Game Thread Lady Vols vs Notre Dame

#477
#477
tonyc said:
This is a very talented team that looked like a FF team in the first half. The executed well while ND played a zone. I knew that Simmons and Massingale couldn't shoot 100% in the second half and Tenn was up 5 at the end of the 1st half. The second half ND went to man to man and Tenn couldn't get anything going. Hollys strategy in the first half was great in the second half the LVs didn't execute like they did in the first. The question is why didn't they execute. The talent is there, the go to players are there but they seem to lack cohesiveness and chemistry in the second half. In the first half they passed the ball well. No quick shots, good cuts, good dribble drives and they got the ball to their bigs. In the second half they didn't. What they need is discipline and focus. They need to get a game plan and stick with it and not deviate from it. They need a lot of help help defense. With their height advantage they should've been able to have their guards play up. With Harrision and Russell one play defense down low and one out front to force ND to take treys like they did in the 1st half. It was hard for me to watch the second half. The first half was beautiful basketball until ND went on their run which you have to expect from a top 4 team. Tenn has to utilize their bigs more. Harrison is a great player and getting better game by game. Russell needs time to develop and Graves needs more touches and more plays designed to get her open. JMO
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welcome to the board :hi: a great first post
 
#478
#478
tonyc said:
This is a very talented team that looked like a FF team in the first half. The executed well while ND played a zone. I knew that Simmons and Massingale couldn't shoot 100% in the second half and Tenn was up 5 at the end of the 1st half. The second half ND went to man to man and Tenn couldn't get anything going. Hollys strategy in the first half was great in the second half the LVs didn't execute like they did in the first. The question is why didn't they execute. The talent is there, the go to players are there but they seem to lack cohesiveness and chemistry in the second half. In the first half they passed the ball well. No quick shots, good cuts, good dribble drives and they got the ball to their bigs. In the second half they didn't. What they need is discipline and focus. They need to get a game plan and stick with it and not deviate from it. They need a lot of help help defense. With their height advantage they should've been able to have their guards play up. With Harrision and Russell one play defense down low and one out front to force ND to take treys like they did in the 1st half. It was hard for me to watch the second half. The first half was beautiful basketball until ND went on their run which you have to expect from a top 4 team. Tenn has to utilize their bigs more. Harrison is a great player and getting better game by game. Russell needs time to develop and Graves needs more touches and more plays designed to get her open. JMO
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Welcome to the site. Post often! :hi:
 
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#480
#480
#482
#482
They played on adrenalin at or above their capability the first 18 minutes. But adrenalin doesn't last forever. It was obvious they had lost the edge with 2 minutes left in the first half. They could have recovered during halftime, but it didn't happen. The team needs to improve their conditioning if they expect to win games.

Notre Dame came in nervous. Although they are undefeated, they have played mostly cupcakes so far this year. UT was their first real test. They played terribly in the first half, but being down by only 5 after such a bad 1st half gave them confidence.

What could Holly possibly have said at halftime? Perhaps the LVs should have spent the halftime in the ND locker room.
 
#483
#483
Convoluted said:
They played on adrenalin at or above their capability the first 18 minutes. But adrenalin doesn't last forever. It was obvious they had lost the edge with 2 minutes left in the first half. They could have recovered during halftime, but it didn't happen. The team needs to improve their conditioning if they expect to win games.

Notre Dame came in nervous. Although they are undefeated, they have played mostly cupcakes so far this year. UT was their first real test. They played terribly in the first half, but being down by only 5 after such a bad 1st half gave them confidence.

What could Holly possibly have said at halftime? Perhaps the LVs should have spent the halftime in the ND locker room.
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It's weird. They can only play good for one half.. Usually the first half, occasionally they play better the second half, so I don't know if it's condtioning..
 
#484
#484
A couple of things stand out for me. ND played better in the second half because they went man to man instead of zone and they got the ball inside and either kicked it out or scored underneath. They didn't in the first half. In the first half ND settled for a lot of jump shots and many of them quick shots. In the second half they slowed down and played patient offense with great passing and cuts much like the LVs did in the first half. The LVs did it against a zone not man to man. They need to learn to do that against man to man. ND also had some wide open treys in the second half that they knocked down. Perimeter defense was a problem for the LVs in the second half along with 18 turnovers. Turnovers have killed the LVs over the past few games. Think about this how many times did ND tip non chalet passes or steal them? Thats a problem.

