Game Thread: Lady Vols at Mississippi State; Thurs Jan 18 ; 5PM ; SEC Network win 75-64

[37620VOL]

A bit early & no Vandy game thread yet, but which LV will cover her on D? SP? Some other match ups probably more significant, but her height vs our guards will either be she shoots over them for 3's or we go low for TO's?

Justine is the last one I'd be concerned about on defense. I'd just put someone on her that you don't need for help defense because you can't leave her to help out. So Puckett, Striplin, Tess, or Spear depending on the lineups. In 5 SEC games, she is shooting 38% overall and 28% from 3 and she has shot 0 FTs, same old Justine, just looking to get 3s off any chance she gets. She's like a poor man's version of Puckett.

Here is Puckett in SEC play


And here is Pissott in SEC play


Same minutes and FG attempts but Puckett has 16 more points, 10 more rebounds, more assists, and fewer TOs.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

A bit early & no Vandy game thread yet, but which LV will cover her on D? SP? Some other match ups probably more significant, but her height vs our guards will either be she shoots over them for 3's or we go low for TO's?

She doesn’t shoot over anyone, her release point is short and a delayed release.

 

[Aladywhovolunteer]

I think @volfan2012 posted our five best defensive players: Powell, Wynn, Spear, Jackson and Key. Maybe it was someone else, if so, I offer my apology.

I noticed last evening, when Powell, Spear and Wynn where in as guards we don't necessarily limit our defenders to keeping one foot inside the three point line. In fact we encourage active man-to man pressure defense all the way out to half court. This completely disrupted MSU's flow and they could not get into their sets. Good for Coach Harper and Staff finding guards they trust.

I still like Wynn off the bench. She is instant energy. However, I like her in the game with Spear or Powell and not as the primary decision maker. (Think 4th quarter...missed layup... early in the shot clock...with no advantage... when our opponent was not MSU... but the clock.)

When we are not aggressive on defense, our opponents will screen Powell at the top of the circle. Powell, can not fight over the screen and goes under. That is our opponent's signal to let the three ball fly.
Spear on the other hand quick steps the screen and beats her defender to the correct motion route. Wynn is big enough to fight over the top and not go under. I expect to see this combination more down the stretch.

 

[mudcat1973]

She doesn’t shoot over anyone, her release is short and a delayed release.

Jackson at small forwardswing spot on defense is fine.

But on offense Jackson better in the paint area.

Tennessee has others who can shoot the three. Powell Spear Sara Karoline Tess

Jackson rebounds and paint scoring is were the team needs her.

 

[Volfan2012]

Moore typically slows herself down if she misses early.

It’s hard to get a good beat on Vandy bc since conference play started they don’t have the same rhythm.

Really good in their matchup zone. Very hard to shoot perimeter shots much better to have players that drive the ball or can get shots off in the paint. On offense they are either terrible or good never know. They were terrible against Auburn but so was Auburn against their defense. I expect a close game hopefully were the winning team.

 

[WinnerCircle]

Moore typically slows herself down if she misses early.

It’s hard to get a good beat on Vandy bc since conference play started they don’t have the same rhythm.

Matchup zone team but against Tennessee they won’t have the athletes to guard Jewel Spear or Rickea Jackson out on the perimeter.
Tennessee had their setback and recovered strongly last night.
I have a strong feeling moving forward we’ll see Tennessee compete against every SEC team and win a lot of games. The recent play of Tamari Key and Kaiya Wynn has completely changed the identity of this team.
The defense they played against Miss State was outstanding to elite on the road.
The next step is getting Jewel Spear some more touches on offense.
Spear is an efficient scorer and an elite passer. Go back and watch the Miss State game.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Just saw this one stat - 9 TO's. Low for the season so far. Hope they are realizing that giving the other team 17 additional possessions is not a good thing. Hope this continues.

 

[mudcat1973]

Really good in their matchup zone. Very hard to shoot perimeter shots much better to have players that drive the ball or can get shots off in the paint. On offense they are either terrible or good never know. They were terrible against Auburn but so was Auburn against their defense. I expect a close game hopefully were the winning team.

Vols should have less trouble out Vanderbilt than Texas A&M.
Hard to tell by cupcake schedule non conference.

 

[creekdipper]

I hope Justine goes 0 for 6, the player she guards goes for 20 and the Lady Vols win by 20.

Me too, 6 airballs

Careful. You don't want to reactivate Game Time's collections enforcer persona.

