A year ago, today, the Lady Vols hired their fourth coach in the era of NCAA women's basketball.
The choice was Kim Caldwell, who at the time owned just one season of Division I experience at Marshall.
A year later and Tennessee's bold choice of choosing Caldwell has already resulted in big moments. Here are the top three a year into her tenure.
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1) Lady Vols knock off eventual champion UConn
On Sunday afternoon, UConn took home the national title. During the regular season, the Lady Vols got the best of the eventual champions, though.
In Knoxville, Tennessee bested the Huskies 80-76. This came behind a strong third quarter that proved to be enough of a cushion to hold onto a win.
The Lady Vols were led in scoring by Zee Spearman. The junior forward posted 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field. She also contributed seven rebounds.
Samara Spencer, Jewel Spear and Talaysia Cooper all also finished in double figures. For UConn, it was Sarah Strong's 18 points leading the way.
This victory snapped a losing skid in the series. The Huskies had won four-straight games dating back to when the series was reinstated in 2020. Prior to that, Tennessee had won its last game of the series in 2007 before the hiatus.
2) Caldwell signs No. 2 class in the country in first year
Tennessee did a brilliant job of preparing for the future in year one. While Caldwell signed multiple transfers with additional eligibility past her first season, she also helped ink one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
According to ESPNW, Caldwell's five incoming commits make up the No. 2 class in the cycle. This includes a trio of McDonald's All Americans in Mia Pauldo (No. 11 in the class), Deniya Prawl (No. 14) and Jaida Civil (No. 32).
Joining the trio are Lauren Hurst (No. 42) and Mya Pauldo (No. 56).
"From the time that these five young ladies came on their visits, it just felt right," Caldwell said on signing day. "It felt like they were supposed to play here. They got along with our staff, and they got along with our players really well."
Caldwell has also done a good job of retaining Tennessee's roster. In the off-season after taking over the team, Karoline Striplin was the lone departing transfer. This off-season, Avery Strickland is the only player to enter to this point.
This means key pieces such as Cooper and Kaniya Boyd are still on the roster as players she inherited when she took the job.
3) Tennessee upsets Ohio State, advances to Sweet 16
The Lady Vols' season was capped off with some postseason success.
5-seed Tennessee got the NCAA Tournament started by setting an SEC record of 3-pointers made in a March Madness game with 16 in a 101-66 win over 12-seed South Florida.
The following round, the Lady Vols were tasked with knocking off 4-seed Ohio State on the Buckeyes' home floor. That's exactly what Tennessee did, winning 82-67 to return to the Sweet 16.
The upset win was spearheaded by Cooper who dropped 19 points in the signature win. Spearman, Ruby Whitehorn and Spencer also scored in double figures.
In the Sweet 16, the Lady Vols came up just short to 1-seed Texas. The teams went into the fourth quarter tied, but the Longhorns managed to win the final frame to finalize Tennessee's first season under Caldwell.
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