So what could've been done. Well cutting off the passing lanes is one. Playing perimeter defense is another especially when you have the bigs underneath to provide help if you get beat. In the first half Tenn ran plays to get the bigs open as there was a definite mismatch underneath. In the second half they didn't.

ND is a very balanced and disciplined team. A great passing team and an unselfish team. Their offense is run by good passing and cuts. Its not about who should take a shot its about getting somebody in position to take a good shot. ND knows how to play the game whether they're playing good or poorly they know how to grind it out and win. Good teams do that. They are more focused on their execution when the pressure is on. Tenn needs to get back to basic fundamentals and learn to execute like they did in the first half. They are not that far IMO away from being a very good team. They have a lot of the things like height and speed and scorers who can make them good, but they need to be in a position to do that. Poor passing, and lack of hustle doesn't cut it against a team like ND. Lack of hustle imo is giving up and being frustrated because things don't go your way. That all comes from discipline and mental tuffness. JMO

Last nite was a 28 pt turnaround. Thats a lot and means Holly has a lot of work to do with this group. Rebounding isn't a problem Harrison has done a good job and had a double double. Shooting 25% is a big problem when you have that many talented players. Ballhandleing and passing need to be worked on. Tony Robbins says repetition is the mother of skill. That means practicing the fundamentals until they become reflexive.
 
#485
#485
That game was the best of times and the worst of times. After making the elite 8 last year and losing just a couple of role players yet getting the #1 ranked high school Freshman, I had really high hopes for this team, but our loss last night showed some demons we just can't seem to shake since our last national championship.

The first half was generally pretty great. I told my wife going into the game that for us to win, we needed to get the ball inside and attack the basket. That's exactly what happened and we were up by as many as 12 and had several opportunities to add even more. But, a turnover here or there or missed basket or Notre Dame nailing a three at just the right time kept them in it and the beginning of the end was 6 unanswered points to end the half and cut the deficit to 5.

Shortly after the game started, I ALSO kept telling me wife and even started yelling out to the floor that we needed to go to a man to man defense. Us being in zone, in my opinion, KILLED us. It's bad enough that Notre Dame was shooting 50% but at LEAST half those shots seemed to be taken while they were virtually wide open. You just can't give those looks time and time again. Zone defense can be a good idea:

1) You are having a tough time rebounding
2) The other team isn't a particularly good 3 point shooting team
3) The other team is better than you at every position

NONE of those 3 applied to us or that game and after just a couple of wide open three point shots in that zone defense, I thought we should have been in man to man the rest of the way.

Now, there were also a couple of problems the brief time we ran man to man - our guards kept having to switch and got isolated on a tall, inside player who would get the ball and score, but I'd MUCH rather us figure out how to work through that problem than keep having 3's rain on us.

After the game, Mickey Dearstone interviewed Holly and Holly said that she wanted to go zone because Notred Dame's offense was too efficient and she didn't think we could handle it. She asked Meighan Simmons which defense she would rather play against a team like Notre Dame when it specifically came to guarding the 3 and she said "man to man".

I know I don't get paid half a million dollars to coach but I just thought that was a huge tactical error. Telling your team you think they are too good for you for man is a mistake if that were even true. I think WE can hang with them man to man easily. Why wouldn't she?

There's several other details about this team that are bothering me that we're going to have to overcome if we want to have any success this season or post season:

- Burdick seems to be having the same problem that Alicia Manning had during her tenure. She doesn't have a clear, defined role and is not excelling because of it. Burdick does not shoot the three well or play the role of a guard yet she is not effective inside either. She is in between. It's frustrating because she is an excellent player and mind, but having a good role and chemistry is crucial and she's not there.

- I've said before that Jones makes me nervous on offense. Although she is probably one of our better defensive players, I also question how well she fits in and she started last night but didn't give very many quality minutes. I personally don't feel good about her being an integral part of our team based on what I've seen in games. She must look great in practice, though ...

