-2 in games where their opponents are held to under 80.
Despite the Tigers being a massive underdog at home, this rivalry has done some weird things to teams who aren’t favored over the years, not just in women’s hoops.
Most Tiger fans will remember the 1996 football game where Memphis stole a win over Peyton Manning. In 2020, Penny Hardaway led Memphis to a gutsy victory over a ranked Volunteers team on the road. Just a few months ago, Tennessee women’s soccer gave Memphis their only loss in the regular season in a 1-0 stunner in Knoxville. Don’t count anyone out of this game at any point.
The Tigers and Volunteers collide at 7:30 PM CT at FedEx Forum.
