Game thread: #15 Lady Vols host Ole Miss, Sun., Feb 16, Noon ET. SECN

[glv98]

Were not going to get the double bye and that is no biggie. We just need to concentrate on winning the games we have left. I'm hoping for a fifth place finish we would go up against Oklahoma more than likely cause if they win out and we win out they will be the four seed. Playing one game before that game is not that serious and actually may be good as I've seen a lot of tournaments where a team with one game under their belt totally beat the team with the bye.

This is going to be something interesting to learn about the high energy system. Will the legs hold through 3 or 4 games in a row? Most of the time I think it is good to have an extra game to get the tourney nerves out. Think it really helped the LVs last yr to have the warm up game against KY before having really good games against Ala and (ugh) So Car. But not so sure whether the extra game helps or hurts this yr.

 

[SGMVols]

Our most reliable offensive weapon isn’t Cooper anymore. It’s Spear now.

28 points on just 11 shots is incredible.

 

[VolBall09]

Our most reliable offensive weapon isn’t Cooper anymore. It’s Spear now.

28 points on just 11 shots is incredible.

Jewel has looked great lately. Her defense has improved again as well, seems she is finally healthy and feeling that senior urgency. She and Zee are our most consistent players at the moment. Spearman has really stepped up in the post the last 3 weeks or so, just kinda flipped a switch.

 

[Volfan2012]

This is going to be something interesting to learn about the high energy system. Will the legs hold through 3 or 4 games in a row? Most of the time I think it is good to have an extra game to get the tourney nerves out. Think it really helped the LVs last yr to have the warm up game against KY before having really good games against Ala and (ugh) So Car. But not so sure whether the extra game helps or hurts this yr.

If they could win the first two game by only playing 20 minutes each of the top ten we play then that third game should be one where some could go over thirty. The pattern has certainly changed from what it was early in the season we have players going thirty or slightly over when it was only 20 or slightly above. I was a little surprised to see the starters get three minutes yesterday before we subbed. If our top players have to play 30 or more to win those first two games that next game could be brutal.

 

[1morevol]

Mississippi put up more shots than the LVs 64 to 61; had more rebounds 40 to 33 with every one of that +7 being on the offensive end; had more steals 11 to 10; had fewer turnovers 19 to 20; had 8 3pt shots to our 6 and a better percentage 42% to our 40%. The margins are close, but Coach Caldwell's system did not result in the normal statistical advantages in those areas. I am not being critical. I am excited that they won a game against a quality opponent by 9pts in spite of that. The key stat was the LVs making 57% of their 2 pt shots compared to Missussippi's 33%. That won the game. 18 fouls were called on them and 19 on us, however that led to a lot more free throw attempts for them. We must have been called for a lot of shooting fouls.

 

[1morevol]

If they could win the first two game by only playing 20 minutes each of the top ten we play then that third game should be one where some could go over thirty. The pattern has certainly changed from what it was early in the season we have players going thirty or slightly over when it was only 20 or slightly above. I was a little surprised to see the starters get three minutes yesterday before we subbed. If our top players have to play 30 or more to win those first two games that next game could be brutal.

You are correct. The media are really overplaying this mass substitution every 1 to 2 minutes thing.

 

[Volfan2012]

Mississippi put up more shots than the LVs 64 to 61; had more rebounds 40 to 33 with every one of that +7 being on the offensive end; had more steals 11 to 10; had fewer turnovers 19 to 20; had 8 3pt shots to our 6 and a better percentage 42% to our 40%. The margins are close, but Coach Caldwell's system did not result in the normal statistical advantages in those areas. I am not being critical. I am excited that they won a game against a quality opponent by 9pts in spite of that. The key stat was the LVs making 57% of their 2 pt shots compared to Missussippi's 33%. That won the game. 18 fouls were called on them and 19 on us, however that led to a lot more free throw attempts for them. We must have been called for a lot if shooting fouls.

