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Ranking Tennessee Vols sports worst affected by coronavirus ending season

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 2: Cheerleaders of the Tennessee Volunteers pregame against the Kentucky Wildcats in a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 2, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 2: Cheerleaders of the Tennessee Volunteers pregame against the Kentucky Wildcats in a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 2, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Patrick Murphy-Racey/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

15. Women’s basketball

We’re not saying that the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball program was the worst sport on the list. What we are saying, however, is that under first-year head coach Kellie Harper, they suffered the least by the season coming to an end. In fact, it may have saved what would have been a major embarrassment for such a storied program.

At the time of the cancellation, this team was 21-10 with an abysmal schedule strength and outside of the top 60 of the RPI. They had also lost by 21 to the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC Tournament, and they had one top 50 RPI win on the year. There would be no more games for them until the postseason, after NCAA Selection Sunday.

Simply put, their resume was bad, and it put them on the bubble, leaving in the very real possibility that they may not make the NCAA Tournament, which would be a first in the entire history of the women’s basketball program. If they did make the tournament, similar to 2019 under Holly Warlick, it would have been due to their brand name only. They didn’t deserve it.

The only saving grace for the Lady Vols was they had no bad losses, so they at least ran the table. But it still might not have been enough. And if they did make the tournament, they would have lost in the first weekend. This team had no shot at making a run, which is why things being canceled didn’t hurt them at all.

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