The Lady Vols are starting to look like a team no one wants to see come March.
Tennessee went on the road and picked up a statement win over a ranked Alabama squad on Sunday, pushing their SEC record to a perfect 5-0. And now, the latest NCAA Tournament projections are starting to reflect that momentum. ESPN’s bracketologist Charlie Creme has the Lady Vols climbing to a 4-seed - a spot that would give them home-court advantage through the first two rounds of the tournament.
That’s no small thing. Hosting early-round games in Knoxville means playing in front of one of the most passionate fanbases in the country, inside a building that knows how to get loud when it matters.
If the bracket holds, Tennessee would open the tournament at home against 13-seed Murray State. Win that one, and they’d stay put at Food City Center for a second-round matchup against the winner of 5-seed Texas Tech and 12-seed UC Irvine.
Looking further down the road, the path to the Sweet 16 could bring a rematch with top-seeded UCLA - the same Bruins team that handed Tennessee a 22-point loss earlier this season in Los Angeles. That’s a potential redemption storyline that’s hard to ignore. Beyond that, 2-seed LSU and 3-seed Ohio State loom as possible hurdles on the way to the Final Four.
But before the Lady Vols can start thinking about March, there’s a big one coming up this week. No.
11 Kentucky rolls into Knoxville on Thursday night for a primetime SEC clash. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.
ET on SEC Network, and the matchup promises to be one of Tennessee’s toughest tests yet in conference play.
One key question heading into the game: the status of star forward Janiah Barker. She exited in the fourth quarter against Alabama with an injury and didn’t return. Head coach Kim Caldwell is expected to provide an update when she meets with the media on Wednesday.
Even without Barker, Tennessee took care of business in Tuscaloosa, grinding out a 70-59 win that pushed their overall record to 13-3. It was the kind of performance that shows depth, resilience, and a team that’s starting to find its identity at just the right time.
With five SEC wins in their back pocket and a top-four seed in sight, the Lady Vols are heating up - and the rest of the country is starting to take notice.