We won because we shot 52 percent to their 36 percent. They got an unusual amount of free throws or it would've been a double digit loss. The key stat in this game and a little lucky for us was that we scored big off their turnovers and they scored almost nothing off our 20 turnovers. Sometimes you have to win shooting the ball which is why we won. I do like it better when we control the boards and the turnovers and get a shot advantage just can't do it every game. Some games where we did it big we lost because of shooting.

 

[glv98]

You are correct. The media are really overplaying this mass substitution every 1 to 2 minutes thing.

Agree to disagree. Media isn't overplaying, it's still happening. The "starters" are now playing starter mins but still doing so in short bursts instead of sustained on court periods with breaks like most teams do. Our staff is firmly convinced that frequent rests, even when not heavy pressing, are better than allowing players to achieve rhythm. We'll see how that works out.

 

[glv98]

We won because we shot 52 percent to their 36 percent

Same reason we beat UConn, and in reverse the reason we lost some games. And the stat that will dictate how we do in the touneys. For all the fancy systems and analytics, putting the ball in the basket is all that really matters.

Fortunately, the LVs have shot well lately. Sure hope it holds.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Mississippi put up more shots than the LVs 64 to 61; had more rebounds 40 to 33 with every one of that +7 being on the offensive end; had more steals 11 to 10; had fewer turnovers 19 to 20; had 8 3pt shots to our 6 and a better percentage 42% to our 40%. The margins are close, but Coach Caldwell's system did not result in the normal statistical advantages in those areas. I am not being critical. I am excited that they won a game against a quality opponent by 9pts in spite of that. The key stat was the LVs making 57% of their 2 pt shots compared to Missussippi's 33%. That won the game. 18 fouls were called on them and 19 on us, however that led to a lot more free throw attempts for them. We must have been called for a lot of shooting fouls.

Miss had more: 2 and 3 pt attempts, rebs, FB pts, steals and less TO’s…We had more FT’s, PiPs, bench pts and shot 52%...More drives (ending in makes or FT's and Switching the starting lineup so that the bench subs had a primary scorer(Zee) was key (She was, in essence, the 6th man)

 

[1morevol]

We won because we shot 52 percent to their 36 percent. They got an unusual amount of free throws or it would've been a double digit loss. The key stat in this game and a little lucky for us was that we scored big off their turnovers and they scored almost nothing off our 20 turnovers. Sometimes you have to win shooting the ball which is why we won. I do like it better when we control the boards and the turnovers and get a shot advantage just can't do it every game. Some games where we did it big we lost because of shooting.

That's what I said. We won because we shot 57% on 2 pt attempts to their 33%. They won the 3 pt shooting with 8 to our 6 and 42% to our 40%. Good point on us getting points off their turnovers while they didn't capitalize on ours. Their turnovers led to some layups for us and contributed to our 57% shooting on 2 point atempts.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Agree to disagree. Media isn't overplaying, it's still happening. The "starters" are now playing starter mins but still doing so in short bursts instead of sustained on court periods with breaks like most teams do. Our staff is firmly convinced that frequent rests, even when not heavy pressing, are better than allowing players to achieve rhythm. We'll see how that works out.

Any body science folks in here? Could the frequent changes keep depletion issues down with faster recovery and never pushing the bottom? Could this be a real advantage in tournaments playing on consecutive days? I know I feel it more in my old age when I push through with strenuous activity, but I don’t do that daily. Never an athlete either.

Her tournament successes make me ask. Always hear about how important RECOVERY is between games.

 

[glv98]

Any body science folks in here? Could the frequent changes keep depletion issues down with faster recovery and never pushing the bottom? Could this be a real advantage in tournaments playing on consecutive days? I know I feel it more in my old age when I push through with strenuous activity, but I don’t do that daily. Never an athlete either.

Her tournament successes make me ask. Always hear about how important RECOVERY is between games.

I have no doubt there's body science and this staff has analyzed the hell out of it. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out. No doubt btw game recovery is going to huge.

