With a disappointing 16-9 record defining their season, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers are in the midst of a trying stretch, but their on-court struggles were just the prelude to a shocking off-court development.
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Head Coach, Kim Caldwell chose not to take Janiah Barker on their trip to face the Oklahoma Sooners. And the bizarre reasoning during the pre-game conference must have left fans bewildered.
Kim Caldwell told the press that Janiah Barker “did not meet program expectations.”
Per ESPN broadcast: Kim Caldwell said Janiah Barker “did not meet program expectations.”
Barker didn’t travel with the team.
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) February 22, 2026
While the offense performed admirably, Tennessee felt Barker’s absence on their defense as Oklahoma found lots of space inside the D, making them pay as they ran to a 100-93 win over the Lady Volunteers.
The loss marked their 10th defeat of the season.
The result triggered a lot of buzz among supporters.
Fans Ponder Kim Caldwell’s Direction and Leadership
The fans had a lot to say about Kim Caldwell’s comments on Janiah Barker’s absence.
One fan pointed out a rare positive. “They look better without her,” they said.
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers had their best offensive night of the season against a seeded opponent, knocking down 30 field goals, as many as the Sooners. Maybe Caldwell’s decision to omit Barker is not without reason, and this performance only points more fingers towards the forward.
Another fan highlighted,” Damn… At this rate, Barker is pretty much going to run out of coaches to snub in that handshake line.”
Janiah Barker has a troubled history. The forward transferred in from UCLA and avoided the handshake with her former head coach, Cori Close, when the two teams met in November. If this goes on, and Barker enters the transfer portal again, we could see a similar situation if Barker faces Kim Caldwell next season.
Imago
Credit: IMAGO
The focus shifted to Kim Caldwell, with one fan lauding her commitment to her process. “I love how Kim Caldwell doesn’t bend her knee for anybody,” said the fan.
Kim Caldwell is known for her unwavering commitment when it comes to the sport and the fans may find it refreshing to see that the head coach will not begrudge any player who doesn’t show the same level of dedication.
One fan speculated about the rumblings in the locker room. They declared, “Kim Caldwell lost the locker room.”
The Tennessee head coach’s comments about her players having ‘a lot of quit’ in them after the blowout against South Carolina could not have gone down well with the players. While they did bounce back with a win over the Missouri Tigers, the players have not publicly expressed their discontent with the comments; such a public callout from the head coach could have irked some players, including Janiah Barker.
One fan, though, pointed fingers directly at the head coach. They said,” Well, Kim Caldwell sure hasn’t been meeting ‘team expectations’, so maybe we should’ve left her in Knoxville.”
This has been a rough stretch for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. The Oklahoma defeat means they are now 16-10 for the season, and have only beaten 2 of the 10 seeded opponents they have faced so far. There are two seeded opponents left in their regular season schedule, and it will be interesting to see what happens to Kim Caldwell after the string of on-court and off-court issues the college program has faced this season.