Game Thread Lady Vols at Missouri

[LVJeff]

Opponents with inferior perimeter speed, or undersized, or not prepared on the perimeter are clearly bothered by the LV pressure.

I really can't imagine SC or ND or a top 5 team, being too bothered by the LV pressure, however. We'll see.

As it stands now, the LV's will be competitive against most teams, but they are not yet good enough to be able to afford any lapses on either offense, defense, or rebounding.

 

[LVJeff]

Did DeShields get hurt? I must have missed that.

She took a backhand to the face. Didn't look too bad but she dropped like a sack of cement and laid there. Reminded me of when Massengale was hit. She came back in later.

 

[Pat4life]

You can, if the other team is not scoring..ijs Our press wore them out, solid defense ladies, still have a lot of work.We need to do a better job of anticipating passes out of those traps, we could have more steals, and how many layups did we miss.


Once this team hit layups we'll score 70/points a game.

 

[Pat4life]

I think the pressure will disrupt the timing of most teams we face offensively. We just want them to eat time off the clock so they can't run their sets, just to disrupt their rhythym.

It will work if we keep working on it and getting better, the players looked a lil confused with their rotation, but I like it its a nice change up.

 

[LVJeff]

--less of Reynolds as Reynolds just isn't contributing enough on either end..

If you need somebody to run back-and-forth up and down the court - Reynolds is it.

 

[LVJeff]

ASU up on Stanford 44-27. 3 minutes left in the game.

 

[Pat4life]

I do like the fact our ladies was trying to get to the rim.

Russell and Bash have to play bigger and tougher to compete, downlow then our guards are going to have to be players to compete with the top 5 teams.

 

[Rickster]

I believe Missouri is a good team and that they will prove it over the course of a season. Their strength is outside shooting but they do have an inside presence. I believe the LV defense stayed on them well enough to keep them from streaking and that played a big part in the win. On the offensive side, the inside game is getting triple teamed and harassed by the wing players causing our posts to press a bit. Once they solve the kick-out issues from those triple teams, the offensive efficiency will get much better.

 

[Pat4life]

If you need somebody to run back-and-forth up and down the court - Reynolds is it.

She looks like a spectator on the court, rather than a player. She looks like she does everything so she can to move out the way and watch.

 

[LVJeff]

ASU beats Stanford handily 49-31. Stanford looked horrible on offense - 31 points. Makes the LV's 43 points against VA Tech look almost decent.

Lowest point total ever for Stanford.

 

[armchair]

I like the starting lineup of Carter, DeShields, Nared, Graves and Russell. It is lineup with some nice size and athleticism. Nared has some quicks for her size and can guard on the perimeter, just needs to get more into the offensive flow. Carter seems our best point guard, and it is a group that seems to take care of the ball better--too many turnovers with Cooper and Reynolds. Nice to see us build and maintain a cushion in the second half--this group needs to learn how to put the hammer down and put away inferior teams.

 

[ocoandasoc]

The Lady Vols used controlled ball pressure and great perimeter defense to take Missouri out of their game. Mizzou knew the press would be coming, but they just don’t have the speed or handle to deal with it. And – due to a weak OOC schedule – they hadn’t seen anything remotely like it in their first 13 wins. Holly did them a favor by keeping the pressure on the whole game…. It will help them against the lesser lights in their conference matchups. I believe that Missouri beat the press and got an easy bucket exactly twice. Not a good tradeoff for the turnovers, steals, held balls, and awkward desperation shots they endured.

Mizzou has good three-point shooters, but outside of Michaelis none have truly quick releases… they need a second to get their feet set. The LV’s almost never gave it to them and they got in the habit of rushing their shots so even when they did, they didn’t take their normal shooting motion. The screens and picks that work on unranked teams don’t hold up against speed, quickness and athleticism. Mizzou didn’t simply have a bad shooting night…. the LV’s MADE it a bad night.

The Tennessee defense is Final Four caliber. The offense still needs some work. But when you’re A+ defense can hold teams 25 points below their season average, you’ve got some leeway to struggle a little and still get some easy wins over decent teams.

Refs weren’t very good tonight… but, if anything, I thought they were a little tougher on Tennessee. As usual, Mizzou’s three top scorers were all in foul trouble – but then two of them are freshmen.

To get to the NCAA Tourney Mizzou is going to have to beat the Auburns, LSUs, Arkansas, Alabamas and Floridas of the SEC consistently. And maybe an upset on one of the top tier teams like GA or A&M.

Kudos to the Mizzou fans – biggest attendance ever. And they supported the team after after the outcome was certain.

 

[LVJeff]

I believe Missouri is a good team and that they will prove it over the course of a season. Their strength is outside shooting but they do have an inside presence. I believe the LV defense stayed on them well enough to keep them from streaking and that played a big part in the win. On the offensive side, the inside game is getting triple teamed and harassed by the wing players causing our posts to press a bit. Once they solve the kick-out issues from those triple teams, the offensive efficiency will get much better.

