Game Thread: (5/6) Lady Vols 63 - (13/13) Georgia 55

#176
#176
lvocd said:
Oh, I don’t think a loss tomorrow would ruin the season or anything even close to it, but the program in general still has some work to do as far as perception goes.

A loss tomorrow might set back the progress that’s been made a bit, while a win, IMO, could give us a pretty big step forward.

No backwards steps!!!!!
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Top 5 team. The expectation is that the LVs should win. No season turns on one game but I would love to see the LVs show that they are in the SEC top tier with SC.
 
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#182
#182
I believe the Lady Vols win this game with or without Key. With Key, I think they win by 10+. Similar to Texas A&M where Key mentioned never beating them fueled the team, I think they will have a chip on their shoulders and be focused on the task at hand after the games against Georgia last year.
 
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#183
#183
Excited it is game day finally!

Keys to the game for me are getting back in transition and limiting Staiti. UGA gets a lot of their energy and scoring from their defense, Morrison in particular. I’m certain we will see some pressure from them and hope to see us handle it better and limit her production today.

Staiti does not play well against size so I do hope we have Tamari for at least some of the game. In all her time at UGA Staiti has never been able to consistently show she can score on size or defend size. With Tamari’s improvement I could see her having a big game today if she’s feeling OK.

Those two are their primary scorers Staiti 15 and Morrison around 10 ppg. Everyone else is a role player. This season, we have done a much better job of shutting down role players than we have in the past. I expect Sarah Ashley Barker to have a rough day today. Don’t think she’s athletic enough to score against our defense. She fades away on everything and will get blocked a lot today. She also seems to be playing with some sort of injury. She limps around terrible between plays and has a hard time keeping up on defense. Expect to see her try to check Rae and watch for us to run Rae around a bunch of screens for open shots. Barker won’t be able to track her.

Offensively it would be really nice to see the outside shooting continue. With both Rae and Tess heating up we are becoming a true outside threat and it’s making us so much harder to guard. We have 4 players in Burrell, Darby, Walker and Puckett who are not afraid to let it go from the outside now. That changes our looks a lot. Tamari had two assists for 3 pointers when Kentucky was throwing a double/triple at her before she went out.

I believe this Lady Vol team is much much better than last season. UGA IMO has taken a couple big steps back without Connally and Caldwell. They really changed the pace for them offensively and defensively. Morrison/Coombs do not have the BBall IQ Connally had. Also believe this Lady Vol team will be very hungry to beat this Georgia team after the two games last year.

I’m going Lady Vols 78 UGA 60.
 
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#184
#184
luballer said:
I believe the Lady Vols win this game with or without Key. With Key, I think they win by 10+. Similar to Texas A&M where Key mentioned never beating them fueled the team, I think they will have a chip on their shoulders and be focused on the task at hand after the games against Georgia last year.
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Pulling for the Lady Vols so the game in Columbia will be even more important. Maybe a 1 vs 2 by then?
 
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#185
#185
TheMississippiVol said:
I’m new to the board but has followed the Lady Vols since the Coach Summit era. The Tenn Lady Vols are one of my favorite sports teams in college or pros.

The team this year is heading in the right direction and I look forward to this game against Georgia. Tamari Key recovery from her ankle injury will be the headline this week whether Tenn win or lose this game. I believe one of the top strengths this season for Tenn is their bench. The depth is strong. So many good players come off the bench with defined roles. I wouldn’t change that for a stretch of maybe 1 - 3 games due to injury if Key has to sit out.
If Key is out, I believe the best starting 5 would be
C: Dye
PF: Horston
SF: Burrell
SG: Darby
PG: Walker
Bench: Miles, Puckett, Green, Wynn, Striplin/Saunders.

If Dye can play extended minutes at C with Green coming in off the bench until Key is healthy enough to return this team would be outstanding come SEC tournament and March Madness play.
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Welcome!
 
