Game Thread: Lady Vols Vs LSU; Thurs Jan 9th ; Home game; 6:30 PM Eastern; SEC+ stream

[Volfan2012]

Yep, the 11 three's kept us in it. Was great to see Kaniya Boyd knock down some in pressure packed situations. I just wonder if Tess had played would she added a couple of 3s that could of been the difference. I thought LSU had some fortunate bounces on the rims, that may be due to a soft shooting touch by Morrow & Gilbert, I thought that last shot was just a put it up and hope, it didn't seem to be a regular drive a spin and her back was to the basket and she lofted it over her head, credit for at least putting it up and making a hard shot. It seemed like they were getting a lot of them IMO and tagged with a lot of snowbird bunnies.
Hope we can bring a road win vs Arky and go onward and upward from there.

We actually won the rebounding and the offensive rebounding after the first quarter. I was totally unaware that we would ever play again like we did in that first quarter. Still hard for me to believe today that we came out and played that way.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

To me it’s not about offense at all. We don’t need to change the pace we play with. That’s what works for us. We HAVE to change the way we defend after the press is broken. It can’t just be a layup drill for teams if they get over the press.

I agree with this. In order to do so Alyssa, Jillian, and Favor must play more. Favor early in the 1st qtr after not playing in several consecutive games stepped on the court with her ability to defend and force an offensive foul call against Morrow or Flau’jae.
That’s a sign of a natural defender.
If defense is the priority then you develop her game to game so last night she can be ready to actually contribute on that stage and not just for 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes of play.
I don’t understand why Alyssa didn’t get most of all the 2nd half minutes off the bench in the 4 spot. I was encouraged that Jillian got the 2nd half start but Alyssa should have been utilized more at the 4 spot when the team wasn’t going with 4 guards.
At some point, if the priority is on defense and rebounding then Sara and Alyssa roles have to be reversed. She was battling hard on the boards and came down with some strong rebounds. The more she plays the better she will get this is a young talented player that experience will be valuable to her development now and in the future.

 

[KTrain]

We actually won the rebounding and the offensive rebounding after the first quarter. I was totally unaware that we would ever play again like we did in that first quarter. Still hard for me to believe today that we came out and played that way.

Yep, that 1st quarter was unfortunate but I've watched a lot of ball, and I felt like these girls would keep grinding and get back in the game. I've watched teams where these kind of 1Q happen and your mind wonder to the "its over quadrant". I just hope we can start getting our share of these close games in the W column, it can get disheartening to some players. Some will bring it no matter what the circumstances.
GBO

 

[VolBall09]

We always knew this would be the dilemma against better teams. Can you actually press this aggressively AND successfully defend when it’s broken?

Maybe you don’t; you just count on the extra possession/ extra shot attempt formula to outscore them. And that’s come darn close to working the last two games.

Big danger is this rarely works in March w tired legs and pressure packed situations

It requires a level of commitment we haven’t seen yet. You have to get matched back up and someone has to make it a personal choice to stop the ball which is the last person back.

Last night that was Spencer several times. Instead of picking up the ball handler she waited for them to come to her trying to protect the rim. Wrong approach. She has to move to the ball handler and stop them and one of her teammates has to be hauling a** to get back behind her and protect the rim and stop the pass.

 

[glv98]

It requires a level of commitment we haven’t seen yet. You have to get matched back up and someone has to make it a personal choice to stop the ball which is the last person back.

Last night that was Spencer several times. Instead of picking up the ball handler she waited for them to come to her trying to protect the rim. Wrong approach. She has to move to the ball handler and stop them and one of her teammates has to be hauling a** to get back behind her and protect the rim and stop the pass.

And this is where the system seems to be too complicated for itself. Press like hell then haul ass back and scramble to make up for mismatch caused by the press. No level of commitment can make that a success against top teams who you’re not turning over that much. Is that what’s so much “fun” to play? Doesn’t sound like it to me.

Seems like two options. Either fall back in these situations and play normal D, or if you’re just married to this system concede the bunnies and try to outscore them. But don’t put players in this crazy situation over a long haul season and then call them lazy and uncommitted bc they can’t pull this rabbit out their butts.

 

[Orange Maniac]

The biggest problem we have had on defense in the last couple of games is simple. You HAVE to move your feet to get your azz between the ball and the bucket. We have been trailing or running beside the opposing player especially on breaks. We have been too slow to recognize when it's going to happen and haven't been getting in front of the ball. Hopefully that experience will come, and the players will recognize the situation earlier for better positioning.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

I think Sara’s role needs to be reduced. She’s not scoring and she has been a liability on defense. I’m not trying to pile on and she seems like such a great kid, but I’d rather see her minutes split between Latham and Darby. Maybe she’s lost her confidence?

It’s not piling on. I think reversing Alyssa and Sara roles is not only best for the team but both players. Sara has gotten a fair share of opportunities to solidify that starting/top reserve role this season and will still have moments to finish a productive 4-year career at UT.
Yet if the priority is defense and rebounding then Alyssa has shown an ability to contribute at a higher level given the minutes played which means her role should be expanded.

