Bashaara Graves: The fire within

Tennessee Lady Vols forward Bashaara Graves has overcome a lot to get to where she is now, but her journey to this point has given her all the ingredients to become an extraordinary player.

Tennessee Lady Vols' bounce back from 'unacceptable' loss as simple as A, B, C: Andraya, Bashaara, Cierra

The Tennessee Lady Vols considered their loss to the Tennessee-Chattanooga Lady Mocs "unacceptable" and some pundits thought the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would take them down on Sunday in their brand new arena. So what was the difference? The answer is as simple as A, B, C.

Georgia Tech's home opener is Tennessee victory

Georgia Tech wanted to celebrate their first game at the McCamish Pavilion with a victory, but Tennessee wanted to bounce back from a loss to Chattanooga. In a battle of Top 25 teams, the Lady Vols prevailed.

Tennessee Lady Vols vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Second half run helps the Lady Vols win on the road

The last few years for the Tennessee Lady Vols have been somewhat frustrating as a women's basketball fan, even if not explicitly a Lady Vols fan.

If the first two games of the 2012-13 season mean anything, it should be more of the same in head coach Holly Warlick's first full season as described by David Hooper of SB Nation's Tennessee site Rocky Top Talk.

After two games, we've seen both hill and valley from Tennessee. Even in the win, they were scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the second half, allowing Georgia Tech to cut a 45-30 halftime lead to 45-43. But for the remaining 14:30ish, Tennessee went on an 18-point run of their own and held the Jackets to 11 total points, smothering the Bees with defense and transition play...This team has a lot of growing to do, but there is a ridiculous amount of potential available. Buckle up.

Maria M. Cornelius of Inside Tennessee offered some complementary insight on that valley against University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, citing the same growing pains and potential.

"Surprised by loss, not surprised by struggles," Cornelius told Swish Appeal about the loss to Chattanooga. "When nobody can hit a shot it infects a young team and things unravel. Two bright spots were two freshmen. Beast is overused in basketball but Bashaara Graves is a beast. And Andraya Carter is the team's best on-ball defender. Bodes well for future but there will be growing pains. Friday was round one."

It's a team that will certainly be frustrating for the faithful fans who are used to having high expectations, but perhaps intriguing to women's basketball fans eager to see the direction of this program with Pat Summitt stepping aside.

The Beginning of a New Era: Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech preview

The Tennessee Lady Vols will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tomorrow at 2 p.m. EDT on ESPN3 in the brand new McCamish Pavilion in a game that will be pivotal for both teams as they move forward.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets strike “gold” with verbal commitment of Kaela Davis

The Kaela Davis saga comes to a close with the #2 recruit in the nation choosing Georgia Tech, which is a potentially pivotal moment in program history.