The 30 Lowest Moments for Tennessee Vols Athletics in the Adidas Era

Jan 23, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers head coach emeritus Pat Summitt (center) prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

20. Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Team Eliminated from the First Round of the NCAA Tournament for the First Time in School History

After a drought in terms of national championships that allowed the UConn Huskies to catch up, Pat Summitt and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers finally rectified the situation and extended their lead in titles with two more in 2007 and 2008. But with the loss of Candace Parker, who could be the best or at least second-best player in school history, 2008-2009 was to be a rebuilding year.

Was it ever!

The Lady Vols stumbled to 22-10 on the year, and they just simply did not look like the program of old. Even the teams that did not win national titles in the early 2000s did not look this bad, and it appeared as if the program was on a downward spiral.

A loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament confirmed that this was the worst season in Lady Vols history since they had left the AIAW and joined the NCAA in 1979-1980. This was the fewest number of wins and the most losses in the same year Summitt had.

To add to the bitterness, UConn won another national title, and they looked to be back on track with Geno Auriemma. As we can document with this list, the 2008-2009 season was a terrible sports season overall for the Tennessee Vols athletic department, a far cry from the previous year. This was just a part of that terrible year.

Next: #19: Football Loss to Memphis in 1996