Ole Miss Coach Addresses Kim Caldwell's Handshake Slight After Tennessee Loss
Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball head coach is not one to mince words. She has made this clear as soon as she took over the program in 2024, and has proven it multiple times ever since.
For example, when Tennessee suffered the largest margin of defeat in program history (43 points in a 93-50 game) to UNC on February 8, Caldwell said of her squad, "We had a lot of quit in us tonight. And that's something that's been consistent with our team is when we're not comfortable and things don't go our way, I have a team that'll just quit on you and you can't do that in big games."
While the Volunteers are still undoubtedly a top-25 team and will be a threat to anybody they face in the NCAA tournament, there's also no question they're going in the wrong direction. The team is 2-5 in their last seven games and have now lost two straight after they were defeated by Ole Miss 94-81 on February 17.
RELATED: Tennessee Coach Calls Out Team's 'Quit' After Historic Loss to South Carolina
However, the biggest story from this game is what came right after it ended.
Kim Caldwell's Postgame Handshake Exchange With Ole Miss Coach Turns Heads
Soon after the final buzzer sounded on Tuesday, the game's broadcast caught Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin approaching Caldwell to shake her hand, as it typical after a game ends.
However, Caldwell clearly wanted no part in any handshake, as she stormed past her while halfheartedly offering her hand. McPhee-McCuin seemed to respond with a laugh and didn't turn back around toward Caldwell, according to a video from @EverythingRebs.
Looks like Kim Caldwell wasn’t too happy about taking that massive loss on the road
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) February 18, 2026
✌️✌️ pic.twitter.com/zIGhlEn5MB
RELATED: Kim Caldwell Addresses Dismissal of Tennessee Star With Clear Message
Both coaches spoke with the media postgame. Caldwell wasn't asked about this moment, but McPhee-McCuin was, and sent an honest message.
"I think she was probably just really ready to go," McPhee-McCuin said, per an article from Caleb Jarreau of The Daily Times. "I like Kim. I don't ever take stuff like that personally because the emotions — we're competitive. She's at Tennessee, and that's a lot of history behind that place. Maybe she was in a rush or maybe she was upset, and I respect both of them. For me, I was just glad we got the win."
One would imagine that Caldwell had a lot to say to her team after Tuesday's defeat.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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