All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Lady Vols’ return lines up with NCAA women’s title game moving to ABC

By Caleb Calhoun

Feb 6, 2022; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper reacts from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2022; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper reacts from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Did they do this out of excitement for the Tennessee Lady Vols? For the first time in nearly a decade, UT’s storied program enters the year looking like a top five team and national championship contender. Disney made its own move at the same time.

ESPN announced that the women’s basketball national championship game will air on ABC in 2023. It’s the first time since 1995 that the women’s national championship is on an over-the-air network, which was CBS at the time.

Of course, the women’s college basketball world is a lot different since then. The Tennessee Lady Vols ironically had their greatest run, their three-peat of 1996 to 1998, during the first three years of the title game’s move to ESPN.

However, what that move really did was further expose women’s basketball to the national sports world, which resulted in more competition, so after that three-peat, UT’s program has been in a drought outside of back to back titles under Candace Parker. Then it fell off post-Summitt.

This year, though, all signs point to them becoming a national powerhouse again. They were a top five team last year before key injuries down the stretch set them back. Everybody who was hurt is healthy, and they added four elite transfers plus a five-star recruit.

That outweighs the three losses they suffered, one of whom missed the second half of last season and another one who was hurt or absent the whole year. Simply put, there is reason to believe the Tennessee Lady Vols will be in the Final Four this upcoming year.

Harper’s team getting there the first time the national title game is on an over-the-air network in nearly 30 years is huge for recruiting and restoring the brand of UT. This obviously helps the brand of women’s basketball in general, but for the Lady Vols to ride that wave would be huge.

All of this makes it more crucial than ever that they manage to live up to their expectations this year. The talent is too great, and there are implications for the program long-term. Not making the Final Four would mean a doubly-missed opportunity as a result.

With last year’s women’s national championship game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and UConn Huskies drawing more eyeballs than any title game in 20 years in the sport, it’s the perfect time to strike as well. This is why it makes sense for ESPN to move the game to ABC.

Next. Projecting Lady Vols' 2022-23 starting lineup. dark

Simply put, the stage is set for the Tennessee Lady Vols. Harper enters her fourth year with the program, and it finally appears to be at the level she planned for it to be at. Just as she does that, the title game moves from ESPN to ABC. It’s all there for UT to re-emerge in the sport.