Tennessee 2025, part 2

[Vowelguy]

I honestly don’t think she ever “had” this team. Besides Kentucky, they really haven’t beaten anyone.

Alabama (projected 6 seed) and Georgia (7)

 

[Vowelguy]

She never made adjustments as the season went on.

Her belief is that the system works, and that the players just need to fully commit to it.

 

[Bone Dog]

Her belief is that the system works, and that the players just need to fully commit to it.

If Kim really thinks that, I’m a bit disappointed in her. I assumed she was doing what a coach might feel forced into if their talent is not well enough distributed to play a traditional rotation. That was Geno’s take on what she was doing last season.

She’s recruited some significant talent for this year and next and soon may even be able to free herself of dependence on transfers. If she still runs this system at that point, then I’ll give up on defending her in any way.

 

[Vowelguy]

If Kim really thinks that, I’m a bit disappointed in her. I assumed she was doing what a coach might feel forced into if their talent is not well enough distributed to play a traditional rotation.

This setup is her thing. It's the only approach she has taken in her coaching career, and it's been very successful, so I understand why she believes in it. The question has always been -- is this a viable D1 strategy or a gimmick that wont work against elite talent.

 

[bballnut90]

I just keep coming back to firing Jolley essentially for Cardoso making that three and two years later you're on the worst losing streak suffering the worst defeats in school history.

Recruiting is the #1, #2, and #3 reason why good programs become great. Kellie Harper was an okay coach but not a good recruiter and was never going to take Tennessee to the next level. They ended 2023-24 with basically a bare cupboard of players and no recruits on board for the following season. After 5 years, Tennessee never showed notable signs of improvement or progress. It was time for a change.

I'm not sure if Kim Caldwell is the right person for the job and might leave Tennessee in a year or two with the worst legacy of any coach, but it was 100% worth the risk to move on from Harper to try someone new. Kim's proven that she is a fantastic recruiter and had a phenomenal first season. This season has been bad, but unless there are major issues going on inside the locker room, it's short sighted to fire a coach after 1 bad season, especially considering Kim was in consideration for NCOY last year. The future of the program still looks promising talent-wise as their freshmen class will take on bigger roles next season and they also bring in Edwards who is a top recruit. If they have a similarly bad repeat of this season in 2026-27, then her seat might be getting a bit warmer.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Kim's proven that she is a fantastic recruiter and had a phenomenal first season. This season has been bad, but unless there are major issues going on inside the locker room, it's short sighted to fire a coach after 1 bad season, especially considering Kim was in consideration for NCOY last year.

Say what?! Take away the UConn win and Tennessee's season was nothing to write home about. 8-8 in conference, tied for 8th. That is not phenomenal and not remotely worthy of being considered for NCOY.

 

[JeannoCT]

We’ll see how many of the freshmen class stay. VN seems to think there will be losses.

 

[bballnut90]

Say what?! Take away the UConn win and Tennessee's season was nothing to write home about. 8-8 in conference, tied for 8th. That is not phenomenal and not remotely worthy of being considered for NCOY.

For some reason I thought she was a finalist for NCOY but I just checked and she wasn't. At any rate though, she looked like a slam dunk hire a year ago. For what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, 2024-25 was an excellent season. Tennessee started the year unranked and finished #15, making the Sweet 16 and proved they could compete with (and beat) the top teams in the country. Despite UCONN being their only marquee win, they came incredibly close to upsetting many top teams:
-1 point loss to #9 Oklahoma
-2 point loss to #6 LSU
-4 point loss to #7 Texas
-7 point loss to #2 South Carolina
-5 point loss to #6 LSU

 

[Geew1992]

Her belief is that the system works, and that the players just need to fully commit to it.

True. Her system is also rewarding players who played great to start the next game. Rotating a starting lineup, not having consistency doesn’t work either. She can believe all she wants but the proof is right I in front of her

 

[packwrap]

For some season I thought she was a finalist for NCOY but just checked and she wasn't. At any rate though, she looked like a slam dunk hire a year ago. For what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, it was an excellent season. Tennessee started the year unranked and finished #15, making the Sweet 16 and proved they could compete with and beat the top teams in the country. Despite UCONN being their only marquee win, they came incredibly close to upsetting many top teams:
-1 point loss to #9 Oklahoma
-2 point loss to #6 LSU
-4 point loss to #7 Texas
-7 point loss to #2 South Carolina
-5 point loss to #6 LSU

It's amazing how fast perception changes.

Last year Tenn was 8-8 in conference with many close losses and the WIN over UConn. Caldwell was an up and coming coach.

This year 8-8 in conference with a few blowouts and a loss to UConn, and the Vol fans calling for her head. (Vol fans also see Vandy winning )

Much of this difference due to most tough SEC games and UConn packed into end of the schedule. This led to a 2-8 stretch after a long unbeaten start.

Next year will be year 3 for Caldwell. She will have more of her own recruits and perhaps a 'last chance' to prove the system.

