Lady Vols basketball breaks through Sweet 16 streak and other bold predictions for 2023-24 season

Lady Vols basketball has made back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances under Kellie Harper, and Tennessee is primed to break through that streak this season.

The No. 12 Lady Vols begin the season at home against Florida A&M on Tuesday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+). Between Rickea Jackson and Tamari Key returning for fifth years and a trio of transfer guards, Tennessee has all the pieces to make Harper's fifth season at the helm her best yet.

Here are four bold predictions for Tennessee in the 2023-24 season.

Rickea Jackson will win SEC POY, be voted First Team All-American

While Jackson showed exactly who she was last season, it still feels like she has limitless potential. This season, the Lady Vols are Jackson's team. With the 6-foot-2 forward as the clear focal point in their offense, she's in position to have her best season yet to cap off her college career.

Jackson will break Chamique Holdsclaw's program record of scoring 20-plus points in nine straight games.

Jackson will lead Tennessee to its best season under Harper, and she'll play at a level that makes it impossible to deny her accolades any longer. Jackson will win SEC Player of the Year and be voted First Team All-America and ride a wave of momentum into her career in the WNBA.

Tamari Key returns to the starting lineup by SEC play

Key will likely start off this season on the bench, subbing in for however many minutes she's ready to play. It's going to be a gradual buildup for Key – who's returning from blood clots in her lungs last season – because you can't get into basketball shape without playing basketball.

But Key already showed positive signs of where she is already, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her work her way back into the starting lineup when SEC play begins in January.

Destinee Wells will lead the SEC in assists

When Destinee Wells ran point in Tennessee's exhibition against Carson-Newman, you could see the difference – she racked up five assists in 12 minutes in the first half.

With targets like Jackson, Key and Jillian Hollingshead in the post and shooters on the perimeter, it's not hard to imagine a world where Wells leads the league in assists – her 4.9 assists per game last season would have led the SEC. South Carolina's Raven Johnson and Mississippi State's Lauren Park-Lane will be Wells' biggest competition in the SEC, but Wells may just be that good with players of this caliber on her team.

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Tennessee will break through Sweet 16 streak

I don't know enough about this team to comfortably predict they'll win an SEC championship. Taking down reigning national champion LSU and facing South Carolina twice will be no small task.

However, SEC play will prepare Tennessee to snap its streak of Sweet 16 appearances to make its deepest run in the NCAA Tournament since 2016 when it went to the Elite Eight. This team has Final Four potential, but the Lady Vols will at least make the Elite Eight.

Harper and her staff brought in the perfect players – and shooters – to surround Jackson with. If Tennessee can eventually get 20-25 minutes of solid play from Key, then this team is going to look incredibly dangerous in March.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Four bold predictions for Lady Vols basketball, including March Madness