You focus on what you can control and you can't control the opponent or how good - or bad - the opponent is. You can only control your own play. That is why I can be fairly critical of the LV's play - I don't care who they are playing, if they miss layups and free throws against good teams, what will happen when the play great teams? Will they magically start to make those shots? Hardly. The LV's are a good team that will get better. But they have a long ways to go.

 

[LVJeff]

The Lady Vols used controlled ball pressure and great perimeter defense to take Missouri out of their game. Mizzou knew the press would be coming, but they just don’t have the speed or handle to deal with it. And – due to a weak OOC schedule – they hadn’t seen anything remotely like it in their first 13 wins. Holly did them a favor by keeping the pressure on the whole game…. It will help them against the lesser lights in their conference matchups. I believe that Missouri beat the press and got an easy bucket exactly twice. Not a good tradeoff for the turnovers, steals, held balls, and awkward desperation shots they endured.

Mizzou has good three-point shooters, but outside of Michaelis none have truly quick releases… they need a second to get their feet set. The LV’s almost never gave it to them and they got in the habit of rushing their shots so even when they did, they didn’t take their normal shooting motion. The screens and picks that work on unranked teams don’t hold up against speed, quickness and athleticism. Mizzou didn’t simply have a bad shooting night…. the LV’s MADE it a bad night.

The Tennessee defense is Final Four caliber. The offense still needs some work. But when you’re A+ defense can hold teams 25 points below their season average, you’ve got some leeway to struggle a little and still get some easy wins over decent teams.

Refs weren’t very good tonight… but, if anything, I thought they were a little tougher on Tennessee. As usual, Mizzou’s three top scorers were all in foul trouble – but then two of them are freshmen.

To get to the NCAA Tourney Mizzou is going to have to beat the Auburns, LSUs, Arkansas, Alabamas and Floridas of the SEC consistently. And maybe an upset on one of the top tier teams like GA or A&M.

Kudos to the Mizzou fans – biggest attendance ever. And they supported the team after after the outcome was certain.

The defense will be final four caliber when they get to a final four. The defense has to perform against teams that have both strong inside and outside games. I do not consider Missouri a team with a strong inside game.

The LV's played Texas, Stanford, and OSU...three teams that generally fit the strong inside/outside description, and the LV's lost two of those games by double digits and had to hold on for dear life in the other one.

I'm not trying to minimize this win...but I don't see the defense as being that dominant unless the opponent is undersized or slow-afoot.

 

[LVJeff]

Speaking of OSU...they are now on the PAC-12 network playing UCLA.

 

[j'adorevol89]

I like the starting lineup of Carter, DeShields, Nared, Graves and Russell. It is lineup with some nice size and athleticism. Nared has some quicks for her size and can guard on the perimeter, just needs to get more into the offensive flow. Carter seems our best point guard, and it is a group that seems to take care of the ball better--too many turnovers with Cooper and Reynolds. Nice to see us build and maintain a cushion in the second half--this group needs to learn how to put the hammer down and put away inferior teams.

I just noticed Nared's speed tonight during that fast break steal play she got down the court pretty fast... Her shot's are going to fall she seems t just be getting back int the grove but I like her down low and in the midrange

 

[Pat4life]

I believe Missouri is a good team and that they will prove it over the course of a season. Their strength is outside shooting but they do have an inside presence. I believe the LV defense stayed on them well enough to keep them from streaking and that played a big part in the win. On the offensive side, the inside game is getting triple teamed and harassed by the wing players causing our posts to press a bit. Once they solve the kick-out issues from those triple teams, the offensive efficiency will get much better.

Nice post!

 

[Orange_Mamba]

Bash needs to hit layups, a post player who can make chippies, that's all I wanted for xmas. lol

She needs to get on the glass, her and Mercedes on 3 offensive rebounds. If they get on the glass for 8-10 offensive boards, that is more touches.

The more of see of Dunbar, the more I don't want to see more of her. ijs. More middleton please, in her limited minutes, she is looking like one of the better guards on the team, which we know is not very hard.

Reynolds and Carter should not be on the court together.

Can't fault Bash on the offensive rebounds, especially if your playing a team that shoots the three heavily. If your buried in the post you can't rebound long rebounds that falls on the guards to block out.

 

[Voldon18]

Folks, when you hold a team to 25 points below their game average, especially a ranked squad on the road, you're doing something right. This was a good win for the Lady Vols.

If we hit our free throws, Mizzou is left in the dust by halftime.

Russell showed more aggression and did a great job contesting shots. She needs to utilize her height more consistently, but improvement is being made.

Middleton proved to be a scrapper tonight, and she hit some big buckets. She deserves most of Reynolds's minutes. It was nice to see DD step up her defense on a night when her shot wasn't falling. She can play D when she's motivated.

Bash stills needs more touches. Nared still needs to let the game come to her. What a good athlete she is ... the rest will come. Carter hit a few big shots but appears to be a streaky shooter for life. At least she rarely disappoints on defense.

