Game Thread: Carson Newman v Lady Vols, Thurs Oct 31; Home-FCC; 6:30PM; SEC+ network....Win Lv's 135-49

[DeerPark12]

Lady Vols are going to get upset by a bad team if they don't improve their shot selection and box out better. They are getting too big for their britches is what Caldwell is thinking. Marshall had zero talent, but they boxed out better than these prima donna's. Marshall had to have good shot selection because they could not make it with a hand in their face. Go Herd!

What

 

[Voluble2]

The boxing out is already better than last year.

It will keep improving.

 

[Coach Jumper]

What

don't feed the nega

 

[Majors]

you DO remember Darth,,right
No negavol has even come close to his depth of negativity

Darth was better. So yes, I DO. This is basic/beginner.

 

[jlcarter]

My question is how will this 1:30 sub rotation work against the good team's?
Such as South Carolina, UCONN ect.. I would think Dawn and Geno would do something to disrupt that.

 

[brittannica]

My question is how will this 1:30 sub rotation work against the good team's?
Such as South Carolina, UCONN ect.. I would think Dawn and Geno would do something to disrupt that.

The coach of Carson Newman seemingly alluded to the idea that this worked against them because they are a DII team missing their top players and it is TBD how this will work against the UConn, SoCar, and LSU's of the world. The only data we have is Marshall versus Virginia Tech, and we know the lady Vols are more talented than that Marshall squad. As others have said, we won't really know what we have until we play MTSU or FSU unless we have an embarrassing loss in which case we will have learned something. Kinda like how last season going to overtime with Memphis was a canary in the coal mine.

 

[LV renaissance]

The coach of Carson Newman seemingly alluded to the idea that this worked against them because they are a DII team missing their top players and it is TBD how this will work against the UConn, SoCar, and LSU's of the world. The only data we have is Marshall versus Virginia Tech, and we know the lady Vols are more talented than that Marshall squad. As others have said, we won't really know what we have until we play MTSU or FSU unless we have an embarrassing loss in which case we will have learned something. Kinda like how last season going to overtime with Memphis was a canary in the coal mine.

I agree that it is a wait and see about how the system translates against the teams with the best players and coaches. However, there is no reason to suspect that the idea of using all your players (at least the top 10) in ways that maximally rest them during the game so they can be at full force when they are playing can't be a winning approach no matter who you're playing. The opposing coach can't stop that from happening. This year, we don't have much of a drop off in our second five, so the platoon system fits our team. This is remarkable in that she only a few months to recruit transfers. Can you imagine having a whole team of Rubys and Coopers?! I do think that our press will get beat a lot more often with better opponents, and Kim has a plan for what the players need to do immediately when that happens. She did express displeasure but understanding that our defense was often not how she envisions it in the exhibition in terms of players being in the right place. I loved her postgame statement that she views each error in every game as that this is something that has to be corrected now because that can't happen in a championship game. She is so detailed in her view of the game and practice as it unfolds and gives immediately corrective feedback and praise to players, I can't imagine her approach won't have success. I would add that Marshall did upset a much more talented Florida team last year about the same date we play Florida State this year. For the first time in years, I am quite optimistic of a victory against a ranked team!

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

I will be surprised if the 5 on 5 subs continue through out the season. I think subs all game will continue just the numbers will be pared down a bit. We will see.

 

[krichunaka]

The coach of Carson Newman seemingly alluded to the idea that this worked against them because they are a DII team missing their top players and it is TBD how this will work against the UConn, SoCar, and LSU's of the world. The only data we have is Marshall versus Virginia Tech, and we know the lady Vols are more talented than that Marshall squad. As others have said, we won't really know what we have until we play MTSU or FSU unless we have an embarrassing loss in which case we will have learned something. Kinda like how last season going to overtime with Memphis was a canary in the coal mine.

Great post!
We simply overwhelmed Carson Newman with length, athleticism, and numbers. The Eagles didn’t help themselves, and certainly not margin-of-victory wise by essentially playing our game, often taking shots early in possessions. Did we speed them up, or was that the CN game plan? A glaring mismatch, regardless, and perfect example of the need for smart and steady guard play; and especially at the Point. We cut their angles and blurred their vision, and they simply could not contend with so much pressure, especially in October. And, despite the physicality, hardly a whistle. The veteran coaches will constantly hound and lobby (and find creative ways to stall or stop play).
We obviously have talent, and I’m more impressed by Coach Caldwell with each public interchange; to the extent that I think her approach has substance. Still lotsa questions, but matched, IMO, by skills and Coaching.

