Game Thread: Tennessee (15-9, 8-4 SEC) @ Vanderbilt (19-7, 6-6 SEC) 2/18/24 2:00 pm EST SEC Network

[Deebowbear]

12 as we enter the back stretch of year 5

Omg seriously there is a problem with that for sure

 

[Amb3096]

Reese gets away with a lot of over the back rebounding. She is what we used to call a garbage player. Stays around the rim and cleans up everything for the rest of the team. She is a good free throw shooter. If you can keep her pushed out away from the rim she seems to get frustrated easily.

Both Cardoso and Reese aren't going over the back because they are jumping straight up and using their long arms to grab rebounds. It's just like how Tamari is able to grab rebounds when she's out of position. She doesn't jump, but if the girl in position isn't jumping either, there's a 90% chance that Tamari will get the board.

Reese is more than a garbage player because not only can she get the offensive board, but she can re-compose and has great body control in and around the basket to get around taler players to get her shot off. Given her double double aptitude, I'm sure most coaches draw up game plans to get her away from the rim, but unless you have a C who can spread the floor and force her to come out and guard you, you won't be getting her away from hanging out close enough to grab the defensive boards. What makes her offensive rebounding tougher this year is having Morrow next to her and trying to keep both of them off the offensive boards. Not sure that is something that can be easily done.

 

[glv98]

Both Cardoso and Reese aren't going over the back because they are jumping straight up and using their long arms to grab rebounds. It's just like how Tamari is able to grab rebounds when she's out of position. She doesn't jump, but if the girl in position isn't jumping either, there's a 90% chance that Tamari will get the board.

Reese is more than a garbage player because not only can she get the offensive board, but she can re-compose and has great body control in and around the basket to get around taler players to get her shot off. Given her double double aptitude, I'm sure most coaches draw up game plans to get her away from the rim, but unless you have a C who can spread the floor and force her to come out and guard you, you won't be getting her away from hanging out close enough to grab the defensive boards. What makes her offensive rebounding tougher this year is having Morrow next to her and trying to keep both of them off the offensive boards. Not sure that is something that can be easily done.

Which is why basically we'll have to outscore them. That said, AR has never played against TK and it will be harder for her to get those rebounds from behind her bc she's giving up so much height. However, TK will not be able to guard AR much in the post.

 

[Amb3096]

If she finishes like she played this week, I think she'll be HM like she was last year.

I would be shocked if Rickea was not HM this year, but I think that's her ceiling. There is so much competition for the three official AA teams and the combination of her missing the major OOC games and Tennessee's overall performace will ensure she doesn't get on one of them.

 

[Tnphil]

Omg seriously there is a problem with that for sure

Now... that's a measuring stick. Less than I thought.

 

[Majors]

Omg seriously there is a problem with that for sure

Win 13 or Loss 34 this Sunday

 

[glv98]

I would be shocked if Rickea was not HM this year, but I think that's her ceiling. There is so much competition for the three official AA teams and the combination of her missing the major OOC games and Tennessee's overall performace will ensure she doesn't get on one of them.

Agree. There's so many good young players this year, the competition is fierce.

After this week, I think she's a lock for All SEC first team, which I was worried about before. But most importantly, nothing that' happened this year seems to have affected her draft status.

 

[Amb3096]

Which is why basically we'll have to outscore them. That said, AR has never played against TK and it will be harder for her to get those rebounds from behind her bc she's giving up so much height. However, TK will not be able to guard AR much in the post.

Tennessee had the right strategy in the SC game which was to body up Cardoso, Kitts and Watkins so Powell could come in and grab the rebound, but either they went away from that in the 2nd half or they got tired and weren't physically able to keep it up.

I would normally agree with you regarding Reese vs. TK if not for how well she played against Cardoso. It takes a toll on her because of the size/strength difference, but she had a couple of blocks against Kamila and was able to score around her and grabbed a ton of rebounds away that Kamila probably wasn't accustomed to not getting. Kamila played 32 min that game. The question is whether or not Tamari can stay on the court that long either without getting winded or fouling out.

 

[djtee]

I just don’t believe u need depth to win it all, u just need a bench player to step up when it’s needed and that’s not every game, just look how LSU won last year, barely any bench production until it was needed.

Last year LSU played with a 9 player rotation and that was huge for them. This year only 5-6 players in the rotation so you can see that has been a problem at times and against the better teams.

 

[Amb3096]

Last year LSU played with a 9 player rotation and that was huge for them. This year only 5-6 players in the rotation so you can see that has been a problem at times and against the better teams.

Who'd they play off the bench, though? Usually Carson and Smith got minutes, sometimes Poa. Doesn't seem so different than this year.

 

[37620VOL]

Last year LSU played with a 9 player rotation and that was huge for them. This year only 5-6 players in the rotation so you can see that has been a problem at times and against the better teams.

LSU played only one significant sub in the NCAACG vs Iowa. It was Carson, who went out with the game of her life, going 5/6 from 3 with an LSU game-high 22 points. LSUs "garbage" players had an absurd shooting day: Poole, Poa, and Carson were a combined 9/10 shooting 3s.

 

[djtee]

Who'd they play off the bench, though? Usually Carson and Smith got minutes, sometimes Poa. Doesn't seem so different than this year.

