Lady Vols basketball is playing Stanford for the first time in three years in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Tennessee (5-2) will play the Cardinal (8-1) at Maples Pavilion on Dec. 3 (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Lady Vols were ranked No. 11 before their 99-77 loss at No. 3 UCLA on Nov. 30.
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Stanford and Tennessee had a longstanding series dating to 1988. They squared off every season, sometimes multiple times, from 1988 to 2020. They played one more home-and-home series from 2021 to 2023, but the series was not renewed.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
Tennessee cannot go 0-2 on West Coast trip
The Lady Vols started their trip to California with a poor showing against UCLA, and they can’t afford a lackluster outing against the unranked Cardinal.
Stanford suffered its first loss of the season 66-62 to FGCU after starting the season 7-0. Then it barely escaped Colorado State 62-60.
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A blowout loss on the road to a good UCLA team is one thing. A loss to Stanford would be a huge blot on Tennessee’s résumé, and the Lady Vols are already No. 30 in the first set of NCAA NET rankings released Dec. 1.
“We have to go 1-1 on this trip out here,” Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell said on the Lady Vol Radio Network after the UCLA loss.
Stanford starts pair of five-star freshmen
Stanford signed one of the top 2025 classes, with three five-stars ranked in the top 25 in its four-player class. Point guard Hailee Swain (No. 8) and 6-foot-4 forward Lara Somfai (No. 12) both are starting.
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Somfai is third on the team in scoring (10.8 points) and leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game. Swain is right behind her with 8.7 points per game.
Junior forward Nunu Agara leads Stanford in scoring (16.0 points), averages 8.6 rebounds and shoots 51% from the field. Slowing Agara down has to be the top priority for Tennessee.
Tennessee vs. Stanford is clash of playing styles
Tennessee will have to impose its will, push the pace to score in transition and start gaining traction with its full-court press.
Stanford plays a much slower pace, averaging only 67.7 possessions per 40 minutes, according to Her Hoop Stats, while Tennessee averages 76.2. If the Lady Vols can speed up Stanford and force it to play their pace, they have a much higher chance of winning.
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The Cardinal are also a solid rebounding team, and Tennessee can’t get beat on the boards. Its biggest challenge will be trying to force turnovers against a team that averages only 13.0.
Lady Vols vs Stanford prediction
Tennessee 74, Stanford 68: I don’t expect Tennessee to dominate or leave with a blowout win on the road here. But it should be able to come away with a win against a Stanford team that relies on just as much youth as the Lady Vols.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Will Tennessee salvage road trip with win over Stanford? Our prediction