Huge few days for Vol Nation with Outback outcome, Peyron comeback, sweet TE-coach hire and the Lady Vol beat down of Mizzou!

 

[alexvol]

The Lady Vols used controlled ball pressure and great perimeter defense to take Missouri out of their game. Mizzou knew the press would be coming, but they just don’t have the speed or handle to deal with it. And – due to a weak OOC schedule – they hadn’t seen anything remotely like it in their first 13 wins. Holly did them a favor by keeping the pressure on the whole game…. It will help them against the lesser lights in their conference matchups. I believe that Missouri beat the press and got an easy bucket exactly twice. Not a good tradeoff for the turnovers, steals, held balls, and awkward desperation shots they endured.

Mizzou has good three-point shooters, but outside of Michaelis none have truly quick releases… they need a second to get their feet set. The LV’s almost never gave it to them and they got in the habit of rushing their shots so even when they did, they didn’t take their normal shooting motion. The screens and picks that work on unranked teams don’t hold up against speed, quickness and athleticism. Mizzou didn’t simply have a bad shooting night…. the LV’s MADE it a bad night.

The Tennessee defense is Final Four caliber. The offense still needs some work. But when you’re A+ defense can hold teams 25 points below their season average, you’ve got some leeway to struggle a little and still get some easy wins over decent teams.

Refs weren’t very good tonight… but, if anything, I thought they were a little tougher on Tennessee. As usual, Mizzou’s three top scorers were all in foul trouble – but then two of them are freshmen.

To get to the NCAA Tourney Mizzou is going to have to beat the Auburns, LSUs, Arkansas, Alabamas and Floridas of the SEC consistently. And maybe an upset on one of the top tier teams like GA or A&M.

Kudos to the Mizzou fans – biggest attendance ever. And they supported the team after after the outcome was certain.

Enjoyed this post....right on target imo.I have stopped posting during the game because I get too emotional and say some strange things sometimes.
But,the Lady Vols really played with effort in keeping the press on the whole game and for the most part playing solid half court defense.

They even showed some improvement in half court offense but maybe that was due more to slow defense than anything that they were executing....we shall see Thursday nite if this is a positive trend.

Hope that they get in gym and shoot hundreds of free throws between now and Thursday;and,I hope that they shoot a bunch of layups because both the free throw shooting and layups shooting was miserable.

 

[alexvol]

Folks, when you hold a team to 25 points below their game average, especially a ranked squad on the road, you're doing something right. This was a good win for the Lady Vols.

If we hit our free throws, Mizzou is left in the dust by halftime.

Russell showed more aggression and did a great job contesting shots. She needs to utilize her height more consistently, but improvement is being made.

Middleton proved to be a scrapper tonight, and she hit some big buckets. She deserves most of Reynolds's minutes. It was nice to see DD step up her defense on a night when her shot wasn't falling. She can play D when she's motivated.

Bash stills needs more touches. Nared still needs to let the game come to her. What a good athlete she is ... the rest will come. Carter hit a few big shots but appears to be a streaky shooter for life. At least she rarely disappoints on defense.

Huge few days for Vol Nation with Outback outcome, Peyron comeback, sweet TE-coach hire and the Lady Vol beat down of Mizzou!

Amen....especially your last comment.

 

[Rickster]

Folks, when you hold a team to 25 points below their game average, especially a ranked squad on the road, you're doing something right. This was a good win for the Lady Vols.

If we hit our free throws, Mizzou is left in the dust by halftime.

Russell showed more aggression and did a great job contesting shots. She needs to utilize her height more consistently, but improvement is being made.

Middleton proved to be a scrapper tonight, and she hit some big buckets. She deserves most of Reynolds's minutes. It was nice to see DD step up her defense on a night when her shot wasn't falling. She can play D when she's motivated.

Bash stills needs more touches. Nared still needs to let the game come to her. What a good athlete she is ... the rest will come. Carter hit a few big shots but appears to be a streaky shooter for life. At least she rarely disappoints on defense.

Huge few days for Vol Nation with Outback outcome, Peyron comeback, sweet TE-coach hire and the Lady Vol beat down of Mizzou!

Very good post!

 

[gule]

at the 5 min. mark in the 3rd, Russell was called for a foul when she was catching a pass as she had a mizzou player bang in to her from the back over her left shoulder. How in the hell any ref could call that as a foul on Russell? Absolutely terrible!

 

[Rickster]

at the 5 min. mark in the 3rd, Russell was called for a foul when she was catching a pass as she had a mizzou player bang in to her from the back over her left shoulder. How in the hell any ref could call that as a foul on Russell? Absolutely terrible!

That call was really strange as were a few others but, sorry to say, I'm getting used to these type of calls against us. There was a time we got those calls but not anymore…..

 

[Volfan2012]

Holly looked like she had some of that Flint, Michigan water in that Aquafina bottle at her press conference. The water was brown.