When Tennessee women's basketball coach Kim Caldwell took over the program in the offseason, the head coach asked many players. Caldwell's system was a few separate players from those who were used to playing almost every minute, and asked them to play more intensively on the court. The former Division II Championship-winning coach also stolen the players' shoes.
“We said once we reached the sweet 16, they could wear whatever shoes they like,” her team said after doing it that Sunday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee defeated No. 4 seed Ohio Columbus' Buckeyes after losing twice to the Buckeyes in the last three seasons. Caldwell was not present for those games and her players were not talking about revenge late in the fourth quarter. It was about wearing your choice for shoes.
“They were saying when they still had time on the clock,” Caldwell said.
Maybe it was footwear, maybe it was a sweet 16, and maybe a combination of both, but the motivation for victory can go as many ways as there are many players in the program. What can't be denied is that volunteers are the dangerous teams of this year's NCAA Tournament, and Tennessee's first weekend of insanity proved that.
Sunday's victory was even more impressive after Caldwell's team defeated AAC Tournament Champion 101-66, including the second quarter, when he outscored the Bulls 29-9 on Friday.
Guard Talaysia Cooper scored 19 points highs with eight rebounds and seven steels. Cooper's night was even more impressive considering the security guards played for 30 minutes in a system that demands everything the players can give.
Sunday was the fourth time Cooper played at least 30 minutes in a game this season. No one on the Vols roster averages over 25 minutes per game, but the way Cooper controlled the game on defense has frustrated the Buckeyes in all 30 minutes.
“Coop was there, she had seven steals,” said Jewel Spear, a senior alumni security guard. “It was crazy, and she played both sides of the court.”
In the third quarter, when the Buckeyes wiped out the Vols' 17-point advantage when they made a 20-2 run, Cooper was there to hit the next five points to lead Tennessee. That was a lead that the Vols never gave up again.
Making those shots makes Tennessee's all-night play even more impressive. It's something you can't see on TV. The Schottenstein Center is noisy while the Ohio state runs. It's really loud.
“I've been wearing my hats over the Ohio fan base, and there was a loud voice there,” Caldwell said. Spear continued. “It was so loud there that we needed each other and had each other's backs.”
Not only did the Vols support each other in these difficult moments, they also took over the game from Caldwell himself.
“I didn't even have to be here today. I didn't,” Caldwell said.
The Vols were huddled together when the Ohio State run scored up to 16 points. No, the players handled it themselves. Caldwell had plans, but the team began speaking without her and said what the coach said.
It was hard to find such a moment during the regular season. Tennessee has experienced the growing pains of a new system that asks many players. After winning 13 games to start the season, the Vols took part in the SEC play and were unable to beat their ranked opponents.
Tennessee lost one point to No. 9 Oklahoma Souler. Next was sixth place LSU Four days later, the Tigers defeated the Vols on the final shot of the regulations. There were subsequent losses at an average margin of 4 points to Vanderbilt, 7th Texas and 2nd South Carolina.
The Vols have gained a reputation for teams that can't win a close game. Despite defeating No. 5 uconn Husky, the next game was a 4-point loss for LSU.
The Vols then ended the season with three losses in their final four games, including the second round of the SEC tournament. That wasn't partly due to adaptation to the system as much as the gas was shortage.
Fast forward to Sunday, Tennessee was conditioned on the Buckeyes team, known for its high-pressure, full court reporting. The victory was awarded only the fourth victory against the opponent ranked in 10 matches this season, but it showed a team that was fully acquired by Caldwell's vision.
In Birmingham, Tennessee faces both Battle with Illini, Illinois or Texas Longhornswill play on Mondays at 2pm ET.
Texas was number one in the bracket, beating 16th William & Mary 105-61 on Saturday, while Illinois was eighth, moving on to the second round after beating the Clayton Blue Jays on Saturday.
The Vols have not faced Illini this season, but there is an SEC history between Tennessee and Texas. On January 23rd, Tennessee traveled to Austin, Texas, where he faced sophomore Phenom Madison Booker and the Longhorns. Despite forcing a season-high nine turnovers as Cooper only added seven points, the Vols only lost four points on the road.
If the seeds are true and the Longhorns reach the sweet 16, Vic Schaefer's team will have a second difficult matchup against the Vols. Tennessee has plenty of rest for the game, and each player can choose their own shoes.
