Thursday night’s matchup between Missouri and Tennessee carries more than just SEC implications-it marks a return to Rocky Top for Missouri head coach Kellie Harper, who once wore the orange and white as both a championship-winning point guard and later as head coach. From national titles under Pat Summitt to leading the Lady Vols from 2019 to 2024, Harper’s ties to Knoxville run deep. But don’t expect her to dwell on the past.
As Harper prepares to lead the Tigers into Thompson-Boling Arena, she’s doing her best to shift the focus away from her homecoming and onto her team.
“For me, I’m just doing my job,” Harper told reporters ahead of the game. “This is about our players.
It really is. It’s about our team, and we’re going over to play a game.”
That’s classic Harper-locked in, focused, and keeping her players front and center. She knows the narrative will naturally gravitate toward her return, but she’s not interested in nostalgia. She’s preparing her squad for a tall task against a Tennessee team that, despite recent stumbles, remains a force in the SEC.
“The challenges that we have on Thursday are enormous,” she added. “They’re big, they’re athletic. But we know we’ll fight and we’ll play hard.”
It’s been nearly two years since Harper last coached in Knoxville, and she says that time has helped her move forward. After her departure from Tennessee, she stepped away from the bench for a season, serving as an in-studio analyst for the SEC Network. But the coaching itch never left, and this season, she’s back on the sidelines, guiding a Missouri program through the grind of SEC play.
“Honestly, no, and I know it’s going to be hard for people to understand that,” Harper said when asked if she’s been reflecting on the return. “But I’m now almost two years removed.
I do think time takes a lot of emotion out of it. And I’ve always been the type of person of what is next?
What is next on my agenda?”
That mindset-forward-thinking, detail-driven-is part of what’s made Harper a respected figure in the women’s game. She’s not caught up in the headlines; she’s focused on the next practice, the next possession, the next challenge. And right now, that challenge is a Tennessee team coming off a rollercoaster week.
Missouri enters the game at 16-10 overall and 4-7 in SEC play. Their most recent outing was a tough 85-66 home loss to Georgia-a team Tennessee beat on the road in overtime just days earlier.
But the Lady Vols didn’t ride that momentum for long. On Sunday, they were handed a humbling 43-point loss at South Carolina-the largest margin of defeat in program history.
That dropped Tennessee to 15-6 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
So Thursday’s game isn’t just about Harper’s return-it’s a pivotal moment for both programs. Missouri is looking to bounce back and gain traction in the SEC standings. Tennessee, meanwhile, is searching for stability after a week of extremes.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, streaming on SECN+. And while the cameras might pan to Harper a little more than usual, she’s made it clear-this one’s about her team.