 

[USMC(ret)]

I’m bemused by the easy assumption that Vanderbilt is academically superior to UConn, or many other state schools for that matter. These sorts of judgments are typically made based on very flawed information (rankings, acceptance rates, endowments, etc) and reveal very little about the undergraduate experience. In reality, there is probably very little to distinguish Vandy from UConn (or Harvard or Stanford) as an academic experience. Of course, as a recruiting device, the value of academic reputation, however erroneous, can have a powerful influence on the decision making process of high school kids and their parents.

A good benchmark for academic standing is membership in the American Association of Universities. In the SEC, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida, and Vanderbilt are AAU members. South Carolina (my alma mater) not being a member has not caused my self esteem to crater.

 

[WBBTakeover]

A good benchmark for academic standing is membership in the American Association of Universities. In the SEC, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida, and Vanderbilt are AAU members. South Carolina (my alma mater) not being a member has not caused my self esteem to crater.

Believe it or not, Missouri is an AAU member as well.

Yeah, I know. 😑 😑 😑

 

[bballnut90]

It's amazing how fast perception changes.

Last year Tenn was 8-8 in conference with many close losses and the WIN over UConn. Caldwell was an up and coming coach.

This year 8-8 in conference with a few blowouts and a loss to UConn, and the Vol fans calling for her head. (Vol fans also see Vandy winning )

Much of this difference due to most tough SEC games and UConn packed into end of the schedule. This led to a 2-8 stretch after a long unbeaten start.

Next year will be year 3 for Caldwell. She will have more of her own recruits and perhaps a 'last chance' to prove the system.

I think she’ll probably get 2 more years, maybe 3. Most coaches get 4-5 years to right the ship when they take over a program unless there are extreme circumstances.

 

[Puppy Love]

It's amazing how fast perception changes.

Last year Tenn was 8-8 in conference with many close losses and the WIN over UConn. Caldwell was an up and coming coach.

This year 8-8 in conference with a few blowouts and a loss to UConn, and the Vol fans calling for her head. (Vol fans also see Vandy winning )

Much of this difference due to most tough SEC games and UConn packed into end of the schedule. This led to a 2-8 stretch after a long unbeaten start.

Next year will be year 3 for Caldwell. She will have more of her own recruits and perhaps a 'last chance' to prove the system.

I don’t think it’s perception…it’s reality. I will say, though, that many Vols fans got an overinflated boost from last year by the fact that they beat UConn. For whatever reason, the UConn effort in early February was definitely not the same as the one that destroyed SC a couple of weeks later. Whether it was the Tennessee loss or something else, there was a definite change.

Coach Caldwell consistently says that her teams can be expected to play better later in the season. That pretty clearly hasn’t happened. I’ll agree that scheduling hasn’t helped, but this team is clearly a step down from last year, despite the fact that it has better athletes. Personally, I think she has recruited too many selfish types and wrecked any hope of chemistry with the frequent substitutions.

When asked why she chose Tennessee, Edwards said it was ‘the freedom Kim promised her” (paraphrasing). Unless something really changes over the summer, I’m expecting a similar season next year.

 

[ERWUC65]

I’m bemused by the easy assumption that Vanderbilt is academically superior to UConn, or many other state schools for that matter. These sorts of judgments are typically made based on very flawed information (rankings, acceptance rates, endowments, etc) and reveal very little about the undergraduate experience. In reality, there is probably very little to distinguish Vandy from UConn (or Harvard or Stanford) as an academic experience. Of course, as a recruiting device, the value of academic reputation, however erroneous, can have a powerful influence on the decision making process of high school kids and their parents.

One might suggest that you stick to your WBB knowledge base and leave the academics comments to the experts.

Based on 2025-2026 academic rankings and reports, here are the academic standing for Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and UConn:

1. Harvard University Ranking: Generally ranked in the top 3, often #1 or #2

2.Stanford University Ranking: Top 3-5 in the US, sometimes #1

3.Vanderbilt University Ranking: Top 15-20 nationally

• 4. University of Connecticut (UConn) Ranking: Ranked around #69

 

[USMC(ret)]

Believe it or not, Missouri is an AAU member as well.

Yeah, I know. 😑 😑 😑

Apologies for the omission.

 

[Bone Dog]

One might suggest that you stick to your WBB knowledge base and leave the academics comments to the experts.

Based on 2025-2026 academic rankings and reports, here are the academic standing for Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and UConn:

1. Harvard University Ranking: Generally ranked in the top 3, often #1 or #2

2.Stanford University Ranking: Top 3-5 in the US, sometimes #1

3.Vanderbilt University Ranking: Top 15-20 nationally

• 4. University of Connecticut (UConn) Ranking: Ranked around #69

I regret accidentally swerving this thread and have already apologized for it. But just for the record, this is precisely my area of expertise as a lifelong college professor with a large network of colleagues working at many schools, who has seen the inner workings of several universities and knows first hand how to assess the educational opportunities they offer to undergrads. I know how rankings and ratings fail to capture what truly matters to an education.

 

[Geew1992]

It's amazing how fast perception changes.

