Tennessee Lady Vols may have best team since last Final Four appearance

It’s been a drought for the Tennessee Lady Vols. They haven’t made a Final Four since Pat Summitt’s last national championship in 2008 with Candace Parker. Her own limitations that developed in the four years after that combined with the program falling apart under Holly Warlick set things back.

Now, though, they appear to be in the best position since that title run to get back to the Final Four. On the heels of their 63-55 win over the Georgia Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 13 in both polls, most bracketology experts would have them as a No. 1 seed.

Remember, the Tennessee Lady Vols are 18-1 and remain the last undefeated team in the SEC. The last time they won 18 of their first 19 games was, you guessed it, that 2007-2008 season, when they roared off to a 22-1 start.

However, it goes even deeper than that. They have played the majority of games without their best player, Rae Burrell, who was in the starting lineup with Jordan Horston Sunday for the first time all year. Their only loss was at home to the Stanford Cardinal, who are currently ranked No. 2, and you have to think Burrell would’ve given them a chance in that game.

Without Burrell, they still scored quality wins over the Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 9 in the most recent AP Poll, Georgia, ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll, and at the Ole Miss Rebels, ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll. They also beat the Kentucky Wildcats and USF Bulls, both of whom were in the top 25 earlier in the year, along with the UCF Knights on the road.

Kellie Harper has a deep team that is playing together and can withstand injuries to key players. Against UGA, Burrell was back, but they still weren’t 100 percent, as Key had to start hurt. Tess Darby was out too. With those limitations, Horston and Burrell were able to shoulder the load.

Taking all this into account, the Tennessee Lady Vols are in better shape than they have been in a long time. It’s not just the raw talent, length, depth and system that Harper runs either. Players have clearly developed year over year, a huge testament to Harper’s coaching.

Burrell was a liability as a shooter when she first arrived on Rocky Top. Now she still figures to be the team’s best scorer when healthy. However, when she was out, Horston and Key took a huge leap forward and finally began to live up to their five-star billing.

This team is the perfect construct of players developing and Harper adding the right pieces. She was brilliant adding transfer Alexus Dye, and Keyen Green now being available off the bench is a huge bonus. Brooklynn Miles and Sara Puckett are effective freshmen. Darby has taken a huge leap forward, and Jordan Walker is still a glue player.

Beyond all of this, though, the Tennessee Lady Vols are just mentally tough. When hit with those injuries early, they kept having to grind out ugly wins, but they did it. Once they beat Texas, it was clear this team was elite. Now, after Sunday, it’s almost time to say this team is back to where it was in the Summitt days.