Lady Vols basketball is moving in the wrong direction in the updated AP Poll. Following a 99-77 loss to UCLA on the road on Sunday afternoon, Tennessee has dropped five spots to No. 19 in the rankings. The game against the Bruins was the only match UT played during this past week.
The Lady Vols’ position at No. 19 is good for eighth in the SEC. Tennessee clocks in behind No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 LSU, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Vanderbilt and No. 17 Kentucky.
Nationally, the poll is led by UConn, the defending national champion. However, the Longhorns are on the Huskies’ heels after a strong week in Las Vegas to bolster their resume.
More From RTI: What Lady Vols Basketball Coach Kim Caldwell Said After Blowout Loss at UCLA
The Lady Vols fell into an early hole at UCLA that they were never able to climb out of. Ultimately, poor defense and turnovers were what cost Tennessee in Los Angeles.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell gave her thoughts on what stands between Tennessee and reaching their postseason goals as SEC play quickly approaches.
“We got to cut down our mistakes,” Caldwell said after the game. “Our mistakes right now are just cringy, to be honest, for lack of a better word. Turning the ball over too much, our shot selection still needs — our offense was not necessarily the problem today. This was the first time I’d seen our defense be that bad. We’ve been pretty good defensively, but again, it’s why you play the game. It’s why you play this game so early in your schedule with so many new ones. We’re not afraid of it. We’re not scared of it.
“Our goal this year was to be better in the SEC and we didn’t play anyone last year to help us do that. And we didn’t learn these lessons until we got into SEC play. We’re learning them now. And if our team will watch the film and make the adjustments, then we’ll be ready by the time we get in the thick of it.”
Next, Tennessee remains in California for its second game of the trip out west. The Lady Vols will play Stanford in the ACC/SEC Challenge this Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN2.
