# 2019–20 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team

The 2019–20 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2019–20 college basketball season. Led by former Lady Vol Kellie Harper, entering her first year as head coach, the team played their games at Thompson–Boling Arena and were members of the Southeastern Conference.
In the December 12 win against Colorado State, junior Rennia Davis scored her 1,000th career point. She finished the night with 1,007, and the 45th Lady Vol to surpass the mark.
The Lady Vols ended the regular season and received a first-round bye in the SEC tournament, defeated Missouri in the second round, but lost to Kentucky in the quarterfinals.

## Previous season

The 2018–19 team finished the season 19–13, 7–9 for a seventh-place tie in SEC play. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Mississippi State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost to UCLA in the first round. At the completion of the season, Holly Warlick was fired as head coach. Harper, who was a point guard during Tennessee's three-peat from 1996 to 1998, was hired as her replacement on April 8, 2019.

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019, with Tennessee predicted to finish sixth.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | South Carolina |
| 2 | Texas A&M |
| 3 | Mississippi State |
| 4 | Kentucky |
| 5 | Arkansas |
| 6 | Tennessee |
| 7 | Auburn |
| 8 | LSU |
| 9 | Missouri |
| 10 | Georgia |
| 11 | Alabama |
| 12 | Florida |
| 13 | Ole Miss |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |

