Lady Vol Basketball Schedule Change

#1
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#1
The University of Tennessee announced Monday that Tennessee State will replace Tennessee Tech on the 2013-14 women's basketball schedule, with the Lady Vols and Lady Tigers set to meet on Dec. 17 in Knoxville.

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#2
#2
Wonderful. A team rated 230th replaces a team rated 163rd. Why is Tenn playing such poor opponents?
 
#3
#3
Notre dame Stanford north Carolina not to mention Baylor cancelled so I say we are fine in the schedule dept
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#4
#4
zaqhhh said:
Notre dame Stanford north Carolina not to mention Baylor cancelled so I say we are fine in the schedule dept
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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Playing weak teams, particularly those that are among the weakest in all of Div 1 BB, hurts the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which is used by the NCAA in seeding teams for the tournament. So it does make a difference.
 
#5
#5
:cray: Please!! Cry me a river w/your RPI stuff. Let's just see what happens when we get to Tournament time.
 
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#6
#6
Convoluted said:
Playing weak teams, particularly those that are among the weakest in all of Div 1 BB, hurts the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which is used by the NCAA in seeding teams for the tournament. So it does make a difference.
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So you are now a member of the NCAA Selection Committee who can validate this ongoing myth???
 
#7
#7
I guarantee with the schedule that Tennessee has they will be in the top five in rpi just like they are every year. So they have no worries with their schedule. The UConn schedule is much weaker because of that new league they are playing in will have a tough time being in the top ten in sos.
 
#10
#10
Putbacks said:
There are no current RPI ratings? Where are you getting these "ratings"?
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Most recent ratings as of the end of last season. Not totally accurate, but a good estimate of what the new year will bring. I'm just saying, when a team starts weakening their schedule, it's not a good trend. No doubt this is just pre season jiber jabber to fill time until the season arrives.
 
#11
#11
Convoluted said:
Most recent ratings as of the end of last season. Not totally accurate, but a good estimate of what the new year will bring. I'm just saying, when a team starts weakening their schedule, it's not a good trend. No doubt this is just pre season jiber jabber to fill time until the season arrives.
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Stating that the "team" (meaning Tennessee) was weakening its schedule is an unnecessary and inaccurate jab. If you had read the information provided you would have seen that Tennessee Tech "withdrew" from playing due to a schedule conflict. This undoubtedly put Tennessee in a scramble mode type of situation, looking for a replacement after most teams schedules had already been established.

Finding a team that was even capable of fitting in a game at this late date, much less one that was willing to do so, would have been virtually impossible. And I would be willing to bet that it wouldn't include any of the teams with what you might consider an acceptable RPI. Under the circumstances, the administration was probably left with the option of taking the first "warm body" or leaving an open date on the calendar. And when it comes to a home game, I'll bet the athletic department considered the money more than they did the relatively minor affect on the Lady Vols strength of schedule or RPI.

Jim
 
#12
#12
Tennessee set the precedent in difficult scheduling. Many programs across the country have scheduled "light" for years but have still managed to develop championship-contending programs. This schedule probably best represents who we are at this time. Plenty of stern tests abound prior to conference play, but some lightweights exist to hopefully provide opportunities for youth development or perhaps physical healing (given the plethora of injuries that seem to plague us). Don't get caught up in outdated ratings. We will be playing teams loaded with hungry competitors--not teams who wear ratings on their jerseys. This team has talent and credentials, but there is still a lot of youth. An injury or two really puts us in a familiarly precarious position. And as one other poster reminded us, sometimes it's the other school to blame for not showing up on our schedule.

And your "preseason jibber-jabber" is saturated with negativity.
 
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#13
#13
CannonVol80 said:
Stating that the "team" (meaning Tennessee) was weakening its schedule is an unnecessary and inaccurate jab. If you had read the information provided you would have seen that Tennessee Tech "withdrew" from playing due to a schedule conflict. This undoubtedly put Tennessee in a scramble mode type of situation, looking for a replacement after most teams schedules had already been established.

Finding a team that was even capable of fitting in a game at this late date, much less one that was willing to do so, would have been virtually impossible. And I would be willing to bet that it wouldn't include any of the teams with what you might consider an acceptable RPI. Under the circumstances, the administration was probably left with the option of taking the first "warm body" or leaving an open date on the calendar. And when it comes to a home game, I'll bet the athletic department considered the money more than they did the relatively minor affect on the Lady Vols strength of schedule or RPI.

Jim
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Can't argue with what you're saying. Well done.
 
