This year’s Vols accomplished plenty in Caldwell’s first season, finishing the year ranked No. 20 in the nation and advancing to the Sweet 16, falling to SEC champion and No. 1-seeded Texas in a back-and-forth matchup.

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,