### Preseason All-SEC team

The Lady Vols had one player selected to the preseason all-SEC team, junior guard-forward Rennia Davis, who was selected for second team.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 20 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 25 | RV | RV | | | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | | 25 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 25 | RV | RV | | | | | |
^Coaches' Poll did not release a second poll at the same time as the AP.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| 10/29/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Carson–Newman | W 70–44 | | 20 – Davis | 9 – Burrell | 2 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (3,335) Knoxville, TN |
| Regular season |||||||||
| 11/5/2019* 7:00 pm, MYVLT | | at ETSU | W 72–68 | 1–0 | 17 – Green | 12 – Key | 6 – Horston | Freedom Hall Civic Center (5,881) Johnson City, TN |
| 11/7/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 63–36 | 2–0 | 17 – Horston | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,278) Knoxville, TN |
| 11/11/2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 15 Notre Dame | W 74–63 | 3–0 | 33 – Davis | 13 – Massengill | 9 – Massengill | Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,801) South Bend, IN |
| 11/14/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Tennessee State | W 73–43 | 4–0 | 14 – Burrell | 10 – Davis | 3 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,213) Knoxville, TN |
| 11/19/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 23 | Stetson | W 73–46 | 5–0 | 15 – Davis | 11 – Burrell | 7 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,246) Knoxville, TN |
| 11/26/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 20 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 92–51 | 6–0 | 17 – Davis | 11 – Davis | 5 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,521) Knoxville, TN |
| 12/1/2019* 2:00 pm, SECN | No. 20 | Air Force | W 81–54 | 7–0 | 18 – Davis | 9 – Davis | 6 – Massengill | Thompson–Boling Arena (8,032) Knoxville, TN |
| 12/8/2019* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Texas Big 12/SEC Women's Challenge | L 60–66 | 7–1 | 15 – Davis | 9 – Kushkituah | 5 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (9,371) Knoxville, TN |
| 12/11/2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 23 | Colorado State | W 79–41 | 8–1 | 23 – Davis | 14 – Horston | 6 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,024) Knoxville, TN |
| 12/18/2019* 10:00 pm, P12N | No. 23 | at No. 1 Stanford Rivalry | L 51–78 | 8–2 | 14 – Davis | 7 – Kushkituah | 2 – Tied | Maples Pavilion (4,676) Stanford, CA |
| 12/21/2019* 5:00 pm, Pluto TV | No. 23 | at Portland State | W 88–61 | 9–2 | 21 – Burrell | 13 – Davis | 10 – Massengill | Viking Pavilion (1,748) Portland, OR |
| 12/29/2019* 2:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 22 | Howard | W 88–38 | 10–2 | 18 – Burrell | 12 – Burrell | 6 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (9,269) Knoxville, TN |
| 1/2/2020 5:00 pm, SECN | No. 22 | Missouri | W 77–66 | 11–2 (1–0) | 19 – Davis | 12 – Davis | 12 – Massengill | Thompson–Boling Arena (7,814) Knoxville, TN |
| 1/5/2020 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | at No. 13 Kentucky Rivalry | L 76–80 | 11–3 (1–1) | 27 – Davis | 8 – Kushkituah | 9 – Horston | Memorial Coliseum (5,516) Lexington, KY |
| 1/9/2020 8:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 23 | at Ole Miss | W 84–28 | 12–3 (2–1) | 17 – Davis | 10 – Key | 7 – Horston | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (1,373) Oxford, MS |
| 1/12/2020 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 23 | Georgia | W 73–56 | 13–3 (3–1) | 17 – Davis | 7 – Massengill | 7 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (10,036) Knoxville, TN |
| 1/16/2020 6:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 24 | at Florida | W 78–50 | 14–3 (4–1) | 18 – Davis | 9 – Key | 8 – Massengill | O'Connell Center (1,629) Gainesville, FL |
| 1/20/2020 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 23 | Alabama | W 65–63 | 15–3 (5–1) | 19 – Horston | 10 – Key | 4 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (8,537) Knoxville, TN |
| 1/23/2020* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 23 | at No. 3 UConn Rivalry | L 45–60 | 15–4 | 16 – Davis | 8 – Davis | 5 – Massengill | XL Center (13,659) Hartford, CT |
| 1/26/2020 1:00 pm, SECN | No. 23 | LSU | W 63–58 | 16–4 (6–1) | 30 – Davis | 8 – Davis | 9 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (10,230) Knoxville, TN |
| 1/30/2020 9:00 pm, SECN | No. 22 | at Vanderbilt Rivalry | W 78–69 | 17–4 (7–1) | 22 – Davis | 7 – Davis | 5 – Horston | Memorial Gymnasium (3,429) Nashville, TN |
| 2/2/2020 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | at No. 1 South Carolina | L 48–69 | 17–5 (7–2) | 18 – Davis | 10 – Davis | 3 – Horston | Colonial Life Arena (13,735) Columbia, SC |
| 2/6/2020 6:30 pm, SECN | No. 23 | No. 8 Mississippi State | L 55–72 | 17–6 (7–3) | 20 – Burrell | 10 – Burrell | 3 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (8,124) Knoxville, TN |
| 2/13/2020 7:30 pm, SECN+ | No. 25 | at LSU | L 65–75 | 17–7 (7–4) | 19 – Davis | 7 – Horston | 3 – Massengill | Maravich Center (1,966) Baton Rouge, LA |
| 2/16/2020 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 25 | No. 16 Texas A&M | L 71–73 | 17–8 (7–5) | 19 – Burrell | 7 – Burrell | 6 – Tied | Thompson–Boling Arena (12,738) Knoxville, TN |
| 2/20/2020 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 22 Arkansas | L 75–83 | 17–9 (7–6) | 21 – Burrell | 9 – Burrell | 4 – Horston | Bud Walton Arena (3,023) Fayetteville, AR |
| 2/23/2020 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. Rivalry Vanderbilt | W 67–63 | 18–9 (8–6) | 18 – Davis | 10 – Tied | 5 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (9,636) Knoxville, TN |
| 2/27/2020 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Ole Miss | W 77–66 | 19–9 (9–6) | 19 – Davis | 11 – Davis | 7 – Horston | Thompson–Boling Arena (8,255) Knoxville, TN |
| 3/1/2020 3:05 pm, SECN | | at Auburn | W 56–55 | 20–9 (10–6) | 22 – Davis | 10 – Davis | 5 – Massengill | Auburn Arena (2,410) Auburn, AL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| 3/5/2020 8:30 pm, SECN | (6) | vs. (11) Missouri Second Round | W 64–51 | 21–9 | 16 – Burrell | 9 – Davis | 2 – Tied | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (4,215) Greenville, SC |
| 3/6/2020 8:30 pm, SECN | (6) | vs. (3) No. 16 Kentucky Quarterfinals / Rivalry | L 65–86 | 21–10 | 24 – Horston | 7 – Brown | 5 – Massengill | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (5,749) Greenville, SC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. 2019–20 Schedule |||||||||