Game Thread: Lady Vols 75 - Ohio State 87

[LadyVol1908]

No need for this. Horston was the least of our problems last night!

Did anyone notice Horstons 4" of extra vert when she would pass it to the other team for a layup?

 

[turbovol]

No need for this. Horston was the least of our problems last night!

She had 7 turnovers--most on the team. Seven turnovers is bad--and a problem. She still plays like she always has--talented but raw and undisciplined.

 

[kregman]

My biggest disappointment besides not calling timeouts is there was not repercussions for the turnovers. Kelly would have been sitting next to Pat after the third if not second dumb turnover, and most of them were lazy passes or just panic. If we are going to lose early the message needs to be sent. Want playing time? Value the ball. If not there is plenty of bench space and we can add chairs.

 

[Amb3096]

If the starting 5 (Powell, Walker, Horston, Jackson, Key) haven't gelled together as a starting unit, then Kellie shouldn't have gone with them. She has 4 of 5 returning starters from last year, so her moving away from the lineup is probably because she thought the one she started with last night was the best one. It wasn't apparent that wasn't the case until OSU settled down and started playing more to their ability.

 

[37620VOL]

If the starting 5 (Powell, Walker, Horston, Jackson, Key) haven't gelled together as a starting unit, then Kellie shouldn't have gone with them. She has 4 of 5 returning starters from last year, so her moving away from the lineup is probably because she thought the one she started with last night was the best one. It wasn't apparent that wasn't the case until OSU settled down and started playing more to their ability.

Not enough shooting ability in that lineup. I would only use that lineup if we are going to be pressing the opponent.

 

[lvocd]

My biggest disappointment besides not calling timeouts is there was not repercussions for the turnovers. Kelly would have been sitting next to Pat after the third if not second dumb turnover, and most of them were lazy passes or just panic. If we are going to lose early the message needs to be sent. Want playing time? Value the ball. If not there is plenty of bench space and we can add chairs.

Yeah, but OSU was playing so, SO quick and fast that when I was looking at the bench when we got in the weeds, I couldn't see anyone who could neutralize their speed. Sara? Nope. Marta? Nope. I had hoped Miles could, but she was obviously a bundle of nerves and lacked focus. Darby isn't quick enough to beat a press, either. I believe Kellie did have the right players to beat it on the court for most of the time, but they simply weren't ready for the relentless aggressiveness that was OSU's game plan.

 

[37620VOL]

As much as I don’t want to, I have to go back and watch this game to see where the implosion came from. I’m at work still upset!

Just thinking off the top of my head, and not trying to place blame but the substitution pattern could’ve been due to the foul trouble our team was in. The refs really were calling an insane amount of fouls.

I’m not even going to touch the timeout situation. That was just ridiculous!

God bless you for loving the LVs enough to rewatch that.

I think things went really bad around 5:40 in the 3rd qtr:

 

[Rons1989]

If the starting 5 (Powell, Walker, Horston, Jackson, Key) haven't gelled together as a starting unit, then Kellie shouldn't have gone with them. She has 4 of 5 returning starters from last year, so her moving away from the lineup is probably because she thought the one she started with last night was the best one. It wasn't apparent that wasn't the case until OSU settled down and started playing more to their ability.

Totally agree with this most def need tess or puckett in there to space the floor which also contributed to the turnovers and just standing around watch each other

 

[Amb3096]

Not enough shooting ability in that lineup. I would only use that lineup if we are going to be pressing the opponent.

I agree that the starting lineup had the best individual players, but not the best unit...at least at the moment. Puckett or Darby are better outside threats than Jackson. Maybe Rickea needs to come off the bench for the first few games?

 

[madtownvol]

So, many negative hot takes after this opening game.

I suppose this is the natural corrective to an off-season of raising "the sky is the limit expectations". A few reality checks:

1. Franklin is barely 9 months off ACL repair surgery. It was silly to think she was going to be the same player right off the bat. It will be mid to late season before she has any semblance of her old form,. That is just the reality of a devastating knee inury.

2. Marta has not played a competitive game in well over a year.

3. So many new pieces to be integrated into the team. It takes TIME to build chemistry. Sorry, Kellie is a coach not a magician. They had stretches where they did look like a cohesive unit but OSU's pressure unraveled them. They have the players to become quite proficient at breaking the press but, again, they were not up to the task at OSU (a quality team returning all its key players) and at HOME.

