Before the first real tip-off of the 2025-26 season, Lady Vols basketball had already suffered the first gut-punch.

Following a dominant 148-48 exhibition win over Columbus State, guard Ruby Whitehorn was dismissed from the program. The senior had been projected as one of the team’s offensive focal points and a key voice in the locker room heading into second-year head coach Kim Caldwell’s most anticipated season yet. Losing that locker room leadership before a single game counted cast a long shadow over what was to come.

“I can’t put it on roster construction,” head coach Kim Caldwell said. “I got to put it on me, right? I have always been able to recruit players and stack talent and get them to run through a wall for me and get them to play hard and I wasn’t able to do that.”

The Lady Vols were ranked No. 8 nationally in the preseason after adding a top-two recruiting class to a team one year removed from the Sweet 16. Though expectations were sky-high after a 24-10 the year prior, the 2025-26 season proved to be the most difficult in program history.

Tennessee opened on the road at the Ro Greensboro Invitational in Greensboro, North Carolina, and fell 80-77 to No. 9 NC State, a loss that foreshadowed the struggles against competition. The Lady Vols rebounded to win their next five games, though there were still growing pains. A fourth-quarter comeback was needed to fend off Belmont, encapsulating those pains as Tennessee searched for consistency.

After five chances to improve, the Lady Vols were faced with another challenge on the road. They failed to even compete, getting decimated 99-77 by No. 3 UCLA. They managed to squeak out a 65-62 win over Stanford, but a 89-65 loss to No. 16 Louisville put another damper on Tennessee’s non-conference slate.

Heading into SEC play, the Lady Vols’ schedule was forgiving. Their first four matchups finished the year 14-50, giving Tennessee ample opportunity to adjust to conference play. Tennessee won all six of its conference games to start the year as guard Mia Pauldo emerged as a playmaker. After averaging 9.9 points per game in the non-conference slate, the freshman suddenly averaged 16 through the first six games. 

Tennessee capped off its six-game win streak with wins over No. 21 Alabama on the road and No. 11 Kentucky. Redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper looked great through the beginning of SEC play, averaging 14.4 points after missing a game due to a head injury. She also grabbed 4.6 rebounds and three steals per game.

At No. 1 in the SEC with a 6-0 record, the Lady Vols seemed bound for a deep March run.

Then everything unraveled.

Tennessee lost a rematch at home to Mississippi State 77-62 after defeating the Bulldogs on the road 90-80 earlier in the season. Next, the Lady Vols went to Storrs, Connecticut, to face the undefeated defending national champions in UConn. The Lady Vols had pulled off magic at home in 2025 when they beat the Huskies 80-76, but it was nowhere to be seen in 2026.

Despite the game being tied at 42 heading into halftime, the Huskies pulled away to handily win 93-66. A tough overtime win over Georgia gave Tennessee hope, but it would be short-lived. 

The Lady Vols were tasked with No. 3 South Carolina on the road. Despite it being a game between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the SEC, the game never felt competitive. The Gamecocks handed Tennessee the worst loss in program history, 93-50, smashing the record by 12 points.

The Lady Vols picked up their last win of the season over a familiar face – former player and head coach Kellie Harper. Harper and the Missouri Tigers were smashed by Tennessee, losing 98-53 in Harper’s return to Knoxville.

Despite the confidence-boosting win over the Tigers, it wouldn’t sustain into the final games of the regular season. Tennessee finished the last six games 0-6, losing to five top-20 teams and Texas A&M to finish the season 8-8 in conference play.

March brought no relief to the Lady Vols. Tennessee finished as the No. 6 team in the conference, earning a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament. The Lady Vols were upset by No. 11-seeded Alabama 76-64, extending the losing streak to seven games. 

The Lady Vols earned their 44th straight NCAA Tournament bid two weeks later, being selected as a 10-seed. Tennessee was sent to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to face a familiar foe in NC State. The Wolfpack, who opened the season with a win over Tennessee, closed it the same way, 76-61. The Lady Vols 16-14 record, including a program-long eight-game losing streak, became the worst single-season win percentage in team history.

“It was the worst year of my professional career,” Caldwell said. “Our players deserved better than that from me and you learn from that going forward.”

A long offseason looms ahead for Caldwell and the Lady Vols. Though the transfer portal doesn’t open until April 6, murmurs of player departures from the program have begun. Junior Alyssa Latham and freshman Deniya Prawl have announced their intention to leave, with presumably others to follow.