Are the Lady Vols an Elite Eight Team?

#28
#28
No, Sweet 16 is minimum expectations and that’s questionable depending on the draw.
 
#31
#31
Lucy said:
Yea!
A better question is why do Rick Barnes’ teams underperform in the tournament?
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Perhaps because they over-achieve during the regular season. They're over-achieving this season. Not much consistent
scoring talent--but they've been the best defensive team in the nation. That is the first way to become a title contender--play
great defense.
 
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#34
#34
Not the way they are playing now. They have to score over 70 to get wins. Their defense gives up to many points and when you get past the sweet sixteen your playing an elite team. You can't turn it over or give up the open looks and layups we give teams.
 
#35
#35
IF they play D like they did in the last 2 games and shoot the 3 well and the O moves around and cuts they will play well. I think we saw how good this team can be if they play solid defense: The second half of Vandy and first half of Arkansas. If they play a full game playing Defense like that without fading out for a quarter, we are in with a chance. This all comes down to consistency with the guards and another couple of players (Hollingshed, Striplin, Franklin, Puckett, Darby) scoring in double digits to help out Horston and Jackson. I think they will make the elite 8 and whoever they play, they will definitely give them a good game!
 
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#36
#36
Of course it depends on the matchups and upsets and what not. UT could lose in the round of 32, but could also make an EE run. I just get tired of seeing UT as a 7 seed. There are not 24 better team profiles. As long as UT beats Auburn and KY and only loses to LSU or SC in the SEC tourney I think UT ends up a 5 seed.
 
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#37
#37
Golfteacher said:
The Lady Vols last two victories proved at least two things, they can beat teams they are suppose to beat and they have the ability to score from anywhere on the offensive part of the floor. However, their current history shows that when they face ranked teams they get out coached and out played. However, I see two things, they have guards who can shoot and the total commitment to getting the ball inside stifles their ability to utilize all of their offensive capabilities. The Lady Vols need a more wide open offense which will open up the paint. I really liked KJH’s offense in the Arkansas game, especially in the first half. Arkansas was committed to stopping Tennessee’s paint points by sagging two and three people in the paint, so Tennessee blitzed them with the outside shot. They looked awesome and it put teams on notice that we have the ability to score from the inside, mid range and outside. KJH needs to keep this offensive plan, that way a one dimensional offense becomes multi dimensional. Add this to their defense and I believe that the Lady Vols have a chance at becoming at least an elite eight team.
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Main Lady Vol problem is inconsistentcy
 
#39
#39
My expectation remains nearly the same as it was well before the season started, and despite not knowing then the team would be without lane protector Tamari Key:

1. Not reaching at least the Sweet 16 would be a huge disappointment for me as a longtime supporter, but it would be considered by most of the world of women's basketball a catastrophic failure. I do believe this team will reach at least the Sweet 16, but it's certainly not a given.
2. Elite 8 is achievable and remains my top realistic goal for this season, but even that would take a favorable bracket with some upsets ahead of us and better-than-average shooting. The program will be in good shape going into the offseason/portal season with an E8 finish, but ... whew. That would be really something. And truly unexpected.
3. Final Four is still not impossible, but IS highly improbable. WAY improbable. We'd have to have so much luck with higher seeds being eliminated early and then play all opponents so much better than we have played anyone all season that it would be forever considered a magical run if they get there. I would love nothing more than for the team to find that magic, but I don't think it is a realistic fan-goal.
4. Championship. A national championship with this inconsistent team, after this inconsistent season, would make the feat achieved in 1997's "Cinderella Season" look like nothing. Again, I fall short of ever saying anything is impossible, but ... well ... goodness. A national championship this year would be so crazy, so nutty, so, sooooo unlikely that it would go down in wcbb history as one of the most Cinderella-y of all time, if not THE most. Granted, we're talking about what we think NOW with what we've seen all season, not based on what the outlook was BEFORE the season and all the roadblocks that came up.
 
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#40
#40
lvocd said:
My expectation remains nearly the same as it was well before the season started, and despite not knowing then the team would be without lane protector Tamari Key:

1. Not reaching at least the Sweet 16 would be a huge disappointment for me as a longtime supporter, but it would be considered by most of the world of women's basketball a catastrophic failure. I do believe this team will reach at least the Sweet 16, but it's certainly not a given.
2. Elite 8 is achievable and remains my top realistic goal for this season, but even that would take a favorable bracket with some upsets ahead of us and better-than-average shooting. The program will be in good shape going into the offseason/portal season with an E8 finish, but ... whew. That would be really something. And truly unexpected.
3. Final Four is still not impossible, but IS highly improbable. WAY improbable. We'd have to have so much luck with higher seeds being eliminated early and then play all opponents so much better than we have played anyone all season that it would be forever considered a magical run if they get there. I would love nothing more than for the team to find that magic, but I don't think it is a realistic fan-goal.
4. Championship. A national championship with this inconsistent team, after this inconsistent season, would make the feat achieved in 1997's "Cinderella Season" look like nothing. Again, I fall short of ever saying anything is impossible, but ... well ... goodness. A national championship this year would be so crazy, so nutty, so, sooooo unlikely that it would go down in wcbb history as one of the most Cinderella-y of all time, if not THE most. Granted, we're talking about what we think NOW with what we've seen all season, not based on what the outlook was BEFORE the season and all the roadblocks that came up.
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I agree about the Sweet 16, there are not 16 better teams in NCAAW BB currently, so it can be viewed as just playing to UT’s capabilities. I see a big drop off after the top 4-5 teams, there are around a dozen teams after those top teams that can all play competitively with each other. UT is one of those dozen.

