All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Lady Vols still have another step to take

By Caleb Calhoun

Mar 6, 2021; Greenville, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Destanni Henderson (3) lays the ball up against Tennessee Lady Vols center Kasiyahna Kushkituah (11) during the second half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2021; Greenville, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Destanni Henderson (3) lays the ball up against Tennessee Lady Vols center Kasiyahna Kushkituah (11) during the second half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

In her first year as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, Kellie Harper got the program back to running the table against teams it should beat. This year, she continued that but built on it by scoring multiple upset wins over elite teams, most notably the South Carolina Gamecocks.

However, the program still has a step to take before getting back on the level of Dawn Staley’s program as the class of the SEC. A 67-52 loss to them in the semifinals round of the SEC Tournament proved that on Saturday.

Yes, the Tennessee Lady Vols can beat the South Carolinas of the world right now. But when everything is on the line and those teams come in fully motivated, they aren’t on that level just yet. This is what happened Saturday.

South Carolina came in on a mission. They wanted to get revenge for their 75-67 loss on Rocky Top over two weeks earlier. Beyond that, though, they wanted to avenge the previous Sunday’s loss to the Texas A&M Aggies that cost them the SEC regular season championship.

With that level of focus, UT stood no chance. They were up 11-10 early, but then South Carolina went on a 19-3 run to end the first quarter with a 29-13 lead, and they never trailed again. Their lead expanded to over 20 in the second half at times. When they turned it on, there was nothing the Tennessee Lady Vols could do.

More from All for Tennessee

Don’t lose sight, though, of how far this team has come. In two years on Rocky Top, Harper has only lost to one team not in the top 25, the LSU Tigers on the road back in 2020. She has not lost to any team that has failed to win 20 games or is a top 25 team.

Her first year, though, she only had one quality win, over that same LSU team at home. That’s where the dramatic step happened this year. She hasn’t lost to any team not in the top 25, and she has five wins against top 25 teams: South Carolina, the Indiana Hoosiers, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Kentucky Wildcats.

At 16-7, her team enters the NCAA Tournament 4-7 against top 25 teams and 12-0 against everybody else. Their losses are to South Carolina, Kentucky, the Georgia Bulldogs twice, the Texas A&M Aggies, the UConn Huskies and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

This resume is beyond impressive, and she’s got the Tennessee Lady Vols used to competing with top talent now. Saturday’s loss may have proven they have another step to take, but they are back in the upper echelon in the SEC, and they can clearly compete with anybody.

Next. Danny White's top 10 hires at UCF, Buffalo. dark

The next step, which could come next year, should be become the team that expects to beat the South Carolinas of the world. At that point, Harper will have the program back on Pat Summitt’s level. They aren’t there yet, but they’re not far.