Game Thread: Lady Vols at No. 4/3 LSU; 7PM; ESPN2

[Majors]

Where was the poor coaching? Kellie had these girls ready to play!

Gave up 31 to Morris, Reece with another Double Double….gave up roughly 12 points on matador layups. Walkers 19 is the silver lining of keeping it close.

 

[creekdipper]

So I literally just had a thought…..why doesn’t Kellie ever put Horston on the opposing teams best scorer?

Like why not put one of your better on ball defenders on Morris this game? maybe I missed something during the game after I stopped watching.

That's a valid question, but your comment raises a couple of other questions:

Given that we were only down by one point in the fourth quarter, when did you stop watching? And wouldn't you have regretted your decision if we had pulled out the win?

 

[SGMVols]

Excellent observation. They have to come out high just to get the ball, then try to dribble drive through three defenders. Not good. Maybe have a taller player come out to receive a pass at the periemter and throw it in to one of them on the block


Too much dribbling is right. It cost us dearly in this game. Kellie needs to incorporate crisp passing in her offense and de-emphasize dribbling. Just watch the men's team.


I think it would be a good idea for AD White to hire a retired successful coach to analyze the entire program from head to toe and make recommendations for changes. He/she could critique Kellie's offensive and defensive approaches. It looks to me like Kellie is going to need a lot of help to remain the HC of the LV's. I'm sure he doesn't want to fire any coach, much less one that is a LV legend. He needs to bring in mucho support to avoid that.

Yours was a very thoughtful post.

White has already fired two coaches since he’s been here. He fired the track coach in a year the men’s team finished third in the SEC.

 

[creekdipper]

We have seen our team with good ball movement in various games, particularly earlier in the season. So we know it's been addressed and practiced. Just need to do it consistently.

One fundamental that needs work is setting and using picks/screens to get open looks. Morris did this really effectively, repeatedly running her defender into the screen. I love Tess, but I watched her leave too much space between herself and the screener, allowing the defense to easily stay with her instead of Tess getting a clean look. Other times I see someone setting a screen and being waved off by the ball handler. Just too much not being on the same page.

 

[Peas29]

Nah, you can be a really good player and not tongue lick, taunt, priss and gloat. You see Rickea Jackson tonight? Or Jordan Walker?

Also, no one should use the term ghetto or thug bc those are just trigger terms and have less than nothing to do with how any individual chooses to act on the court.

Obviously you assumed I meant an Angel type player. You thought of one player and missed my entire point.

 

[creekdipper]

Say what you want and blast away but KJ was never the answer from day 1. No way TN womens basketball should be at the point it is at and its only going to get worse.

Should we "blast away" here or in the Football Recruiting Forum (where you were blasting various players during the game, evidently not realizing that an actual Lady Vols Forum exists).

It's just all so confusing knowing where to post these days....

 

[LasVegasBill23]

Gave up 31 to Morris, Reece with another Double Double….gave up roughly 12 points on matador layups. Walkers 19 is the silver lining of keeping it close.

some of walkers play i really liked

 

[creekdipper]

Y’all think this is bad just wait until next year. Your thinking to yourself it can’t get no worse than this, but oh it can and will.

Actually, most of us don't think in double negatives.

 

[turbovol]

White has already fired two coaches since he’s been here. He fired the track coach in a year the men’s team finished third in the SEC.

Who was the other coach he sacked?

 

[Rooster1]

I feel there’s a combination of things that need changing including the fanbase in a sense. The young ladies that are beating us are some of the same players a lot of y’all say y’all don’t won’t here at UT. The game’s personality has changed. You need young ladies that fear nothing once they step out on the court and won’t be pushed around. Some may like to use the term ghetto or thug but however you look at it we need some of those players. Just because that’s their mentality on the court it doesn’t mean it’s the same off the court. Shooters, shooters, shooters is all we hear on this board but what does it matter if they can’t get the shot off. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to some of y’all but the days of wanting ladies in a southern sense on the court are over. Something is going on in the weight room as well because our lady Vols are too easily knocked off course. That being said I still believe we can make a late run if everything falls into place. As a whole the program and fanbase included has to come off this snobbish mindset when it comes to recruiting.

Lol

 

[LadyVol1908]

That's a valid question, but your comment raises a couple of other questions:

Given that we were only down by one point in the fourth quarter, when did you stop watching? And wouldn't you have regretted your decision if we had pulled out the win?

I stopped when they went on that run to push it to double digits early in the 3rd, so I didn’t see the comeback I was reading about.

And no I wouldn’t have regretted it because if we had come back, I would’ve just watched the recording in happiness knowing I’m about to watch an epic comeback and win!

