MSU stays unbeaten with first-ever win in Knoxville

#26
#26
bballnut90 said:
Yes, but this isn't the same Tennessee program that was under Pat Summitt and was a national powerhouse. Thos team has been decimated by injuries and has zero depth, and after an awful start they've made huge strides. Losing a hard fought game at home to the #4 team in the country is nothing to hang your head about. Tennessee was up by one point with three minutes left, doesn't get much more competitive than that. They also won their last six games, including two over ranked teams. Yeah they lost today, but look at how far the team has come since the Baylor disaster. The team is playing much betterbasketball and absolutely has Final Four potential if they continue to improve. There will be more losses and ups and downs, but I'm thrilled with the progress the team has made in a relatively short time frame and think they can still contend for an SEC title and make a deep run in the tournament.
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The up and down is key. When you effectively had a seven player rotation (and really when there is a significant drop off after the starting five), the margin of error is very thin. In the game, the LVs showed flashes of brilliance as well as exposing all their weaknesses and bad tendencies but they are doing better on the latter set of problems. They could pull together and have a heckuva a tournament run particularly if Diamond hits her groove.
 
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#28
#28
bballnut90 said:
Yes, but this isn't the same Tennessee program that was under Pat Summitt and was a national powerhouse. Thos team has been decimated by injuries and has zero depth, and after an awful start they've made huge strides. Losing a hard fought game at home to the #4 team in the country is nothing to hang your head about. Tennessee was up by one point with three minutes left, doesn't get much more competitive than that. They also won their last six games, including two over ranked teams. Yeah they lost today, but look at how far the team has come since the Baylor disaster. The team is playing much betterbasketball and absolutely has Final Four potential if they continue to improve. There will be more losses and ups and downs, but I'm thrilled with the progress the team has made in a relatively short time frame and think they can still contend for an SEC title and make a deep run in the tournament.
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Exactly! This team is getting better and people should appreciate that. This season is not over by a long shot. They will continue to improve and work on their "every play" focus. As you aptly pointed out, loosing to the #4 team in the country is nothing to hang ones head over. It is not settling, it is being real.
 
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#30
#30
We had 17 TOs to 7 for MSU. If there is any position Holly should be able to coach, it is guard. How long has it been since we have had a point guard who could effectively run the offense and get the ball to the bigs inside?
 
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#31
#31
This game came down to coaching and depth and clearly MSU had the better of both teams. Holly for not giving those girls a fair chance to win, shame on you. they were exhausted but they fought in spite no help from the top. Keep fighting LV's we are proud off you!
 
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#32
#32
cgbtn said:
We had 17 TOs to 7 for MSU. If there is any position Holly should be able to coach, it is guard. How long has it been since we have had a point guard who could effectively run the offense and get the ball to the bigs inside?
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Tennessee lost their projected starting point guard preseason and another player who handled a lot of ball handling duties a year ago (Carter.). I don't think it'd be drastically different with Cooper or Carter back, but it's worth mentioning.

Also, Tennessee has always been a high turnover program considering how elite the program was during Pat's era. Very few of Pat's teams had more assists than turnovers. Also, Russell is the most involved big we've had in quite some time and is the only SEC caliber post on the roster. Her involvement has clearly been a point of emphasis this year and will continue to be as the season progresses. My frustration is the lack of three point shooting in big games. All of the players CAN shoot well from deep but really have struggled from deep in big games. Maybe more drills need to be set up for hitting contested triples, or ones with a player coming at them. If Tennessee hits more than 0 triples yesterday, they could have won.
 
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#33
#33
How many games have the Lady Vols won with Enterline and crew refereeing the game in the last 4 years?
 
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#34
#34
bballnut90 said:
Tennessee lost their projected starting point guard preseason and another player who handled a lot of ball handling duties a year ago (Carter.). I don't think it'd be drastically different with Cooper or Carter back, but it's worth mentioning.

