The Lady Vols basketball team opened its preseason schedule with a dominant win over Carson-Newman. The Lady Vols play the Lady Eagles in the preseason nearly annually, and this year wasn't much different, ending in a Tennessee win.
The biggest difference this year is the Lady Vols' scoring totals. First-year head coach Kim Caldwell comes from Marshall and is known for her up-tempo "Fast and Furious" offense. This offense often results in high-scoring games, and it is already showing that in Caldwell's first preseason game in Knoxville.
Tennessee beat Carson-Newman by 86 points, scoring 135 points on the offensive end and only allowing 49 points on defense.
all treats, no tricks 🎃 pic.twitter.com/FqFKJlvgsM
— Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) November 1, 2024
Lady Vols fans aren't quite used to seeing that many points scored in a game. It is the most points scored in a game since 2008 when the Lady Vols scored 135 points against Carson-Newman.
The Lady Vols had six players finish the night with double-digit points scored. Clemson transfer Ruby Whitehorn led Tennessee in scoring with 29 points, five rebounds, and four steals in only 19 minutes in her Tennessee debut.
Jewel Spear and Miami transfer Lazaria Spearman scored the second-most points with 17 points a piece. Spear returns as an important piece for the Lady Vols, while Spearman joins Whitehorn in making her debut on Rocky Top.
Not only has Caldwell seemingly made an immediate impact on the Lady Vols' offensive firepower, but transfers Whitehorn and Spearman also look to be immediate impact players for Tennessee in the Lady Vols' only exhibition game of the year.
While it's just an exhibition game, Vols fans should get used to the offensive explosion in the Caldwell era. Last season, she led Marshall to the No. 4 ranked offense with 85.3 points per game, which is the lowest PPG average her teams have had in her career.
Caldwell's offenses have excelled in shooting threes. Marshall ranked No. 3 in the nation with 10.6 three-point shots made per game.
You also may notice that Tennessee finished the night with 30 steals. That's common for Caldwell, who averaged 13.2 steals per game at Marshall and 24.2 turnovers per game.
Caldwell is delivering Everything Lady Vols basketball fans have been asking for. It's only one game, and an exhibition game at that, but the box score should get fans excited about the potential of Caldwell's teams on Rocky Top moving forward.