Game Thread: Lady Vols vs. Alabama

[Majors]

I will most definitely say it. I don’t care if someone doesn’t like the truth or it hurts their feelings. It happens all the time in sports. A star play is injured but the team plays better. Stop treating female sports with a handicap. The same conversations happen in team sports but we can’t have it because women are too sensitive? Or is it the fan base?

Some have said it’s opened up the team more. Can’t deny her defense, but can also acknowledge the offense is flowing better too

 

[Ladyvol777]

Nice win today against Alabama, 89 - 76. We got #500 wins at TBA! Should be headed to the top 25. As always go Lady Vol's.

 

[Volfan2012]

Tennessee's first Q1 win hopefully Miss St wins today and moves up to or past 30 in the NET so it will be a Q1 as well.

 

[alexvol]

Hated the 4th quarter. We have to continue to play our game. Which includes defense. No matter what the score is. Until then we will not be a Final Four team.

First 3 quarters shows you what kind of team this is. Alabama is no slouch and we were just mincing them up with our passing and cutting.

You are right about the glimpse of what this team can be but they continue to have one bad quarter per game.....a trend they just can not seem to break.

 

[Memvol44]

Unbelievable, our best player on the bench.

We can see the line-up....don't need your help..

 

[Vols2015]

Wonder if we move back into top 25 this week, or at least receive votes?

 

[Volfan2012]

I will admit, they were probably getting tired toward the end of the game. Their game in a week and they were really giving it for the second and most of the third quarters.

Yes but I'm griping on them all week about that fourth quarter and past fourth quarters. Stanford, Florida, today all fourth quarter were ugly. I let them know way to many times than they want to hear it this week.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think were playing better without Key mainly because she was sick and shouldn't have been playing at all. We could see she didn't look like herself from the very beginning of the season. I sure wish we had her cause Bama not scoring 76 if she is playing today.

 

[Memvol44]

She is getting better every game she plays. Her defense has really been tough today as well.

"My offense gets me in the game,my defense keeps me in the game" Tess Darby..

 

[NoBackBoard]

I will admit, they were probably getting tired toward the end of the game. Their game in a week and they were really giving it for the second and most of the third quarters.

I thought the whole point of this first and second unit thing was so we would be fresh in the 4Q. Is our conditioning worse than other teams? I don’t get it especially when other teams have limited rosters with starters playing most of the game.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

I think we can put the Kellie has a personal vendetta against Rickea to bed... Rickea retweeted this herself

 

[Volfan2012]

I think we can put the Kellie has a personal vendetta against Rickea to bed... Rickea retweeted this herself

Yes now let's just win.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Yes now let's just win.

It's what we been trying to do but since this is still a thing thought it deserved to be posted

 

[lvocd]

Wonder if we move back into top 25 this week, or at least receive votes?

Might receive votes, but if voters actually watch the game I wouldn't be surprised if that fourth quarter slippage hurts them. If they'd finished strong they may actually have been right there. I imagine Kellie is thinking the same thing. Gonna be some tired women at the end of practice tomorrow! lol

 

[Fatoldman]

I think we can put the Kellie has a personal vendetta against Rickea to bed... Rickea retweeted this herself

Correct. The emphatic quit punishing RJ crowd just likes to stir up controversy. They ignore we have played our best basketball when RJ comes off the bench. Some people just like drama

 

[Volfan2012]

Might receive votes, but if voters actually watch the game I wouldn't be surprised if that fourth quarter slippage hurts them. If they'd finished strong they may actually have been right there. I imagine Kellie is thinking the same thing. Gonna be some tired women at the end of practice tomorrow! lol

The ones that really matter number 18 NET and number 24 RPI are great at this point. Just keep winning.

 

[LV renaissance]

Good win but agree with others about always taking a quarter off. In the 4th, the Bama drive and penetrate was killing us. Tess was one of the few during the game that would stop it, which would be shocking if that wasn't becoming a trend. The assists to turnover ratio was a good 2:1 and was phenomenal until we got so many turnovers in the 4th. Great games by Walker and Tess, and it was a treat to see Jill doing well and getting some valuable experience.

I have not been one to criticize Harper for not starting Jackson. However, I am totally baffled by how little time she lets Jackson and Jordy play together. They NEVER played together in the entire first quarter. When they finally played together in the 2nd quarter for about 5 minutes, the lead went from 3 to 13 points. I sure wish Gino would have used this approach back in the day when they would beat us with Bird and Taurasi. Can you imagine how favorable that would have been the LVs if they rarely played together? A theory I have is that this is akin to Harper always holding on to her timeouts no matter what. Instead of thinking what do we need right now, she seems to be thinking how she has this great ace up her sleeve (timeouts, our 2 stars playing together at the same time) in case we really get in bad shape. Perhaps I will send her a book on how to stop hoarding !

