Game Thread: Lady Vols host Auburn, Thursday, Feb 13 at 6:30 ET. SECN+

[RespectAPA]

It's hard to watch the Lady Vols and not kind of want the same thing for our Men's team. Yes I realize were ranked 5th but the Lady Vols feel like they have so much more momentum.

Young Coach, lead the nation in points and 3s. and have the #1 recruiting class

There's a coach at the very top of D2 who runs almost the same system as coach, his Nova Southeastern hav scored 100 in all but 5 of their games this season. If Barnes retires in a few years, perhaps we take seriously getting him to Knoxville if the Caldwell experiment exceeds expectations?

 

[volsagain]

Really, I don't think the officiating was that bad overall. Just that short stretch early in the second half. That stretch was bad. Glad we didn't get rattled by it.

Mostly ticky-tacky calls that just slows the game down. Who wants the whistle blowing on plays that don't give the other team a big advantage. Let em play ball !

 

[ttharp]

It was a great game. We controlled it after the first quarter and buried them in the fourth and absolutely blew them away.

Love it! We’re gonna dangerous in March!

 

[alexvol]

Good game ...not great .....but good .

 

[VolBall09]

Love it! We’re gonna dangerous in March!

Without a doubt. This same Auburn team just took OU to the wire at OU losing 73-71. Turn around and we beat them by 38. We’ve taken some licks but we’re getting better and better.

 

[AllVols3]

There's a coach at the very top of D2 who runs almost the same system as coach, his Nova Southeastern hav scored 100 in all but 5 of their games this season. If Barnes retires in a few years, perhaps we take seriously getting him to Knoxville if the Caldwell experiment exceeds expectations?

Let's hope not

 

[RespectAPA]

Let's hope not

Does it make a difference to you if he coaches a few years in D1 before Barnes retires? Is it just that you're against the system, or against the idea of hiring a D2 coach, no matter how effectiv he is? (if he makes the Final Four this year, it will make 3 consecutiv D2 Final Fours for him)

 

[LVfanLasVegas]

Mostly ticky-tacky calls that just slows the game down. Who wants the whistle blowing on plays that don't give the other team a big advantage. Let em play ball !

Game slowing works against the Lady Vols style of play and plan of attack.

 

[ttharp]

Without a doubt. This same Auburn team just took OU to the wire at OU losing 73-71. Turn around and we beat them by 38. We’ve taken some locks but we’re getting better and better.

Excited to watch the replay.

I’m assuming winning this big will help us in the NET.

 

[kell7517]

Good game ...not great .....but good .

Tough crowd. 99 points and a SEC win of almost 40 points.

 

[AllVols3]

Does it make a difference to you if he coaches a few years in D1 before Barnes retires? Is it just that you're against the system, or against the idea of hiring a D2 coach, no matter how effectiv he is? (if he makes the Final Four this year, it will make 3 consecutiv D2 Final Fours for him)

Night and day difference in coaching, recruiting, and running a D2 and a D1 program. We're in a place where we should be able to hire an established coach with experience in all thise categories. I'll cheer for whomever DW hires, but I would think he would go for a established coach. We will see in about 4-5 years.

 

[RespectAPA]

Felt like this was a big moment in the game. Auburn was on a bit of a run in the 3rd quarter, and if they get a stop on this possession, they hav a chance to make it single digits on the way back down the court.

Hollingshead from deep was the beginning of a humungous run, 38-11, and stopped Auburn right as they were starting to chip into the lead a bit.

 

[MAD]

How will our LVs bounce back? Go LVs!

Please continue to use Jumpy's score prediction thread to play that contest. Or Jumpy can post it here. Would make a great post.

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LV cumulative stats this season:

2024-25 Women's Basketball Cumulative Statistics - University of Tennessee Athletics

The official 2024-25 Women's Basketball cumulative statistics for the University of Tennessee Volunteers

utsports.com

LVs vs Auburn series history:

University of Tennessee Athletics Women's Basketball History vs Auburn University

University of Tennessee Women's Basketball History vs Auburn University

utsports.com

Lady Vols Radio Network: https://utsports.com/watch/?Live=5109&type=Live

You brought us good luck as the OP.

 

[RAVOL]

Huge W tonight. Ladies played very good shooting much better. First of these 3 home games in Win Column whole Team effort. In CHRIST Alone

 

[RespectAPA]

Night and day difference in coaching, recruiting, and running a D2 and a D1 program. We're in a place where we should be able to hire an established coach with experience in all thise categories. I'll cheer for whomever DW hires, but I would think he would go for a established coach. We will see in about 4-5 years.

Agreed with the reasoning, at least. I hope NSU's coach gets to D1 asap and demonstrates that this system works. Regarding Caldwell: the fact that she is basically still a D2 coach only starting her D1 career was my sole concern with the Caldwell hire, as I was sold on her system (which is basically the same as NSU's system) years before UT decided to "gamble" on a System coach.

So far, it's looking like whatever bumps in the road due to her being a D2 coach at an SEC school are being entirely outstripped by the fact that this system kicks ass, and we only seem to be getting better the more our player's bodies are acclimating to what we do. I think that it would be the same if we hired NSU's coach, but I can completely understand the trepidation.

 

[therealitytheory]

Tonite is the start of a great run. 3 seed in the Dance, here we come!

I'm thinking I sold us short. A 2 seed isn't out of the question.

 

[VolBall09]

Probably hasn’t been as long as it feel but I can’t recall the last time we beat an SEC team by this much. We beat Arkansas by 30 but a 38 point lead feels like way more for some reason.

 

[brittannica]

Probably hasn’t been as long as it feel but I can’t recall the last time we beat an SEC team by this much. We beat Arkansas by 30 but a 38 point lead feels like way more for some reason.

ESPN ticker says biggest SEC win since 2020

 

[VolBall09]

ESPN ticker says biggest SEC win since 2020

Thanks!

 

[BruisedOrange]

 

[BruisedOrange]

 

[Voltopia]

I'm late to the party, but I have to say I'm incredibly grateful to see this program take tough losses like that road LSU game on the chin, then come right back and throw more punches themselves.

I've commented on it a few times before this year, but this team has almost no quit in them. They may not always win - yet - but they don't ever go away and they don't slow down. Good on them. Don't have to coach the hustle.

 

[therealitytheory]

You don't want to play the LVs on a neutral court in March.

 

[LVfanLasVegas]

There's a coach at the very top of D2 who runs almost the same system as coach, his Nova Southeastern hav scored 100 in all but 5 of their games this season. If Barnes retires in a few years, perhaps we take seriously getting him to Knoxville if the Caldwell experiment exceeds expectations?

I think you'd be hard pressed to find D1 4 and 5 star men willing to fall into this system of less minutes and heavy rotations. The egos in the men's game are large, especially with the top recruits. Maybe I'm out on a limb with these thoughts but the women's game is still (overall) a more team oriented game.

 

[Golfteacher]

Hollingshed is playing her butt off. She has come a long way since the coaching change. She is really locked in. All it took was the right coaching.