Last year Tenn was 8-8 in conference with many close losses and the WIN over UConn. Caldwell was an up and coming coach.

This year 8-8 in conference with a few blowouts and a loss to UConn, and the Vol fans calling for her head. (Vol fans also see Vandy winning )

Much of this difference due to most tough SEC games and UConn packed into end of the schedule. This led to a 2-8 stretch after a long unbeaten start.

Next year will be year 3 for Caldwell. She will have more of her own recruits and perhaps a 'last chance' to prove the system.

I’m one that says she’s not getting fired anytime soon. She’ll have at least 2 more years.

With that said… this is her team. Her recruits from high school and the portal. The only player from the Harper era is cooper. And she had to be recruited to stay. Caldwells recruiting is part of the problem. The players are all the same. Athletic but not basketball players. And she’s probably gonna have to hit the portal hard again.

 

[Geew1992]

I don’t think it’s perception…it’s reality. I will say, though, that many Vols fans got an overinflated boost from last year by the fact that they beat UConn. For whatever reason, the UConn effort in early February was definitely not the same as the one that destroyed SC a couple of weeks later. Whether it was the Tennessee loss or something else, there was a definite change.

Coach Caldwell consistently says that her teams can be expected to play better later in the season. That pretty clearly hasn’t happened. I’ll agree that scheduling hasn’t helped, but this team is clearly a step down from last year, despite the fact that it has better athletes. Personally, I think she has recruited too many selfish types and wrecked any hope of chemistry with the frequent substitutions.

When asked why she chose Tennessee, Edwards said it was ‘the freedom Kim promised her” (paraphrasing). Unless something really changes over the summer, I’m expecting a similar season next year.

Volnation thinks Edward’s will save the program but I I agree with you

 

[GamecockFam]

Volnation thinks Edward’s will save the program but I I agree with you

Edwards feels like a Barker replacement. I doubt she will be as effective as Barker in their bigger games as a freshman, especially from 3, but I could see her becoming a force as a sophomore. They're also losing Spearman and Wolfenbarger so they're basically starting over with the bigs and will have to hit the portal for another transfer or two.

The bigger question mark is who will replace Cooper if she leaves for the W or transfers (as is being rumored). Will Civil be able to fill that void?

I doubt they'll be able to fill all the above in the transfer portal so next year may be another year of transition and growth with the future promise of these freshman/sophomore classes coming into their own while relying on more transfers to fill in the gaps.

 

[BRS24]

Charlie Creme just saying something like, Tenn still deserves a #7 seed for keeping it close or playing competitive or something random vs Vandy. Me? I'm thinking, that's a six game losing streak at the end of the season, when IMHO, the committee should be looking at what teams are finishing strong. Still not buying the SEC is SO strong, etc, etc, when I'm looking at a 8-8 and 16-12 record, the latter wins of which were vs East Tennessee State, UT Martin, Belmont, Middle Tennessee, Coppin State, Winthrop, and Southern Indiana. And no, I am not disparaging those programs.

 

[Vowelguy]

Charlie Creme just saying something like, Tenn still deserves a #7 seed for keeping it close or playing competitive or something random vs Vandy. Me? I'm thinking, that's a six game losing streak at the end of the season, when IMHO, the committee should be looking at what teams are finishing strong. Still not buying the SEC is SO strong, etc, etc, when I'm looking at a 8-8 and 16-12 record, the latter wins of which were vs East Tennessee State, UT Martin, Belmont, Middle Tennessee, Coppin State, Winthrop, and Southern Indiana. And no, I am not disparaging those programs.

You left out their wins over Alabama and Georgia.

Here is a simple exercise : where would you seed USC? Because their resume is almost identical to Tenn’s.

Also, the other 8 seeds in cremes bracket are Illinois, Oklahoma st, Oregon. You really think any of them are harder to beat than TN?

 

[nwhoopfan]

Oregon is an 8 seed? Wow, just wow.

 

[BRS24]

You left out their wins over Alabama and Georgia.

Here is a simple exercise : where would you seed USC? Because their resume is almost identical to Tenn’s.

Also, the other 8 seeds in cremes bracket are Illinois, Oklahoma st, Oregon. You really think any of them are harder to beat than TN?

Perhaps it was an argument on the men's side where the committee valued teams finishing strong. Regardless, I think this is an important indicator as to team success. Likewise, I haven't been impressed with Ole Miss going 2 for 8.

It's a crazy idea, I know, however wouldn't it be nice to see strong "mid majors" that had superlative records, but perhaps didn't win conf tourney get in the NCAAT?

 

[Vowelguy]

Perhaps it was an argument on the men's side where the committee valued teams finishing strong. Regardless, I think this is an important indicator as to team success. Likewise, I haven't been impressed with Ole Miss going 2 for 8.

It's a crazy idea, I know, however wouldn't it be nice to see strong "mid majors" that had superlative records, but perhaps didn't win conf tourney get in the NCAAT?

Agreed on mid majors, but there are 10+ teams worse than TN that will make the tourney. Target them.

I hate TN more than most, but the notion that they don’t belong in the tourney is silly