Also, Tennessee has always been a high turnover program considering how elite the program was during Pat's era. Very few of Pat's teams had more assists than turnovers. Also, Russell is the most involved big we've had in quite some time and is the only SEC caliber post on the roster. Her involvement has clearly been a point of emphasis this year and will continue to be as the season progresses. My frustration is the lack of three point shooting in big games. All of the players CAN shoot well from deep but really have struggled from deep in big games. Maybe more drills need to be set up for hitting contested triples, or ones with a player coming at them. If Tennessee hits more than 0 triples yesterday, they could have won.
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I think Cooper and or Carter would have made a big difference. I do not believe that all our players CAN shoot the long ball. If you do it all the time in the practice setting and it don't transfer to games it is pointless. Most every team has at least one go to player who can get open and shoot the 3. Schafer last night showed us how to do it last night. I have watched the LVs longer than I care to admit and I cannot think on any of our teams having more that 2 3 point shooters who I knew was going to hit. Wit Pat we was always a inside presence and rebound the misses. WBB has changed and the small quick shooters can play for most any team now. JMO!
 
#35
#35
footballref said:
They are sharks waiting for that drop of blood. Anything, and I mean anything negative is all they are looking for.
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See people like you are happy with participation trophies, pats on the back and for someone to tell you "It's ok you did your best". Holly Warlick has taken this program to depths that haven't been seen since the women's basketball program started. The evidence is in front of your face but maybe you and your ilk are either too blind to see it or just don't care. The rest of us however know that as long as she is coach it will never be fixed. As long as you're ok with mediocrity then you'll be in heaven as long as Warlick is running the show.
 
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#36
#36
cgbtn said:
We had 17 TOs to 7 for MSU. If there is any position Holly should be able to coach, it is guard. How long has it been since we have had a point guard who could effectively run the offense and get the ball to the bigs inside?
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Shannon Bobbitt's last game was April 8, 2008.
 
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#37
#37
armchair said:
...need a new coach, because Warlick doesn't have it. Anybody who hasn't seen that by now should schedule a visit to the optometrist. We've not been to a Final Four in a decade, and we're not going to win anything until we get a real coach. HW tries, of course; she cares; she's just not a good head coach--has been over her head since day one.
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Since HW has only been head coach for 5 or so years of that decade, are you saying that Pat wasn't a real coach? She did lose to Ball State with our bench full of McDonald's AA's. Lol

In our immediate gratification and disposable world, if a person or a situition or a relationship disappoints in the least, then to hell with it. I would just expect our long-term fans to see the bigger picture. But like you said, arm chair, maybe I just need an eye doctor.

:pilot:
 
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#39
#39
NoBackBoard said:
Shannon Bobbitt's last game was April 8, 2008.
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Ariel Massengale could consistently run the offense, make post entry passes, and attack the defense to draw multiple defenders and kick it out to outside shooters. She was the best pure PG Tennessee has had in a decade, yet Holly decided to move her off the ball and play Jordan at PG.
 
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#40
#40
sccshortstop said:
I think Cooper and or Carter would have made a big difference. I do not believe that all our players CAN shoot the long ball. If you do it all the time in the practice setting and it don't transfer to games it is pointless. Most every team has at least one go to player who can get open and shoot the 3. Schafer last night showed us how to do it last night. I have watched the LVs longer than I care to admit and I cannot think on any of our teams having more that 2 3 point shooters who I knew was going to hit. Wit Pat we was always a inside presence and rebound the misses. WBB has changed and the small quick shooters can play for most any team now. JMO!
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Cooper nor Carter were capable 3 point shooters. Both Jackson and Middleton have made nearly as many 3s as Cooper did all of last season while playing less than half the games that it took Te'a to reach that number. They are shooting at a much higher clip too. Andraya's shooting was nothing to write home about either.

Blair Shaefer was also the third string SG behind Dillingham (who was playing her 2nd game after knee surgery caused her to miss most of December) and Johnson (who missed the last few games with a sprained ankle).

As to the question when was the last time Tennessee had multiple outside shooters, probably the last time Meighan, Shekinna and Angie played together.
 
#41
#41
JVol76 said:
See people like you are happy with participation trophies, pats on the back and for someone to tell you "It's ok you did your best". Holly Warlick has taken this program to depths that haven't been seen since the women's basketball program started. The evidence is in front of your face but maybe you and your ilk are either too blind to see it or just don't care. The rest of us however know that as long as she is coach it will never be fixed. As long as you're ok with mediocrity then you'll be in heaven as long as Warlick is running the show.
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My point still stands true....bash me all you want.