 

[newladyvolfan]

Doesn't matter. You're ready to bury them to the middle of the pack. I'm looking to win the next game. This is a March sport and it's littered with teams who struggled in January (or February) only to get it together at the right time.

They are a middle of a pack team. Talented yes. Basketball IQ from players are low and our Head Coach and Jenna are too wet behind the ears... She needs a veteran on the staff... Maybe a former head coach. like i said. iowa had one, stanford had one. UConn, South Carolina, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, Vanderbilt all have one now...

 

[VolBall09]

I think Sara’s role needs to be reduced. She’s not scoring and she has been a liability on defense. I’m not trying to pile on and she seems like such a great kid, but I’d rather see her minutes split between Latham and Darby. Maybe she’s lost her confidence?

The coaching staff agrees. Trust me. It’s hard because vocally she wants to be a leader and she’s a senior but her on court play isn’t cutting the mustard.

The system we run exposes too many of her flaws. She was given ample opportunity to show what she could do and improve and just hasn’t been capable of that. Latham, Darby and Ayodele should get the rest of her minutes.

If she can gives us 5 quality minutes and hit 1 3 a game that would be great.

I’m still not understanding the resistance to playing Ayodele. She makes a positive defensive impact everytime she’s on the floor and we’re dying for that right now. Puckett isn’t contributing offensively anyway. Might as well play the kid who can get you a stop when we desperately need one.

 

[glv98]

The biggest problem we have had on defense in the last couple of games is simple. You HAVE to move your feet to get your azz between the ball and the bucket. We have been trailing or running beside the opposing player especially on breaks. We have been too slow to recognize when it's going to happen and haven't been getting in front of the ball. Hopefully that experience will come, and the players will recognize the situation earlier for better positioning.

We’re trailing and running bc we’re asked to overplay so much in the press. Not sure any amount of feet moving or recognition can make up for starting 10 feet behind the starting line against elite players.

Our early schedule did zilch to prepare us for this.

 

[VolBall09]

They are a middle of a pack team. Talented yes. Basketball IQ from players are low and our Head Coach and Jenna are too wet behind the ears... She needs a veteran on the staff... Maybe a former head coach. like i said. iowa had one, stanford had one. UConn, South Carolina, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, Vanderbilt all have one now...

Not a coaching problem. That is fine. It’s a player commitment problem. Hiring some old fogey to undermine Kim isn’t going to magically make the team show up in the first quarter of games.

 

[Cb153181]

I agree with this. In order to do so Alyssa, Jillian, and Favor must play more. Favor early in the 1st qtr after not playing in several consecutive games stepped on the court with her ability to defend and force an offensive foul call against Morrow or Flau’jae.
That’s a sign of a natural defender.
If defense is the priority then you develop her game to game so last night she can be ready to actually contribute on that stage and not just for 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes of play.
I don’t understand why Alyssa didn’t get most of all the 2nd half minutes off the bench in the 4 spot. I was encouraged that Jillian got the 2nd half start but Alyssa should have been utilized more at the 4 spot when the team wasn’t going with 4 guards.
At some point, if the priority is on defense and rebounding then Sara and Alyssa roles have to be reversed. She was battling hard on the boards and came down with some strong rebounds. The more she plays the better she will get this is a young talented player that experience will be valuable to her development now and in the future.

Thank you I tweeted yesterday this wasn’t a game for Sara, she can’t handle the speed of the opposing players. Kim needs to realize in the SEC Latham and Jill needs to play together or Jill and Zee, we can’t afford to get ate up on the boards each game by pure athletes. These are not mid major players, they are the best in the college game. Use your players correctly. Stop being stubborn.

Kim Mulkey took Jersey out when she realized she couldn’t run with the other girls on the floor and played a lineup that would match TN. Sara is being called out on the opposing team scouting report bc they know she can’t keep up, they pick on her every time she’s on the floor. It was times Sara was guarding Flaujae now we all know that was a terrible matchup.

 

[newladyvolfan]

All this talk about Jewel’s plus minus is why I hate when analytics overtake common sense in sports. Bottom line is that outside of Jewel, this is a very poor 3 pt shooting team in a system that depends on the 3 ball. Without her, the last two games would have been double digit losses. Yes she’s a midish defender at best. But sometimes coaching is about intuition and situation, not numbers plugged into a computer.

You are absolutely right.. Whitehorn is not a very good shooter, Cooper is not, Spearman isnt.

The probably is we got more athletes in the 2025 class but not really any shooters. Prawl and Civil are not shooters.

We need to get two shooters in the Portal and hope Spencer can come back. Or we get a couple of post players and adapt to SEC play. Great coaches can adapt to the players they get.

 

[VolBall09]

I think the big problem with Sarah is she is really likable and a vocal leader who has showed commitment to the program.

As a coach you want to reward that but at some point the reality is just that we have better, more athletic players suited to the system Caldwell runs.

