It's Gut Check Time in Tennessee

[Volstylexx]

This isn't a bash Kellie, or bash the team thread. I am going to take my orange colored glasses off for a moment though and say it's gut check time. How does a team go 18-1 and then lose to an Auburn team that has now lost 26 of their last 27 SEC games, then get blown out by 20+ at FL? We've played 21 games, and our worst 2 have come over the last three games.

Listen, I hate to admit it, but that's a good Florida team. GOOD, not GREAT. There's still no reason an elite team like TN should have the optics of this scoreboard image. Losing a backup center can't be the cause for this. Green was only averaging 7ppg, 0 blocks in 13 mins per game. Remember a week ago when ESPN was posting the comparisons to our 2008 title team??

The wheels can come off this very quickly. They've started to feel the pressure and the chorus calls from the choir are going to grow louder with each stumble. We need to regain our identity quick because the trend here isn't moving in the right direction with March right around the corner. Good news, you get a wounded UConn team on the road Sunday.

Post your misery here, and then we'll get @Freak to delete the thread Sunday after a big win and a righted ship.

 

[Volstylexx]

I just read my post and LOL'd at my own optimism. I'm teetering between "stay calm. It's ok" and "ABANDON SHIP"

 

[landscapingvol]

There is no reason to be pessimistic, this team is what it is. It’s a good team not a great team and it’s a team that can be almost anyone and lose to almost anyone. They simply do not have enough offensive talent to win at all or but they could make a decent run in the tournament

 

[Voltopia]

I just read my post and LOL'd at my own optimism. I'm teetering between "stay calm. It's ok" and "ABANDON SHIP"

This ship’s been at sea for a decade, don’t let it get you down. A win Sunday and all of this is in the rear view mirror. Same for beating South Carolina. Now, I’m not saying Tennesssee will win, but I am saying there’s chances to steer that ship back on course this year. Grab a Mai Tai, find a deck chair, and kick back. Not negative, not positive - just relaxed.

 

[J-Dog 1313]

This ship’s been at sea for a decade, don’t let it get you down. A win Sunday and all of this is in the rear view mirror. Same for beating South Carolina. Now, I’m not saying Tennesssee will win, but I am saying there’s chances to steer that ship back on course this year. Grab a Mai Tai, find a deck chair, and kick back. Not negative, not positive - just relaxed.

I agree. Flush this loss. There is plenty of basketball to be played. The LVs will come out smoking on Sunday against UConn. I see a course correction coming. GBO.

 

[teacherdean]

The ladies have hit a bump in the road. They need to re-evaluate their present state and figure how to right the ship. They have to get their mojo back. They just seem out of sort and have lost their way. They are making too many turnovers and getting lost in transition. They are also losing the fight in the paint, missing easy shots, not doing a good job guarding the three, and not being aggressive enough. We also seem to be lacking in floor leadership. In that regard we miss Green. In addition, our bench is nor particularly strong with Green out, especially on offense which is not great at its best. However, I refuse to jump ship or believe all is lost. KJH will right the ship.

 

[OldLofter]

I ask this with really not knowing squat. Is Kellie trying to learn what this team can do without Green? That was a huge loss. Where do they go from here?

 

[Darth_Vol]

I agree. Flush this loss.

They seem to have clogged the toilet a week ago...

 

[Lucy]

This ship’s been at sea for a decade, don’t let it get you down. A win Sunday and all of this is in the rear view mirror. Same for beating South Carolina. Now, I’m not saying Tennesssee will win, but I am saying there’s chances to steer that ship back on course this year. Grab a Mai Tai, find a deck chair, and kick back. Not negative, not positive - just relaxed.

Excellent recommendation. Mai Tai was perfect.

 

[And1]

Uconn will DESTROY this bunch of frail flowers.

We can only hope, after all that's why we're all here, right?

 

[jeff1vol]

We can only hope, after all that's why we're all here, right?

I hear you. I hope the LV's win by 50. Unfortunately, I live in reality and the way this team is playing... it won't be pretty.

 

[movinonup]

I usually try to stay away from negativity (and usually try to not even read boards after a loss, but snowed in and let my guard down). This team is searching for a new identity WITHOUT Green and WITH Rae - I just do not see the chemistry with Rae back that we had before and not all her fault, and Green was much more important to this team than anyone realized, I am afraid.

 

[turbovol]

If ESPN compared this team to the 2007/08 UT team, it was pretty silly to do so. That team had Candace Parker--one of the best
players in the history of women's college basketball--plus Anosike (an athletic, defensive beast) and Hornbuckle at guard, etc. This team isn't
half as talented or as good as that team. We overachieved in the first half of the season and created inflated expectations for a team that, in fact,
has obvious talent issues. I think the team probably struggled to find the emotional and physical energy for the Florida game, which came quickly after the tough Arkansas win and had a weird early start, but on the whole we are probably now seeing this team's natural level.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Its a healthy thing to take off the orange colored glasses sometimes and see things in reality. Not very popular on this board though.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Its a healthy thing to take off the orange colored glasses sometimes and see things in reality. Not very popular on this board though.

One of the negative aspects of any “community” is that they seem to fracture into clics. I’m kinda into trying to figger out what adjustments or changes need to be made. Trusting that Kellie will try something. The Kaiya Wynn experiment did not go well, last night.

