ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Lady Vols basketball’s season has come to a close. After dealing with turmoil throughout year two under Kim Caldwell, 10-seed Tennessee lost 76-61 to 7-seed NC State in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Here are three quick takeaways from the loss.
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Talaysia Cooper Did Her Part
With Janiah Barker missing the game due to illness, the Lady Vols needed even more from their heavily relied upon star, Talaysia Cooper. She met those high expectations in the loss.
Cooper finished the game with 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting from the field and 4-for-9 from three. She also contributed six rebounds, two assists and three steals in 31 minutes.
This comes after she was benched in Tennessee’s most recent appearance, as well. In the SEC Tournament loss to Alabama, she hardly played in the second half before sitting out the remainder of the game. Afterward, she left the locker room early with Caldwell saying she wanted to get her some air.
Now, all eyes will be on Cooper’s future. Will she return for another season at Tennessee? Will she enter the WNBA draft? Or, will she test the transfer portal as one of the projected top targets across the country?
Lady Vols’ Defense Came Up Short
Tennessee knew it needed to rebound and play in transition better this time around to beat NC State. The Lady Vols certainly improved on the glass, out-rebounding NCSU 41-32. This included grabbing 21 offensive boards for 17 second-chance points.
However, part of the reason the numbers were where they were in rebounding was that the Wolfpack didn’t have many offensive misses to clean up. Instead, Tennessee’s defense allowed NC State to shoot 51% from the field and 27% from three.
UT also forced 17 turnovers, which resulted in 18 points. However, that was a wash, with NC State managing 16 turnovers for 23 points.
Something Needs to Change
Something needs to change next season. The Lady Vols can’t repeat this formula for the 2026-27 campaign; it clearly didn’t work. Tennessee lost eight in a row and 11 of 13 to round out the season. I’m not saying to fire Kim Caldwell, but there needs to be an adjustment.
There seem to be two primary candidates for change. The personnel this year were individually talented, but didn’t fit together at all. There was a lack of shooting for a system that gets open looks from range, and they didn’t seem to be committed to the press, which made for some ugly missed assignments.
The other option would be altering the system. Caldwell has won big at the Division II and mid-major level with it, and even made a Sweet 16 run a year ago, so I’d be shocked if she had a major overhaul. There can be tweaks, though, to ensure that it’s conducive to winning.
Again, that all starts with the transfer portal, to make sure you retain the players you want and add pieces you think will fit what you want to do.
Final Stats
Up Next
That’ll do it for the Lady Vols’ season. The transfer portal officially opens up following the conclusion of the national title game, but players may opt to announce their ‘intention to transfer’ beforehand. Tennessee will lose seniors Janiah Barker, Nya Robertson, Jersey Wolfenbarger and Zee Spearman to eligibility, as well.
More to follow: March Madness betting lines