#14
#14
Putbacks said:
Tennessee set the precedent in difficult scheduling. Many programs across the country have scheduled "light" for years but have still managed to develop championship-contending programs. This schedule probably best represents who we are at this time. Plenty of stern tests abound prior to conference play, but some lightweights exist to hopefully provide opportunities for youth development or perhaps physical healing (given the plethora of injuries that seem to plague us). Don't get caught up in outdated ratings. We will be playing teams loaded with hungry competitors--not teams who wear ratings on their jerseys. This team has talent and credentials, but there is still a lot of youth. An injury or two really puts us in a familiarly precarious position. And as one other poster reminded us, sometimes it's the other school to blame for not showing up on our schedule.

And your "preseason jibber-jabber" is saturated with negativity.
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The team is not that young. Probably about average in age. Regarding injury, every team is exposed to that equally. Although, now that Jenny is gone, perhaps injuries will be more frequent?

Regarding the jibber jabber you consider negative. Is that a problem? Seems like more than enough exuberance here to counteract a bit of devil's advocacy.
 
#15
#15
Convoluted said:
The team is not that young. Probably about average in age. Regarding injury, every team is exposed to that equally. Although, now that Jenny is gone, perhaps injuries will be more frequent?

Regarding the jibber jabber you consider negative. Is that a problem? Seems like more than enough exuberance here to counteract a bit of devil's advocacy.
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Three freshmen and three sophomores equal 60% of the team.

Regarding injury, all of humanity is exposed to it equally. The Lady Vols misfortunes have been inexplicable--nothing short of bizarre. Going 8 to 10 deep with a roster of 10 is far more precarious than going 8 to 10 deep with a roster of 13.

Although Jenny might be sorely missed, I don't think she prevented injuries. She helped treat them. Perhaps Heather's conditioning regimen might have aided in injury prevention???
 
#16
#16
...and to give further credence to the impact of superfluous injuries to this program, last season Ariel Massengale began the season recovering from an injury. Ciera Burdick missed a chunk of time with a broken finger. Isabelle Harrison missed a chunk of time recovering from a knee injury. Draya Carter had to redshirt due to a shoulder injury. The current senior class is already cut in half because Lauren Avant suffered through injuries her freshman season which prevented her from getting untracked, and she eventually transferred. Even a recruit and eventual signee blew a knee before her senior season of high school and never even made it to campus.

Last season's senior class was not immune to injuries either. Kamiko Williams lost valuable time in college with a blown ACL. Spani never played a season at 100%.

And further backtracking reveals that since the 2008 NC extensive injuries have directly impacted the current state of the Lady Vols program. Losing point guard Cait McMahan was critical and seemed to set off a chain reaction of injuries that are still being felt by the program. Vicki Baugh was forever in waiting it seemed. Kelley Cain lost valuable and extensive playing time. Amber Gray had to give up her playing career at UT. Alyssia Brewer fell victim to a freak accident that proved costly. Faith Dupree was lost to injury and eventually transferred.

Injuries are a part of all programs, but this seems atypical...acute...occurring over a period of 5 years...
 
#17
#17
Putbacks said:
Three freshmen and three sophomores equal 60% of the team.

Regarding injury, all of humanity is exposed to it equally. The Lady Vols misfortunes have been inexplicable--nothing short of bizarre. Going 8 to 10 deep with a roster of 10 is far more precarious than going 8 to 10 deep with a roster of 13.

Although Jenny might be sorely missed, I don't think she prevented injuries. She helped treat them. Perhaps Heather's conditioning regimen might have aided in injury prevention???
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60% Fr & So is probably about average since by the time they reach Jr, there is often attrition with players switching schools, career ending injuries, & other issues. Some of the more competitive LV opponents for example:
Baylor 69% Fr & So, Georgia 75%, Vandy 75% ND 53%, KY 31. Stanford has 9 FR SO but a big roster. Cripes, uconn has 3 Fr in the starting lineup. The point is, Tenn isn't particularly young, so that excuse is lame.

If Holly feels she needs a bigger roster, then she should recruit more kids. But then you have the problem of people being unhappy because of lack of playing time. Didn't Maryland have 4 ACLs last year? They still did okay.

Obviously, Jenny didn't prevent injuries but she's in the line of fire getting them back in the game and should have a hand in prevention. It appears Heather didn't prevent 'em either.

No excuses. Do it with what you have.
 
#18
#18
Your assertions and percentages are unfounded--and they aren't applicable to Tennessee's schedule, which is what generated the percentage that I listed. And you are spouting numbers from the past; keep up.

Maryland did okay. Tennessee did "okay". I'm talking in relevance to supremacy.

And Holly did recruit more kids. One never enrolled in school this year, and another transferred in the offseason.
 
#19
#19
Putbacks said:
Your assertions and percentages are unfounded--and they aren't applicable to Tennessee's schedule, which is what generated the percentage that I listed. And you are spouting numbers from the past; keep up.

Maryland did okay. Tennessee did "okay". I'm talking in relevance to supremacy.

