The Lady Vols just lost two games in five days. But even in an 87-86 loss to No. 10 Oklahoma on Sunday and an 89-87 loss to No. 4 LSU on Thursday, you could envision the wins to come.
That might not be especially inspirational for a fan base that is so aware of the program’s history. Tennessee won eight national championships under coach Pat Summitt and has never missed an NCAA Tournament.
However, two back-to-back losses have convinced me Tennessee will qualify for another NCAA Tournament in March. Never mind the program’s impressive history. That would constitute success in a transitional season.
The Lady Vols aren’t just adjusting to new coach Kim Caldwell. They’re functioning in an altogether different system with a roster in which multiple transfers play a prominent role.
They didn’t take long to establish their attributes. They relied on a 10-player rotation, full-court defense, and 3-point shooting in winning 13 consecutive games to start the season.
But that’s not all they have going for them. Resilience is another obvious virtue.
That was evident Thursday night at Food City Center against unbeaten LSU, which led by 18 points in the first half but needed a spectacular driving basket by guard Kailyn Gilbert to clinch the last-second victory. The resilience also was apparent four days earlier when the Lady Vols came tantalizingly close to overcoming a 19-point deficit.
Caldwell synopsized the LSU loss in similar fashion as she did the Oklahoma setback.
“It comes down to toughness, rebounding and showing up for four quarters,” Caldwell said on her postgame radio show after the LSU defeat. “If you show up in the first quarter, maybe it’s a different outcome.
“We’re three points away from being a top-five team in the country.”
“Top five” didn’t come to mind at the outset. Tennessee’s half-court defense often was laughable, which helps explain why LSU star post player Aneesah Morrow had a double-double in points and rebounds by halftime.
Granted, Morrow’s inside game ranks among the best in the country. However, points and rebounds rarely will come any easier than they did against the Lady Vols in the first half. Morrow, who leads the nation in rebounding, finished with 23 points and 21 rebounds.
She wasn’t the only Tiger who capitalized on UT’s lackluster half-court defense. Gilbert had 22 points, and preseason All-American Flau’Jae Johnson added 20.
I learned this much about the Lady Vols in the two losses. You can’t always judge where a game is headed by how Tennessee looks.
It shot dreadfully from 3-point range for much of the game against the Sooners. And its feeble first-half defense suggested LSU would cruise to a one-sided victory.
But the Lady Vols’ effort isn’t connected to the scoreboard. They continue to extend themselves until it starts paying off. They even had a fourth-quarter lead – though ever so slight against the Tigers.
Their effort is a testament to their conditioning and to how much Caldwell has energized a program that – even on its way to the NCAA Tournament in recent years – didn’t play with the same effort this team exudes.
ADAMS: Even in defeat, Lady Vols show how Kim Caldwell basketball can win over fans
Nonetheless, don’t characterize this team solely as an overachieving bunch. You can’t press a team as skilled as LSU’s to the last second on effort alone. You need talent. And Jewel Spear, who had 53 points against LSU and Oklahoma combined, and Talaysia Cooper (40 points and 13 rebounds in the two games) are high-caliber SEC players.
But Spear, Cooper, and the rest of the Lady Vols need to flash their talent in the first quarter as well as the fourth.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball, Kim Caldwell will win. Don’t let losses fool you
