Published Mar 4, 2025
Talaysia Cooper questionable for Lady Vols' opening SEC Tournament game
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
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After suffering an injury in the first half of the Lady Vols' loss to Georgia, Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper is listed as questionable on the injury report ahead of its game against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.

Cooper suffered a lower-body injury and did not return to the sideline after being helped off the court. Head coach Kim Caldwell did not have an update to provide following the game.

Tip-off for the matchup between the 9-seed Lady Vols and 16-seed Aggies is set for Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET on SEC Network. The winner plays the following day at 11 a.m. against 8-seed Vanderbilt.

The winner of that matchup meets 1-seed South Carolina on Friday for a spot in the semifinals.

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Cooper was named on Tuesday to a pair of All-SEC teams. She was a Second Team All-SEC member while also earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive team.

She averaged 16.7 points per game this season on 44.6% shooting from the field and 25.9% from range. She also made 1.5 free throws per outing.

Her points per game led Tennessee and was the 11th most in the conference.

On the glass, Cooper contributed 5.6 rebounds per contest. She passed for 3.2 assists per game, as well.

Defensively, Cooper came up with three steals per game and 0.7 blocks. Her steals number tied for the most in the SEC.

She is has also been named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List this season.

This is her first year playing with the Lady Vols and second year on the roster. She played at South Carolina as a true freshman before transferring to Tennessee. Due to entering the portal outside the allocated window, she was forced to sit out a season.

In 24 games as a freshman with the Gamecocks, Cooper averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Out of high school, she was a five-star in the 2022 class according to ESPN. She ranked as the No. 18 overall player and No. 4 point guard. This earned her a spot as a McDonald's All-American.

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