Maybe give this team, I don't know, FIVE games, before rushing to judgment that Kellie is suddenly not the answer or the players lack heart.

 

[PAPI]

This is a pattern of issues that doesn’t get better or change. Ever since Kellie has been here we have had an issue with turnovers and nothing has been done about it to get better. She isn’t getting recruits from HS, so there is no way to really build from the inside out. Most of you say we are building thru the portal from now on because you are too afraid of saying that she isn’t going to lead us back to the promised land. Look, I went to every game back in the 90s and most of the 2000s and Pat would not have stood around and watched us play like that last night. That was ridiculous! They were not prepared and that was the first game of the year, so they should have had plenty of time to prepare for that game. Pat is not coming back and I realize that, but this idea that we can only be led by a former LV is going to continue to be our downfall. Pat didn’t have an offensive system. She preaches defense and rebounding. She would dabble in different offensive systems, but it changed every few years. We ran the triangle when Candace was here. She learned the Villanova offense at one point and implemented parts of it. But to think that a former LV is going to be well versed in a specific offense based off what they learned in college is not likely. Hence the reason our defense and rebounding are our strengths, but the game has changed. There are very much more skilled players nowadays and we need an offensive system. They get lost on offense and it’s painful to watch. I’m sure I will be labeled a NegaVol, but I’m being realistic. I don’t see Kellie being the answer. I would love to see who Danny would hire if we got a chance to hire a new coach.

 

[37620VOL]

I agree that the starting lineup had the best individual players, but not the best unit...at least at the moment. Puckett or Darby are better outside threats than Jackson. Maybe Rickea needs to come off the bench for the first few games?

I would bring Walker off the bench for limited minutes to give Powell a breather.

 

[Amb3096]

I would bring Walker off the bench for limited minutes to give Powell a breather.

Later on in the season, maybe. I'm just not sure that Rickea in the starting lineup is the best way to start the season, especially since she seemed to be struggling to find a role for herself in the offense with Horston getting top billing. It's the same issue we saw when Burrell came back from injury and couldn't adjust to playing alongside Horston. Rickea is used to having the ball in her hands a lot, and that won't happen at Tennessee.

 

[creekdipper]

Speaking from personal experience?

 

[Gilmore]

Pretty sure she's aware the whole planet was screaming for a t.o. and I agree she seemed stubborn in her refusal. Which could be us projecting onto her but whatever. She knows it defies all historic coaching logic. I blame Rick Barnes, he started it. We've speculated before that there must be some data metric that shows calling t.o. doesn't actually stop runs. But sometimes, c'mon!

I just wish someone would ask her about that unusual philosophy? Maria? Brian?

Would liked to have seen more from her at the press conference, such as taking ownership of the team not being prepared. Wish the reporters would challenge her a bit more. Not giving up on these ladies. On to the next one.

 

[37620VOL]

Would liked to have seen more from her at the press conference, such as taking ownership of the team not being prepared. Wish the reporters would challenge her a bit more. Not giving up on these ladies. On to the next one.

Sometimes when the talk is tough behind closed doors coaches will take a more measured tone publically.

 

[creekdipper]

Perhaps they were thinking of the name brand on their favorite toys?

 

[mcannon1]

Does anyone know what Justine's injury might be? I hope our superstar isn't injury prone and that her injury isn't serious. She was on the bench and didn't appear to have any wraps on any part of the body. The Lady Vols keep having such bum luck with injuries to key players. She could have been the difference in this game. The Lady Vols just need to work in practice on how to break a press. This was a learning experience, they should be OK.

Concussion protocol

 

[Franklin Pierce]

This game made PARDON THE INTERRUPTION today. Posed the question; Are you surprised Ohio State beat number five Tennessee? The answer was NO.

 

[RAVOL]

I finally watched highlights of game but still not full game. First impression on positive side Powell quickness with ball and ability to make things happen from PG we have not had in many years. 2. Jackson can get her shot anytime so with both of them good things will build with the rest of our team especially Jordy as they play more together this year. Here is my biggest negative moving forward against teams that force turnovers like this Oh St team is our 2 Guard position. Walker couldn't handle Pressure last year and she is your starting 2 Guards with Tess her backup who can shoot but can not handle the ball against teams like this putting all the pressure on Powell. We have built this team on 3-4 position players but we really need a more dynamic off guard who has handle against pressure teams. Kellie has her work cut out for her in working around this issue. Go Lady Vols. Lets get better tonight. In CHRIST Alone.

