Lady Vols basketball proved it has resiliency and grit against Florida, and it took a step in the right direction in its SEC-opening win.

Tennessee (8-3) basketball last played on Dec. 22. The Lady Vols will return to action Thursday to begin Southeastern Conference play during the 2025-26 season. Tennessee will host Florida (12-3) in a SEC opener for both schools. Tipoff between the Lady Vols and Gators is slated 2 p.m. EST at Food City Center (SEC Network+).

Tennessee needs to turn things around fast if it wants to keep up the positive trajectory it started last season under coach Kim Caldwell.

The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host. A link to the live audio stream can be found on the WBB Preview page or the schedule on UTSports.

The latest USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll was released Tuesday. Tennessee is down three spots and ranked No. 21. Michigan State is also ranked No. 21. Princeton 32; Oklahoma State 30; Washington 25; West Virginia 21; Duke 13; Stanford 7; Oregon 2; South Dakota State 1; Georgia 1