HC Kim Caldwell's sweet gesture for fans stuck in the arena after Tennessee's win vs UConn wins hearts

Kim Caldwell's Tennessee won its big matchup against UConn 80-76 on Thursday. This was the Lady Vols's first win over the Huskies in 18 years. The game was closely contested for most of the first half, with UConn leading. However, Tennessee took over midway through the third quarter and secured the victory.

While the Lady Vols did make the news with the landmark win, a moment after the game involving coach Caldwell went viral on social media. On Friday, Just Women's Sports posted an Instagram video from the Food City Center arena in which the Tennessee HC was seen signing fans' shirts and interacting with them after a tornado warning caused them to stay back.

"Kim Caldwell is a coach of the people 👏," the caption read.

In the storied history of the UConn-Tennessee rivalry, this win marks a significant milestone for the Lady Vols, who still trail 11-17 in their overall record against the Huskies. Former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt paused the battle between the two programs from 2008 to 2019. The series was revived in 2020, and UConn has won four games since then.

---

"Locked in and played incredibly hard": Kim Caldwell comments on the big UConn win

Tennessee basketball coach Kim Caldwell talks to Zee Spearman (11) during an NCAA college basketball game. (Credits: IMAGN)

Kim Caldwell has clinched a significant victory against a major rival in her inaugural year coaching the Lady Vols. After the game, she commended her team for their collective effort in achieving this vital win.

"I'll say this. I didn't do it. They did it and they just made up their minds that they wanted to do it," Caldwell said. "I didn't score one point. I didn't get one stop. They locked in and they wanted it and they played incredibly hard.

"And that's something we've talked about, is you need to be tired, you need to be playing hard. And they can be excited for me, but I'm more excited for them."

While Tennessee has a 17-5 overall record, they have struggled in conference play (4-5). The Lady Vols are now preparing for a tough final stretch of games against SEC teams.

"I think we're getting better. I think we, like Jewel (Spear) said, had a lot of games that, I mean, they still stick with me," Caldwell said. "The one possession games against top 10 opponents. And we really needed to beat a top 10 opponent. I think that we could do that. I think we deserve that.

"I think we practice hard enough to do that. We just were making too many mistakes and we talked at length about these top teams. You can't make those mistakes and I do think we lessened those."

Up next, Caldwell and Co. prepare for their game against LSU on Sunday.