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Lady Vols basketball is looking to get back on track on the heels of a three-game losing streak. However, the next opponent is far from an easy matchup. On Sunday, Tennessee is headed to play No. 11 Oklahoma in Norman.
When the Lady Vols and Sooners square off, Tennessee will be without one of its best players, as well. Janiah Barker has been ruled out for the game, according to the Saturday night availability report.
It is currently unclear what the injury that is holding Barker out is. No matter what, it’s a brutal blow for UT, though. She is averaging 14.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on 46.9% shooting from the field and 36.6% on threes.
Barker has played in 24 games this year, starting in 18 of them. She plays an average of 24.1 minutes per night.
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Most recently, Barker had one of the best games of her career. Against her former team, Texas A&M, she produced 29 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks. This wasn’t enough for Tennessee to get over the hump, though, as the Lady Vols suffered a brutal 82-74 defeat at home.
Now, it’s a matchup with Oklahoma. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.
“They play incredibly fast,” Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said about Oklahoma head of the game. “They share the ball. We’re going to have to guard the 3-point line, and we’re going to have to guard the post. We haven’t been good at doing either lately. We’ve got to guard in transition, and it’s really going to come down to can we guard them, and we’ll have, again, one day prep, so we’ll have to watch film, get practice here, and then it’s an early game, too, so we won’t even have shootaround time, unless it’s at 6 AM.”
After the Sooners, Tennessee will play No. 7 LSU on the road and No. 5 Vanderbilt at home. Then, the SEC Tournament will begin as the final opportunity for the Lady Vols to build up their NCAA Tournament resume.