 

[turbovol]

Horston should obviously guard every opponent's best scoring threat at the guard or small forward position. Why this isn't the
case is a mystery--somebody should ask Harper.

We lost this game in the 4th quarter when we gave up 16 free throws. Didn't see the second half so can't explain all the late fouls.

We make too mistakes to beat strong opponents, and we are not a good defensive team--at all. We have quickness issues, we are not fundamentally
sound on the defensive end (individually and as a team) and we play too much man defense, IMO, when man defense is a weakness.

 

[glv98]

Obviously you assumed I meant an Angel type player. You thought of one player and missed my entire point.

No, I was referring to LSU in general. Actually Ang was relatively well behaved, esp when we were eating her lunch the first half. Of course she eventually got her licks in, literally. There were several others taking up her self agrandizing slack, including the one who got a tech for it. It's the vibe of that team, the vibe you wish we had, I'm talking about.

Agree to disagree whether that stuff makes you a better team, or that's what we're missing.

 

[Amb3096]

No, I was referring to LSU in general. Actually Ang was relatively well behaved, esp when we were eating her lunch the first half. Of course she eventually got her licks in, literally. There were several others taking up her self agrandizing slack, including the one who got a tech for it. It's the vibe of that team, the vibe you wish we had, I'm talking about.

Agree to disagree whether that stuff makes you a better team, or that's what we're missing.

Poa didn't even do anything that bad, other than the misfortune of looking at Puckett while clapping instead of at one of her teammates. It was a good defensive play on her part, but the technical basically was a 6-pt swing in favor of Tennessee.

 

[glv98]

Poa didn't even do anything that bad, other than the misfortune of looking at Puckett while clapping instead of at one of her teammates. It was a good defensive play on her part, but the technical basically was a 6-pt swing in favor of Tennessee.

Yes, her's was by far the least one, lol bc what else would happen w SEC refs? I think LSU is getting a rep w the refs. But Kim does not seem to mind getting the techs, even in close games. Maybe, like the cupcake schedule, she's on to something.

 

[Volfan2012]

You really have to blame Coach Harper for the personnel now. Four seasons to get a decent point guard and were still really lacking at that position. Walker played a really good offensive game last night. That will however be the first one she has played this season. You have to find a player that can slow down Morris in this game. She doesn't get 31 against anyone else. We have a habit of letting one player per team go off and double their average. Weakest defensive team we've had in any year Harper has been coach. To many dumb decisions. Not enough playing time for certain players. To may substitutions. Not the way anyone else does it of the top teams out there. Wait let us get player X her ten minutes in we wouldn't want her to miss them even though the player we have in there is doing the job.
There will not be any firing in the middle of the season. I laugh at the people that are saying that. She will get to finish this one out mainly because were better than anyone in the SEC except two teams to this point and there is always the opportunity for redemption as the season and tourneys progress.

I am not enthusiastic that anything will change. Still the opportunity will be there for it to come about. I'll just end this by saying I like Coach Harper as a person, but this year has brought some serious doubts about her personnel decisions both in acquiring and using players. We'll get this over with in the next couple months and see how it goes. Then hopefully the AD can make the best decision for the path forward.

 

[Volfan2012]

Horston should obviously guard every opponent's best scoring threat at the guard or small forward position. Why this isn't the
case is a mystery--somebody should ask Harper.

We lost this game in the 4th quarter when we gave up 16 free throws. Didn't see the second half so can't explain all the late fouls.

We make too mistakes to beat strong opponents, and we are not a good defensive team--at all. We have quickness issues, we are not fundamentally
sound on the defensive end (individually and as a team) and we play too much man defense, IMO, when man defense is a weakness.

Man to man it only a good defense when you have the women that can play it. We have maybe five that a really good they are never on the floor much at the same time. There is always a weak link or two out there.

 

[Amb3096]

Yes, her's was by far the least one, lol bc what else would happen w SEC refs? I think LSU is getting a rep w the refs. But Kim does not seem to mind getting the techs, even in close games. Maybe, like the cupcake schedule, she's on to something.

Poa would probably say differently. She was never to be seen on the court again after the technical, and she was playing well. And her grandparents were in the crowd to see her play from Australia!

Do we know how many technicals has been called on LSU this season anyway? Yeah, they are all about showtime, but I don't think that necessarily translates into additional calls by the refs.

