The Coleman Coliseum was fully prepared as the 20th- and 21st-ranked teams collided in a high-stakes showdown. On one end stood Kim Caldwell’s Tennessee Lady Volunteers, unbeaten in SEC play. On the other waited an Alabama Crimson Tide squad with only two losses on the season. It was expected to be a heated affair…only Bama’s Jessica Timmons made sure it burned even hotter.

From the get-go, she was having a field day, with 15 points in the first half alone. That rhythm came with fire, as tensions flared heading into the second half. During one fast transition in the third quarter (6:44 left), Timmons got tangled up with Vols’ Deniya Prawl and ended up on the ground. The whistle was blown immediately, but tempers continued to flare afterwards.

Officials stepped in, reviewed the play, and assessed a double foul, with no technicals issued to either player. The tussle seemed to affect Timmons, who managed just seven more points the rest of the way, finishing with 22 despite her hot start. And that was pretty much the case for her team as well.

Alabama came out firing, knocking down four of its first five shots to jump out to a 10–3 lead in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide carried that momentum out of the break, stretching the advantage to double digits at 13–3 behind an 11–0 run. However, UT steadied itself in the second quarter, tightening defensively and gradually settling into the game.

While Alabama maintained control for stretches, the Lady Vols began to chip away and keep the contest within reach. The Crimson Tide still held the upper hand late, leading with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. But that’s when No. 20 team changed the game. The Lady Vols reclaimed the lead, kept it to roughly a two-possession cushion for most of the final stretch, and eventually pulled away for a 70–59 victory.

Talaysia Cooper led five Lady Vols players in double figures with 16 points, while Jessica Timmons paced the Crimson Tide with a game-high 22. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Tennessee on the night. To register the first ranked win of the season, Caldwell had to make a lot of adjustments. While an injury to Janiah Barker forced Caldwell’s hand, Mia Pauldo ran into early foul trouble and had to sit out for lengthy periods.

That said, the biggest concern may extend beyond this game and into the future.

Janiah Barker’s potential injury can hurt her first round prospects in the 2026 WNBA Draft

Janiah Barker has been on quite a journey during her college basketball days. The forward started out at Texas A&M before transferring to the UCLA Bruins for the junior year. Despite being one of the best sixth players across the NCAAW, Janiah chose to switch again. She decided to join the Tennessee program while several other top teams recruited her.

Janiah has taken to the Tennessee program with ease, averaging 14.5 points per game while being able to rack up 6.6 rebounds on average. However, during fourth quarter in the game vs. UA, Janiah went down in visible pain after appearing to take contact to the head and face area. The senior forward walked off the court on her own. But the team has not publicly disclosed the extent of the injury. Even coach Caldwell had ‘no idea.’

That uncertainty is what now looms largest.

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While the 2026 WNBA Draft is still a fair distance away, the franchises have already begun shortlisting their targets for the draft. Many experts for the upcoming draft had earlier earmarked Barker as a top-10 prospect. But a curtailed season for Janiah could hamper her first-round prospects.

It would hurt Tennessee’s chances as well, with Kim Caldwell again having to adjust. However, the Alabama win was evidence of the fact that Caldwell can get her team to adapt to the situation on the fly. For now, though, the hope is that Barker’s injury proves to be minor. And it doesn’t push Tennessee into that situation again. Much remains ahead for Barker, who will need to continue showing what she can do on the court and cannot afford injuries at this pivotal stage of the season.

Tennessee now turns its attention to the challenges that teams like Kentucky, Ole Miss, Ole Miss, and UConn are going to present.