Texas A&M women’s basketball secured a win over Auburn on Feb. 15, instilling hope after its lackluster performance in Southeastern Conference play. With four games left until the SEC Tournament, the Aggies’ season has been a rollercoaster of emotions, starting 7-2 in nonconference play followed by a disappointing 3-9 record in the SEC. Nevertheless, the Maroon and White must turn their attention to their next pair of opponents, buckling up for what may be a bumpy ride.
A&M will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Thursday, Feb. 19, to face the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers. Following their road trip, the Aggies will honor their seniors at their final Sunday home game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday, Feb. 22, at Reed Arena. The Volunteers and Razorbacks present a wide range of competition for head coach Joni Taylor’s battered and bruised squad as it finishes off a tough season.
The Aggies will step onto the hardwood at the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center with a 3.5% chance of beating the Volunteers, according to ESPN Analytics. As massive underdogs, the Aggies will rely on offensive leader senior guard Ny’Ceara Pryor to lead them to victory with 15.6 points per game. After a loss to No. 4 Texas on Feb. 15, Tennessee will look for redemption against A&M in front of its heavy-hearted fanbase.
Nothing short of a tall task, the Maroon and White will square up against redshirt junior G Talaysia Cooper, who was named to the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List in January. Cooper leads the Volunteers in points per game, assists per game, steals per game and field-goal percentage. Two and a half games back from first place, Tennessee is ranked fourth in the SEC, with a record of 16-7 overall and 8-3 in conference play.
“We’ve got to get to shooters,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to box out. We’ve got to put pressure on them. Teams that like pressing don’t always like to be pressed, and so we’ve got to just continue to apply pressure to them. You know you’re walking into a really, really hostile environment, and they’ve lost 2 out of 3 last three. They lost to South Carolina, they beat Missouri and they lost to Texas, so you know this is the end of the season where standings come into play. Seeding comes into play, and so everybody’s fighting for something, so we’re going to have our work cut out for us. It’s a really good team.”
After facing Tennessee, A&M will head home for its final Sunday game of the season against Arkansas. The Razorbacks present a palatable competitor for the Aggies as Arkansas ranks last in the SEC, having dropped 12 games in a row in conference play. However, with an overall record of 11-16, 0-12 in the SEC, Arkansas has nothing to lose, serving as a dangerous opponent for A&M if overlooked.
The Fightin’ Farmers will host Senior Day before their game against the Razorbacks. With tipoff set for 2 p.m., Aggie faithfuls are advised to arrive early for the senior festivities. A&M honors four seniors on Sunday: graduate student forward Lauren Ware, senior G Lemyah Hylton, graduate student G Jordan Webster and Pryor. Hoping to send off their seniors with a victory, the Maroon and White have a projected 73.9% chance of winning, according to ESPN Analytics.
Arkansas offensive leader senior G Taleyah Jones and defensive leader freshman G Bonnie Deas will head to College Station hoping to spoil A&M’s afternoon honors. Jones leads her team in points per game with 17.2 and a field-goal percentage of 45%, while Deas carries the weight of the defense with 9.1 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game. The Maroon and White will rely on junior F Fatmata Janneh and her team-leading 9.9 rebounds per game to slow the Razorbacks’ attack in their 42nd all-time meeting.