 

[djtee]

One of the negative aspects of any “community” is that they seem to fracture into clics. I’m kinda into trying to figger out what adjustments or changes need to be made. Trusting that Kellie will try something. The Kaiya Wynn experiment did not go well, last night.

Thank You The Kaiya Wynn experiment did not go well, last night. Also she was ranked to high coming out of HS i think #39 ?

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

One of the negative aspects of any “community” is that they seem to fracture into clics. I’m kinda into trying to figger out what adjustments or changes need to be made. Trusting that Kellie will try something. The Kaiya Wynn experiment did not go well, last night.

I agree with you 100%. There is definitely something gone wrong with the team chemistry and as outsiders its hard to pin it down. I would agree Kelly and the coaches probably know what's going on but fixing it may be tricky without blowing things up. I have coached females' before. Coaching the sports part of it was easy, the team chemistry was way more difficult.

 

[madtownvol]

So, when is a blow out loss to an unranked team not going to be a "gut check" moment? Auburn was a gut check moment. This team is facing some structural problems that are not fixed by just getting tougher and returning to the moral straight and narrow.

With the exception of a few surprisingly big wins against KY and TA&M, the LVs margin of separation has been small and they have hd to come from behind for several of those wins. The LVS are not a good (or reallay consistent) shooting team and have been compensating for that shortcoming through defensive intensity and rebounding.

As we have gotten into this tough stretch of the season, we are seeing 2 big changes. The loss of Green has been more impactful than I expected it to be. When Key is off the floor, the team is struggling to maintain its defensive and rebounding advantages. I think the small ball line-up with Puckett playing in that post role is looking like the short term solution (It is not going to Emily or Karo). But the bigger issue is that teams have scouted the LVs and identified their Achilles heel-- ball pressure. If you are team with some quick guards, you can completely take the Lvs out of their game. If the LVs can figure out a means to handle pressure better, (and I thought they had sort of figured that problem out against Arkansas), that will go a long well toward breaking out of this slump.

Dye had been playing well in the 1st part of the SEC season but she is slumping. With Green out, she really is the "next man up" to compensate on the boards and inside scoring. And Rae played pretty well against Arkansas but she hurt the team against Auburn and contributed to a lot of TOs against Fl. And she led the team in a poor way by visibly showing how frustrated she was and that negative outlook seemed to spread to other players. The overall effort dropped off. It appeared that the LVs, let Florida and the refs get int their heads and they completely lost their focus.

 

[Volfan1000]

In a 30 to 35 game season, blowouts will happen and the men lost in the same fashion at Kentucky.

I expect the Conneticut game to be a lot closer.

 

[madtownvol]

Not to mention the 07/08 team had a much better coach...

Who would that have been? You did not think much of CPS back in the day elvee, always comparing her to Geno.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Thank You The Kaiya Wynn experiment did not go well, last night. Also she was ranked to high coming out of HS i think #39 ?

Not sure who advised but she moved here to the Houston area to play at an increased level, but I’m not sure she got what she needed at Foster. Pretty sure they’re a AA class division. The LISD link to athletics hasn’t been updated this year.

 

[chuckiepoo]

The overall effort dropped off as, it almost like the LVs, completely lost their focus.

…ironic. Right there at the end.

 

[djtee]

Not sure who advised but she moved here to the Houston area to play at an increased level, but I’m not sure she got what she needed at Foster. Pretty sure they’re a AA class division. The LISD link to athletics hasn’t been updated this year.

I don`t disagree with you on her class division at all and i`m glade you posted it. Looking at her skill set she is athletic but very raw and that will take some time to fix.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Who would that have been? You did not think much of CPS back in the day elvee, always comparing her to Geno.

He's an anit-UT troll.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

So, when is a blow out loss to an unranked team not going to be a "gut check" moment? Auburn was a gut check moment. This team is facing some structural problems that are not fixed by just getting tougher and returning to the moral straight and narrow.

With the exception of a few surprisingly big wins against KY and TA&M, the LVs margin of separation has been small and they have hd to come from behind for several of those wins. The LVS are not a good (or reallay consistent) shooting team and have been compensating for that shortcoming through defensive intensity and rebounding.

As we have gotten into this tough stretch of the season, we are seeing 2 big changes. The loss of Green has been more impactful than I expected it to be. When Key is off the floor, the team is struggling to maintain its defensive and rebounding advantages. I think the small ball line-up with Puckett playing in that post role is looking like the short term solution (It is not going to Emily or Karo). But the bigger issue is that teams have scouted the LVs and identified their Achilles heel-- ball pressure. If you are team with some quick guards, you can completely take the Lvs out of their game. If the LVs can figure out a means to handle pressure better, (and I thought they had sort of figured that problem out against Arkansas), that will go a long well toward breaking out of this slump.

Dye had been playing well in the 1st part of the SEC season but she is slumping. With Green out, she really is the "next man up" to compensate on the boards and inside scoring. And Rae played pretty well against Arkansas but she hurt the team against Auburn and contributed to a lot of TOs against Fl. And she led the team in a poor way by visibly showing how frustrated she was and that negative outlook seemed to spread to other players. The overall effort dropped off. It appeared that the LVs, let Florida and the refs get int their heads and they completely lost their focus.

Good analysis. But it isn't just quicker guards that are hurting us. It's quick, fast guards with strength and length. Miles is very quick, and fast, but at 5'-4", she can be taken advantage of, and she is. And Walker is a tough cookie but not fast or quick, and doesn't have size or length. They are both easy prey for elite guards in the SEC.