Hey basketball fans! Get ready for an exciting exhibition game between the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and the Tennessee Lady Vols! The game is set to take place at the Food City Center on November 5th. You won’t want to miss this star-studded event, featuring some of the best players in the game.
Leading the pack is the legendary Diana Taurasi, a five-time Olympic champion. She will be joined by a talented group of players including Aliyah Boston, Kahleah Copper, Allisha Gray, Brittney Griner, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, and Azurá Stevens.
Just a friendly reminder, this game is not included in the season ticket package, so make sure to grab your tickets separately. Head over to AllVols.com to reserve your seats for this special event.
And here’s some good news for you – parking in all campus lots will be free for the game! Plus, there will be a free shuttle service from the Ag Campus, dropping off and picking up fans right next to the Food City Center. ADA shuttles and entry will operate as usual.
But that’s not all! The USA women’s team will also be taking on Duke on November 12th, but with a slightly different roster. Before these games, they will be holding a training camp in Atlanta from November 7th to 9th.
Can’t make it to the game? Don’t worry! The exhibition game against Tennessee will be televised on SEC Network at 6 p.m. ET. And the game against Duke will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra at noon ET, with a tape-delayed presentation on ACC Network at 8 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action on the ESPN App.
Leading the USA team in these games and during the training camp is head coach Cheryl Reeve from the Minnesota Lynx. Assisting her are Mike Thibault from the Washington Mystics and Curt Miller from the Los Angeles Sparks.
Court coaches Tanisha Wright from the Atlanta Dream and Stephanie White from the Connecticut Sun will also be part of the coaching staff. Wright will be coaching in Knoxville, while White will be in Atlanta and Durham.
In preparation for the Olympics, USA Basketball will be participating in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February. They will also be hosting a training camp during the NCAA Women’s Final Four™ in Cleveland. More details will be announced later.
This will be the fourth time the Lady Vols have hosted the USA Women’s National Team for an exhibition game. In the past, the Lady Vols have had a 1-2 record against the national team. Interestingly, whenever the Lady Vols have hosted the USA team, they have gone on to make it to the NCAA Final Four, winning two national championships in the process. The USA team has also had great success, winning gold in the Olympic Games of 1996, 2000, and 2008.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Back on November 22, 1995, the Lady Vols faced off against the USA team, with the USA coming out on top with a score of 82-58. It was a special night as former Lady Vols Nikki McCray and Carla McGhee returned to Rocky Top. After the game, McCray-Penson, who sadly passed away, said ‘yes’ to Thomas Penson’s surprise marriage proposal on the court.
In a thrilling upset, the Lady Vols defeated the USA team 65-64 on November 7, 1999. And on November 4, 2007, the Lady Vols put up a strong fight but ultimately fell to the national team with a score of 83-72.
So mark your calendars and get ready for an incredible exhibition game between the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and the Tennessee Lady Vols. It’s going to be a night filled with basketball excitement and memories that will last a lifetime!