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Tennessee Lady Vols enter SEC Tournament in strongest position of year

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 31, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper speaks to her team during the second half against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper speaks to her team during the second half against the Florida Gators at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been clear all year that the Tennessee Lady Vols have taken a major step forward in Kellie Harper’s second season. Even as they lost three of four two weeks ago, all four games were against top 25 teams, and they shocked the South Carolina Gamecocks.

UT closed out the regular season 15-6, 9-4 in the SEC and undefeated against teams outside of the top 25 with four wins against teams in the top 25. They played their best performance last Sunday, in their final game of the year, dominating the Auburn Tigers 88-54.

Now, as they enter the SEC Tournament with a No. 3 seed, their highest since 2015, the Tennessee Lady Vols are going into the postseason in their strongest position of the year. Their best players are playing at their best as well.

Rocky Top entered each poll this week at its highest ranking of the year, No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll. They are No. 13 in the NCAA NET Rankings and, thanks to the No. 7 ranked strength of schedule, No. 16 in the RealTime RPI.

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These rankings are showing up in the bracketology projections too. Charlie Creme of ESPN has them as a No. 4 seed facing the No. 13 seed Colorado State Rams in the first round and in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 5 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs and No. 12 seed Bucknell Bison. The Stanford Cardinal are the top seed in their region.

College Sports Madness, meanwhile, had them up to a No. 3 seed facing the No. 14 seed Idaho State Bengals in the first round and in a weekend-opening bracket with the No. 6 seed Northwestern Wildcats and No. 11 seed BYU Cougars. The UConn Huskies were the top seed in that region.

In addition to being higher than ever in bracketology projections and in rankings, the Tennessee Lady Vols are getting the most out of their stars right now. Most notably, Rennia Davis is on a red-hot streak. She has scored over 20 points in each of the last five games and become one of the most clutch players in the nation, scoring over 20 points in the second half of two games alone.

Rae Burrell, meanwhile, has remained consistent. Her scoring has slightly dropped as Davis has taken over, but her efficiency hasn’t changed. Tamari Key and Kasiyahna Kushkituah have been sprinkling in double doubles as starters in the post, and Jordan Horston has provided elite scoring in the backcourt as well when necessary.

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With the stars peaking at the right time, everybody else playing their roles and Harper making sure everybody stays consistent against inferior competition, things are looking great for the Tennessee Lady Vols as they enter postseason play. Their first game will be Friday around 8:30 p.m. ET against Thursday’s winner between the Ole Miss Rebels and Arkansas Razorbacks.