 

[Coach Jumper]

My question is how will this 1:30 sub rotation work against the good team's?
Such as South Carolina, UCONN ect.. I would think Dawn and Geno would do something to disrupt that.

What?
We have to understand is yes, she will be playing against better competition, but she will be playing that competition with better athletes and better quality of basketball players... The difference will be the better coaching.She will be up against

BTW. I will be posting early from my phone and will not be editing

 

[Rooster1]

Just ask South Carolina,,,you know,, those National Champions of last year,,,they started their season full of cupcakes,,,de ja vous,,,maybe

Not sure I’m understanding this post. Look at their schedule from last season. They opened with ND.

 

[lvocd]

To anyone thinking (wrongly, IMO!) the Carson-Newman game was a waste of time, we can be 100% certain now, BECAUSE of that game, the staff will be working on preventing that easy bucket under the basket that CN got about 10 times at the end of the full-court press. Mincey, being a great coach, had that worked out quickly, and their big woman got that open look often.

So that game showed us what future opponents are likely to do to beat the press, and now we can fix it.

It didn't matter that we gave up some easy twos against CN because our threes were going in pretty consistently, but Kim knows there could be games when our shots aren't falling and we're unable to trade those twos for our threes.

Having that weak spot in the press exposed so thoroughly in a non-counting exhibition game, instead of an important conference game, was a blessing.

This is why it is fantastic that our early non-conference schedule is what it is this season. The team will surely show weaknesses, but the staff will have opportunities to fix them without necessarily having to take a loss to get it done.

I love it!

 

[Mafiaboss]

Look, I am 100% behind CKC and co,,,but,,,Masse has Samford #256 and UT Martin is #194...it isn't until we play MTSU #51 that we will get a good barometer

that said, these games are still very crucial and important, as proven by Mulkey last year,,,she dined on cupcakes in the start and feasted on the entre's at the end

Okay. But I still would like to hear from anyone what do the Lady Vols need to do against Samford to impress people? Score 135 points? Make 79% of 3-pointers? Get 50 steals?

 

[Majors]

Okay. But I still would like to hear from anyone what do the Lady Vols need to do against Samford to impress people? Score 135 points? Make 79% of 3-pointers? Get 50 steals?

Win the games you’re supposed to. I’m simple to please.

 

[Mafiaboss]

The coach of Carson Newman seemingly alluded to the idea that this worked against them because they are a DII team missing their top players and it is TBD how this will work against the UConn, SoCar, and LSU's of the world. The only data we have is Marshall versus Virginia Tech, and we know the lady Vols are more talented than that Marshall squad. As others have said, we won't really know what we have until we play MTSU or FSU unless we have an embarrassing loss in which case we will have learned something. Kinda like how last season going to overtime with Memphis was a canary in the coal mine.

That’s a weak analysis. When good teams play weaker teams, they often don’t play their best ball. When we play better teams, we’re going to play better…even though we played well enough against CN. Also, well execute better with each game. So, I think there’s lots to take away from the CN game. Posters here tend to go to extremes: All good or all negative. It’s just not that way.

I think we know what we have to some degree. CN is a good team. We are quicker, more athletic, better players but learning a new system and trying to gel as a unit. Good coaches and players learn from everything they do. If you look at 3-point shots made, this version of the Lady Vols is superior to any other LV team. 3-point is mainly about percentages and less to do with defense shutting it down.

 

[Mafiaboss]

Win the games you’re supposed to. I’m simple to please.

My question is sort of a set up. There are posters on here who will never be impressed no matter what we do or who we play. I was impressed with our play against CN. We beat them by more than any other LV team has beaten CN. We looked rough which is to be expected considering our players have never played as a team until now and never played this style.

Rankings don’t matter. If we beat Samford by at least 30, defend to limit them to under 45 points, shoot 35% from 3, out rebound them by at least 5, and play tenacious defense with very few fouls…I’ll be impressed. If we show growth in any area since the CN game, I’ll be happy.

 

[lvocd]

Okay. But I still would like to hear from anyone what do the Lady Vols need to do against Samford to impress people? Score 135 points? Make 79% of 3-pointers? Get 50 steals?

To me, if we learn something, ANYthing, about ourselves as a team or our play, it'll be an impressive outing. Samford is an opportunity for another opposing coach to expose something in us, and I hope that happens. I hope Samford brings at least one good lesson for Tennessee to learn. If so, great game!

 

[Mafiaboss]

To me, if we learn something, ANYthing, about ourselves as a team or our play, it'll be an impressive outing. Samford is an opportunity for another opposing coach to expose something in us, and I hope that happens. I hope Samford brings at least one good lesson for Tennessee to learn. If so, great game!

