KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee women’s basketball team has secured its place in NCAA history by earning a bid to its 44th consecutive postseason tournament. The announcement was made during the NCAA selection show broadcast on ESPN on Sunday night.
The Lady Volunteers finished the regular season with a record of 16-13 (8-8 SEC) and have been assigned a No. 10 seed in the Fort Worth Regional 3. Their first-round matchup will see them face No. 7 seed North Carolina State (20-10) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This opening game is a rematch of their season opener, where the Wolfpack edged out a narrow victory, 80-77, on November 4 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The game will be aired live on ESPN.
In the same regional, No. 2 seed Michigan (25-6) will host the first-round games at Crisler Arena, facing Holy Cross (23-9) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, also broadcast on ESPN2.
Historically, the Lady Vols and Wolfpack will clash for the 18th time, with Tennessee holding a 12-5 edge in their head-to-head series. Their most recent NCAA tournament encounter occurred on March 25, 2024, resulting in a 74-69 victory for NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Tennessee boasts a remarkable 133-35 record in NCAA Tournament play, making it the sole program to appear in every tournament since its inception. The Lady Vols have clinched eight national championships and hold records for the most games played (168) and the second-most wins (133) in NCAA tournament history.
In contrast, NC State is making its 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with a historical record of 35-30 in postseason play. Under the guidance of head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season with a solid 13-5 conference record.
The Lady Vols have a strong track record in NCAA First-Round games, standing at 35-2 overall—25-0 at home, 0-1 away, and 10-1 at neutral sites. Their only first-round losses came against Ball State in 2009 and UCLA in 2019.
This season marks Tennessee’s second NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Kim Caldwell, who has led all 10 of her teams to the tournament across her coaching career, including seven seasons at Division II Glenville State and one at Division I Marshall.
In the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Tennessee finished tied for sixth, marking their season with a challenging schedule deemed the second toughest nationally by various ratings. The Lady Vols wrapped up the regular season ranked No. 23 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and No. 33 in the WAB Rankings.
Throughout the season, Tennessee competed against 14 teams that have qualified for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, with varied success against each, including a split record against Alabama (1-1) and notable contests against Georgia, Kentucky, and several others.
Source: Original Source