 

[1morevol]

Agree to disagree. Media isn't overplaying, it's still happening. The "starters" are now playing starter mins but still doing so in short bursts instead of sustained on court periods with breaks like most teams do. Our staff is firmly convinced that frequent rests, even when not heavy pressing, are better than allowing players to achieve rhythm. We'll see how that works out.

I know that. The media acts like there's a mass substitution every one or two minutes the entire game. That's simply not true. If it were, every player would play the same amount of minutes. I agree Coach substitutes frequently and gives starters plenty of rest.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Any body science folks in here? Could the frequent changes keep depletion issues down with faster recovery and never pushing the bottom? Could this be a real advantage in tournaments playing on consecutive days? I know I feel it more in my old age when I push through with strenuous activity, but I don’t do that daily. Never an athlete either.

Her tournament successes make me ask. Always hear about how important RECOVERY is between games.

these are 18-22 year olds,,,they have a "refresh tank" that is very deep

Consider the HS teams that practice 2-3 hours 3-4 times a week during their season,,,they never tire...Mental exhaustion plays a stronger role in depletion of energy than physical impact on this age.

In my 20'3 and early 30's I could go to a gym and play 3-4 games back to back and do the same the next day,,,sometimes playing in as many as 8-10 games a day. And this was during my "working 8-10 hours a day life".

When you play poorly or lose badly,,it is much more exhausting per game than when you win or lose in a competitive nature. Losing takes the life out of you, where winning gives you life (energy).

However, even in winning you can tire of the repetitive of use of your body,,,but that will not happen in 3-4 games at this age...the "exhaustion" comes over the athlete when the need of energy is no more (after the loss that enables you to say, "I am tired"

No, I am not a science expert so I cannot back my assertion with data,,,,but I am a coach who has been active for over 40 years and can back it with personal experience.

 

[1morevol]

Miss had more: 2 and 3 pt attempts, rebs, FB pts, steals and less TO’s…We had more FT’s, PiPs, bench pts and shot 52%...More drives (ending in makes or FT's and Switching the starting lineup so that the bench subs had a primary scorer(Zee) was key (She was, in essence, the 6th man)View attachment 722678

Coach, we did not have more free throws. We were 10 of 15 to their 17 of 24. They were better than us on 3 pt shooting 42% to 40% and made 8 to our 6. We won the game because we made 57% of our 2 pt attempts to their 33%.

 

[Volfan2012]

I have no doubt there's body science and this staff has analyzed the hell out of it. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out. No doubt btw game recovery is going to huge.

The game yesterday Ole Miss starters played over thirty with the highest being 37 minutes. The others around 34. So one player got three minutes rest and the others six. Spencer played 32 minutes so 8 minutes rest. Cooper went 27 and Spear 28. Spearman just 24. Certainly don't know if all that extra rest is beneficial. Maybe when you are playing everyday it would be totally beneficial. I don't know how much it helps an athlete that has been off three four days between games. I think I prefer starters to play at least 8 minutes a quarter with the rest coming right in the middle of it. Easy to say that your best players give you better efficiency the more they play. Still don't know if they lose some of that effect if they play to long or to many minutes in a game. I think this season we have about 8 players that it doesn't matter who is in were quite effecitive, but not as much as our main five.

 

[Volfan2012]

Coach, we did not have more free throws. We were 10 of 15 to their 17 of 24. They were better than us on 3 pt shooting 42% to 40% and made 8 to our 6. We won the game because we made 57% of our 2 pt attempts to their 33%.

Plus that counts as extra possessions for them plus nine attempts and they ended up plus seven for the game. This has been a problem of ours in several game putting teams on the free throw line It is a part of the game you do not want to lose. The perfect game for us is 52 percent from the field plus 12 shots and plus five on the free throw line and plus five from the three. That is a blowout if the other team shoots 45 percent. A win if they shoot 60 percent.