- Graves is obviously not where anyone thought she would be. Whether that's because of the injury or Sophomore jinx or other reasons is anyone's guess, but she is the kind of player we need to look to for a defensive stop or critical basket and she's not even getting the minutes she needs to get. Last night she plays 23/40 minutes and scores 4 points. She should be so much better than that. Again, if it's injury related, I can live with that as she heals. If it's something else, it needs to be fixed and fast.

- Carter needs more minutes in my opinion. She should be getting close to the minutes Simmons and Massengale gets. She can play really good defense. She can make the three. She can jump out of the gym. What else does she need to be doing?

I think the starting line-up should be Graves, Carter, Massengale, Simmons, and Harrison only using Russell and Burdick off the bench in games like last night.
 
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#486
#486
clkou said:
That game was the best of times and the worst of times. After making the elite 8 last year and losing just a couple of role players yet getting the #1 ranked high school Freshman, I had really high hopes for this team, but our loss last night showed some demons we just can't seem to shake since our last national championship.

The first half was generally pretty great. I told my wife going into the game that for us to win, we needed to get the ball inside and attack the basket. That's exactly what happened and we were up by as many as 12 and had several opportunities to add even more. But, a turnover here or there or missed basket or Notre Dame nailing a three at just the right time kept them in it and the beginning of the end was 6 unanswered points to end the half and cut the deficit to 5.

Shortly after the game started, I ALSO kept telling me wife and even started yelling out to the floor that we needed to go to a man to man defense. Us being in zone, in my opinion, KILLED us. It's bad enough that Notre Dame was shooting 50% but at LEAST half those shots seemed to be taken while they were virtually wide open. You just can't give those looks time and time again. Zone defense can be a good idea:

1) You are having a tough time rebounding
2) The other team isn't a particularly good 3 point shooting team
3) The other team is better than you at every position

NONE of those 3 applied to us or that game and after just a couple of wide open three point shots in that zone defense, I thought we should have been in man to man the rest of the way.

Now, there were also a couple of problems the brief time we ran man to man - our guards kept having to switch and got isolated on a tall, inside player who would get the ball and score, but I'd MUCH rather us figure out how to work through that problem than keep having 3's rain on us.

After the game, Mickey Dearstone interviewed Holly and Holly said that she wanted to go zone because Notred Dame's offense was too efficient and she didn't think we could handle it. She asked Meighan Simmons which defense she would rather play against a team like Notre Dame when it specifically came to guarding the 3 and she said "man to man".

I know I don't get paid half a million dollars to coach but I just thought that was a huge tactical error. Telling your team you think they are too good for you for man is a mistake if that were even true. I think WE can hang with them man to man easily. Why wouldn't she?

There's several other details about this team that are bothering me that we're going to have to overcome if we want to have any success this season or post season:

- Burdick seems to be having the same problem that Alicia Manning had during her tenure. She doesn't have a clear, defined role and is not excelling because of it. Burdick does not shoot the three well or play the role of a guard yet she is not effective inside either. She is in between. It's frustrating because she is an excellent player and mind, but having a good role and chemistry is crucial and she's not there.

- I've said before that Jones makes me nervous on offense. Although she is probably one of our better defensive players, I also question how well she fits in and she started last night but didn't give very many quality minutes. I personally don't feel good about her being an integral part of our team based on what I've seen in games. She must look great in practice, though ...

- Graves is obviously not where anyone thought she would be. Whether that's because of the injury or Sophomore jinx or other reasons is anyone's guess, but she is the kind of player we need to look to for a defensive stop or critical basket and she's not even getting the minutes she needs to get. Last night she plays 23/40 minutes and scores 4 points. She should be so much better than that. Again, if it's injury related, I can live with that as she heals. If it's something else, it needs to be fixed and fast.

- Carter needs more minutes in my opinion. She should be getting close to the minutes Simmons and Massengale gets. She can play really good defense. She can make the three. She can jump out of the gym. What else does she need to be doing?

I think the starting line-up should be Graves, Carter, Massengale, Simmons, and Harrison only using Russell and Burdick off the bench in games like last night.
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been there done that with Burdick and Jones, it`s time for the coaching staff to step up and give 6-3 N.Moore a chance.
 