Excellent! Thank you!

 

[RebKell]

6 in double digit scoring almost 7 Tess had 9.​

​

Tennessee 135​

Tennessee 135

##	Player	GS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	REB	PF	A	TO	BLK	STL	PTS
02	Whitehorn, Ruby	*	18	11-15	4-6	3-3	3-2	5	1	0	3	0	4	29
00	Spear, Jewel	*	20	6-14	5-11	0-0	0-5	5	0	5	0	0	2	17
55	Cooper, Talaysia	*	20	8-15	0-1	0-1	3-2	5	0	5	3	0	8	16
01	Puckett, Sara	*	18	5-8	2-5	2-4	1-2	3	1	3	0	0	2	14
07	Spencer, Samara	*	18	2-4	2-4	1-2	1-5	6	1	8	0	0	1	7
11	Spearman, Zee		19	5-10	0-4	7-8	2-0	2	2	3	1	2	3	17
04	Boyd, Kaniya		22	4-11	1-4	4-6	7-0	7	0	0	0	0	4	13
21	Darby, Tess		17	3-7	3-7	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	1	9
13	Strickland, Avery		10	2-3	2-3	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	1	6
53	Hollingshead, Jillian		11	2-2	0-0	1-1	2-2	4	0	0	0	0	1	5
15	Ayodele, Favor		8	1-1	0-0	0-0	2-1	3	1	0	1	0	1	2
33	Latham, Alyssa		12	0-4	0-3	0-0	2-0	2	3	1	1	1	1	0
10	Wells, Destinee		7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-1	1	1	1	0	0	1	0
TM	TEAM		0	0-0	0-0	0-0	3-1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Totals	-	200	49-94	19-48	18-25	26-21	47	13	26	9	3	30	135

Team Summary	FG	3PT	FT
1st Quarter	12-24	7-12	0-0
50.00 %	58.33 %	0.00%
2nd Quarter	13-23	2-8	5-7
56.52 %	25.00 %	71.43 %
3rd Quarter	14-27	6-15	7-11
51.85 %	40.00 %	63.64 %
4th Quarter	10-20	4-13	6-7
50.00 %	30.77 %	85.71 %
Total	49-94	19-48	18-25
	52.1 %	39.6 %	72.0 %

Technical Fouls: none	Second Chance Points: 26	Scores Tied: 0 time(s)
Points in the Paint: 58	Fast Break Points: 50	Lead Changed: 0 time(s)
Points off Turnovers: 52	Bench Points: 52

​

 

[lvocd]

Been thinking. Carson-Newman played without two of their best players Tuesday. But it is no small loss for Tennessee that they were just recently stripped of one of the best defenders on the team and, from what had been reported earlier, a vastly improved offensive player in Kaiya Wynn. Losing Kaiya for the season was a huge blow, and she was missed on Tuesday.

 

[BruisedOrange]

My question is how will this 1:30 sub rotation work against the good team's?
Such as South Carolina, UCONN ect.. I would think Dawn and Geno would do something to disrupt that.

Well, one way they could disrupt our game plan would be to miss all their shots so the clock keeps running and we can't substitute without calling a time out.

That's a joke, but with a serious core because it's actually the rules of the game which prevent opposing teams from dictating to us.

Every staff approaches a game with a substitution schedule or plan. They know which of their player combinations work best on the floor, and they know which players' performances suffers after X-number of minutes. They're especially aware of when their bigs get tired, because their feet will move slower on defense and they'll quickly get called for out-of-position fouls. (The easiest fouls for refs to call.)

When they play us, whatever their optimum substitution plan is, they'll have to throw it out. Their starters will tire sooner going against our game, while ours will keep going* full speed, whoever is on the court.

* (This is something fans who never played would be unaware of. When you have the same 5-on-5 playing long minutes against each other, both teams tend to create little rest breaks within the game. Bringing the ball up the court a bit slower... holding passes a second longer... a wing passing back to the point to "restart" the offense... bigs in the low post pausing before renewing their battle for position... these mutual rest moments go on all the time between players during a game, like an unwritten rule that fellow-warriors respect. What makes a defensive player like Zikai Zeiglar such a pest is he refuses the offer and continues to hound the ball!)

The point on substitutions is: we disrupt their normal approach to games, and in so doing, make suddenly irrelevant much of the accumulated knowledge their coaches have about their own personnel.
-----
Opposing coaches will surely consider matching our substitution pattern of 5 in / 5 out... but who has a bench designed for that? What top 20 team has 5 players on the bench who are used to working together as a single unit? They might come in fresh, but regardless of their level of athleticism, they won't be nearly as effective as our second wave.