Would make Terminator look like Barbie.

 

[madtownvol]

I’d be willing to agree if we hadn’t started every game since December like this.

A win is a win. I rarely get caught up in the margin of victory. Now, I was concerned with the poor play in the first half. It seems this team looks lost at times and then get behind.

But a dub is much better than a loss and I’ll take it every day of the week.

I understand, the falling behind earlier thing can become an insurmountable hole but this game was a little different. The LVs won all the remaining quarters.

In the first, they shot 1-9 from the three and 4-18 on 2pt shots. That is a horrible 18% and most were wide open 3s or fairly easy mid range or lay-ups.

When you miss that much, it puts inordinate pressure on the defense. Compounding matters, the first quarter is where MissST beat us on the boards.

All the travel disruptions seem like a proximate cause of a poor first quarter.

 

[WinnerCircle]

Vols should have less trouble out Vanderbilt than Texas A&M.
Hard to tell by cupcake schedule non conference.

I don’t see them having any trouble with either on Rocky Top.

I expect Tennessee to control the game this weekend with Vandy in town and Texas A&M when Texas A&M visits this season. It’s free smoke.
Lets GBO

 

[creekdipper]

Credit where due.

It seemed that, for the most part, Kellie left in the players who were doing well. There were some foul trouble and rest breaks, but personnel were used effectively. No disrespect intended to the players whose time was limited.

Also, for the most part, I thought Holly Warlock did an excellent job providing the color commentary. Glad she's found a soft landing in a role she finds fulfilling that taps into her knowledge.

 

[creekdipper]

Players are handling pressure better. You could see the press traps coming, but spacing was much better. Props to Wynn for finding open space as an outlet.

We still panic a little. Sara and Jasmine played hot tater on that one mind-boggling possession where we tried to throw the ball away multiple times against their scrambling defense. Again, Wynn showed a lot of poise while others were rattled. Sometimes, just one or two steady presences can calm things down.

We do have to quit picking up our dribble, leaving our feet without knowing what we're going to do, passing out to the flat where a steal results in an uncontested layup, and telegraphing passes, especially when the defender is just a foot away from the receiver. Also, teammates need to come to the pass or to a trapped teammate.

Doing better, though. Only 9 turnovers...we can work with that.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Jackson at small forwardswing spot on defense is fine.

But on offense Jackson better in the paint area.

Tennessee has others who can shoot the three. Powell Spear Sara Karoline Tess

Jackson rebounds and paint scoring is were the team needs her.

I agree, that’s why her rebounding numbers have been down lately, she’s on the perimeter too much, but I think she’s trying to show she can play the wing and hit 3’s for the next level.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Vols should have less trouble out Vanderbilt than Texas A&M.
Hard to tell by cupcake schedule non conference.

I don’t think this will be easy, they have some players that can exploit our weaknesses at certain positions. But overall I think we will be ready this game, because of a few factors like in state rival, needing a quality win, and beating a former teammate.

 

[mudcat1973]

Players are handling pressure better. You could see the press traps coming, but spacing was much better. Props to Wynn for finding open space as an outlet.

We still panic a little. Sara and Jasmine played hot tater on that one mind-boggling possession where we tried to throw the ball away multiple times against their scrambling defense. Again, Wynn showed a lot of poise while others were rattled. Sometimes, just one or two steady presences can calm things down.

We do have to quit picking up our dribble, leaving our feet without knowing what we're going to do, passing out to the flat where a steal results in an uncontested layup, and telegraphing passes, especially when the defender is just a foot away from the receiver. Also, teammates need to come to the pass or to a trapped teammate.

Doing better, though. Only 9 turnovers...we can work with that.

Wynn not driving into the trees throwing up wild shots.
She has got blocked but she was taking good shots. Just bigger defender.


The thing keeping Wynn was her track speed. From getting game time.
And her improve shooting and offense control she will get minutes she's deserves.

She has easy up on the horsepower.
Now is the time feral bread race horse to turn it on down the track..

Like a good jockey Wynn has learned went to hold back.
And when to turn on her speed.

 

[PRG]

Credit where due.

It seemed that, for the most part, Kellie left in the players who were doing well. There were some foul trouble and rest breaks, but personnel were used effectively. No disrespect intended to the players whose time was limited.

Also, for the most part, I thought Holly Warlock did an excellent job providing the color commentary. Glad she's found a soft landing in a role she finds fulfilling that taps into her knowledge.

