View attachment 697819
GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO
Score predictions:
@Coach Jumper LVs 110 Liberty 58
@J-Dog 1313 105-60
@gule 30-0
@lvocd 89-67
@Ladyvol777 90-62
@Volfan2012 95-65
@Volfan2012 94-63
@lvocd 84-67
@Orange Maniac 85-56
@knoxvol52 90-64
@travis929 92-63
@Volfan1000 84-63
@Purplehaze26 92-66
@VolBall09 95-58
Pros:
Outscoring opponents 93-59
3 ptrs: Making 34-12,,shooting 115-48,,,.296-.250
Out rebounding 45-32
Asst/TO rate 1.1 to .04
Points off TO's 42-12
19 steals PG to 8
Cons:
Poor back door defense
Too many fouls 24 per game to 18 per game
team shooting 3 pters = 4 shooters above 30% (Darby, Spencer, Latham and Spear)
open drives once the initial defender is beaten and no help-defense
Pasted from HOOPS CENTRAL:
KNOXVILLE -- RV/RV Tennessee (3-0) is back at Food City Center on Saturday, as Liberty (2-1) makes it way to Knoxville for what will be the Lady Vols' second straight game against a team from Conference USA. After defeating preseason CUSA favorite Middle Tennessee, 89-75, on Tuesday, the projected runner-up Lady Flames will take on the Big Orange at noon on The Summitt in a contest streamed live on SECN+. The matchup is the fourth in a string of six straight and a run of seven of the first eight contests taking place on Rocky Top at the outset of the 2024-25 campaign.
Tennessee carries a 3-0 series record into the game on Saturday afternoon, with the schools facing off in the second of a current two-game series between them. The Lady Vols claimed victory in the first of those two meetings in Lynchburg, Va., last Dec. 31, 90-55, at Liberty Arena during a six-game winning streak.
THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS
Lady Vol Three-Point Barrage Sinks Middle Tennessee, 89-75 Lady Vols, NC State To Open 2025-26 In Greensboro Lady Vols Force 31 Turnovers, Run Past Skyhawks, 90 0 Lady Vols Cruise in Kim Caldwell Era Opener, 101-53
INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING
- (S)COOP & SCORE: Talaysia Cooper has collected 13 steals in three games, which ranks seventh nationally. Her steals per game average of 4.33 stands ninth in the NCAA. Coop's defense has led to some transition buckets and has helped her score a team-leading 14.3 points per game thus far.
- BACK-TO-BACK DUB-DUBS: UT has gotten double-double performances in each of the past two games, with Ruby Whitehorn producing 18 points and 14 rebounds vs. UT Martin on Nov. 7 and Talaysia Cooper carding 18 points and 10 boards vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 12.
- CONSISTENT SAM: Samara Spencer is the only Lady Vol to score in double figures in all three games. She posted 12 and 10 vs. Samford and UT Martin, respectively, before making six of nine shots (4-7 3FG) for 17 points vs. Middle Tennessee. She has also notched five assists in each game.
- TESS ICES IT: Tess Darby came alive in the fourth quarter vs. Middle Tennessee, draining four of four three-point tries as the Lady Vols pulled away from MTSU after it crept to within eight.
FROM A TEAM PERSPECTIVE
- GETTING UP LOTS OF SHOTS: The Lady Vols have outshot their opponents from the field 234-152, hitting 100 buckets to their foes' 67. That's an average of 78 shots per game compared to 51 (+27).
- THAT'S A 10-SECOND COUNT: Tennessee has prevented the opposition from getting the ball over halfcourt in 10 seconds five times in three games. That total ties UT's number of violations forced over the past five years combined.
- GETTING BUCKETS: Tennessee has scored 89+ points in its first three games for the time since 2001-02. It has never tallied 89+ in four straight games to open a campaign, and it has only done so four times at any stretch in a season.
- STEALS ON STEALS: A year ago, in a different style of defense, Tennessee averaged only 4.8 steals per game. Talaysia Cooper (4.33) nearly averages that by herself in 2024-25. UT enters this game at 19.3 spg., which is well ahead of the 1997-98 and 1978-79 best of 14.5 spg.
- MY "O" MY: UT ranks No. 1 nationally in offensive boards per game at 24.3. They had 33 vs. UT Martin on Nov. 7.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- THIS NUMBER REALLY COUNTS: UT ranks No. 1 in the nation with 96 other teams with a win percentage of 100.
- WINNING THE FIRST THREE: Tennessee has won its first three games of a season for the first time since beginning the 2021-22 campaign at 9-0.
