Tennessee's Kim Caldwell makes honest admission after loss in SEC Tournament that explains Lady Vols' recent lack of success
After a tough January that saw the Lady Vols lose five of eight games, Tennessee found its groove in February, winning six of their first seven games of the month, including a win against UConn, before getting blown out by Kentucky on February 27. The Lady Vols then lost to Georgia in the final game […]
After a tough January that saw the Lady Vols lose five of eight games, Tennessee found its groove in February, winning six of their first seven games of the month, including a win against UConn, before getting blown out by Kentucky on February 27.
The Lady Vols then lost to Georgia in the final game of the regular season.
Tennessee destroyed Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday before losing to Vanderbilt in the second round on Thursday.
After the loss to Vandy, Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell, who is in her first season as the program's head coach, admitted that her team is "tired" after a long season.
"I think we need rest," said Caldwell. "I think we haven't really handled our load the way we should have in hindsight. I think we're tired and need a rest. Get healthy, just get a reset."
"I think the SEC is an absolute grind," added Caldwell. "I think again, like I said, in hindsight, we could have managed our load a little bit better. That absolutely takes a toll on you night in [and] night out. I think our last two weeks have shown we're a little fatigued, we're a little banged up, and we need some rest."
Caldwell isn't using the fatigue as an excuse, it's just the reality of the situation. Tennessee moved to an up-tempo style of play under Caldwell this season and that's something that takes some time for the entire program to get accustomed to.
Fortunately for the Lady Vols, the early exit from the SEC Tournament will allow the players to get some much-needed rest before the NCAA Tournament.
"We have a hefty break between now and when we start again," said Caldwell. "We'll be able to manage that load a little bit better. We have some players that are playing through minor injuries. Just letting them kind of heal and getting back to it."
The Lady Vols have shown this season that they can compete with any program in the nation. It's certainly possible for this Tennessee team to make a deep NCAA Tournament run if they can get hot in March.
