Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell admits to ‘probably’ making a mistake in the Lady Vols’ NCAA Tournament win against the Ohio State Buckeyes
There wasn’t much to criticize when it comes to the Lady Vols’ 82-67 win on Sunday against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee’s 15 point win against Ohio State in Columbus, which perhaps served as some revenge for the Vols’ recent College Football Playoff loss to the Buckeyes, was an impressive performance from head coach Kim Caldwell’s team.
There was a moment during the game, however, when it appeared that things might be trending in the wrong direction for the Lady Vols.
With Tennessee leading 54-37 in the third quarter, the Buckeyes went on a 16-0 run to cut the Lady Vols’ lead to one point. Ohio State eventually took a 57-56 lead before Tennessee answered with a quick run of their own.
After the game, Caldwell admitted that she probably should’ve called a timeout in the midst of Ohio State’s 16-0 run.
“We knew it (a run) was going to happen, and we have been through that a lot,” explained Caldwell. “We’ve been through it countless other games. I told them that I don’t want to have to bail them out with time outs. I want them to just be able to work through it. I did not really realize it was 16-0. I probably should have called a time out. But they good a good job. I think we followed it with maybe a 14-0 run.”
College basketball coaches and time out usage are always a popular debate this time of year. It’s easy to watch a game from your couch and make decisions without being in the throes of battle. But it’s not nearly as easy when you’re on the sideline.
Fortunately for the Lady Vols, the 16-0 run by Ohio State didn’t cost Tennessee a trip to the Sweet 16.
