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Tennessee Lady Vols about to define themselves with four straight top 25 foes

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee's Destiny Salary (2) leaps onto Tamari Key (20) after Tennessee’s win over Florida during an NCAA women's basketball in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, January 31, 2021.Kns Ladyvols Florida
Tennessee's Destiny Salary (2) leaps onto Tamari Key (20) after Tennessee’s win over Florida during an NCAA women's basketball in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, January 31, 2021.Kns Ladyvols Florida /
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Last week, a second COVID outbreak cost the Tennessee Lady Vols a chance to face three straight opponents on the road: The Mississippi State Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies and Kentucky Wildcats. Instead, it was a second COVID-related cancelation this SEC season for the program.

However, thanks to A&M being made up for a third time, now added to Sunday, Feb. 14, Kellie Harper’s team has a more imposing road. They are about to face four straight top 25 teams, three on the road and two straight in the top 10. Meanwhile, with MSU now out of the top 25, this increases the opportunity overall.

It will start with the Tennessee Lady Vols visiting Kentucky, ranked in the top 20 of both polls as well, on Thursday. Then they will finally get to visit A&M, which is ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll. After that, they return home to face the South Carolina Gamecocks, who are ranked No. 1 in both polls but will fall a bit after losing to the UConn Huskies Monday.

That three-game stretch alone is the really defining part. However, a week from Sunday, UT will get a chance to get revenge when going on the road to face the Georgia Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and beat UT on Rocky Top earlier this year.

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So what does this all mean? At 12-3 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, this team reached the top 20 of both polls for the first time all season last week. They are holding firm there at No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll, and they do have three wins already over top 20 teams: Kentucky, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Indiana Hoosiers.

On the other hand, the Tennessee Lady Vols have lost to the West Virginia Mountaineers along with Georgia and UConn. None of these are bad losses, as WVU is 15-2 overall and was an overtime loss, but the latter two were at home.

As a result, this upcoming stretch will define Harper’s team like never before. She has them performing much better against elite competition than they were last year, but they need to prove they can navigate such a tough schedule. They have shown flashes at different times but haven’t been able to go on an elite run.

If UT gets out of this stretch with a 2-2 record, there will be plenty to be happy about. Getting to 3-1 means they will be top 10 caliber and looking at top two seeds. Going 1-3 means they are still top 25 caliber but not powerhouse level yet, and going 0-4 would be disastrous. It would mean they are just still an NCAA Tournament team.

What if they pull off the unthinkable, though, and manage to go 4-0 during this stretch? At that point, you’re talking about a potential No. 1 seed, and they would then be in first place in the SEC, so a league championship is definitely in play.

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It’s not crazy to think the Tennessee Lady Vols could pull it off. They have an overtime loss, a one-point loss and a six-point loss. All signs have pointed to this program being back to the level it was once at. The next four weeks will prove if that’s the case.