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#186
#186
Poultrygeist said:
Pulling for the Lady Vols so the game in Columbia will be even more important. Maybe a 1 vs 2 by then?
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How about you pull for the LVs because we give you a place of refuge to talk about your gamecocks 🥴😂... But seriously, i'm sure we will still be ranked by the time we play so it will be an important game regardless. No matter their rankings i'm sure the house will be packed and both teams will be ready to play. The UGA and uconn games will give us practice going into hostile territory before playing in Colonial Life arena . I have a feeling we will need that lol.

Side note: During we back Pat week it's funny how the clip that kept being rerun was the one of Lisa Harrison and then Jody Adams at the line shooting free throws winning a natty in 91'. The team they beat ... UVA which was the team that kept them from getting to a final 4 in Knoxville the year before. That was one of those defining moments in Pat's career because she became even more of a hard worker and determined and the player that was a driving force behind that was your very own Dawn Staley. Funny how things come full circle. That and she wouldn't let Tyler be born in VA and had the pilot keep flying to have the baby in TN😂 now that's determination!
 
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#187
#187
Rickster said:
I don't think we will need Key as much as some think. Keyen is playing pretty well and we may decide to go small(er) anyway. Our small ball is pretty big to begin with then throw in some quickness and we're pretty dog-gone hard to guard.
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Great post and I agree. When we played that “small” lineup against Kentucky we were really difficult to guard.

We really got their defense spread out and we started getting good looks both inside and out. Obviously they didn’t have a Staiti in the middle, so I wouldn’t expect Keyen to have quite the success she did against Kentucky. With her explosiveness, arsenal of moves and finishing ability I do believe she could get Staiti into foul trouble though.

Keyen is tough to block because she is so strong and gets her legs behind her jump toward the basket. She has so much momentum the offensive player can’t help but foul. Have been really proud of her improved Free throw shooting. Stroke looks much better and her % continues to rise. She has both made and attempted the third most FTs on the team after Horston and Key. Not bad for averaging 14.5 minutes per contest.
 
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#189
#189
VolBall09 said:
Lady Vol hoops giving Tamari the @@@@@ this morning. My girl must be ready to go!! Get ‘em TK.
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That’s my interpretation, too.

My only question now is, will Kellie start Tamari or Keyen? I could almost see her starting Keyen and seeing if she could give some great minutes before springing Tamari on Georgia. Kellie could want to give the team another opportunity to show off how well they can compete without their Enforcer in the paint, giving Tamari’s ankle more time to rest as a bonus.

OR, Kellie will immediately knock the breath out of Joni and Staiti when they learn Tamari is starting. I suspect Key is super excited for this opportunity.

Either scenario, I’m down for it!

One thing, though. For Staiti, this game is one she knows the WNBA scouts will be watching to see how she fares. For that reason, I believe Jenna will give it her best shot today.
 
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#190
#190
lvocd said:
That’s my interpretation, too.

My only question now is, will Kellie start Tamari or Keyen? I could almost see her starting Keyen and seeing if she could give some great minutes before springing Tamari on Georgia. Kellie could want to give the team another opportunity to show off how well they can compete without their Enforcer in the paint, giving Tamari’s ankle more time to rest as a bonus.

OR, Kellie will immediately knock the breath out of Joni and Staiti when they learn Tamari is starting. I suspect Key is super excited for this opportunity.

Either scenario, I’m down for it!

One thing, though. For Staiti, this game is one she knows the WNBA scouts will be watching to see how she fares. For that reason, I believe Jenna will give it her best shot today.
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Hard to tell! I think if Tamari is available she’ll start the game. See how much she’s got and bring Keyen in. If we build a lead I do believe we could see more Emily today. Staiti is many things but she’s not terribly quick on her feet. If Emily could give 10 minutes of physical defense and a couple rebounds it would be awesome.
 
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#193
#193
Only1COJ said:
I have no doubt that the LadyVols will be ready for tomorrow’s game. Even a close win will bolster their identity and re-emergence as an elite team and contender. For some reason I’m not as nervous as I have been in the past. CKH and the team have shown over the past few years that they will beat the teams that they are supposed to. Also, I believe we will either beat UCONN or USC in the coming games. Get used to this!
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Or we can beat Both!

GO LADY VOLS!!!
 
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