Agree about Holly ….. complimentary about Kellie and the team in general! Some good information brought up but she struggled some times just to add comments! I like Carter better … she seems to be on her way up the ladder !

 

[WinnerCircle]

Players are handling pressure better. You could see the press traps coming, but spacing was much better. Props to Wynn for finding open space as an outlet.

We still panic a little. Sara and Jasmine played hot tater on that one mind-boggling possession where we tried to throw the ball away multiple times against their scrambling defense. Again, Wynn showed a lot of poise while others were rattled. Sometimes, just one or two steady presences can calm things down.

We do have to quit picking up our dribble, leaving our feet without knowing what we're going to do, passing out to the flat where a steal results in an uncontested layup, and telegraphing passes, especially when the defender is just a foot away from the receiver. Also, teammates need to come to the pass or to a trapped teammate.

Doing better, though. Only 9 turnovers...we can work with that.

Good breakdown. I watched the replay and it’s even more impressive after seeing it play out. Tennessee certainly had another off shooting performance in the 1st qtr. The 2nd qtr they played with poised against a solid team overall. The 3rd and 4th qtr the Lady Vols dominated defensively.

In looking ahead to the Vandy game, the Lady Vols with the emergence of Kaiya Wynn and Tamari Key have completely changed the identity of this team on both ends of the floor.
They have no weaknesses offensively if they consistently keep the turnovers down.

Vandy can’t matchup on the perimeter with Jewel Spear, Kaiya Wynn, Rickea J, and Jasmine Powell. These players need to create open looks for our shooters Sara, Tess, and Striplin.

Vandy can’t matchup inside with TK. Jillian will have her breakthrough soon and when it happens man this group is a formidable opponent.

OAN: I watched Ace go toe to toe with Miss State big-time guard and didn’t back down at all on the road.

Tennessee has one of the deepest teams in the SEC 1-10 coming off a 2nd SEC road win sitting at 4-1 overall.

Vandy doesn’t have a single advantage to exploit against the LadyVols who is one of the few teams I’ve ever seen this late in the season turn a perceived weakness into a strength on the road. Even former Lady Vol HC Warlick stated that the Lady Vols defense was playing elite in the 2nd half.

Lets GBO

 

[creekdipper]

Agree about Holly ….. complimentary about Kellie and the team in general! Some good information brought up but she struggled some times just to add comments! I like Carter better … she seems to be on her way up the ladder !

Yeah, Draya is a star. A natural.

 

[creekdipper]

Now is the time feral bread race horse to turn it on down the track..

Mmmmm. Love me some feral bread with giblets on the side!

 

[Coach Jumper]

Justine is the last one I'd be concerned about on defense. I'd just put someone on her that you don't need for help defense because you can't leave her to help out. So Puckett, Striplin, Tess, or Spear depending on the lineups. In 5 SEC games, she is shooting 38% overall and 28% from 3 and she has shot 0 FTs, same old Justine, just looking to get 3s off any chance she gets. She's like a poor man's version of Puckett.

Here is Puckett in SEC play
View attachment 611748

And here is Pissott in SEC play
View attachment 611750

Same minutes and FG attempts but Puckett has 16 more points, 10 more rebounds, more assists, and fewer TOs.

now compare her to the one who actually does what she does
or send me the link and I will do it

 

[madtownvol]

Prediction.

The LVs will trail Vandy 11-30 at the end of the first quarter and go on to win 105- 36.

Kellie will then reveal in her post-game presser that she watches replays of the Ali versus Foreman fight 5 times a day and bases her team strategy on Ali's rope-a-dope technique.

She notes being frustrated that the team did not have a bigger first quarter deficit, explaining that "we wanted more TOs and blown defensive coverages in those crucial first ten minutes to really rope in those Vandy dopes."

Somewhat surprisingly, Maria Cornelius then asks Kellie if she knows any knock-knock jokes to which Kellie responds "Knock-knock (whose there?) Vandy (Vandy who?), Vandy sucks!!

Cora Hall then immediately interjects - "Coach Harper is it not true that your so-called joke is not a joke at all but a mere statement of objective facts??"

At that point, Kellie abruptly leaves the presser, Mike Tomlin style.

 

[37620VOL]

now compare her to the one who actually does what she does

Spear? I'm afraid it is not any better for quitter Justine

 

[Coach Jumper]

 

[37620VOL]

Whatever do you mean, sir