Game Thread: #22/23 TENNESSEE AT NO. 13/13 KENTUCKY

[djtee]

Which is twice as many times as should should have even touched the ball. I don’t understand why we never went to just straight up denying her the basketball.

Nobody else really stepped up for them. They only had one other player in double figures with 11. We had a much more balanced attack but did not execute defensively.

If you watched KY when they played SC it was not about how poorly KY played it was about our front line vs your front line. To me it`s time for Brown, Key, Harris, KK, Mccoy, Saundres all to step up and be ready to play when your name is call. Now with that being said it`s KHJ job to make sure they are ready.

 

[KellywillwinNC]

Gee, that’s awfully big of you to not want to write off OUR new Coach as “a bad coach,”“just yet.” You brought your Oregon handle here recently, worried Tennessee coming back? Maybe here to sow subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, dissension? Never understand why fans from Uconn, Florida, Baylor, and Oregon, etc., troll here. I guess in some ways, it’s a compliment.

im a lady vol fan first, oregon fan 2nd..i would love love tennessee to be back from its elite days, but i understand its a process..takes time

 

[T.J.]

80 didn't beat us, we could have scored 81, 82,83....

It's not hard to understand how we lost :

KY was 13-27 for threes (This against a team we knew would shoot threes)

Career high for the team's only known player: Howard 12-27, (7-13 for 3's)

We had 15 assists to 21 turnovers

• From 6:14 (TN up 10-9) to go in the 1st till 7:02 into Q2 we endured a 18-4 run, (score down 14-27 and we finally call a timeout)
• We get back in it with a 21-6 run to end the half (score TN up 35-33)
• Then, we let a 11-0 run for KY, to start the half before we call a (timeout #2)

We DID call timeouts, but only after too much damage was done....For this team in SEC play, until it develops a new identity... runs of better than 6-7 have to be stopped momentum-wise because this team's identity (until we change it) is to not be able to stop runs on their own

Screaming CALL A TlME OUT! Things were supposed to change for the better with Holly gone.
I'm expecting too much.

 

[KellywillwinNC]

i dont understand why kellie waits to take the timeouts after the damage was already done. why didnt do something about howard, run her off the three point line double team, trap ANYTHING..

it sucks because they could have won the game. between the mizzzou and kentucky games, tennessee has been burnt big time from 3 point land..thats gotta change!!

 

[gule]

I think ES should be getting some of the minutes that Key & KK have been wasting when they get tired and play timidly We need a corn fed chick approach! Use your fouls!!!!!

 

[KellywillwinNC]

I think ES should be getting some of the minutes that Key & KK have been wasting when they get tired and play timidly We need a corn fed chick approach! Use your fouls!!!!!

unleash saunders!!

 

[madtownvol]

I am going on record as saying that this disappointing loss will be a development game.

We can go around and around on why didn't Kellie take a timeout or why did not we not guard Howard with a zig rather than a zag but the game was lost because 1) our post players could not effectively get position and use their size advantage to score; too many unforced TOs, particularly by Horston--who in several cases passed up a decent shot to force a pass into triple coverage; and an overall inability to effectively handle pressure (contributing to TOs) and leading to several empty possessions.

On the plus side, Horston, despite some mistakes, is showing real fast track development. She is way ahead of where she was just a few weeks in terms of court savvy. Rennia continues to play at a consistently high level. Burrell started out just horribly but settled down and had maybe her best stretch of the season (excluding the first quarter). If she can eliminate those early game "jitters", we have the 6th man of the year in our midst.

I was actually impressed by Lou Brown. She held up much better against KY's athleticism than I expected. But, she has to deliver some points. So, the next level for her will be working as hard on the defense, against tough compeitition, without it tanking her offensive game.

Jazz continues to be a steadying force and she should look to score a bit more. She has a good shot and some moves. I really like her running point with Horston have more freedom off the ball.

I think Key will learn to be more effective. She had a great post up in the fourth quarter, rather than her earlier efforts which were mainly off balance, hope and prayer, slings. She has to work harder on post up positioning. KK actually does that pretty well but unfortunately, she is a 6'4 player who plays like she is 5'9. We have to accept at this point, that limitation is not going to change.

So, with a better performance from Key and some better decision making from Horston and overall, a bit more team poise in the face of a pressing team, this game could have easily tipped in the LVs favor. These changes are all ones that we can see on the imminent horizon.

So, in the "plus" column-- Davis, Horston, Burrell, and Massengill; "getting their" column - Key and Brown; players who can help in certain match-ups--Harris and Rennie.

Still waiting to see - Saunders and McCoy.

 

[PG1]

Even in losing we jump up to 93 in the RPI as Kentucky was 20. I think if we get on a winning streak of the next four games that will get us to around 60. When we play UConn even with a loss will probably be in the top 50. After that if we can win the games we should win and maybe upset A&M or Miss St at home we'll be in the top 25 and that plus 20 total wins means another trip to the NCAA Tourney. Will we be able to get to 20 wins well as I look at the schedule it seems quite possible.

