Is Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell on the hot seat? Why her job appears safe despite late-season collapse

Tennessee picked up its seventh consecutive loss on Thursday with a 76-64 result against Alabama in the second round of the SEC Tournament. If possible, off the court, things have been going even worse for the Lady Vols over the last few weeks.

There are multiple signs that coach Kim Caldwell might have lost the locker room. Just this week, senior Kaiya Wynn announced she had left the program after Caldwell didn't play her at all during senior night and star guard Talaysia Cooper was benched for most of the Alabama loss. 

Saying fans are not pleased would be an understatement, but it appears Caldwell is not in the hot seat.

"I think she is doing a great job," Athletic Director Danny White said earlier this week, as reported by the Knox News. "I'm as confident in her as I was the day I hired her. (I'm) more confident just getting a chance to work more closely with her and see how talented she is as a basketball mind and as a leader."

White did admit the program has fallen short of expectations this season. In the fall, Tennessee was fresh of a Sweet 16 appearance and had the No. 2 freshman class in the nation along with some key transfers. All of that has amounted to a 16-13 overall record.

Tennessee is the only women's basketball program to make every NCAA Tournament since its inception and that streak is not expected to end this year. However, the Lady Vols will be the first team in at least 20 years to enter the tournament on a seven-game losing streak and their 16 total wins this season would tie the fewest by an at-large team in the last 40 years, excluding 2021 due to shortened schedules.

Tennessee is one of the most successful programs in women's basketball history, with eight national championships under the late Pat Summitt. However, the powerhouse is no longer what it was. The Lady Vols' most recent national title was in 2008 and they have not reached the Elite Eight in a decade.

White said he didn't think Caldwell's hiring in 2024 was going to be "a quick fix." However, he understands passionate discussions of the current state of Tennessee because this is "a storied women's basketball program that we are working really hard to get back."

The loss to Alabama was the first time since 2017 that Tennessee failed to win at least one conference tournament game. Cooper only played 12 minutes on Thursday and the optics were not great when she went to the bus while the rest of her teammates were with media in the locker room.

"It was a coach's decision. We just wanted to give her some air," Caldwell said about Cooper's postgame absence. "I think your emotions can get running, and I just wanted to get her outside and with the staff members, so she could breathe."

As for only playing Cooper 12 minutes, Caldwell said, "Who knows if it was the right call? We're trying to find combinations that work."

Tennessee will officially learn its NCAA Tournament fate during Selection Sunday on March 15. Despite the Lady Vols not winning a game in over a month, CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel is still confident the Lady Vols will make it in.

"At the end of the day, they keep playing teams better than them and aren't getting blown out," he said. "The metrics still look good, they'll 95% be seeded eighth or ninth."