Lady Vols basketball is a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket released Sunday. Tennessee will head to Columbus and take on No. 12 seed South Florida in the first round Friday.
With a win, Tennessee would play either No. 4 seed Ohio State or No. 13 seed Montana State in the second round. The Lady Vols last played an NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State in 2016, winning in the Sweet 16.
As a member of the Birmingham 3 regional, Tennessee would likely play No. 1 seed Texas if it advances to the Sweet 16. It could also play Illinois, Creighton, High Point or William and Mary in its third game.
Tennessee was last a No. 5 seed in 2017. The Lady Vols beat Dayton but lost to No. 4 seed Louisville in the second round.
How Lady Vols basketball finished season
In Kim Caldwell’s first season, Tennessee went 22-9 and 8-8 in SEC play. The highlight of the season was Tennessee’s 80-76 win over UConn, the first Lady Vols victory over the Huskies since 2007.
After gaining momentum late in conference play with a four-game winning streak, Tennessee finished the season poorly. That stretch started with an 82-58 loss to Kentucky, the worst loss by far of Caldwell’s time at Tennessee.
Three days later on Senior Day, the Lady Vols put up an underwhelming performance, losing to Georgia, 72-69. The Quad-4 loss was disastrous to Tennessee’s hopes of hosting NCAA Tournament games.
A strong bounceback performance saw Tennessee open the SEC Tournament with a 77-37 win over Texas A&M. The Lady Vols forced 32 turnovers in the win over the Aggies, setting up a chance at hosting with a win over Vanderbilt.
Instead, the Lady Vols lost to Vanderbilt, 84-76, dropping two games to the Commodores in a season for the first time in program history. The defeat finished off a poor stretch that sees Tennessee be outside a top-four position.
How Kim Caldwell fared in NCAA Tournament with Marshall
Caldwell and Marshall earned the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament last season with a 17-1 conference record. The Thundering Herd beat Appalachian State and Old Dominion to reach the championship game against No. 3 seed James Madison.
It took overtime, but Caldwell’s Marshall beat James Madison, 95-92. The Thundering Herd forced 39 James Madison turnovers in the game and won despite shooting just 30% compared to 51% shooting for the Dukes.
Marshall was a No. 13 seed and played No. 4 seed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Hokies had their way with Marshall, picking up a 92-49 win. The Thundering Herd shot just 24% from the field in the loss.
Recent NCAA Tournament performances for Lady Vols basketball
Last season, Tennessee easily moved past No. 11 seed Green Bay in Raleigh, 92-63. The Lady Vols lost, 79-72, to No. 3 seed NC State in the second round. The Wolfpack advanced to the Final Four.
The Lady Vols last hosted in 2023. Taking advantage of an upset, Tennessee beat No. 13 seed Saint Louis and No. 12 Toledo at home, not facing a single-digit seed until the Sweet 16, where it lost to No. 1 seed Virginia Tech.
Tennessee was on a similar path in 2022, beating Buffalo and Belmont at home before losing to No. 1 seed Louisville in Wichita, Kansas. The year before, the Lady Vols lost at home to No. 6 seed Michigan in the second round.
The Lady Vols have not beaten a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2016 when it beat No. 2 seed Arizona State and No. 3 seed Ohio State on the road to its most recent Elite Eight appearance.