They just had more players on last year team. So Kim was able to go a little deeper. Payne, also Barrett played more last year then she has this year. I forgot Payne was hurt

 

[Amb3096]

They just had more players on last year team. So Kim was able to go a little deeper. Payne, also Barrett played more last year then she has this year. I forgot Payne was hurt

She has a full roster this year, but doesn't use them. Barrett is a year older, but hardly gets off the bench. Looks like the 2 I mentioned plus Kent are the main subs, with sometimes Velez getting mop up minutes.

 

[Lucy]

Where did I say it wasn't a good win? Find it....It was posted here by a poster that another balloon is pooping (yes pooping) on the fire Kellie crowd...Really, because the LVs were beating a unranked Vandy team! So this is how the team is measured now....So, when a poster makes that kind of comment/post I will respond to it if I see it...It's odd there are so many that are bigger fans of the coach than they are the program...Coaches get paid a million...or millions, they aren't above being questioned.

Pooping balloons. Quite the visual. If we could get those over the “fire Kellie crowd” I am all here for it!

 

[madtownvol]

There is zero chance that Rickea will make any of the All American teams.

It is tough to make AA on a team that is unranked and fighting its way off the bubble. There are just to many good players on the top 10 teams. Rickea's stats are not jaw dropping (they're quite good) but she would have to be putting up Caitlin Clark numbers to make AA on a team sitting outside the top 25.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Which is why basically we'll have to outscore them. That said, AR has never played against TK and it will be harder for her to get those rebounds from behind her bc she's giving up so much height. However, TK will not be able to guard AR much in the post.

The only thing I will say about that is Key doesn’t fight for boards and Reese does. When she has to fight for a rebound she gives up and they snatch it out of her hands every time.

 

[VolFuture]

It is tough to make AA on a team that is unranked and fighting its way off the bubble. There are just to many good players on the top 10 teams. Rickea's stats are not jaw dropping (they're quite good) but she would have to be putting up Caitlin Clark numbers to make AA on a team sitting outside the top 25.

It not impossible esp if she wins or is a finalist for her position award. If we do win out (minus USC) and finish tied for 2nd could be an easier case too.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Agree. There's so many good young players this year, the competition is fierce.

After this week, I think she's a lock for All SEC first team, which I was worried about before. But most importantly, nothing that' happened this year seems to have affected her draft status.

The awards are usually stats, and sometimes she doesn’t take enough shots to stat pad like other players, the draft if about talent and she’s at the top.

 

[djtee]

She has a full roster this year, but doesn't use them. Barrett is a year older, but hardly gets off the bench. Looks like the 2 I mentioned plus Kent are the main subs, with sometimes Velez getting mop up minutes.

Looks like Kim is going to roll the dice, Just 5-6 player rotation. Any foul trouble against a good team could be a problem.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Last year LSU played with a 9 player rotation and that was huge for them. This year only 5-6 players in the rotation so you can see that has been a problem at times and against the better teams.

During the tournament they barely produced, except for a few spots when needed.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

It is tough to make AA on a team that is unranked and fighting its way off the bubble. There are just to many good players on the top 10 teams. Rickea's stats are not jaw dropping (they're quite good) but she would have to be putting up Caitlin Clark numbers to make AA on a team sitting outside the top 25.

If she took the same amount of shots her ppg would be about the same.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

It not impossible esp if she wins or is a finalist for her position award. If we do win out (minus USC) and finish tied for 2nd could be an easier case too.

We can win out including Sc

 

[th2421]

The only thing I will say about that is Key doesn’t fight for boards and Reese does. When she has to fight for a rebound she gives up and they snatch it out of her hands every time.

I don't know if it's fair to say Key doesn't fight for boards. She's never had the mobility that Reese has, but that's even more the case as Key is still recovering this year. Her first three seasons at Tennessee when she was fully healthy she was in the 97th, 94th, then 98th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage, and her junior year she was in the 92nd percentile for overall rebounding. This year, she is still good, but "only" in the 82nd percentile for offensive rebounding and 80th for overall. That's still an improvement over Striplin, but not what we would be getting from a totally healthy Key.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I don't know if it's fair to say Key doesn't fight for boards. She's never had the mobility that Reese has, but that's even more the case as Key is still recovering this year. Her first three seasons at Tennessee when she was fully healthy she was in the 97th, 94th, then 98th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage, and her junior year she was in the 92nd percentile for overall rebounding. This year, she is still good, but "only" in the 82nd percentile for offensive rebounding and 80th for overall. That's still an improvement over Striplin, but not what we would be getting from a totally healthy Key.

I’m talking about when they both are touching the ball, for years I’ve seen small guards snatch the ball out of her hands, even in the Vandy game if u go back and watch, that’s been an issue I’ve talked about for a while now.

 

[madtownvol]

If she took the same amount of shots her ppg would be about the same.

Let me put it another way. The 8 games she missed sort of took her out the AA conversation, as the LVs also fell out of the top 10 and then top 20 and then top 25. She also has been more inconsistent since her return (and illness also played a role). Vandy was the first game where she looked 100% since her return.

She can solidify her top 5 draft in the next few games.