I do think we are improving and with some more consistent play on defense and same saner substitution patterns we might become closer to the team we wish for.

 

[Majors]

It's what we been trying to do but since this is still a thing thought it deserved to be posted

Going to take more than a fist bump in a 22 point effort. Might be that CKH knows RJ had to pick up the scoring with JH at 9. Both have to be on to move past SS or have a chance to winning big games. Darby well above her average helped.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Yes but I'm griping on them all week about that fourth quarter and past fourth quarters. Stanford, Florida, today all fourth quarter were ugly. I let them know way to many times than they want to hear it this week.

It's a sign that we may not be in great condition. If that's true, there's no excuse for it.

 

[Ladyvol777]

The ones that really matter number 18 NET and number 24 RPI are great at this point. Just keep winning.

I agree, we will get in the top 15 at least before the season is over. We will host the first two games in the big dance. As always go Lady Vol's.

 

[Nute Gunray]

You are right about the glimpse of what this team can be but they continue to have one bad quarter per game.....a trend they just can not seem to break.

the 4th quarter is the bugaboo for the LVs

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Going to take more than a fist bump in a 22 point effort. Might be that CKH knows RJ had to pick up the scoring with JH at 9. Both have to be on to move past SS or have a chance to winning big games. Darby well above her average helped.

What are you even talking about? Nothing i said has anything to do with Horston it actually had to do with your take that Kellie has a personal vendetta against Rickea.

So... NO. It doesn't take more than a fist bump to see they are getting along better or are even good.

Now Jordan didn't score well but she stuffed the stat sheets considering there were 3 other people in double figures besides rickea that means we r playing team ball and could withstand when one of our stars is having an off night.

In bigger games let's hope that doesn't happen but if it does hopefully this will give the other players confidence...

 

[NoBackBoard]

Striplin is a solid player but defensively and on the boards she is average or below average. Hollingshead is our best post now. In many games Franklin is really solid. In other games she is not much of a factor

Just an FYI but Striplin lead all players today with 8 rebounds.

 

[glv98]

I didn't want to leave the arena. Sat there until the cleaning crew kept telling me to move my feet. By far the most enjoyable, most complete game I've seen by the LVs in many, many moon. Slacking off a little late didn't bother me a bit. This game was firmly in hand throughout bc this team is FINALLY living up to its talent level.

THIS is the shoulda, coulda, woulda that we thought would happen this season. Everyone is settling in so nicely and seems so very comfy with their roles. And everyone is making everyone else better. The gears are finally meshing.

"My offense gets me in the game,my defense keeps me in the game" Tess Darby..

Well Tess, it sounds nice, but its totally not true. Your swishiness from 3 keeps you in the game, as it should. I've tried every way in the world to replace Tess, preferably with Sara, but Tess is just playing too well. She's so solid, so smart, so well in position. Her defense is better for sure, but she's become so much more reliable from 3. And that's why she plays!

I think we can put the Kellie has a personal vendetta against Rickea to bed... Rickea retweeted this herself

I can only repeat the great line someone came up with last game: I don't know about RJ's relationship with Kellie, but her relationship with the bottom of the net is doing just fine. Mighty fine in fact. As some have noted above, the way RJ is playing now is very Chamique-like, only RJ has a better body. CH was a little skinny. RJ is a shoo in for SEC player of the week, as she should be.

As long as RJ is ok with it, I no longer care if she comes in from the bleachers, from the parking lot, just get her in, early and often. And with JH. Rickea's obviously a very, very gifted offensive player, but she can also pass, rebound, and her D is getting much better. Heaven help the rest of the SEC if she gets too much more comfortable.

That said, I DO want RJ to start Thursday against Miss St. I want RJ to get the tunnel, the spotlight, the fireworks then hang 40 pt on her old team, mostly over Annie Hayes. Just this once, lets give RJ the whole treatment.

[/QUOTE]

Going to take more than a fist bump in a 22 point effort. Might be that CKH knows RJ had to pick up the scoring with JH at 9. Both have to be on to move past SS or have a chance to winning big games. Darby well above her average helped.

Not even sure what much of this means, but dissing JH's game today as being somehow limited to 9 points is a total misreading of the game I watched her have. Scoring was not a problem for one second of this game. JH's 9 assists, 5 rebounds and a steal, along with those 9 pts, were exactly what we needed from her. JH did not shoot as well today, might not have felt well, did leave the floor for a short period. But the all around game from her today is precisely what we need, and what the presence of RJ allows her to do. This is the combination we've been waiting for all year.

Walker has had a couple of very strong games back to back. We need to get Powell figured out ASAP.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

@glv98

Very true her relationship with the bottom of the net is fine but it's also good seeing that her relationship with KJH is solid as well

on Tess her one on one defense is much improved but her talking on D and playing team D is what keeps her on the floor. Her ability not to be a liability on defense is her biggest improvement If it wasn't we'd be seeing other players with her minutes.