Middle Tennessee State women's basketball was bound to experience some growing pains early in the 2025-26 season.
But MTSU women's basketball coach Rick Insell is more interested in how the team learns from the early-season lumps and uses it to their advantage during the postseason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut what does Insell tell his young squad in the aftermath of a 40-point loss at home?
"I don't know ... have I ever lost by 40?" said Insell, following the Lady Raiders' 85-41 loss to 13th-ranked Tennessee at Murphy Center on Nov. 20. "Well here's what I'll tell them ... They didn't give any trophies tonight. That's what I'll tell them. We're here to win a (Conference USA) championship. They're not in our conference, thank goodness.
"Now, what we've got to do is get better, and every game try to get ourselves in a situation to get better."
During the past several years, MTSU (2-3) has been accustomed to veteran teams which not only expect to compete in tough non-conference games, but win those. The Lady Raiders are just two years removed from a 73-62 win over the Lady Vols in Huntsville.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut the 2025-26 Lady Raiders are one of the youngest Insell has fielded in his 20 years with the program. MTSU started three true freshmen and a sophomore against Tennessee (4-1). Another freshman played 30 minutes off the bench. That youth showed, particularly early in the game.
MORE: How MTSU women's basketball needed 'veteran' sophomore to overcome deficit in season opener
The Lady Vols raced out to leads of 16-0 and 46-11 in the first half as MTSU struggled with the full-court press, size and athleticism of its opponent.
Can a game that gets away that quickly be a learning experience or a detriment to younger players?
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Our coaches say every day that we don't have time to be freshmen right now," said MTSU freshman point guard Kirston Vurhulst, who came off the bench to score 10 points with four rebounds in 30 minutes played. "I think the coaches definitely, respectfully, kind of lit into us at halftime about controlling our turnovers. I think that was enough motivation to kind of get myself under control and take leadership."
Sophomore guard Savannah Davis scored a team-high 18 points for MTSU, which still has tough non-conference games left against Providence, potentially Mississippi State, Belmont, Auburn and Memphis before entering CUSA play.
Middle Tennessee guard Kirston Verhulst (10) brings the ball down the court as Tennessee Lady Volunteers guard Talaysia Cooper (55) covers her during the NCAA women's basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at Middle Tennessee."This wasn't the (result) we expected, I mean, we wanted," said Davis, who played behind a veteran starting lineup when she was a freshman. "But yeah, I think we're going to grow from this and learn. I think just having the mindset of 'we can't get down from this. It happened. It's over. It's a new day tomorrow.' "
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTennessee coach Kim Caldwell knows her squad had a major physical advantage over MTSU, but hinted that the growing pains will likely be short-lived for the Lady Raiders.
"I just think it's a tough matchup size-wise, height-wise, different leagues, and with the way college athletics is changing, the gap is just going to get bigger and bigger," Caldwell said. "But (MTSU) is one of the best high-major programs in the country for a reason, and they'll continue to do that."
MTSU will play Providence in the Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 24 in Destin, Florida.
"We've got to grow," Insell said. "We've got to get better."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU women's basketball loses 85-41 to Tennessee
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