Big-name programs are returning to prominence

Kellie Harper is working to return the Tennessee women’s basketball program back to being a title contender and has the Lady Vols closer to their traditionally elite status.

She’s got company at other big-name programs, too.

The Lady Vols are ranked fifth in Harper’s third season at her alma mater. Tennessee is among a group of AP Top 25 teams returning to prominence after recent coaching changes. Teams like No. 12 LSU, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Duke, No. 20 Notre Dame, No. 21 North Carolina and No. 23 Oklahoma are thriving and primed to make a postseason impact under coaches hired since 2019.

Two of those teams, UNC and Notre Dame, meet Sunday.

“You don’t just push a button and win games,” Harper said after Thursday’s win at Vanderbilt. “There’s a lot that goes into it, a lot on the court, off the court, you have the right personnel. You’ve got to have the right system. … There’s a lot of basketball left to be played, so we’re looking at it as that’s a lot of opportunities for growth for us.”

As Harper noted, there’s still about two months left until Selection Sunday. Yet these teams have put themselves in contention to host early round NCAA Tournament games.

“The teams we’re talking about are actually a part of the conversation on the national scene now,” said Debbie Antonelli, a college basketball analyst for multiple outlets, including ESPN.

“Tennessee wasn’t in the mix to go to the Final Four. North Carolina, Duke, they weren’t in the mix to go to the Final Four. Oklahoma wasn’t discussed as a top-16 team that could host the first and second round. And that’s the big key in the women’s game, that’s a huge piece of it.”

So far, the Lady Vols (16-1) are best positioned for that along with the Tigers (16-2). LSU lured threetime national champion and Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey from Baylor last spring to spark a program that hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2014.

At Georgia Tech, third-year coach Nell Fortner took the Yellow Jackets (13-3) to the Sweet 16 last year in the program’s first NCAA trip since 2014. She has also provided stability after the school fired longtime coach Machelle Joseph, while Courtney Banghart took over at North Carolina around the same time following a tumultuous period resulting in the resignation of Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell.

Duke (11-3) is ranked this year for the first time since the 2018-19 preseason poll.

At Notre Dame, second-year coach Niele Ivey has the Fighting Irish (12-3) rolling again after it posted a losing record in Hall of Famer Muffet Mcgraw’s final season followed by a 10-10 season in Ivey’s debut.