A daunting stretch that was supposed to put them on top of SEC play turned into one that will haunt Tennessee for the rest of the season. Kim Caldwell’s Lady Vols lost their sixth game on the trot, this time against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tennessee lost 87-77, but it wasn’t the results, though, that drew all the attention from this contest; rather, it was a post-game nuance that raised concerns about Caldwell’s team’s mindset.

The situation unfolded during the post-game press conference, when Tennessee senior Nya Robertson was asked about her team’s mindset heading into the postseason tournaments. The senior guard didn’t seem ready for the question and hesitated for about 7 seconds before answering, suggesting the team isn’t in the best frame of mind after these consecutive losses.

“We know what we can do, and we just have to do it. I mean, starts with one and then the next person,” Robertson said. “We all got to feed on feed on to each other. But we we promise y’all it’s we going to be good. “Robertson played a good hand in the game, scoring 12 points in 29 minutes, but her brief wait before sharing her perspective even caught head coach Caldwell off-guard, who couldn’t help but share a gloomy gaze with her senior player.

In a follow-up question later in the interview, the head coach herself was asked to comment on her team’s mentality heading into the SEC. “I think again you focus on your next game,” Caldwell said. It’s it’s go time. March is when you want to be playing your best basketball, regardless of what our record has been.”

“I do think that we are showing some improvements in some areas. We need to continue to put it together, need to continue to take those lapses away. Work on that. I think I have a team full of individuals that’ll be ready to go in March.”

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Kim Caldwell’s mindset towards the losses is quite optimistic, though. She isn’t shying away from her team’s shortcomings, but she also believes her team can bounce back at the right moment. This is a very mature reaction from the Lady Vols’ head coach, in contrast to the aggressive approach she took, putting her players in the media’s firing line after blowout defeats to UConn and South Carolina.

Caldwell’s team finished the regular season 16-12 and 8-8, after being 14-3 and 6-0 at one point. The games against ranked opponents forced them to drop game after game. UConn, South Carolina, Texas, LSU, and eventually Vanderbilt locked up the Lady Vols, and the team has crumbled like a house of cards every time.

It’s true that Caldwell’s team has shown signs of improvement in patches. For instance, in the latest game against Vanderbilt, the Lady outscored the Commodores in several metrics. Caldwell’s team rebounded more, took more shots from open play. But the playmaking and shooting efficiency are something that the team has struggled with throughout SEC play, and the Lady Vols’ head coach knows it quite well.

Kim Caldwell Pinpoints What Went Wrong for Tennessee in the Game

Tennessee shot just 31 of 68 from open play for 46% against the Commodores, and even worse, just 29% from the perimeter. On the other hand, it allowed Vanderbilt nearly 50% from both open play and deep, which proved to be the decisive factor in the loss. The Lady Vols missed eight chances of layups in the first quarter of the game, which Caldwell didn’t hesitate to vent her frustration at.

“It was frustrating that I think in the first quarter, I remember a lot of them were pretty clean looks, and then again, the third quarter we had the same problem,” Caldwell said. “I think for us, we’ll watch the third quarter live. We normally clip it and edit it, and break it down a variety of ways and maybe they need to see it in real time.”

The time is closing in on Caldwell and her team quickly. Tennessee’s next game at the SEC conference championships is on March 06. They already are in a back-and-forth position after finishing the regular season in sixth place, courtesy of these continuous defeats. It means that the team won’t have an advantageous seeding going into the tournament.

Additionally, these issues with shooting and perimeter defense from the half-court will combine to force Caldwell’s team to do the hard work in the SEC conference tournament. What are your expectations from the team for the tournament? Do let us know in the comments.