I expect eventually, some team that has 3 really tall players might try an overhead passing, pole-to-pole approach to breaking our press and creating mismatches in their half-court offense. But that kind of passing would need to be pinpoint accurate every time, and as a half-court offense, they would have to devote a lot of practice hours to refining it.

I agree that someone is eventually going to come up with a plan (something asymmetrical) that will require further refinement on our part. But it's not like CKC and her dad drew this up in the dirt in the backyard! It's been thought through and tested for decades at the HS level. Plus, similar approaches have been tried and exposed at multiple levels of play. So while our players may come up against something this season that they haven't seen--I doubt CKC will.

 

[BruisedOrange]

I think my biggest concern going forward is what happens when we encounter referees with ticky-tack whistles?

The old axiom is that the whistle tends to favor the more aggressive team. That's good!
But I've heard rumors that the refereeing in SEC women's play can be irregular... to the point of inscrutability.

Ticky-tack calls going against the more aggressive team seems more likely to occur in a hostile environment. Gotta wonder if that might have been a factor in 2023, as all of Marshall's early season losses came on the road...

Well, when it happens, we'll see how CKC responds, because surely she's dealt with it before.
LOL--of course, maybe Kim's gonna discover that the one area in which the SEC is not an upgrade in quality is...

 

[Mafiaboss]

I think my biggest concern going forward is what happens when we encounter referees with ticky-tack whistles?

The old axiom is that the whistle tends to favor the more aggressive team. That's good!
But I've heard rumors that the refereeing in SEC women's play can be irregular... to the point of inscrutability.

Ticky-tack calls going against the more aggressive team seems more likely to occur in a hostile environment. Gotta wonder if that might have been a factor in 2023, as all of Marshall's early season losses came on the road...

Well, when it happens, we'll see how CKC responds, because surely she's dealt with it before.
LOL--of course, maybe Kim's gonna discover that the one area in which the SEC is not an upgrade in quality is...

Amen.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Not sure I’m understanding this post. Look at their schedule from last season. They opened with ND.

they had plenty of desert too
S Dak St
Morgan ST
Presbyterian
Bowling Green
E Car St

Yum yum
Grantedm they did play some ranked teams too

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Just watched a reply of the exhibition game against CN.

Some key takeaways:

The first substitution was three players in/three out.
For much of the talk about the platoon substitution pattern that has been discussed I believe it makes more sense to the players/coaches than the casual observer.
It reminds me of skill player football substitutions. It’s a two/three deep philosophy.
If you are prepared in practice for the change it will not impact your ability to play in game situations.
The success of Coach Caldwell and her staff in recruiting from the transfer portal was huge.
This team has 10 starters. And yes, each player can contribute against SEC teams. One example is two years ago LV reserves that transfered out becoming starters in the SEC after being outside of the LV rotation on a team not nearly as deep as this 2024-2025 LV team.
Alyssa Latham will be the X-factor of this team.
I think the exhibition rotation was more based off of how the team and other players performed during the closed scrimmage in a 96 point explosion victory against #15 ranked North Carolina.
Latham is a player that will show up when the lights come on in the regular season she competes at a high level.
The four best individual and natural defensive players in recent years to wear a LV jersey are Kaniya Boyd, Talaysia Cooper, Alyssa Latham, and Lazaria Spearman.
Each player has traits that remind me of Jordan Horston defensively.
I think each player was going about half speed in the CN exhibition which kind of has been overlooked due to as a team there was great effort and focus against a lesser opponent.
Samara Spencer throttled it down about a notch or two and played with tremendous poise and focus.
Kind of the way Raven Johnson leads South Carolina. It doesn’t always show up in the box score but when you watch the game live you notice their impact.
I predict Spencer will lead the SEC in assist per game.
The question about translating the new LV system/scheme to the SEC is not as significant as it appears in general.
In fact, they will turn it up a notch against better competition.
It is easier to get ready to face top teams than it is lesser opponents.
Tennessee’s roster is battle tested.
The SEC’s reputation is strong which is a good thing despite the product that has been seen on the court in recent years.
Tennessee has been a Top 3 SEC team based on final NCAA tourney seeding and wins.
With the returning core and talented newcomers, following the exhibition the preseason ranked #7 LV in the SEC have a top 4 roster.
Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and LSU are not better teams than Tennessee.
With the current rosters meeting at full strength in a game between Texas and Tennessee, the Longhorns would have to win a defensive struggle. Tennessee could pull an upset if it’s a track meet.