For Coach Kim Caldwell, things are going from bad to worse. The Tennessee Lady Vols have now lost five straight after their latest 89–73 defeat to LSU, and at this point, you can’t help but feel for the coach. When the buzzer sounded, Kim Mulkey pulled Caldwell in for a heartfelt embrace, a moment that quickly caught everyone’s attention. So when reporters asked what they talked about, the line of questioning didn’t seem to please Coach Mulkey at all!

“Yes. And you’re not going to know what that was about,” Kim Mulkey fired back in the postgame press conference when asked about the embrace. “Why do y’all continue to ask those personal questions? Do you think we’re going to slip up and tell you?” To which the reporter replied, “Well, no. I just thought it was a neat gesture.” Mulkey further reiterated, saying, “Say that was great. What’d you say to her? That’s what you were going to ask. I’m not going to tell you all what I say to coaches. No, it was personal.”

But she wasn’t stopping there, and the reporters were about to feel it. “Y’all getting to know me really well. You know, it’s kind of like this is how y’all do it now — hang with me. Like if you’re sitting in a restaurant, ‘coach, I hate to bother you for an autograph,’ but do y’all realize, all three of you did that.”

It was clear that Coach Mulkey didn’t appreciate being asked about the personal moment she shared with the opposing coach. Right now, Coach Caldwell is under tremendous pressure, struggling to find answers as her Lady Vols continue to search for wins. She needs all the support she can get, and you can bet Mulkey’s words were meant to help her weather this difficult stretch. After all, we saw Vic Schaefer publicly stand by Caldwell earlier this year when Texas beat Tennessee.

This was a game Tennessee probably could have won. They were leading by four points at the end of the first quarter and walked into the locker room at halftime down by just one. But statistically, they were looking great. They had outrebounded the Lady Tigers 27–18 in the first half and looked like a team that could finally break their losing streak and get back on the winning track.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

But in the second half, Coach Mulkey decided to change things around. “We were being pushed around, dominated,” Mulkey said. “It’s hard to put a body on somebody that flies in from the 3-point line, and they’re 6-foot-3, 6-4, to get rebounds. But get in front of them. I decided to go small.”

Going small definitely helped, as the Lady Tigers won both quarters and ended up handing Tennessee its eighth loss in the last 10 games. Yes, you read that right. Kim Mulkey’s team finished the game shooting 47% from the field, outrebounding the Lady Vols by two, and forcing 16 turnovers that led to 19 points.

Both teams have one game left in the regular season before the SEC Tournament begins, so let’s take a look at who they face.

End-of-Season Matchups for Kim Mulkey and Kim Caldwell’s Teams

For Kim Caldwell, the main focus heading into this season was to ensure the quality didn’t drop against tough SEC opponents. They desperately wanted to avoid finishing 8–8 in conference play again. But look at them now…despite leading the SEC at one stage, they’re just one loss away from matching last season’s record.

Tennessee’s final test comes against No. 5 Vanderbilt, and you can’t help but feel another loss could be looming. If that happens, Kim Caldwell’s team will likely wrap up the regular season at 8–8.

Kim Mulkey’s Lady Tigers, on the other hand, will be far more pleased. They’ve already secured hosting rights for the first two rounds of the Big Dance and will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their final regular-season game, a matchup they shouldn’t have too much trouble handling.

But how far they can realistically go this season is something only they can decide. Kim Mulkey’s team may not be a Final Four favorite, with UConn, South Carolina, Texas, and UCLA widely viewed as the teams to beat, but LSU has proven time and again that it’s far too good to be overlooked.

Where do you see LSU finishing this season? Let us know in the comments below!