And Holly did recruit more kids. One never enrolled in school this year, and another transferred in the offseason.
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Perhaps I'm missing you're points. I'm saying 60% Fr & Soph is probably about average for Tenn's competition teams, so Tenn is not particularly young. Also, all teams have injury issues, so Tenn isn't alone there either. If you check the teams you are comparing to, I think you'll find Tenn is about average in age and physical issues, so that's no excuse for a less than banner year. I'm not spouting numbers from the past they are from 2013-14 where available.
 
#20
#20
Convoluted said:
Perhaps I'm missing you're points. I'm saying 60% Fr & Soph is probably about average for Tenn's competition teams, so Tenn is not particularly young. Also, all teams have injury issues, so Tenn isn't alone there either. If you check the teams you are comparing to, I think you'll find Tenn is about average in age and physical issues, so that's no excuse for a less than banner year. I'm not spouting numbers from the past they are from 2013-14 where available.
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I have not addressed anything about having or not having "a banner year". My input surfaced around your bemoaning your perception that the schedule had been lightened this year. I contended that it was plenty difficult from top to bottom and if it were less difficult than in previous years, it might be warranted due to overall youth and the recovery of the program. (And I provided specific numbers when you are just conjecturing what's out there to compare to.) The teams you listed that you think are just as young and inexperienced as we are aren't playing any tougher schedules than Tennessee!

I have agreed that Tennessee is not alone in injuries. (Thank you for being a good reader!) You can't document the degree of injuries in other programs that has befallen Tennessee in a 5-year period--which has threatened the supremacy of the program (along with having to replace the greatest coach in the history of the game!). You've twice mentioned "Maryland did okay." Tennessee did better than Maryland. (Louisville would have been a better example given their misfortunes last year.) But those teams are scheduling according to their personnel and lack thereof. Nobody is putting together a monster schedule that resembles the Top 25 rankings--the type you are accustomed to seeing the Lady Vols traditionally play.

You can get this. I have not addressed anything about a banner year. Re-read.
 
#21
#21
One thing to remember as well is that Tennessee expected Baylor to extend the series, but when ESPN didn't want it for a marquee matchup, Baylor balked and cancelled the series much later than Tennessee would have wanted them to. The timing didn't give Tennessee a lot of time to get a big time opponent because other schedules were already finalized. They reached out to Duke (said no again due to McCallie preferring to play UConn instead of TN).

I do think that even though the schedule isn't one of the strongest in history, it will give Tennessee the chance to experiment with different lineups and build chemistry playing together, since a lot of the games will be decided in the first half.
 
#22
#22
Putbacks said:
I have not addressed anything about having or not having "a banner year". My input surfaced around your bemoaning your perception that the schedule had been lightened this year. I contended that it was plenty difficult from top to bottom and if it were less difficult than in previous years, it might be warranted due to overall youth and the recovery of the program. (And I provided specific numbers when you are just conjecturing what's out there to compare to.) The teams you listed that you think are just as young and inexperienced as we are aren't playing any tougher schedules than Tennessee!

I have agreed that Tennessee is not alone in injuries. (Thank you for being a good reader!) You can't document the degree of injuries in other programs that has befallen Tennessee in a 5-year period--which has threatened the supremacy of the program (along with having to replace the greatest coach in the history of the game!). You've twice mentioned "Maryland did okay." Tennessee did better than Maryland. (Louisville would have been a better example given their misfortunes last year.) But those teams are scheduling according to their personnel and lack thereof. Nobody is putting together a monster schedule that resembles the Top 25 rankings--the type you are accustomed to seeing the Lady Vols traditionally play.

You can get this. I have not addressed anything about a banner year. Re-read.
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I acknowledge you didn't broach the subject of banner year. All I was saying is that this year's schedule is dumbed down, which you seem to agree with. I wasn't comparing it to any other team's schedule, just not up to Tenn's usual quality. Also, I just said the team wasn't particularly young compared to other teams in general, and just gave a few examples. I wasn't trying to compare age to any other teams schedule strength.
 
#23
#23
mtsuraider06 said:
One thing to remember as well is that Tennessee expected Baylor to extend the series, but when ESPN didn't want it for a marquee matchup, Baylor balked and cancelled the series much later than Tennessee would have wanted them to. The timing didn't give Tennessee a lot of time to get a big time opponent because other schedules were already finalized. They reached out to Duke (said no again due to McCallie preferring to play UConn instead of TN).

I do think that even though the schedule isn't one of the strongest in history, it will give Tennessee the chance to experiment with different lineups and build chemistry playing together, since a lot of the games will be decided in the first half.
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You make good points. I think weaker schedules don't prepare the team to face the good opponents. Lately Tenn has walloped the weak teams, but crumbled when facing the tough opponents. Facing weak OOC opponents doesn't help to prepare for the good teams. But, as you implied the weak schedule might have happened by accident.
 
#24
#24
I have a new icon for someone.

UConn.gif
 
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