Game Thread: Lady Vols Vs Texas ; Thurs Jan 23rd ; Away game; 8 PM Eastern; SECNetwork

#51
#51
lvocd said:
Yeah, I did a quick Google search and Austin doesn't often get even an inch or two of snow, so they could definitely be in for some drama down there if the blizzard ends up including them as well. Obviously hospitals have backup systems for when power goes out, but I'd sure hate to be on the roads trying to get to a hospital down there if it gets bad. 😲

Besides, as p!ssy as Kim was after Sunday's loss, I think it's time for her to take a break. lol
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Pissy ?????
 
#52
#52
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#53
#53
lvocd said:
Well, here's the thing. As everyone here knows, I'm a fan of Kim Caldwell and think she and her staff are doing a tremendous job, with the possible exception of providing adequate end-game preparation for the players.

The other night she had every right to be upset, but she appeared to me to not accept any responsibility for the loss and I, personally, believe she very well should have.

To get caught standing and looking in the last moments of the game is something, I think, could be avoided with regular training in practice for scenarios such as what happened Sunday. Now, maybe Kim did remind them to defend and box out and of the possible actions Vandy could try right before the last play was initiated, but I don't think that happened.

Of course she was upset. I noticed her eyes were slightly glassy in the post-game presser, so perhaps she'd gotten a little teary-eyed over the loss. Everyone associated with Tennessee was upset. I felt like retching myself.

But Kim probably owned part of that loss. She even went on as if the team gave no effort in the game, and that was, in my opinion, a steaming pile of bullsh!t.

I'm still very much on Team Kim and the Lady Vols.
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CKC after these last losses (particularly this one) has not been her finest hour.

I am sure there are those who applaud her throwing her team under the bus but, for example, if a team is consistently having bad, low effort practices (funny we only hear about these after losses), that actually is a bad reflection on the coaching staff.

The coaching staff that high fived when they set an NCAA record for most 3 point shots made in a game can't really complain about taking too many threes. When taking open 3s early in the shot clock IS THE GAME PLAN, when those shots don't fall, you can't really complain about the players shot selection.

This team is built on a live by the 3 die by the 3 principle. If they had been 8 for 20 instead 3 for 20 in the first half, we are having a very different conversation. This team can withstand poor shooting nights when they dominant the glass. Against Vandy, the rebounding numbers were pretty even, with the LVs having a slight edge. And again, as a game plan, you can't always count on completing dominating the boards against teams that match up pretty well athletically and may have bigger players in the post. So, there will be nights where defense has to win it and the LVs have battled back in that exact way.

I agree it was not an effort problem. Honestly, the fouls, which turned the game as much as any another factor, were often cases of trying too hard to make a play.

As I see it, CKC is very new to this situation and has not had grapple with this kind of frustration. She will learn to calibrate (and being on the verge of giving birth probably does not help a whole lot).

But you can say all day that the team should not fall behind (and a coach has to say that) but the reality of WCBB (when playing better opponents) is that runs happen, games have ebbs and flows and the LVs have been resilient in battling back. 2 of these three losses came down to a bit of bad luck.

In the OK loss, the LVs got a wide-open look to win the game and just missed it.

Against LSU, not fouling with a foul to give in the closing moments of the game was a catastrophic coaching error. That was on CKC

Against Vandy, the LVs had no one who could really stop Pierre down the stretch but the LVs ran a great offensive set to get the lead. Then Vandy also had a good out of bounds play to Pierre. However, if Spearman does not lose her balance though, I think the play would have had a different outcome. That slip let Pierre get to the base-line for the lay-up attempt and kept Spearman from being in good rebounding position. Side note: Pierre could have been called for a charge, as she plowed into a set Ruby (but that call is not getting made at Vandy in that situation), go to last minute of this replay).
 
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#54
#54
Coach, I just got back and read your terrible happening.....Thank the Good Lord above...He was there for you son.

Once I got choked on a sandwich while I was alone at home...I tried to clear my throat but it got even more stuck....After a few moments I had no breath left...Everything was getting light...

I actually did the heimlich on myself...It took me several attempts, but it was still not clearing....I had one upward push left before it was too late so thanks to our loving GOD, it came loose.....That first breath of air was more than wonderful...It took awhile to feel normal again...

I went to the emergency room to make sure I was OK...I had bruised my my Xiphoid Process that took quite a while to heal....

