GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Tennessee has never failed to qualify for the women’s NCAA tournament.
Whether the Lady Vols can make their 43rd consecutive appearance remains to be seen.
Coach Pat Summitt’s program for a national powerhouse has hit a rough patch, culminating in a 76-64 loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game Thursday night, Tennessee’s seventh straight loss.
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The Lady Vols (16-13) have lost 10 of their last 12 games under second-year coach Kim Caldwell — not quite the closing momentum the NCAA tournament selection committee typically seeks when selecting its 68-field field.
Tennessee will have to rely on its strong schedule (including 15 four-on-one games) and early-season results to get in. The Lady Vols are ranked No. 22 in the NET rankings and have wins over Stanford, Alabama and Kentucky.
Caldwell believes her team deserves success.
“I think we went through the toughest schedule in the country, and most of that was in February,” Caldwell said. “But we got a big win. We want to come in and try to continue to be a different team.”
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If Tennessee does make it to March Madness, it will have been more than a month since its last win.
Tennessee’s frustration began to boil over in the second half.
Leading scorer Talessia Cooper was replaced with 6:37 left in the third quarter and did not return, which Caldwell called a “coach’s decision.” She ended up scoring 4 points on 1-of-4 shooting.
After the game, Cooper left the locker room accompanied by his assistant coaches.
“It was the coach’s decision and we just wanted to give her some air,” Caldwell said. “Emotions can get intense and we want staff to take her outside so she can breathe.”
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Freshman guard Deniya Prohl did not travel to Greenville because she is being treated for a concussion.
The Lady Vols have never been that competitive against Alabama, whom they defeated 70-59 on Jan. 18. They never led, trailing 25-18 in the first quarter and 17 points in the fourth quarter, but showed some energy in the final minutes to cut the lead to 10 points.
“People weren’t ready,” guard Nia Robertson said. “It shows when we’re not ready. We have to be the first to throw the punch.”
The Lady Vols have lost their past six games by at least eight points, and Caldwell said her team will spend extra time working on ball handling and weak-side defense.
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Two days ago, guard Kaiya Wynn revealed that she would be leaving the program before the SEC Championship game after she did not play in the final home game on senior night.
Wynn’s playing time was limited this season after returning from injury, and she played 103 games for the Lady Vols from 2021-26.
“This decision was not made lightly or immediately,” Wynn wrote on social media. “I gave everything I had for Tennessee over the past five years and have not regretted doing so. … As someone who had never played in a professional game, I expected to start my last game at Thompson Boling (Arena). That obviously didn’t happen, and being asked to check the game on a loss with 15 seconds left in the game was not the way I was going to spend my final moments at the Arena five years later. While it wasn’t the only reason, it was the turning point for me.”
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