At Ole Miss we go in a 18 point favorite.
vs Georgia home game 7 point favorite
at Florida 8 point favorite
Vs Alabama 8 point favorite
at UConn 19 point underdog
vs LSU 5 point favorite
at Vandy 2 point favorite
at South Carolina 16 point underdog
vs. Mississippi State 8 point underdog
at LSU 3 point underdog
vs Texas A&M 3 point underdog
at Arkansas 6 point underdog
vs Vanderbilt 12 point favorite
vs Mississippi 24 point favorite
vs Auburn 19 point favorite

So were favored to win 9 more which equals to 20. If we win those and maybe pull an upset over say Miss St or Texas A&M that would get us 21 or even 22 as I think we can beat them both at home with a consistent effort. Favored for a 10 and 6 SEC I'M still hoping for a 12 and 4. I think 8 and 8 is good enough to get in the NCAA.

Well those point spreads just tell me how awful most of the SEC teams really are.

 

[djtee]

I am going on record as saying that this game will be a development game.

We can go around and around on why didn't Kellie take a timeout or why did not we not guard Howard with a zig rather than a zag but the game was lost because 1) our post players could not effectively get position and use their size advantage to score; too many unforced TOs, particularly be Horston--who in several cases passed up a decent shot to force a pass into triple coverage; and an inability to effectively handle pressure (contributing to to TOs) and leading to several empty possessions.

On the plus side, Horston, despite some mistakes, is showing real fast track development. She is way ahead of where she was just a few weeks in terms of court savvy. Rennia continues to play at a consistently high level. Burrell started out just horribly but settled down and had maybe best stretch of the season (excluding the first quarter). If she can eliminate those early game "jitters", we have the 6th man of the year in our midst.

I was actually impressed by Lou Brown. She held up much better against KY's athleticism than I expected. But, she has to deliver some points. So, the next level for her will be working as hard on the defense, against tough compeitition, without it tanking her offensive game.

Jazz continues to be a steadying force and she should look to score a bit more. She has a good shot and some moves. I really like her running point with Horston have more freedom off the ball.

I think Key will learn to be more effective. She had a great post up in the fourth quarter, rather than her earlier efforts which were mainly off balance, hope and prayer, slings. She has to work harder on post up positioning. KK actually does that pretty well but unfortunately, she is a 6'4 player who plays like she is 5'9. We have to accept at this point, that limitation is not going to change.

So, with a better performance from Key and some better decision making from Horston and overall, a bit more team poise in the face of a pressing team, this game could have easily tipped in the LVs favor. These changes are all ones that we can see on the imminent horizon.

So, in the "plus" column-- Davis, Horston, Burrell, and Massengill; "getting their" column - Key and Brown; players who can help in certain match-ups--Harris and Rennie.

Still waiting to see - Saunders and McCoy.

Bingo thank you But, she has to deliver some points, Brown gets the ball in the lane with no one guarding her and she try`s to pass the ball why ?

 

[Nute Gunray]

Bingo thank you But, she has to deliver some points, Brown gets the ball in the lane with no one guarding her and she try`s to pass the ball why ?

Some players are super sensitive to head coaches chastising them for shooting too early in the clock. They will pass the ball even though they have a good shot. Also, some players are not sure of themselves when shooting. They don't want to be blamed for shooting and missing. The head coach needs to encourage players to shoot if they have a good shot regardless of the clock or the fear of missing unless there are extenuating circumstances not to shoot.

 

[djtee]

Some players are super sensitive to head coaches chastising them for shooting too early in the clock. They will pass the ball even though they have a good shot. Also, some players are not sure of themselves when shooting. They don't want to be blamed for shooting and missing. The head coach needs to encourage players to shoot if they have a good shot regardless of the clock or the fear of missing unless there are extenuating circumstances not to shoot.

True ! i`m just floored by Brown passing up little 5 - 8 foot shots and no one there.

 

[Rixxx]

Perhaps Brown is in a "deferring" mode to "the" scorers. I have heard Geno say that if you pass up too many shots within the flow of the offense, you may find yourself on the bench. Didn't these players score in high school?

 

[NewDog]

I peeked at the box score and was surprised to see that Massengill had zero assists. Didn’t she have 12 the game before. It was just a little strange.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I peeked at the box score and was surprised to see that Massengill had zero assists. Didn’t she have 12 the game before. It was just a little strange.

She also defended Howard ever nearly second she was on the floor

 

[Orange Maniac]

I wanted to see Saunders in the game. I think she gives us more than KK at this point.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I wanted to see Saunders in the game. I think she gives us more than KK at this point.

Agreed,
She's one I'd like to work with
SHe looks tough, now she needs to understand what "basketball-tough" is

 

[Amb3096]

She also defended Howard ever nearly second she was on the floor

She's only playing defense when UK has the ball. And Howard scored 37, so Jazz wasn't getting it done on that end either...

