How Kim Caldwell’s promise to her team led the Tennessee Volunteers to the Sweet 16

When Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell took over the program in the offseason, the head coach asked a lot of her players. Caldwell’s system took minutes away from players who were used to playing nearly every minute and asked them to play with more intensity for every second they are on the court. The former Division II championship-winning coach also took away her players’ shoes.

“I told them if we make it to the Sweet Sixteen, they can wear whatever shoes they want,” said Caldwell after her team did just that Sunday night in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament.

Tennessee defeated the No. 4 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, after losing to the Buckeyes twice in the last three regular seasons. Caldwell was not around for those games and her players were not talking about revenge late in the fourth quarter, with the Vols moments away from moving on to the Birmingham regional semifinal. It was about getting to wear their own choices for shoes.

“They were telling me that when there was still time on the clock,” said Caldwell.

Maybe it was footwear, maybe it was the Sweet Sixteen or possibly a combination of both, but the motivation of a win can go as many ways as there are number of players in the program. What cannot be denied is that the Volunteers are a dangerous team in the NCAA tournament this year, and Tennessee’s first weekend of March Madness proved it.

After making light work of the USF Bulls on Friday, defeating the AAC Tournament champions 101-66, including a second quarter where Caldwell’s side outscored the Bulls 29-9, Sunday’s win was even more impressive.

Guard Talaysia Cooper had a game high 19 points with eight rebounds and seven steals. Cooper’s night was made even more impressive considering the guard played 30 minutes in a system that demands everything a player can give.

Sunday was only the fourth time Cooper played at least 30 minutes in a game this season. Nobody on the Vols’ roster averages more than 25 minutes per game but the way Cooper controlled the game on defense frustrated the Buckeyes in all 30 of those minutes.

“Coop was out there, she had seven steals,” said graduate senior guard Jewel Spear. “Which was crazy and she was playing both sides of the court.”

In the third quarter, when the Buckeyes went on a 20-2 run, which wiped away the Vols’ 17-point advantage, Cooper was there to hit the next five points to give Tennessee the lead. It was a lead the Vols never gave up again.

What makes those shots, and really the play of Tennessee all night, that much more impressive are the things that are not seen on a television broadcast. The Schottenstein Center was loud during that Ohio State run. Really loud.

“Hats off to the Ohio State fan base. It was loud in there,” said Caldwell. Spear continued, “It was very loud in there, so we needed each other and we had each other’s backs.”

Not only did the Vols support each other in those difficult moments, but they took over the game from Caldwell herself.

“I didn’t even need to be here today. I didn’t,” said Caldwell.

When the Ohio State run got up to 16 points, the Vols huddled together and it was not Caldwell who gave a rousing speech or the first year Tennessee coach drawing up a play. No, the players handled it themselves. Caldwell had a plan, but the team started the talk without her and said what the coach was going to say.

During the regular season, a moment like that was hard to find. Tennessee went through the growing pains of a new system that asks a lot of players. After winning 13 games to start the season, the Vols got into SEC play and could not beat a ranked opponent.

Tennessee lost by one point to the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners. Next was No. 6 LSU four days later where the Tigers beat the Vols on the final shot of regulation. Then it was losses to Vanderbilt, No. 7 Texas and No. 2 South Carolina by an average margin of four points.

The Vols earned a reputation of a team that cannot win close games. Despite defeating the No. 5 UConn Huskies, the next game was a four-point loss to LSU.

Then the Vols ended the season with three losses in the last four games, including the second round of the SEC Tournament. That was not due in part to adjusting to a system as much as it was running out of gas.

Fast forward to Sunday, and Tennessee out-conditioned a Buckeyes team known for a high-pressure full court press of their own. The win gave the Vols only their fourth win over a ranked opponent this season in 10 games, but it showed a team that is fully bought in to Caldwell’s vision, and now gets ample rest between tournament rounds.

In Birmingham, Tennessee will face either the Illinois Fighting Illini or Texas Longhorns, who play Monday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Texas is the No. 1 seed in the bracket and beat No. 16 William & Mary 105-61 on Saturday, while Illinois is No. 8 and made it to the second round after defeating the Creighton Blue Jays on Saturday.

While the Vols did not face the Illini this season, there is SEC history between Tennessee and Texas. Back on Jan. 23, Tennessee traveled to Austin, Texas to face sophomore phenom Madison Booker and the Longhorns. Despite forcing a season-low nine turnovers, with Cooper adding only seven points, the Vols only lost by four points on the road.

Should seeding hold true and the Longhorns make it to the Sweet Sixteen, Vic Schaefer’s team will have a difficult matchup the second time around against the Vols. Tennessee will be well rested for the game, and each player will get to pick their own shoes.