- SIX STRAIGHT AT HOME: The Lady Vols will play their first six games of the 2024-25 season at home. This marks the first time since 2015-16 that UT has opened a campaign with that many in a row on Rocky Top. Tennessee played eight straight here to start the 2015-16 schedule.
- BENCH GETTING IT DONE: Tennessee is ranked seventh nationally in bench points per game. It is outscoring its opponents by an average of 41.0 to 14.0.
- TURNING MISCUES INTO POINTS: The Lady Vols are forcing 30.0 turnovers per game, and that is translating into a 46.0 to 18.7 advantage in points off turnovers and a 29.3 to 16.0 edge in fast break points.
- SECOND CHANCES: The 24.3 offensive rebounds Tennessee pulls down have enabled it to outscore its foes 24.3 to 8.0 in second chance points.
BULLSEYE ON UT THREE-POINT RECORDS
- Tennessee already has twice set the program single-game three-point attempts record this season, and other school marks beyond the arc also are in jeopardy.
- UT broke the single-game best with 39 three-point tries vs. UT Martin on Nov. 7 and then shattered it again with 42 vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 12.
- UT's 34 treys fired vs. Samford (made 10) on Nov. 5 also stand as the No. 5 total in the UT women's hoops history book.
- The Lady Vols just missed their all-time best for threes made in a contest, tying for second best with 15 vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 12.
- Tennessee currently ranks No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC in three-pointers attempted per game at 38.3, which is on pace to crush the school record average of 21.1 set last season (No. 150 nationally, No. 3 SEC).
- UT is No. 9 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC in three pointers made per game at 11.3. The school record for 3FGs per game came last season, when UT hit 6.8 per contest to rank No. 102 nationally and No. 4 in the SEC.
- Tennessee posted its No. 4 total of three-pointers ever made in 2023-24, making 223 in 33 games.
- The Lady Vols attempted a program-most 695 treys in 2023-24 in 33 games.
UT/LU SERIES NOTES
- This marks the fourth meeting between UT and LU in women's hoops and the second in as many seasons.
- The Lady Vols are 3-0 all-time, including 2-0 at home and 1-0 on the road vs. the Lady Flames.
- This will mark Liberty's first matchup with the Big Orange in a regular season game at Food City Center, as the two previous trips came during the NCAA First Round in 1998 and 2018.
- Tennessee has reached the century mark the two previous times LU visited Knoxville.
- The Lady Vols are 59-19 all-time vs. teams currently in Conference USA, defeating CUSA member Middle Tennessee on Nov. 12, 89-75.
A LOOK AT THE LADY FLAMES
- Liberty is picked to finish second in Conference USA this season.
- Asia Boone, Emma Hess and Bella Smuda were named to the Preseason All-CUSA Team.
- Boone leads LU at 13.3 ppg. with seven threes made.
- Hess puts up 12.7 ppg. and has hit eight treys.
- Jordan Hodges also is scoring in double figures at 11.0 ppg. while hitting six threes thus far.
ABOUT LIBERTY'S HEAD COACH
- Carey Green is in his 26th season at Liberty, possessing a record of 567-234 there and earning Big South Coach of the Year honors on five occasions.
- Green is a native of Louisville, Tenn., and a 1974 graduate of Friendsville (Tenn.) High School, earning his associate's degree from Roane State in 1976.
- After graduating from Coastal Carolina in 1979, Green earned a master's in science education from Tennessee in 1981.
- He was assistant M/W coach at Roane State (1979-81), head boys coach at Coalfield High School (1981-82), head girls coach at Rockwood High School (1982-84) and head men's and women's coach at Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College from 1984-87.
- He served as an assistant at Clemson from 1987-99 before joining Liberty as head coach in 1999.
LU'S LAST GAME
- Liberty raced to a 72-44 victory last Saturday over a California Baptist team that averaged 80.3 ppg. last season on its way to 28 wins and a WAC title.
- Led by the inside-outside duo of Bella Smuda (10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Asia Boone (16 points, 3 steals, 3-7 3FG), Liberty finished a busy opening week of the 2024-25 season at 2-1.
- Liberty ended up at 40 percent (24-of-60) from the floor and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from beyond the arc. The Lady Flames also got to the foul line 18 more times than the Lancers, connecting on 17-of-28 for 60.7 percent.
- Liberty dominated in the rebounding category, 52-33, turning 16 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points vs. California Baptist.
- The Lady Flames scored 22 points off CBU's 19 turnovers and tallied 27 bench points with 12 different players getting their names into the scoring column.
