The Lady Vols basketball team is navigating a challenging stretch, grappling with a three-game skid, the latest being a tough home loss to a struggling Texas A&M squad. This downturn has shifted their season trajectory significantly.
Initially, Tennessee harbored hopes of securing a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would have allowed them to host early rounds. However, those aspirations have been adjusted. According to ESPN's latest bracketology, the Lady Vols are now projected as a 6-seed.
In this scenario, Tennessee would face off against 11-seed Rice in the opening round. The victor would then meet the winner of the matchup between 3-seed TCU and 14-seed Idaho, with these initial rounds taking place on TCU's home turf in Fort Worth.
Should the Lady Vols rally and make it back to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year under Coach Kim Caldwell, they could face 2-seed Vanderbilt. The path to the Final Four doesn't get any easier, with potential matchups against top seeds like 1-seed UCLA and 4-seed Kentucky looming.
Time is of the essence for Tennessee to regain their footing. Their upcoming schedule is daunting, starting with a clash against No.
11 Oklahoma on Sunday. Following that, they hit the road to take on No.
7 LSU and then return home to face No. 5 Vanderbilt to close out the regular season.
The SEC Tournament will be their last opportunity to bolster their resume before the NCAA Tournament begins.
Coach Caldwell acknowledged the urgency after the Texas A&M loss, stating, “We have limited practice time left. We’ll have another one-day prep going into Oklahoma.
We’ll do a lot with film and breakdowns. At one point, our half-court defense was solid, and we need to return to that.”
The Lady Vols' matchup against Oklahoma in Norman is slated for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.