The contest marks the Lady Vols’ third of a six-game home stand and a stretch of nine out of 11 on The Summitt between Nov. 25 and Jan. 5. Coach Kellie Harper‘s squad is off to a 2-0 start during that stretch on Rocky Top and improved to 3-1 at home this season with dominant wins over Colorado (69-51) and Eastern Kentucky (105-71) last Friday and Sunday. VT remained unbeaten on Thursday night, handling Nebraska easily, 85-54, in Blacksburg.
The Hokies will represent the third top-10 team in the current AP Poll that UT has met this season, preceded by contests vs. No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana. All told, the Hokies are the fifth team in the current AP Top 25 UT has played in nine games, with No. 15 UCLA and No. 23 Gonzaga counting as the other two. The Big Orange women also are slated to meet No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 UConn later in the year, as well as No. 11 LSU.
UT and Virginia Tech are meeting for the 11th occasion and the second straight year, with the Lady Vols owning an 8-2 advantage in all-time match-ups. Last season, on Dec. 5, No. 11/10 Tennessee claimed a 64-58 victory over the RV/RV Hokies in Blacksburg to end a two-game series skid.
Following the UT-VT showdown, the arena will clear and the Tennessee men and Alcorn State will hit The Summitt to face off in an SECN+ streamed contest at 6 p.m. Fans must have tickets to each game to attend both.
About The Jimmy V Classic
- The Jimmy V Classic, named for legendary NC State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano, annually raises money and awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
- The men’s classic began in 1995 and is in its 28th year – 19th at Madison Square Garden. The women’s event debuted in 2002.
- Both events are part of ESPN’s V Week initiative, which utilizes platforms to talk to sports fans about the importance of cancer research. To date, ESPN has helped raise more than $155 million dollars for the V Foundation. In 2021, V Week raised $13.35 million, surpassing the previous high of $8.8 million in 2019.
Game Promotions
- In addition to the Tennessee-Va. Tech contest being part of the Jimmy V Women’s Classic, Sunday is Knox County School Day.
- Fans who donate two new school supplies will receive one complimentary ticket.
- All donations benefit the Knox County School…
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