Game Thread: (7/9) Lady Vols 63 - (3/3) Stanford 74

[stlvolsfan]

Our creators have to become better shooters, and our pure shooters who are more stationary have to be assisted by teammates to get open looks (and then use picks and screens to get open). Also, "creating your own shot" with jukes and jab steps and crossovers and spins does absolutely no good if you don't knock down the open shot. And drawing fouls may hurt the other team by removing key players, but you also have to make them pay at the line.[/QUOTE

You’re right. It was a bad night to have a bad night. If Tamari could have stayed in the game, maybe it wouldn’t have been so noticeable. But with no one hitting anything from outside and no one scoring inside…it was a bad combination.

 

[PG1]

We flow (better) offensively when Tamari is in the game. She is our great equalizer offensively and defensively. When she isn’t in the game we struggle mightly.

I am sure Stanford feels the same way when Brink was not in the game. Both Brink and Key let their teams down yesterday.

 

[Memvol44]

I am sure Stanford feels the same way when Brink was not in the game. Both Brink and Key let their teams down yesterday.

Our guards let us down defensively...let their guards penetrate and made Key have to challenge!

 

[Memvol44]

That is key for the rankings,,,a minimal loss to a higher rank shouldn't affect us much



Karo will step it up...She won't let the next opportunity pass her by

I would play Emily some,just because she is a space eater and five fouls!

 

[stlvolsfan]

I am sure Stanford feels the same way when Brink was not in the game. Both Brink and Key let their teams down yesterday.

I wouldn’t go that far. They had bad games. It’s going to happen. You grow and learn.

 

[djtee]

If coach Harper is gonna keep Darby on the floor for extended minutes, at least make a concerted effort to run plays to get her open. Like, run some screening action specifically for her.

I would say the same for Rennie. It made no sense for her to be in the game being that she hasn’t hit a three all year.

Kellie’s put in a lot of hard work to get us back going in the right direction. IMO, though, there’s still a lot to be desired on the offensive end. There have been some improvements since the last head coach was in place, but I was hoping for a major upgrade within the offense. Still too many broken plays, turnovers, indecision, lack of movement, etc. I know we’re without Rae, which is important to note.

It’s a long season, this team is gritty, and I hope we continue to trend in the right direction.

I don`t disagree with you need to make a little more effort get her open, But at the same time we all need to remember in HS Darby did not handle the ball a lot just a spot up shooter from 3. So to me and it shows on the court she lacks the footwork and speed to defend the more athletic players. Let`s make no mistake Darby is in a tough position on the offensive end and the defensive end.

 

[LadyVols_WBK]

I am sure Stanford feels the same way when Brink was not in the game. Both Brink and Key let their teams down yesterday.

Nah Brinks backups were solid

 

[Rooster1]

Have to admit, once the LVs got down by 20 I thought it was basically over. Whatever they discussed at halftime obviously worked (credit to coaches) but getting that game back to within 3 took some fortitude. That’s the grit surfacing again, which is one of your team’s strongest qualities. Stanford went scoreless in the 3rd for almost 9 minutes. On a side note, Puckett really looked poised to me for a true freshman, the moment was not too big for her. She has a sweet stroke.
Stanford hit UT with a huge uppercut in the 2nd, but it did not knock them down. Most teams are on the mat after that. Frankly, I don’t know what will happen when the Cardinal play SC on Tuesday, but I suspect their 3 point shooting will cause problems and tbh, it looks to me like they are starting to gel, they move the ball much better than SC does, especially without Henderson playing, which nobody knows if she will yet.

 

[Hooper22]

Disappointed in the loss of course , but we showed a lot of fight in the second half. Not having TK on the floor really hurt and she’s a huge asset as we see with her +/-. I have a lot of confidence with this squad and I believe we are a Rae Burrell away from being an elite squad.

 

[Good Lurking]

While watching this game I remembered many saying Stanford was missing Kianna Williams. It got me to thinking the LVs could also use a Kianna Williams type of player. This would allow Horston to move away from the ball and focus on what she does best which is score. Her shooting efficiency would then go up and her turnovers would go down. As it stands now the LVs will continue to be plagued by turnovers. Turnovers kill momentum and you can't go on big scoring runs without momentum. So almost every game the LVs play from now on will be close nail-biters in the SEC. A steady veteran point guard is what they need for next year IMO.

 

[Rickster]

I guess I can't trust my source. He led me to believe attendance would be well above 12,000. 10 is still more than most teams draw, but still disappointing for a game like this.

I believe there were those in attendance who are not in the ticket sales.

 

[Memvol44]

That is key for the rankings,,,a minimal loss to a higher rank shouldn't affect us much



Karo will step it up...She won't let the next opportunity pass her by

Hate to say it,but Karo's footspeed had got to get better!

 

[creekdipper]

I was a bit disappointed that it seemed that Jordan Walker passd up several three-point opportunities when she popped open momentarily. She hit a couple of threes and appears to be getting more comfortable out there, and I feel confident that she could have made a difference. Stanford didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when they were open.