 

[Govols922]

I agree, there were multiple times where, not only Jordan, but other guards had the opportunity to kick it to Tess and didn’t. We have to get her as many opportunities to shoot the 3 as possible while she’s on the floor. That’s her sole job and she can’t create herself at the moment and 3 pointers are soul breakers for the other team.[/QUOTE

Yes and it’s embarrassing how many 3 point shooters we have on this squad and we still weren’t effective from 3. How can we let so many opportunities slip away. I think our major issue this game was taking pride on defense. We weren’t physical enough. We have too many bodies on the sideline to worry about filing out. Not once did we press. Shoot the gap or defend the 3 well.

 

[gule]

put in E Darby to handle the ball if Walker can't instead of Tess. jmho

 

[pasadenavol]

I know I'll get accosted by Madtown and other sunshine pumpers who do nothing but make excuses when we lose, but that's ok, you can't wear orange-tinted glasses all the time. Pat made no excuses in her career and certainly would not after this loss.
1. To have 30 turnovers in a game is inexcusable. In the 3rd quarter they had more turnovers than points. I don't care if this were a middle school team, the first thing you teach is ball control and to value each possession. Something this team has not done in the past several years. Pat's philosophy - execute or ride the pine...
2. Saving the timeouts for the 4th quarter - when the other team goes on a scoring run of more than 8-10 points, it doesn't matter what quarter it is, you call a freakin' timeout to settle and refocus your players. It also breaks the momentum when the other team's hot. This has not been consistently done during the Harper era. Why have 3 or 4 timeouts left in the 4th quarter when you are up by six going into the 3rd and then find yourself down by 12 mid way through the 3rd quarter - and no timeout taken. When you turn the ball over on five straight possessions and you're not near a TV timeout, you certainly don't try to wait for one. Call the damn timeout!
3. Foul trouble early - can someone not teach Key to stay off the other post player during the first two minutes of the game? 2 fouls in the first 2:30 of the game and she's sitting the bench the rest of the half. This isn't the only game she's been sitting the entire rest of the 1st half with less than 3 minutes of game time. Whoever's coaching the post players is the one who should be running laps at the next practice!
4. Press breaker - this team struggle mightily against the press last year. You would think that with new players and a new point guard that your press break offense would be one of the first things you work on in the off season. This has been a team weakness for years - why in the heck did they not work on this more in practice???

The season is young and this team has a lot to work on - chemistry, ball control, passing, spacing, etc. Good news is there's lots of time to get it together and I'm kinda glad they got blasted in the opener. This will let them know that just because you've got 4 or 5 stars next to your recruiting ranking, doesn't mean you can just dial it in. I saw way too many individuals trying to play basketball for TN and not many trying to play as a team. Chalk it up to experience, but this team has a lot to learn and so do the coaches... Trusting CKH to right the ship!

 

[pasadenavol]

I expect effort from those who are on the floor. I did not see a lot of effort from Key and it cost us. The 29-30 turnovers from the press cost us the game. Some of our players who have been overweight the last 2 years are still overweight and can/have not play to their potential. These are the same players who can not play good defense or dribble the ball because of the lack of conditioning. I am sure a lot of work will be directed toward beating the press this week. I also realize we wanted to see how the new players could fit into our offensive and defensive schemes. It appears that they are making good progress and will provide a lot of help as the season moves along. nWe should be a real power by the beginning of Conference play. However, if I had to coach against us, I would pressure them all over the court. Lets hope we can quickly overcome this problem.

Assuming you're referring to Tess and Marta. Both are slow and a huge liability on the defensive end. Both get blown by for an easy layup way more times than either hits a 3 pointer. Don't get me wrong, I like Tess and think she's one of the few players on this team that plays team basketball, but I just don't understand why she gets so much playing time when you have quicker defenders who aren't so easy to side step on defense and take the ball to the rim on. She should be in the rotation, but I think there's others that aren't getting minutes that she's getting and are more effective on offense and defense.

 

[LurkerExposed]

Watching the full game on youtube, I have a question that may expose my ignorance, but: in games now, when one team scores a basket, is the game clock allowed now by rule to keep ticking before the OTHER team inbounds the ball? Used to be, it stopped after every made basket, and does not resume until the other team inbounded the ball into someone's hands. Has that been changed?