A better explanation for the lack of assists compared to the previous game was the quality of the opponent.

 

[creekdipper]

We beat or played even with KY in almost every category except turnovers and 3-point shooting.

Even if our 3-point shots aren't falling, we have to be able to defend the threes. Allowing one player to hit 13 of 27 (48%) behind the arc is inexcusable.

Those are correctable errors. As others have pointed out, miscommunication and other slips caused us to leave Howard unguarded several times for wide-open looks. After she made her first three attempts, there should have been a concerted effort to deny her the ball, shadow, face guard, hand check, double team, whatever in order to cut out that nonsense.

 

[madtownvol]

I wanted to see Saunders in the game. I think she gives us more than KK at this point.

KK was really bad against KY. But Kellie and staff see Saunders everyday and obviously don't trust her to be on he floor. That means she is looking worse than KK.

I am afraid there is no magic solution from giving a bench player more time.

I have upset some people with this assessment but this team is not talent rich. The LVs only have three available players who are more or less ready to compete a high DI level (Davis, Horston, and Jazz) we have two others that are getting there, Key and Burrell. Again, the loss of Green is a massive talent hit.

Brown, Harris, McCoy, Rennie, KK, and Saunders, at their current performance levels, would not see the floor for any top 15 team except perhaps as very limited role players and even there we are only talking KK, Brown, and Harris). For the freshman, that situation could change dramatically even during the season but I think Rennie and Saunders are more likely to be longer term, project players.

 

[creekdipper]

I wanted to see Saunders in the game. I think she gives us more than KK at this point.

I figured Kellie has been sat her during this game in favor of experience, but the lack of production in the post may have earned her a shot in the near future against SEC competition. Unless she is just incredibly slow in practice and doesn't look nearly ready, doesn't seem as though it could hurt to give her a few minutes against the better competition to see if she's up to the task.

She has shown some decent moves to the basket and penchant for blocks, posting up, and boxing out. Seems to finish pretty well around the rim, although not enough evidence yet to see how she'd do against more experienced bigs or against quicker, smaller teams.

 

[Coach Jumper]

She's only playing defense when UK has the ball. And Howard scored 37, so Jazz wasn't getting it done on that end either...

A better explanation for the lack of assists compared to the previous game was the quality of the opponent.

Jaz matched up against a player that ran her through a maze of screens....you ever chase someone for an hours (yes it says 25 minutes but those twenty five minutes can be an hour court time).
It takes literally half the energy to run as to be chased.
I know from personal experience this to be true
Yes the opponent was better.
but
If you'll recall, our star has quite an impressive day against that same those same quality opponents...

Jaz handled Howard better than anybody else did and for longer.

 

[KellywillwinNC]

if there is somewhat of a silver lining to this game its the fact that louisville was also down to kentucky by 10 late in the 3rd, but they managed to come back and hold on for a 1 point win. keep in mind louisville also took down num 1 oregon earlier in the season.

 

[djtee]

KK was really bad against KY. But Kellie and staff see Saunders everyday and obviously don't trust her to be on he floor. That means she is looking worse than KK.

I am afraid there is no magic solution from giving a bench player more time.

I have upset some people with this assessment but this team is not talent rich. The LVs only have three available players who are more or less ready to compete a high DI level (Davis, Horston, and Jazz) we have two others that are getting there, Key and Burrell. Again, the loss of Green is a massive talent hit.

Brown, Harris, McCoy, Rennie, KK, and Saunders, at their current performance levels, would not see the floor for any top 15 team except perhaps as very limited role players and even there we are only talking KK, Brown, and Harris). For the freshman, that situation could change dramatically even during the season but I think Rennie and Saunders are more likely to be longer term, project players.

I don`t disagree with you on Rennie and Saunders let`s say Green green is ready to go next year then the 2020 Darby and Salary will be in the same position Rennie and Saunders will not play much correct ?

 

[VolBall09]

I figured Kellie has been sat her during this game in favor of experience, but the lack of production in the post may have earned her a shot in the near future against SEC competition. Unless she is just incredibly slow in practice and doesn't look nearly ready, doesn't seem as though it could hurt to give her a few minutes against the better competition to see if she's up to the task.

She has shown some decent moves to the basket and penchant for blocks, posting up, and boxing out. Seems to finish pretty well around the rim, although not enough evidence yet to see how she'd do against more experienced bigs or against quicker, smaller teams.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I believe the problem is her speed. She is actually really productive in her minutes, but she is super slow. We’ve only ever seen her playing 4th quarter minutes against an exhausted and already beaten opponent. And she looked slow against them :/. I fear against tougher teams she’d barely be making it end to end.

 

[djtee]

I think ES should be getting some of the minutes that Key & KK have been wasting when they get tired and play timidly We need a corn fed chick approach! Use your fouls!!!!!

Key is a freshman and is still learning will be a star and getting better. Was thrown it to this with the disappointment of KK and Mccoy. Saunders is not ready for this level of play vs the top teams.