Elite 8 requires the right bracket, maybe some upsets along the way and higher end consistent play. It’s not impossible for UT to make it this far, but based upon season results it probably means catching some breaks as well as a little of the proverbial lightning in a bottle. It’s not probable right now, but it’s not impossible either with this lineup.
 
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#41
#41
If I were a betting man … based on the past few years of watching both men’s and women’s teams in the NCAA tournaments I would bet very little on either team getting past the “Round of 32”. However, I do remain hopeful. GBO!
 
#43
#43
To play out Charlie Creme's current bracket using HHS predictions...
  • Round of 64: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 10-seed Oregon: TN is favored 73-69 (62% chance of winning).
  • Round of 32: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 2-seed Iowa: Iowa is favored 83-77 (67% chance of winning) on Iowa's home court. This is closer than I expected! Let's assume they could pull of that upset...
  • Sweet 16: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 3-seed Duke: TN is favored 65-63 (59% chance of winning) OR 7-seed Tennessee vs. 6-seed South Florida: TN is favored 68-64 (62% chance of winning).
  • Elite 8: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 1-seed Stanford: Stanford is favored 73-65 (76% chance of winning).
This is why bracket placement matters, and also why having to play on someone else's court in the 2nd round really sucks. Tennessee is actually favored on a neutral court against higher seeds like Maryland (2), Duke (3), Michigan (3), Virginia Tech (3), all of the projected 4 seeds...

I would say if they can get that road win in the Round of 32, then they make the Elite 8. But the problem is most of those teams listed above would be favored on their home courts.
 
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#44
#44
travis929 said:
To play out Charlie Creme's current bracket using HHS predictions...
  • Round of 64: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 10-seed Oregon: TN is favored 73-69 (62% chance of winning).
  • Round of 32: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 2-seed Iowa: Iowa is favored 83-77 (67% chance of winning) on Iowa's home court. This is closer than I expected! Let's assume they could pull of that upset...
  • Sweet 16: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 3-seed Duke: TN is favored 65-63 (59% chance of winning) OR 7-seed Tennessee vs. 6-seed South Florida: TN is favored 68-64 (62% chance of winning).
  • Elite 8: 7-seed Tennessee vs. 1-seed Stanford: Stanford is favored 73-65 (76% chance of winning).
This is why bracket placement matters, and also why having to play on someone else's court in the 2nd round really sucks. Tennessee is actually favored on a neutral court against higher seeds like Maryland (2), Duke (3), Michigan (3), Virginia Tech (3), all of the projected 4 seeds...

I would say if they can get that road win in the Round of 32, then they make the Elite 8. But the problem is most of those teams listed above would be favored on their home courts.
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Good analysis thanks!

Once again, it's the early overschedule that will take us down. I don't care what Neighbors or anyone else says, the benefits of playing early season murder's row in no way outweighs having to play these teams post season on their home courts. Of all that's gone on, it was KJH biggest mistake. As my Mom would have said, eyes were bigger than our stomach.
 
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#46
#46
Everything depends on how we finish. Creme is wrong Tn at the moment is a 5 seed. Committee will reward SOS of 2 and net of 12-15 after SC game. So now you are playing to get 4 seed. When you have 2 talents like Jackson Horston they can lift you to E8 if both are completely dialed in. Looking forward to finish however. We will see . In CHRIST Alone
 
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#50
#50
RAVOL said:
Everything depends on how we finish. Creme is wrong Tn at the moment is a 5 seed. Committee will reward SOS of 2 and net of 12-15 after SC game. So now you are playing to get 4 seed. When you have 2 talents like Jackson Horston they can lift you to E8 if both are completely dialed in. Looking forward to finish however. We will see . In CHRIST Alone
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I wouldn’t argue your points, but the committee won’t put UT in a 4 spot this year Likely. I think they could jump to a 6 seed with a good finish though. If UT beats SC at TBA and runs the table in conference play plus makes a run in the SEC tourney they would get a 5 seed likely, because after all that they would be ranked top 20 and their NET would be even better. The more I think about it, UT could make a jump…maybe as big as you are thinking
 
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