Tennessee Vols Christmas wish list for fans in 2017

4. Tennessee women’s basketball continues its dominance into SEC play

The Tennessee Lady Vols have seen a resurgence this year reminiscent of the Pat Summitt days. Defeating the Stanford Cardinal on the road Thursday assured they would be undefeated entering SEC play, which begins on New Years Eve against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Holly Warlick’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class is paying off early. On top of that, they are complementing the veteran presence of Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell very well. With more depth than last year and a group of hungrier players, there is reason to be excited.

If Diamond DeShields were back, we would be talking about a potential national championship with this team. Either way, it’s good enough to be very dominant in the SEC.

So, despite the Mississippi State Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks still in the conference, we are making no excuses for the women’s Tennessee Vols this year. They need to be restored to their rightful place atop the conference.

The talent is now there, and Warlick’s coaching is as flawless as ever. However, they still have some stuff to prove.

Despite scheduling tough, many of their non-conference opponents have turned into disappointments. So the reality is that there are still questions surrounding this program and how good this team really is.

We know they’re good enough to win in the SEC. But to prove they’re back, they need to dominate. We’re talking about reaching 14 wins in the regular season. And that’s a different expectation from the next thing on our Christmas wish list.