Guys I know this is not LV talk, but someday you may find yourself choking, and I hope (Coach and my) experience help you live through a truly "terrifying happening"..

Note: Always drink something as you eat, especially anything solid.....At least keep liquid nearby...It helps food pass easier down your throat.
v4-460px-Perform-the-Heimlich-Maneuver-on-Yourself-Step-3-Version-2.jpg.webp
 
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#59
#59
it will be the marquee game of the day now and all eyes will be on it. Wishing the LV’s great fortune in this one. As long as Tenn can contain their inside game they will be there until the end. Texas doesn’t have a 3pt game, which should aid LV’s as long as they hit around 35% or better from outside. Might tighten my prediction.
 
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#60
#60
GameTime said:
Mad I agree that was an obvious charge, but not that day in Nashville....They had called touch fouls on us all day, but they run our girl over and no big deal....The ref got caught up in the moment and swallowed his whistle...
iStock-183824212.jpg
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Glad you are active again GT, missed your posts.
 
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#61
#61
GameTime said:
Mad I agree that was an obvious charge, but not that day in Nashville....They had called touch fouls on us all day, but they run our girl over and no big deal....The ref got caught up in the moment and swallowed his whistle...
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For sure, not getting that call in that situation. At the end of the highlight clip, you can see Ruby looking back at the ref with a clear WTF! expression on her face.

I just hope this series of frustratingly close losses serves as fire burning motivation rather than being disheartening.
 
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#62
#62
madtownvol said:
The coaching staff that high fived when they set an NCAA record for most 3 point shots made in a game can't really complain about taking too many threes. When taking open 3s early in the shot clock IS THE GAME PLAN, when those shots don't fall, you can't really complain about the players shot selection.

This team is built on a live by the 3 die by the 3 principle
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There appears to be confusion as to what the GAME PLAN exactly is. The players play like they think it's what you said - fire away early and often. But CKC is mad after every game when that happens, esp when they lose. In this presser she said it's a rule on the road that you go for the rim first and kick out for the three only when/if stopped. Jewel dutifully repeated that but said it's a "fine line" which is confusing for shooters in the actual game.

Also confusion on D. Do they really expect players to all out press for 40 mins AND get back and be set for effective half court D? Esp against decent guards? Lately it's been a bit of an "excuse me" press. And, like the previous few years, a porous half court D which struggles to stay in front of the ball in spite of athleticism.

Also, the platoon subbing is now in question since she's quickly down to normal starter mins for a normal amt of players. Why chop it up unneccessarily?

Going to be interesting to see what happens. CKC said there would def be some changes. Does she double down on all the above features of her system and just grit it out til the talent catches up? Or dial it all back? Dang, throw in a brand new baby and these are intense times for this young coach.
 
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#63
#63
madtownvol said:
For sure, not getting that call in that situation. At the end of the highlight clip, you can see Ruby looking back at the ref with a clear WTF! expression on her face.

I just hope this series of frustratingly close losses serves as fire burning motivation rather than being disheartening.
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The girls are learning what does not work....
10000-Ways-That-Wont-Work.png
 
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#69
#69
glv98 said:
There appears to be confusion as to what the GAME PLAN exactly is. The players play like they think it's what you said - fire away early and often. But CKC is mad after every game when that happens, esp when they lose. In this presser she said it's a rule on the road that you go for the rim first and kick out for the three only when/if stopped. Jewel dutifully repeated that but said it's a "fine line" which is confusing for shooters in the actual game.

Also confusion on D. Do they really expect players to all out press for 40 mins AND get back and be set for effective half court D? Esp against decent guards? Lately it's been a bit of an "excuse me" press. And, like the previous few years, a porous half court D which struggles to stay in front of the ball in spite of athleticism.

Also, the platoon subbing is now in question since she's quickly down to normal starter mins for a normal amt of players. Why chop it up unneccessarily?

Going to be interesting to see what happens. CKC said there would def be some changes. Does she double down on all the above features of her system and just grit it out til the talent catches up? Or dial it all back? Dang, throw in a brand new baby and these are intense times for this young coach.
Click to expand...

All good points. To the confusion, CKC gets made when the shots don't go in, otherwise its fine. If that is the case, she is sending mixed messages to her players.

Where I am at right now is that she has a good set of core players, and one elite player, who are collectively capable of playing with anyone. She has done a great job getting the team to play an aggressive defense and an uptempo spread offense.