#487
#487
I agree Moore needs her chance how could she do worse than what some of these players are producing. She has good numbers when she gets a chance. We need people who can make shots. Right now that is only a couple of players.
 
#488
#488
moore is a better post than Russell right now in all the ways that matter but our brain dead career assistant head ball coach has it in for her for some damn reason.

we keep losing Coach so you are wrong!
 
#489
#489
jones needs to sit on the bench for the rest of the reg season. She has given nothing of value imho
 
#490
#490
Volfan2012 said:
I agree Moore needs her chance how could she do worse than what some of these players are producing. She has good numbers when she gets a chance. We need people who can make shots. Right now that is only a couple of players.
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Bingo !
 
#492
#492
One curious thing I keep seeing in the games that are not going well is Coach Elzy and Coach Law are trying to advise Holly and she shakes them off. It's pretty heated exchanges sometimes. Holly needs to step back and consider that she may want to listen to their advice instead of being so damn headstrong. Something is wrong and I think these two know what it is. She needs to understand that her way isn't working right now.
 
#493
#493
Volfan2012 said:
I agree Moore needs her chance how could she do worse than what some of these players are producing. She has good numbers when she gets a chance. We need people who can make shots. Right now that is only a couple of players.
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I'm not against Moore getting a chance per se but I also think there's a logical reason she hasn't been playing. The obvious reason is that Izzy, Graves, and Russell are premiere inside players and most of our effort should be spent on helping them reach their full potential.

Also, if Moore was as good or better than them, she should be doing it in practice and doing it consistently. I guarantee if she was that any competent coach would give her a shot. So, my guess is that in practice she's doing at best middle of the road like all the other inside players. More than likely, she probably gets schooled on occasion and on average by them.

I'm a huge believer in you play how you practice. Once you get so desperate that you start putting in inferior practice players because you're out of options, then you're basically giving up on your season plus sending a horrible message to your players.
 
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#494
#494
Allan Iverson was a terrible Practice, "I'm talking Practice, Practice!" player... jus sayin... :(
 
#495
#495
If you can't perform in practice when no one is watching and there is no pressure, then you can't/won't perform when it counts.
 
#496
#496
i just wish they would stop interviewing the players, because they say the same things everytime. if they know these things, then why aren't they doing them. for whatever reason, burdick always makes it to the mic. as an upperclassmen, she is not providing any leadership. she still acts as if she's afraid to just play the damn game.
 
#497
#497
clkou said:
I'm not against Moore getting a chance per se but I also think there's a logical reason she hasn't been playing. The obvious reason is that Izzy, Graves, and Russell are premiere inside players and most of our effort should be spent on helping them reach their full potential.

Also, if Moore was as good or better than them, she should be doing it in practice and doing it consistently. I guarantee if she was that any competent coach would give her a shot. So, my guess is that in practice she's doing at best middle of the road like all the other inside players. More than likely, she probably gets schooled on occasion and on average by them.

I'm a huge believer in you play how you practice. Once you get so desperate that you start putting in inferior practice players because you're out of options, then you're basically giving up on your season plus sending a horrible message to your players.
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You can spin this I'm a huge believer in you play how you practice all you want. It is clear all the good practices Jones and Burdick have put in has not translated to the good GAMES ! We all have seen it so it`s Moore turn.
 
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#498
#498
Spoiler alert: you'd see the same level of play or worse. And, Nia doesn't even play the same position as Jones or Burdick. You'd have to bench Izzy, Bashaara, or Mercedes.
 
#499
#499
clkou said:
Spoiler alert: you'd see the same level of play or worse. And, Nia doesn't even play the same position as Jones or Burdick. You'd have to bench Izzy, Bashaara, or Mercedes.
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No you don`t bench Izzy, Bashaara, or Mercedes. You Bench Jones and Burdick. N. Moore at 6-3 can play the the 4 or 5 the bottom line is what has Jones or Burdick done against the top teams or any team that we have played. put some numbers up on this board. You know what was kind of funny carolyn peck to a swipe at the coaching style when the team was beat by Vandy. Trust me Moore can be no worst the Jones or Burdick.
 
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#500
#500
Holly to Geno I need a raise.


images
 
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