The Lady Vols strength and resolve will be tested in Sweet Sixteen

Tennessee Lady Vol coach Kim Caldwell’s messages are nearly always very clear and succinct and that has certainly been the case this week as her team prepares for Saturday’s match up with Texas in the Sweet Sixteen. 

“Our challenge is rebounding. We have to rebound the ball. If we can’t rebound the ball better than we did last game against them or we have at different times this season then it’s a wrap for us. It’s the end.”

When Tennessee and Texas met back in January, the Lady Vols fell 80-76 and the defense was on the glass. 

The Longhorns out rebounded the Lady Vols by 15. Texas had 17 offensive rebounds that they turned into 25 second chance points. It’s pretty clear why Caldwell had rebounding signs plastered all over Food City Center this week. 

“I think it’s really important in March that you have to rebound. You have to rebound and you have to hit foul shots. That’s something we have been talking about,” Caldwell explained.

Last weekend in Columbus, Tennessee out rebounded Ohio State by 5 and USF by 8 in wins. 

“The work is never done,” Caldwell said. “I do feel like we rebounded well last week. It’s a new week. It’s a bigger opponent. It’s a more physical opponent and we just have to continue to do that with focus and effort. There have been some games this year where I have questioned are we capable of rebounding with this team. Watching the Texas game was one of them. So just making sure that we have a focused effort with a sense of urgency on the boards.”

A sense of urgency overall was the theme of last week. Caldwell’s squad was “locked in” from shoot around to final horn according to the head coach and they played brand of basketball she expects in her Lady Vol program. In two games, Tennessee took 31 more field goals. They had 73 points off turnovers, they were +13 on the boards and +20 on the boards. 

Those numbers have not been common place for Caldwell’s team though out the season

“Not many,” Caldwell said when asked how many times she had seen that type of play this year. “That’s why I was really pleased with the weekend because it was two games back to back where it’s looked like it’s supposed to look.” 

Tennessee had balanced scoring and contributions from everywhere on the floor. Having that Saturday will definitely be a key. In the first match-up versus Texas only two players scored in double figures. Four did in the win over Ohio State and Tess Darby had nine. 

“We are really hard to guard when we have multiple people that can step up and we put pressure on you in a lot of different places,” Caldwell said. 

But the challenge this weekend is much greater against a Texas team that’s playing better than ever. 

“I think they are playing really well right now,” Caldwell offered. “I think they have picked it up a little bit. Their defense is a lot better. Their defense is always good but it looks next level good since their last lost. I think we are both trending upward so hopefully it will be a high level game.” 

To be a high level game, Tennessee has to rebound. They have to make three’s and most importantly they have to have a next play mentality. Against Ohio State there were multiple times were Tennessee turned the ball over and immediately turned the Buckeyes back over. Caldwell’s team didn’t let one bad play turn into two or three. They didn’t let a bad offensive possession turn into bad defense.

“Those plays were huge,” Caldwell said. “Don’t just give up one one, go get it back. We did have a couple of those and that’s some of the stuff that makes me most proud. Diving on loose balls, not just hanging your head. Going back and getting a stop or a turnover right back. Those are momentum killers for the other team.

“They were locked in. They were playing together as a team. Our huddles were tight. We had a lot of high fives. We had a lot of great energy and to see that when we were getting hit was a big step for this program. It’s a step that we needed.”

The challenge is to take another step this weekend against #1 seed Texas in the Sweet Sixteen.