The Lady Vols basketball season was nowhere near the way anyone wanted. After being the preseason No. 8 in the AP Poll, the Tennessee women's basketball team sits at 16-13 following an early SEC Tournament exit. The Lady Vols are also on a seven-game losing streak, and with that, the pressure is starting to increase on head coach Kim Caldwell.
Given this, it sounds like the hot seat is starting to get hotter. Tennessee radio star Tony Basilio has reported that people are urging Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White to get rid of Kim Caldwell. Basilio even went on to say that kids within the program have stated that they want their head coach gone as well.
FanRun Radio Host and Vols Radio Legend Tony Basilio says that people are urging AD Danny White to move on from Kim Caldwell:
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) March 11, 2026
“Multiple people have gone to the AD, including, I believe, kids around the program and have encouraged him to make a change,” said Basilio. “I don’t… pic.twitter.com/JtmpxBngya
Overall, this is not the best look for Tennessee women's basketball. This type of stuff should be aired out after the season, and not during an NCAA Tournament preparation. On the other hand, I get why people are frustrated, as this team has consistently fallen short this year, and players have been frustrated. In the loss to Alabama, Caldwell benched Talaysia Cooper for basically the whole second half, sparking controversy.
It's not the first time either that Caldwell has called players out. After a horrible 43-point loss to South Carolina, Caldwell was not happy and threw the team right under the bus.
"I have a team that will quit on (you), and you can’t do that in big games... or any time in the SEC. But you certainly can’t do that in this program," Caldwell said.
She probably isn't wrong that the Lady Vols gave up and quit, but also, sometimes, as the leader of the program, you have to publicly fall on the sword. Privately? That's a different story when you're in practice or the film room.
Will Tennessee move on from Kim Caldwell?
It’s hard to ignore that there has been a lifetime full of drama in just a few months when it comes to the Lady Vols basketball team. Unless Tenenssee can pull off a miracle run, I would be lean towards the idea that Caldwell is no longer the coach.