Ahead of the matchup against Louisville, Kim Caldwell warned her Lady Vols that careless turnovers would cost them against the Cardinals. Well, that warning came true. Tennessee coughed it up 17 times, which Louisville turned into 22 points, and the Cardinals cruised to a comfortable 89–65 win. But Tennessee bounced back right away from that disappointment.

Heading into the Food City Center for their final game before the holiday break, Kim Caldwell’s side was determined to right the wrongs from the last outing, and they did just that. Tennessee started slow but unleashed a monster second half to blow past the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 89–44 in Knoxville.

“I thought we played harder tonight. I thought we shared the ball better,” Caldwell said after the win. “I’m happy with 19 assists. We were not very efficient around the rim, but our three looked a little bit better in the second half. I thought we responded well after a difficult first half.”

And Kim Caldwell had every reason to be pleased. The Vols were up 37–23 at halftime in their final game of the 2025 calendar year, then came out with a completely different edge, dropping 52 points in the second half while locking the Screaming Eagles down to just 21.

Turnovers were finally under control, down to just 13. Kim Caldwell’s side forced Southern Indiana into 29 giveaways, cashed in for 36 points off them, and shot 40% from the field to seal a much-needed win.

To really stamp their authority, Tennessee went deep, using 13 players and getting points from 12 of them. Nya Robertson led the way with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Mia Pauldo added a career-high 19 and Alyssa Latham chipped in 10 as the three Lady Vols to finish in double figures.

The Lady Vols have had their way against unranked teams this season. All four of their losses have come against ranked or formerly ranked opponents, and the road ahead is only going to get tougher.

Kim Caldwell addresses the SEC Challenge

Everyone remembers how much Tennessee struggled once SEC play rolled around last season. The Lady Vols finished eighth in the conference at 8–8, bowed out in the second round of the SEC Tournament, and saw their Big Dance run end early with a Sweet 16 exit.

It’s one of the reasons Kim Caldwell stacked the non-conference schedule with tough tests, and the result has been zero wins against ranked teams so far. Still, the coach knows exactly where this group needs to grow if they want better results when SEC play begins this season.

“I think the biggest thing is we’re coming back on the 27th, and the biggest thing is share the ball, don’t be selfish, play as a team. Multiple people have to touch it. We can’t live and die by two people. We can’t play one on five. We can’t play two on five. We have to play five on five,” Kim Caldwell said during her postgame press conference after the win over Southern Indiana.

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“Rebounds are gonna continue to be important. Playing hard for four quarters are gonna continue to be important. If you look at our season, we’ve had just epic meltdowns in three or four minutes that have cost us all three games. And if we take those meltdowns away, we are mentally tough enough to come together and play through things, our season looks a little bit different right now.”

The SEC currently has eight teams in the AP Top 25, including Tennessee, so there’s a real chance the Lady Vols could be staring at another tough conference grind like last season. Where do you see them finishing in SEC play this year? Let us know in the comments below!