After a disappointing 22-point loss to UCLA on the road this Sunday, the Lady Vols dropped down to No. 19 in the updated AP Poll. On Monday, the first edition of the NET rankings was also revealed. Tennessee, sitting at a 5-2 record, is at No. 30.
This positions the Lady Vols well behind the pack for a top-four seed line that would result in the first two rounds being played in Knoxville. The NET rankings are taken into account by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee when they draw up the official bracket at the end of the season.
The Lady Vols are the ninth-highest-ranked SEC team in the NET. Tennessee is behind No. 1 LSU, No. 3 Texas, No. 6 South Carolina, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 22 Oklahoma and No. 24 Alabama.
🚨NET RANKINGS 🚨
Rankings reflect games played through 11/30/25. These rankings are used by the #NCAAWBB Selection Committee. pic.twitter.com/nHdLQBbXhv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) December 1, 2025
More From RTI: Where Lady Vols Basketball Ranks in AP Poll After Blowout Loss to 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.
