Tennessee Suffers Rare First-Round NCAA Tournament Loss

Lady Vols' season ends with 76-61 defeat to NC State in opening round

Mar. 21, 2026 at 2:56am

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Tennessee's women's basketball team suffered a surprising first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, falling 76-61 to NC State. The loss marked the Lady Vols' 14th of the season and extended an eight-game losing streak, the first time in program history they were winless in March. This was only the third time in 38 tournament appearances that Tennessee dropped a first-round game.

Why it matters

Tennessee is one of the most storied women's basketball programs, with eight NCAA championships under legendary coach Pat Summitt. This early tournament exit is a rare and jarring outcome for a team that has long dominated the sport, raising questions about the direction of the program under second-year coach Kim Caldwell.

The details

The Lady Vols were without their second-leading scorer and top rebounder Janiah Barker, and struggled to find consistent offense, shooting just 32.9% from the field and 7-of-36 from 3-point range. NC State guard Zamareya Jones scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Wolfpack to victory.

  • Tennessee lost 11 of their final 13 games of the season.
  • This was the first time in program history the Lady Vols were winless in March.
  • Tennessee dropped a first-round NCAA Tournament game for only the third time in 38 appearances.

The players

Kim Caldwell

Second-year head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols.

Janiah Barker

Tennessee's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, who missed the game due to injury.

Zamareya Jones

NC State guard who scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Wolfpack to victory.

Zoe Brooks

NC State's second-leading scorer, who left the game in the third quarter with a foot injury.

Talaysia Cooper

Tennessee's leading scorer in the game with 24 points.

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What’s next

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The takeaway

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