GREENSBORO, N.C. — Two of women’s college basketball’s blue bloods will face off this fall for the first time since 2019.
On Wednesday, ESPN/ACC announced that Notre Dame and Tennessee will meet in Knoxville on Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. ET. The broadcast designation will be released at a later date. The contest will be the 31st all-time meeting between the Irish and the Lady Volunteers, both of which rank in the top five all-time in winning percentage among teams with at least 20 years at the Division I level. Tennessee ranks third (.796), while Notre Dame sits at No. 5 (.741).
Like the Irish, Tennessee is coming off of back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances. The last time the Lady Vols took the court, they fell to Virginia Tech, 73-64. They were a No. 4 seed after going 13-3 in the SEC and 25-12 overall. ESPN’s Charlie Creme ranked Tennessee No. 12 in his Way-Too-Early Top 25, with Notre Dame sitting at No. 10.
Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper certainly utilized the transfer portal this offseason. She picked up former All-ACC guard and Wake Forest star Jewel Spear and also added Pitt transfer Avery Strickland and Belmont transfer Destinee Wells.
Notre Dame is 8-22 all-time against Tennessee, and it has been a series of streaks. The Lady Vols beat the Irish 20 consecutive times between 1983 and 2008, but Notre Dame has won eight of the last 10 meetings. The Irish are 3-9 all-time in Knoxville.