Lady Vols basketball comes up short, but long-range view is promising under Kim Caldwell | Adams

The Lady Vols threatened to knock No. 1-seed Texas out of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

You don’t advance in this tournament on threats alone, though. So Texas advanced to the Elite Eight and Tennessee fell by the wayside.

Nonetheless, even as the Lady Vols’ run ran out of steam in a 67-59 Sweet 16 loss, you could believe that they’re headed for bigger things under first-year coach Kim Caldwell.

But focusing on a long-term vision was challenging after they had come so close to unexpected, immediate success against one of the best teams in the country.

Texas had just enough finishing kick to overcome Tennessee’s third-quarter charge. However, you could make a case that the Lady Vols lost this game early, not late.

The 3-point offense that helped carry them to 24 victories and all the way to the Sweet 16 betrayed them in the first half. They missed 16 of their first 18 attempts.

You could credit Texas’ defense, in part, for that wayward shooting. Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer is regarded as one of the game’s premier defensive strategists. But some of the Lady Vols’ offensive failures were self-induced. They simply missed too many shots that they normally might make.

It’s worth noting that they weren’t doomed by that shaky shooting. Their effort didn’t wane, and neither did their confidence. That helped them succeed in taking a two-point lead early in the fourth quarter, and they were still tied until SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker’s jump shot gave the Longhorns a two-point lead with 6:29 to play.

Booker, who scored 17 points, was a difference-maker, just as she was in Texas’ 80-76 regular-season victory over the Lady Vols in January in Austin. But it’s noteworthy how slight the difference was between Schaefer’s established program and the one that is just one season in the making under Caldwell.

Six of Tennessee’s 10 losses came against top-10 teams, and it defeated No. 5 Connecticut during the regular season. It also beat No. 13 Ohio State in Columbus in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Vols accomplished as much despite having to make an extreme adjustment to Caldwell’s system, which relies on pressure defense, 3-point shooting, mass substitutions and a relentless pace.

Tennessee’s full-speed approach was never more evident than late in the third quarter. Sara Puckett had just lost a shoe when a Texas player stepped on one of her heels. Unfazed, she ran down a player who was headed for a layup until Puckett knocked the ball out of bounds.

The play reminded me of a Lady Vols preseason practice that was open to the media. As the players ran a series of wind sprints from one baseline to the other, I noticed that Puckett led the way every time.

I didn’t think she had that much speed. In fact, that was more about determination than speed, and it reflected how wholeheartedly players had invested in their young coach’s new system.

Caldwell managed to put her system in place and reach the Sweet 16 in the same season. And next season, she will welcome the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class.

So even on an afternoon when the Lady Vols dropped out of the NCAA Tournament, their fans didn’t have to stretch their imagination to envision better seasons and tournaments to come.