 

[37620VOL]

Any body science folks in here? Could the frequent changes keep depletion issues down with faster recovery and never pushing the bottom? Could this be a real advantage in tournaments playing on consecutive days? I know I feel it more in my old age when I push through with strenuous activity, but I don’t do that daily. Never an athlete either.

Her tournament successes make me ask. Always hear about how important RECOVERY is between games.

Not a scientist but I did play in a system almost exactly like this as well as a more traditional system in my teens. As long as you don't get completely depleted from high intensity basketball, you can recover very quickly. There is no reason at this age you couldn't play every day. But if a player gets depleted (especially true for the bigger players), lactic acid builds up and it takes about 2 days to process out. When playing in CKC's style I always felt I played better on consecutive day 2 and 3 than I did on day 1. Day 1 was usually a rough shooting day because you're excited as heck and sometimes an unfamiliar gym can mess with your depth perception until you get used to it.

I think if we keep everyone under 30 minutes in the first 2 days of a tournament setting, we will have a distinct advantage in the final day. Scouting and prep time are at a premium in a compressed tourny format. That is advantage LVs because we do what we do and other teams need extra days to prep for us and not necessarily vice versa.

 

[madtownvol]

I have never understood all that. Many have tried, but it STILL makes no sense to me.

Ironically, +_ is a not the best measure of a single player. It actually measures how a player does in combination with the other four players on the court.

Given CKC's frequent rotation and the many different combinations she puts on the floor, an individual player's +- includes a random element. For example, maybe in that one minute period when Sam was on the bench, Jewel a couple of 3s and the team got another bucket off a TO. That would greatly inflate the +- for when she was not on the court.

 

[37620VOL]

The game yesterday Ole Miss starters played over thirty with the highest being 37 minutes. The others around 34.

Excessive stoppages for fouls, turnovers, and video reviews definitely helped OM play their starters as much as they did.

 

[madtownvol]

Your looking at the wrong one here. She called a foul on the Tn player that got taken down by an elbow by the Miss. Players . But yeah the refs were terrible all around.

After video review, they also called a flagrant on the Ole Miss player for contact after Sam's foul (which I agree was a weak call).

 

[Rickster]

Does anyone know where the complete game substitution log is kept? The live stats only shows the last substitutions. I'm wondering what that log looks like beside a traditional substitution log.

 

[madtownvol]

Our most reliable offensive weapon isn’t Cooper anymore. It’s Spear now.

28 points on just 11 shots is incredible.

Jewel is a good candidate for most improved. It is safe to say that her early season ankle injury was hindering her and we are now seeing at full capacity.

Last year she was a spot up shooter who could be taken out of the game by a defender who could play her tight. This season, she has improved her first step and her handle (a lot) and can now get by a defender and make a play in the paint area. And that means she gets more space on the perimeter because defenders have to worry about her dribble penetration. The quickness boost has also helped her defense.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

If you have depth, you use it to your advantage. That’s kind of coaching 101.
As a highly successful coach, Coach Caldwell knew exactly what it would take to be competitive day 1 at Tennessee and has since checked off all the boxes.
Her substitution strategy does not seem to be questionable to anyone inside that locker room which is a Top 10-15 roster with former highly ranked players and decorated players on the collegiate level.
If you’re a former athlete or coach, this is something you’ve seen in football or basketball on multiple levels. The best football teams in college and pros wear you down with their depth. They don’t hesitate in crucial situations in the game to substitute their 2s or 3s in series against opponents starters.
It’s remarkable how a single transfer portal class of 5 along with a core of returnees that CKC and her staff have developed to fit her style of play built a foundation for CKC system to thrive in year 1 w/ a Top 5 win, Top 15 ranking, projection to host in the NCAA tourney, and #1/#2 HS recruiting class in 2025. If you watch her incoming recruiting class right now every single player is coming from a HS school that plays in this same system. These are highly ranked high school teams that are playing 9-10 players subbing them in and out.
CKC system at Tennessee will always attract elite talent.
CKC will have her selection of 10+ SEC caliber players to fit her system year in and year out because of the mass substitution system.