However, there are just too many "gimmicks" to her system that are contributing to the problems you note. I think if she dropped the gimmicks, these problems would be greatly reduced.

At this point in the season, it is just silly to sub your starters after 90 seconds. In contrast, not being set on a single starting five and rewarding practice effort, I think is a great move.

We saw hints of these issues at her intro press conference. She is ego vested in her "system" but needs to realize that 1) great coaches are not stubborn about changing their system when circumstances demand it (see the demise of her predecessor); and 2) the core of her system is not these gimmicks of perpetual rotation (which is now just for show in the 1st quarter) and reckless pressing.

You, me and a few others predicted that this idea of high pressing for 40 minutes was not sustainable and that is why no top team tries to do it. The retort was that "no, no, she has invented a system no one has ever seen!!!" (so long as they had never seen Nolan Richardson or Matt Mitchell among others).

To restart, I think CKC can be a great coach. What she has done to this point is impressive. What we are seeing is that inexperience and some naivete are hurting her team. She will undoubtedly figure this out but will it be in time to make the most of this season.

Texas will eat them for lunch if they have a game like at Vandy so a quick pivot is needed.
 
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#72
#72
Nute Gunray said:
SC defeated Texas with their superior defense. I hate to say this, but the LVs do not have this level of defense. Remember, "Offense sell tickets, defense wins games", famous quote by CPS. CKC must change her play focus to defense instead of offense if she wants to defeat good SEC teams like Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, SC and Kentucky. The LVs lead the WCBB in scoring offense, however they are 280th in scoring defense. This is quite a discrepancy! BTW, I am not a negaVol or a troll. I am being realistic.
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I believe her exact quote was "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, rebounding wins championships."
 
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#74
#74
madtownvol said:
CKC after these last losses (particularly this one) has not been her finest hour.

I am sure there are those who applaud her throwing her team under the bus but, for example, if a team is consistently having bad, low effort practices (funny we only hear about these after losses), that actually is a bad reflection on the coaching staff.

The coaching staff that high fived when they set an NCAA record for most 3 point shots made in a game can't really complain about taking too many threes. When taking open 3s early in the shot clock IS THE GAME PLAN, when those shots don't fall, you can't really complain about the players shot selection.

This team is built on a live by the 3 die by the 3 principle. If they had been 8 for 20 instead 3 for 20 in the first half, we are having a very different conversation. This team can withstand poor shooting nights when they dominant the glass. Against Vandy, the rebounding numbers were pretty even, with the LVs having a slight edge. And again, as a game plan, you can't always count on completing dominating the boards against teams that match up pretty well athletically and may have bigger players in the post. So, there will be nights where defense has to win it and the LVs have battled back in that exact way.

I agree it was not an effort problem. Honestly, the fouls, which turned the game as much as any another factor, were often cases of trying too hard to make a play.

As I see it, CKC is very new to this situation and has not had grapple with this kind of frustration. She will learn to calibrate (and being on the verge of giving birth probably does not help a whole lot).

But you can say all day that the team should not fall behind (and a coach has to say that) but the reality of WCBB (when playing better opponents) is that runs happen, games have ebbs and flows and the LVs have been resilient in battling back. 2 of these three losses came down to a bit of bad luck.

In the OK loss, the LVs got a wide-open look to win the game and just missed it.

Against LSU, not fouling with a foul to give in the closing moments of the game was a catastrophic coaching error. That was on CKC

Against Vandy, the LVs had no one who could really stop Pierre down the stretch but the LVs ran a great offensive set to get the lead. Then Vandy also had a good out of bounds play to Pierre. However, if Spearman does not lose her balance though, I think the play would have had a different outcome. That slip let Pierre get to the base-line for the lay-up attempt and kept Spearman from being in good rebounding position. Side note: Pierre could have been called for a charge, as she plowed into a set Ruby (but that call is not getting made at Vandy in that situation), go to last minute of this replay).
Click to expand...

What stood out to me was a softer than normal full court pressure throughout the game and because of that, we didnt force turnovers leading to the big advantage in possessions that we are used to and on that final play, it was a missed box out by a senior that allowed Blake to get to the glass and get the putback. Spencer didn't get a body on her and that allowed the rebound and putback. It's unfortunate a couple plays beforehand that a timeout was needed for the side out inbound because we couldnt inbound the ball. We may have had a chance with .8 if we could have advanced the ball to the front court.
 
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