You nega-Vols are never to be found when positive things happen. 6 game win streak for the Lady Vols, football team beating both UGA and UF, and other things like that but you come out of the woodworks when losses or negative things happen.

Yes, I care and yes I see these same things. The negas would bankrupt the university making coaching changes at the drop of a hat year in and year out.
 
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#42
#42
Amb3096 said:
Ariel Massengale could consistently run the offense, make post entry passes, and attack the defense to draw multiple defenders and kick it out to outside shooters. She was the best pure PG Tennessee has had in a decade, yet Holly decided to move her off the ball and play Jordan at PG.
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Oh my, I can remember so much vile being spewed to A.M and how she was a lousy PG. I guess you don't appreciate what you have till its gone.

But, AM had a great year as SG in her senior year (and recall she had also had concussion issues so moving her from PG, where there tends to be more contact, may have been a medically advised move). And that was the year the LVs had a fantastic season in compensating for the loss of Izzy. If there was a ever a season to give Holly props, it was this one.
 
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#45
#45
madtownvol said:
Oh my, I can remember so much vile being spewed to A.M and how she was a lousy PG. I guess you don't appreciate what you have till its gone.

But, AM had a great year as SG in her senior year (and recall she had also had concussion issues so moving her from PG, where there tends to be more contact, may have been a medically advised move). And that was the year the LVs had a fantastic season in compensating for the loss of Izzy. If there was a ever a season to give Holly props, it was this one.
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I never understood the hate that Ariel got. She was an immediate impact maker from the standpoint of getting the team to play with better offensive execution. It felt like I was one of the only posters on here who defended her.

She did well her senior year as SG from a numbers perspective, but Tennessee's assists as a team were down compared to when she played lead guard. I don't know if it was because of concussion issues that warranted the position change, or the fact that Holly didn't have anyone else who could shoot the ball, but it took away from her strengths. I think it was partially offset by the fact that Cierra Burdick had very good court vision and she could serve as a playmaker as well, but that team was bogged down by Carter and Reynolds contributing nothing at the guard spots.

Tennessee did well to rescue that season after Izzy went down even if they couldn't beat SC, but truthfully, I wonder if that was because of Holly or because of the leadership from Massengale/Burdick. Because the following year when Holly had a stacked cupboard, she laid a goose egg.
 
#47
#47
There used to be a time where you went to a school like UT to win titles. Now you can win at any school and be successful. And why is that???? Because the only one winning titles is UCONN. So until that changes our mediocre success means no more than anyone elses.
 
#48
#48
volnbama_ said:
They're unranked. That should be firable offense at UT. This program has declined rapidly under Holly
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I bet you couldn't count the times on both hands of how many weeks we were unranked under Pat Summitt!!! Granted she was probably the best coach ever to walk the floor (Definitely in women's basketball) but come on! I'm 32 years old and up until HW, I don't remember a time when we were in such bad shape. Recruiting is going great but you have to develop your players because High School talent will only go so far if their potential isn't tapped in to.
 
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#50
#50
Amb3096 said:
Ariel Massengale could consistently run the offense, make post entry passes, and attack the defense to draw multiple defenders and kick it out to outside shooters. She was the best pure PG Tennessee has had in a decade, yet Holly decided to move her off the ball and play Jordan at PG.
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that she and Russell switched positions, and didn't really make any sense since Russell is not a natural PG. It did free Massengale to take threes--and she was our best three-point shooter. I think that was the reason for the move. You need threes to win these days--if you do not make a //minimum// of three treys, your chances of beating a good team are minimal. We had none yesterday. As a PG, Massengale was, in my view, fairly average. I don't recall her producing a lot of assists, but that's partly a result of our crap system. Beyond that, she was soft and not a very good defender. And we've not had much good PG play at UT in a long time. Our guard play overall has been pretty average, at best, for a LONG time. I was very excited when I saw Massengale as a freshman--thought she was the PG we'd needed for years--but I found her career a bit disappointing. But then I've found pretty much everything about our once-proud program disappointing over the last 10 years.
 
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