 

[Volfan2012]

The biggest problem we have had on defense in the last couple of games is simple. You HAVE to move your feet to get your azz between the ball and the bucket. We have been trailing or running beside the opposing player especially on breaks. We have been too slow to recognize when it's going to happen and haven't been getting in front of the ball. Hopefully that experience will come, and the players will recognize the situation earlier for better positioning.

We win last night if we stop the second chance points. Letting a team rebound their misses for easy putbacks was the big killer and we'll never beat one of these better teams if we can't rebound their misses and not allow them another opportunity. We finally got that middle of the second quarter, but then your grinding down 18 points and that is twice we let this happen. Players standing and watching teams rebound their misses equals two straight losses.

 

[newladyvolfan]

Not a coaching problem. That is fine. It’s a player commitment problem. Hiring some old fogey to undermine Kim isn’t going to magically make the team show up in the first quarter of games.

It's a coaching problem. Hiring a former Head Coach at the D1 level is exactly what she needs. More experience from the seat that she is at is important.

 

[VolBall09]

It's a coaching problem. Hiring a former Head Coach at the D1 level is exactly what she needs. More experience from the seat that she is at is important.

That is a horrendous idea lol. You have the worst takes on this board. Just fyi.

 

[newladyvolfan]

All this talk about Jewel’s plus minus is why I hate when analytics overtake common sense in sports. Bottom line is that outside of Jewel, this is a very poor 3 pt shooting team in a system that depends on the 3 ball. Without her, the last two games would have been double digit losses. Yes she’s a midish defender at best. But sometimes coaching is about intuition and situation, not numbers plugged into a computer.

100

 

[newladyvolfan]

Capt Obvs checking in here, our half court D is awful. Unlike CKC who works her Bad Chipmunk persona to the nth degree, I don’t think it’s bc of lack of effort or not carrying out game plan. Why would players bust ass so completely in the back court press only to get into front court and quit?

IMO it’s exactly bc of the backcourt effort that they’re giving up so many easy mid range shots and layups. BC of overplay in backcourt, they,re never in position and almost always scrambling in the frontcourt. We always knew that would be a problem against better teams and it’s on coaching to figure out when to dial it back and how to adjust.

Also, we need better teaching on when and how to help and rotate on defense in this system when they are able to be set up properly in the half court. This is also on coaching.

Also, on rebounding we’re undersized, which we knew and said fm the beginning. This isn’t lack of effort, it’s a bug of the system.

I get the total hardassery CKC is trying to sell. But her presser had a bit of throwing players under the bus to me.

I would agree. i does sound like throwing players under the bus. It's bad coaching. Just look at her past numbers.. Defense is always dead last. You have to know when to apply pressure and in different was.. Like I have said all season, when she was up by 30 points she should have pulled off the press and worked on her half-court defense and got film early on... She is still wet behind the ears and needs to grow and adapt herself. This isnt a small town anymore where winning doesnt matter. and your best defense cant be out scoring your team by out shooting your team. Crucify me all you want.. but Jenna should be a dobo and Kim needs to hire someone that has been a Head Coach at a P4 level.

 

[newladyvolfan]

To add to my last comments - the top 10 teams, like LSU and OU, find a way to win the games like this. We haven't turned that corner yet. I'm hoping we do this season but if we don't we'll end up with 9 to 10 losses before the season ends.

We should have won one of these two.

just remember we barely beat a Texas A&M team. We should be sitting at 0-3 right now..

 

[Volfan2012]

Not a coaching problem. That is fine. It’s a player commitment problem. Hiring some old fogey to undermine Kim isn’t going to magically make the team show up in the first quarter of games.

Definitely getting the right coaching only putting it to practice when they discover their free lancing way is not working. We won the last 25 minutes by double digit points after losing the first 15 by two more than we won the last 25 by. Think we shot about 20 percent and that along with their second chance points was our downfall.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Doesn't matter. You're ready to bury them to the middle of the pack. I'm looking to win the next game. This is a March sport and it's littered with teams who struggled in January (or February) only to get it together at the right time.

Let’s say they win the next 3 games, the only game I’m looking forward to is Texas because they are better than LSU and Oklahoma by far, so that game will tell me where we are at that time.

 

[newladyvolfan]

To me it’s not about offense at all. We don’t need to change the pace we play with. That’s what works for us. We HAVE to change the way we defend after the press is broken. It can’t just be a layup drill for teams if they get over the press.

Mulkey said it best in the Presser.. Throw over the top and we have layups!!!!! The best way to beat a press is attack it.. other teams are scared. Oklahoma and LSU attacked it!

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

They are a middle of a pack team. Talented yes. Basketball IQ from players are low and our Head Coach and Jenna are too wet behind the ears... She needs a veteran on the staff... Maybe a former head coach. like i said. iowa had one, stanford had one. UConn, South Carolina, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, Vanderbilt all have one now...

Define a middle of the pack team.
This is flawed logic.
I’ll ask it plainly, you think just because a team that stands at 13-2 has all these issues because they came up short 3 combined points to Oklahoma and LSU?

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

Mulkey said it best in the Presser.. Throw over the top and we have layups!!!!! The best way to beat a press is attack it.. other teams are scared. Oklahoma and LSU attacked it!

That is very troubling