GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Tennessee has never failed to qualify for the women's NCAA Tournament.

Whether the Lady Vols make a 43rd consecutive appearance remains to be seen.

The program that coach Pat Summitt built into a national powerhouse has fallen on tough times, culminating in Thursday night's 76-64 loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament — Tennessee's seventh straight defeat.

The Lady Vols (16-13) have lost 10 of their last 12 games under second-year coach Kim Caldwell — not exactly the type of closing momentum the NCAA Tournament selection committee typically looks for when choosing the field of 68.

Tennessee will have to rely on its strength of schedule — which included 15 quad-1 games — and early-season accomplishments to get in. The Lady Vols entered at No. 22 in the NET rankings and have wins over Stanford, Alabama and Kentucky.

Caldwell thinks her team deserves to make it.

“I think we have played the hardest schedule in the country and the majority of that came in February,” Caldwell said. “But we have significant wins. We hope to get in and try to continue to be a different team.”

If Tennessee does make it to March Madness, it would be more than a month since its last win.

The frustration for Tennessee began to boil over in the second half.

Leading scorer Talaysia Cooper was replaced with 6:37 left in the third quarter and did not return in what Caldwell called a “coach's decision.” She finished with four points on 1-of-4 shooting.

After the game, Cooper left the locker room with an assistant coach.

“It was a coach's decision and we just wanted to give her some air,” Caldwell said. “Emotions can get running and we wanted to get her outside with a staff member so she could breathe.”

Freshman guard Deniya Prawl did not make the trip to Greenville because she was in the concussion protocol.

The Lady Vols were never all that competitive against Alabama, a team they beat 70-59 on Jan. 18. They never led, fell behind 25-18 in the first quarter and trailed by 17 in the fourth before showing some life in the closing minutes by cutting the lead to 10.

“People weren’t ready," guard Nya Robertson said. “When we’re not ready it shows. We have to be the first one to punch.”

The Lady Vols have lost their last six games by at least eight points and Caldwell said her team will spend extra time at practice working on on-ball and weakside defense.

Two days earlier, guard Kaiya Wynn revealed she was leaving the program ahead of the SEC Tournament after she didn't play on senior night in her final home game.

Wynn, who saw limited action in her return from injury this season, played in 103 games for the Lady Vols from 2021-26.

“This decision was not made lightly or instantly,” Wynn wrote on social media. “For the past five years I have given my all for Tennessee and have not regretted doing so once. ... As someone who has never started a career game, l was hoping to start in my last appearance in Thompson-Boling (Arena). That obviously did not happen, and to be asked to check into the game with 15 seconds left while losing was not how I wanted to spend my final moments in my arena after five years. Although that was not the sole reason, it was the breaking point for me."

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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Losing the reigning Southeastern Conference Tournament MVP to a season-ending knee injury just weeks before the opening game might be enough to break some women’s basketball teams.

Then again, South Carolina isn’t just any program.

Coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks have displayed remarkable resiliency — not to mention capable depth — rebounding from star forward Chloe Kitts' torn ACL last October. At the time, Kitts' injury, combined with other injuries and departures, raised questions about whether South Carolina would take a step back after returning to the national championship game last season.

But Staley and the Gamecocks never flinched.

No. 3 South Carolina (29-2, 15-1 SEC) enters this week's conference tournament as the top seed after winning the regular-season title outright.

“We don’t stay in a place of despair,” Staley said of overcoming Kitts' injury. “We turn the page. You figure it out. We have a lot of good post players, not a lot of post players like Chloe, but a lot of good post players.”

Kitts was more than just a good post player, though.

She, in many respects, represented the team's identity with her toughness and physical, no-nonsense approach. She also brought a high-low game to the Gamecocks offense that Staley admitted was hard to replace.

“We’re doing it a different way,” Staley said.

It wasn't just Kitts' injury that kept Staley awake at nights this past offseason.

Star guard MiLaysia Fulwiley transferred to rival LSU and backup center Sakima Walker moved on to Cal. Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Sania Feagin all left for the WBNA. And Ashlyn Watkins made the decision to take this year off while she continued to rehab from a torn ACL.

A year ago depth was South Carolina's calling card.

Staley would relentlessly wear down opponents by running bodies at them and playing aggressive defense, which often led to easy baskets. No player averaged more than 13 points and Staley regularly played more than 10 players on any given night.

This year, four players are averaging more than 13 points, led by SEC Player of the Year candidate Joyce Edwards. Edwards' 19.8 points per game is the most by a South Carolina player since A’ja Wilson’s 22.6 points per game eight years ago.

Guard Ti’Naya Latson, who transferred from Florida State after leading the nation a year ago, has made an immediate impact along with center Madina Okot, who is averaging a double-double. Holdovers Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson have elevated their games as well, averaging in double digits in scoring.

Behind that scoring power, South Carolina ranks third in points per game (87.2), field goal percentage (.510) and 3-point field goal percentage (.370) in the nation.

“Last year’s team we probably didn’t have players on the floor that could score — or they could score, but they didn’t consistently do it,” Staley said. “These players this year have consistently done it. And I think our individual offense is a lot better than it was last year.”

The defense, to Staley's surprise, is holding opponents to 33.8% shooting from the field, third-best in the country despite the team dealing with its share of injuries.

“(Defense) was probably the biggest question mark for me coming into the season," Staley said. "I knew we had really good offensive players. But defensively we have a way of playing that allows us to win basketball games, and I was a little bit concerned that we wouldn’t be able to play that way.”

Winning a fourth straight SEC Tournament title in a conference that features five teams ranked in the top seven in the country won't be easy.

Sure, the Gamecocks, who open tournament play Friday against No. 17 Kentucky, do have a distinct home-court advantage at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, where they are 18-1 in tournament games under Staley.

But Texas, Vanderbilt, LSU and Oklahoma are all capable of cutting down the nets.

Kitts, who averaged 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds during the last year's tournament and shot 74% from the field, will be cheering on the Gamecocks from the bench. And her teammates will have to step up — just as they have all season.

"I have high expectations for our teams for no matter who we have,” Staley said.

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