GREENSBORO, N.C. — Lady Vols basketball opened its season with a top-10 battle against NC State. However, despite holding a lead with less than a minute to go, the No. 9 Wolfpack edged out No. 8 Tennessee 80-77 to hand UT a loss.
Here are three quick takeaways from the opener.
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Lady Vols Could Have Two First-Round WNBA Draft Picks
Heading into the season, Lady Vols incoming transfer forward Janiah Barker began to see her name appear on WNBA mock drafts. According to ESPN, she could slide into the top-10, as well. In her Tennessee debut, she looked the part of it.
Barker finished with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 on 3-pointers. She also contributed two rebounds and a steal.
She might not be the only Lady Vol who could be a first-round draft pick, though. With 15 teams in the league now, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Talaysia Cooper started to get buzz about being a top prospect and first-round selection. She’ll have an additional year of eligibility to use if she wants to, but she looks ready to declare if that’s the path she chooses.
Against NC State, Cooper produced 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting, including a pair of made 3-pointers. She also added in 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block in 31 minutes on the floor. That’s an incredible amount of time on the court, given Tennessee’s system.
Jaida Civil is a Perfect Fit
The Lady Vols brought in eight newcomers this year. This featured five freshmen to make the second-ranked class in the country and three transfers for the top group out of the portal. While each of these pieces certainly fits what Kim Caldwell wants to do, freshman Jaida Civil might just be the perfect piece in the system.
Civil put all her skills on display in her debut, as well. She notched 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting. She also posted four rebounds in her 13 minutes of action.
That isn’t to mention what she did on the defensive side of the ball. Her length and athleticism gave NC State issues and she was a menace in the press when she was in the right spots. With more time in the system, she should only get better.
On offense, she showed off her ability to get downhill, but also to stretch the floor. The jumpshot looked good and she got both her looks from range to fall in the game.
When she gets fully acclimated to what’s going on as the season progresses, she could be one of the most important pieces of the team in year one.
Out-of-Conference
In year one under Kim Caldwell, the Lady Vols didn’t necessarily have a gauntlet of a stretch in out-of-conference play, but did get tested. This included strong wins over UConn, Iowa, Florida State, MTSU and Richmond. In the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee also defeated USF and Ohio State in Columbus.
In that first season, the Lady Vols finished 15-0 against non-SEC opponents. Even their elimination from March Madness was to 1-seed Texas.
Well, that streak is over.
Tennessee gets to catch its breath for a little now, though. The Lady Vols return to action at home on Friday against ETSU. Then, it’s UT Martin on the road, Belmont at home, MTSU on the road and Coppin State at home before a big-time game against UCLA in Los Angeles.