 

[Memvol44]

I was a bit disappointed that it seemed that Jordan Walker passd up several three-point opportunities when she popped open momentarily. She hit a couple of threes and appears to be getting more comfortable out there, and I feel confident that she could have made a difference. Stanford didn't hesitate to pull the trigger when they were open.

They are told to get it inside .

 

[Memvol44]

I don`t disagree with you need to make a little more effort get her open, But at the same time we all need to remember in HS Darby did not handle the ball a lot just a spot up shooter from 3. So to me and it shows on the court she lacks the footwork and speed to defend the more athletic players. Let`s make no mistake Darby is in a tough position on the offensive end and the defensive end.

Run a damn play for her!!!

 

[Memvol44]

I don`t disagree with you need to make a little more effort get her open, But at the same time we all need to remember in HS Darby did not handle the ball a lot just a spot up shooter from 3. So to me and it shows on the court she lacks the footwork and speed to defend the more athletic players. Let`s make no mistake Darby is in a tough position on the offensive end and the defensive end.

Having her out there,no one sets a screen,makes no sense ..

 

[Volfan2012]

Regardless of all other stats the reason we lost the game was 30 percent shooting and missing 13 free throws. Just shooting 40 percent and making 6 of that 13 of the free throws we missed we win this game by 7 points. Not being able to shoot 40 percent from the field and make 70 percent of free throws is a big concern going forward.

 

[Voluble2]

These numbers make no sense to me. Does this mean Puckett had the relatively worst game? Didn’t she score in double figures and have a decent number of rebounds? Is it performance on a per minute played basis? If Darby didn’t score how did she have a better game regardless of minutes played?

It is not a stat that tells you much other than the point differential while that player was on the court. Sara played well. She was just too often paired with people who did not.

In Key's case it tells you a lot because everyone was able to play much closer defense knowing she was in the back to clean things up and we were able to make our runs. But If you are on the court while Stanford is blowing by Rennie or Darby then your numbers will suffer. I think Darby gets beaten up on a bit much. She plays hard, but is put in a position where she has to do things she can't do. She is not starter quality, but I guess no one else has come along enough to supplant her. Rennie also plays hard but is totally incapable of contributing. A three ball specialist who is the worst three pt shooter on the team is pretty much on-brand for UT.

 

[LadyVols_WBK]

Yes we are missing Rae but how about Marta?

 

[Hoosier]

teams play better when they play as a team, having each other's back ---- same can be said for the fans --- they support the team better when they have the players' backs, especially the players that don't live up to your so-called "high" standards ---- how does it help anybody to denigrate players? -- silence is golden ---- just sayin'

 

[FrozenLVFan]

We need to rethink how we're using the minutes at the guard spots.

Darby is a role player as a 3-pt shooter, and she's a pretty good passer into the post, but not much more at this point. Just waiting on Burrell to come back and take those minutes.

Rennie is a hard worker and a good teammate, and she's improved since she came to Tenn, but she really needs to stay on the bench unless the game is a blowout or there's just no one else available. Give her minutes to Wynn.

And then there's Horston. She's our second-worst 3-pointer shooter after Rennie and our biggest TO creator, mostly because she dribbles herself into trouble. Having her run around on the perimeter with the ball is not an effective use of her talents. Set her up so she can get into the paint, where she can put the ball in the hole, draw a foul, or get the rebound, all things she excels at.

 

[SGMVols]

Kellie didn't give any excuses.. I'm proud of entire team, if key had made just 10 points things would've been better. Again, I give them B+

They failed to show up for an entire half. That’s not a B+ in my book

 

[Volfan2012]

We need to rethink how we're using the minutes at the guard spots.

Darby is a role player as a 3-pt shooter, and she's a pretty good passer into the post, but not much more at this point. Just waiting on Burrell to come back and take those minutes.

Rennie is a hard worker and a good teammate, and she's improved since she came to Tenn, but she really needs to stay on the bench unless the game is a blowout or there's just no one else available. Give her minutes to Wynn.

And then there's Horston. She's our second-worst 3-pointer shooter after Rennie and our biggest TO creator, mostly because she dribbles herself into trouble. Having her run around on the perimeter with the ball is not an effective use of her talents. Set her up so she can get into the paint, where she can put the ball in the hole, draw a foul, or get the rebound, all things she excels at.

I think Horston should be a stretch four has a lot of length and could be a terrific player around the basket and mid -range game. She is also a tremendous defensive player. Her biggest problem is like you said dribbling, bad passing, and several unnecessary shots.

 

[Hoosier]

We need to rethink how we're using the minutes at the guard spots.

"We" do? Methinks that is Kellie and her coaches' job, and they are more qualified than "we" are

 

[1reVOLver]

Regardless of all other stats the reason we lost the game was 30 percent shooting and missing 13 free throws. Just shooting 40 percent and making 6 of that 13 of the free throws we missed we win this game by 7 points. Not being able to shoot 40 percent from the field and make 70 percent of free throws is a big concern going forward.

You are right. Our offense was weak and disjointed.

Maybe Kellie should follow Pat's example, and ask Harry Perretta for some pointers.