Kim Caldwell’s Way Is Working at Tennessee

Caldwell said when she was hired, she wanted to take the Volunteers to the Sweet 16 in her first season, which is exactly where Tennessee made it in the women’s NCAA tournament. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BIRMINGHAM — Tennessee is gone; Tennessee is not going anywhere. 

The Texas Longhorns beat the Tennessee Volunteers, 67–59, in the Sweet 16, but every arrow in Kim Caldwell’s program is pointing up. This season began with skepticism and ended with affirmation: Tennessee is on its way back to being a top-10 program, and that might be underselling it.