 

[Amb3096]

You really have to blame Coach Harper for the personnel now. Four seasons to get a decent point guard and were still really lacking at that position. Walker played a really good offensive game last night. That will however be the first one she has played this season. You have to find a player that can slow down Morris in this game. She doesn't get 31 against anyone else. We have a habit of letting one player per team go off and double their average. Weakest defensive team we've had in any year Harper has been coach. To many dumb decisions. Not enough playing time for certain players. To may substitutions. Not the way anyone else does it of the top teams out there. Wait let us get player X her ten minutes in we wouldn't want her to miss them even though the player we have in there is doing the job.
There will not be any firing in the middle of the season. I laugh at the people that are saying that. She will get to finish this one out mainly because were better than anyone in the SEC except two teams to this point and there is always the opportunity for redemption as the season and tourneys progress.

I am not enthusiastic that anything will change. Still the opportunity will be there for it to come about. I'll just end this by saying I like Coach Harper as a person, but this year has brought some serious doubts about her personnel decisions both in acquiring and using players. We'll get this over with in the next couple months and see how it goes. Then hopefully the AD can make the best decision for the path forward.

Kellie thought she did her part in getting Powell in the off-season, and I thought she was successful after seeing her in the early games this season. She was a player. But man, something happened to her and she just got progressively worse and showed terrible decision making as the season went on. There was a play last night where she basically took the ball right at all 5 LSU players at the same time, got blocked by like four of them, and they finished with a layup at the other end. She didn't look up to see if who was open under the paint; she was hellbent on taking it all the way.

And there's the whole Striplin thing. Lovely girl, no doubt. But against the UConns, LSUs, SCs of the world, she is out of her league. 7 minutes played yesterday, and the only column that didn't have "0s" under it were fouls...of which she picked up 2 in about as many minutes. No idea why Kellie insists on starting her then to start the 2nd half when LSU immediately takes advantage of the mismatch. Needs to start/play Hollingshead from the get-go, sub out for Franklin for limited minutes, and ride Jill until the game is over or she fouls out.

 

[djtee]

The five that ended the first have should have started the 2nd. ? Note this no knock of Striplin in anyway just my opinion. I think she is more of a mid major player, She is just not on the same level as a lot of post players at most of the power 5 schools. When kellie started her to start the 2nd half it broke the momentum they had in the 1st half. Was down only 5 at half LSU went on a run to start the 2nd half then Kellie had to sub out Striplin. We can agree to disagree.

 

[Volfan2012]

The eight losses are on Harper scheduling. Just a few teams in the country that wouldn't have eight losses with that schedule. She decided to go big and it backfired. She is responsible for a lot of the reasons it backfired with the substitution pattern and letting players get away with to many errors during games. If she had won half of those games we wouldn't be hearing near as much complaining now.

 

[SGMVols]

The five that ended the first have should have started the 2nd. ? Note this no knock of Striplin in anyway just my opinion. I think she is more of a mid major player, She is just not on the same level as a lot of post players at most of the power 5 schools. When kellie started her to start the 2nd half it broke the momentum they had in the 1st half. Was down only 5 at half LSU went on a run to start the 2nd half then Kellie had to sub out Striplin. We can agree to disagree.

I just don’t think we use her correctly. She is a stretch 4 that we’re trying to play as a 5.

 

[Amb3096]

The eight losses are on Harper scheduling. Just a few teams in the country that wouldn't have eight losses with that schedule. She decided to go big and it backfired. She is responsible for a lot of the reasons it backfired with the substitution pattern and letting players get away with to many errors during games. If she had won half of those games we wouldn't be hearing near as much complaining now.

The only one of those games that was an acceptable loss was Stanford. SC, Stanford or UConn would likely have made it through that OOO with a better record (no more than 1-2 losses). Probably more schools would have made it without 6 losses

 

[Volfan2012]

The only one of those games that was an acceptable loss was Stanford. SC, Stanford or UConn would likely have made it through that OOO with a better record (no more than 1-2 losses). Probably more schools would have made it without 6 losses

If that is your opinion fine but I could take a team like LSU or Duke and I think they lose to UConn, Stanford, Indiana, Ohio State early in the season when they had Levy, could very well lose to UCLA and Va Tech. and Duke could lose to LSU and vice versa. The only one you might take out is Gonzaga who beat Texas so they are not someone to be taken lightly. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they need to play the schedule first and then if your not SC, Stanford, or UConn see exactly where you are.

 

[djtee]

I just don’t think we use her correctly. She is a stretch 4 that we’re trying to play as a 5.

I agree with you she is more of a stretch 4 player but as we all see that position around the country has pretty much gone away other then a few programs. Tennessee needs a 4 that can rebound play defense and score from the low block and Striplin don`t have those skills to play with the better power 5 players around the country. There was no need for Kellie to start her in 2nd half none when she knew she was going sub her out early. Like i said before nothing against Striplin just laying out the facts.