What do you expect from your coach when you beat your opponents convincingly (73-56), better them in three of the four allotted quarters, and outplay them on almost every aspect of the game? Veneration, right? But not if you are on Kim Caldwell’s team. Caldwell, who seeks perfection from the team in every department, couldn’t hide her disappointment when it came to the turnovers.

Of course, the 17-point win is worth celebrating. But at the same time, Kim Caldwell isn’t completely satisfied. While speaking to the media after the game, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers’ coach did not hold back in pointing out what is currently wrong with her locker room.

“I think anytime you can turn the ball over 25 times on the road in the SEC and come out of it with a win, you should take it. We have a lot to clean up. Yeah, I think when they’re in their gaps, and we force things, and we overdribble, it’s gonna lead to turnovers. Over-dribbling, making the easy pass, sharing the ball, and not trying to get ours,” Kim Caldwell said.

Kim Caldwell surely can thank her lucky stars in that regard, because even after going beyond the permissible limit in turnovers (25), the team still managed to pull through. The transitions in the game became limited as a result of it. In fact, Nya Robertson and substitute Janiah Barker gave away the most number of turnovers (5), followed closely by Zee Spearman and Mia Pauldo (3). Apart from that, the team functioned fairly well.

Talaysia Cooper scored 18 points, and Janiah Barker had 17 points and 8 rebounds. The Pauldo twins (Mia and Mya), along with Talaysia, worked in tandem to keep the Tigers at bay, and that was what became a turning point in the game as the Lady Vols positioned themselves for a big lead (22-9). Auburn did put up a fight in the last quarter, but it proved to be too little too late as the inevitable happened for Auburn.

However, Cooper, Barker, and Spearman are all the usual stars who have been impressing under Kim Caldwell’s tutelage, so why not today? We focus our attention on someone whose impact on the court was equally significant in paving the direction of the game. It might not catch the naked eye at first, but after a deep glance, you can tell how meaningful it was for Tennessee.

Lauren Hurst’s Underrated Presence 

With the big names floating around in the Lady Vols system, one player’s efforts might be overlooked. It is none other than Lauren Hurst. Yes, unlike the others, Lauren couldn’t manage a point during her 19 minutes on the court. But don’t let the fact that she didn’t find the net all the while she was on court fool you.

Hurst’s presence truly was special in the sense of how she helped the team by latching onto rebounds. A total of 4 rebounds in total and 2 on each end of the floor in 13 minutes. She didn’t find the net, and that’s fine because Tennessee can handle the shooting without her chipping in.

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But whatever she did on the glass mattered. Just like how her effectiveness against Florida (5 points in 7 minutes) had done. Despite her and the team’s efforts, the Lady Vols coach doesn’t believe her team is ready for the conference. Kim Caldwell has only given Hurst 9 minutes in the season so far out of her limited appearances, and this might just make her utilize Hurst a little more since she has the potential of being productive in transitions.