NCAA Game Thread: (1) Texas vs (5) Lady Vols

[Remy]

Texas struggled to beat us on their home floor.

All we needed was a little better percentage on our threes and we’re still dancing. Lady Vols were very cold early, seemed like the rim had a lid on it at times. They put forth a game winning effort and I’m not mad at ‘em at all! Looking forward to next season!

 

[LV renaissance]

I was true inspired by our effort today as well as throughout the NCAA tournament. The fact that we out-rebounded Texas despite Texas killing us in that department the first go around was a testament that these kids are buying into the program. Perhaps some of the mistakes in the 4th quarter that ultimately cost us the game was due to the inexperience of our players and coach in being in the Sweet 16 compared to Texas. Some of our late turnovers and missed shots seemed to be a lack of focus, which happens when you get tight from nerves. Our star player seemed extremely tight the whole game. This is not to throw her under the bus, as she is also on a learning curve and is a major reason for our success this season. Nevertheless, how are you supposed to upset the #1 seed in a Sweet 16 game when you can't put the ball in the hands of the player show has been the main playmaker all season. She had several chances to turn it around, but each time she seemed to be in her head and unable to focus. If anything, it got worse as the game progressed. All her stats were way under her averages, so it wasn't just about shooting. I think the biggest challenge that Cooper has is her temperament, which is near impossible to change but is possible to learn how to better manage. I hope she is exposed to mindfulness techniques that help people rebound from and manage their reactivity to stress.

The game and season are a testament to the fact that Kim's system can succeed against the best teams. People feared what would happen the 2nd time a team would face us. Well, two of the best teams and coaches faced us twice in Texas and LSU, and we were just as competitive the 2nd go-around. In fact, I do think our press bothered Texas more this time than the first time, which kept us in the game despite woeful shooting. Think of what will happen when we are fully stocked with players that fit the system and Kim tweaks the system as she learns more about playing in the SEC. The few points that separate us from the top teams will disappear. The future hasn't been this bright since the days of Pat.

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

Only 59 points and still in the game until very late! 5-26 from 3 and 4-10 from the foul line. Those #s should result in a blowout almost every time. Just need better poise on offense and better shooters! This team never quite mastered the all-out frenetic pace on defense with valuing the basketball. Better seasons to come!

 

[Volfan2012]

Only 59 points and still in the game until very late! 5-26 from 3 and 4-10 from the foul line. Those #s should result in a blowout almost every time. Just need better poise on offense and better shooters! This team never quite mastered the all-out frenetic pace on defense with valuing the basketball. Better seasons to come!

Better shooters is a must for this system to work properly. Whitehorn, Boyd, Cooper are not really very good three point shooters. Spear, Spencer, and Darby can be inconsistent great one game and no show in another. Honestly we really need to clear up a couple of roster spots and get two great three point shooters out of he portal. I think the twins and Prawl are good from there as well at least they were in high school. We could really use four players two three point shooters and two versatile post players.

 

[37620VOL]

Rewatched the 4th quarter again....It should be shown as a what not to do video...It started with the ill advised, casual pass by Puckett (of course) which Texas intercepted for another game changing play for Texas...And then it really got bad.

Exactly, the tide turned on that lazy Puckett pass. It was turnover city from there on.

 

[Deebowbear]

I was true inspired by our effort today as well as throughout the NCAA tournament. The fact that we out-rebounded Texas despite Texas killing us in that department the first go around was a testament that these kids are buying into the program. Perhaps some of the mistakes in the 4th quarter that ultimately cost us the game was due to the inexperience of our players and coach in being in the Sweet 16 compared to Texas. Some of our late turnovers and missed shots seemed to be a lack of focus, which happens when you get tight from nerves. Our star player seemed extremely tight the whole game. This is not to throw her under the bus, as she is also on a learning curve and is a major reason for our success this season. Nevertheless, how are you supposed to upset the #1 seed in a Sweet 16 game when you can't put the ball in the hands of the player show has been the main playmaker all season. She had several chances to turn it around, but each time she seemed to be in her head and unable to focus. If anything, it got worse as the game progressed. All her stats were way under her averages, so it wasn't just about shooting. I think the biggest challenge that Cooper has is her temperament, which is near impossible to change but is possible to learn how to better manage. I hope she is exposed to mindfulness techniques that help people rebound from and manage their reactivity to stress.

The game and season are a testament to the fact that Kim's system can succeed against the best teams. People feared what would happen the 2nd time a team would face us. Well, two of the best teams and coaches faced us twice in Texas and LSU, and we were just as competitive the 2nd go-around. In fact, I do think our press bothered Texas more this time than the first time, which kept us in the game despite woeful shooting. Think of what will happen when we are fully stocked with players that fit the system and Kim tweaks the system as she learns more about playing in the SEC. The few points that separate us from the top teams will disappear. The future hasn't been this bright since the days of Pat.

Nothing wrong with her system, she only needs the players. We have to get at least one three pt shooter provably two, a big and forward to go with what’s there and incoming freshman.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Rewatched the 4th quarter again....It should be shown as a what not to do video...It started with the ill advised, casual pass by Puckett (of course) which Texas intercepted for another game changing play for Texas...And then it really got bad.

Richard Head (Pat Summitt's Dad) said it best:
"You don't take donkeys to the Kentucky Derby

At 5:21 to go we were down 2 56-58

At that point, in the most important game of your life, you have to park your donkeys and go with your thoroughbreds.

Yes, your system worked to get you to that point, but in a close game, coaching, does, will and always has decided the outcome.

Sara was 0 for 1 w 3rebs in 14 mins

why was she out there?

 

[Majors]

Richard Head (Pat Summitt's Dad) said it best:
"You don't take donkeys to the Kentucky Derby

At 5:21 to go we were down 2 56-58

At that point, in the most important game of your life, you have to park your donkeys and go with your thoroughbreds.

Yes, your system worked to get you to that point, but in a close game, coaching, does, will and always has decided the outcome.

Sara was 0 for 1 w 3rebs in 14 mins

why was she out there?

That pass should have been her curtain call.

 

[Rocky Top T]

We need consistent shooters, maybe we will have a few next year

 

[mudcat1973]

I don't think turnovers was why she wasn't in. She had a sequence where she took a bad quick 3, then at the other end she was called for a cheap foul. She acted frustrated, fussing about it; and one of the other players tried to settle her down.

Kim sent in subs; and when Cooper's group got to the bench, Kim said one word to each player, except Cooper. She said more to Cooper. Cooper sat down, and Kim went to her again and said something else. Cooper played very few minutes after that.

Kim should have done that early in the season.
About getting players to take better shots.
Then in the NCAA tournament games your team is ready.
Pat Summit got her teams prepared for March .

 

[Memvol44]

I will miss Tess!

 

[mudcat1973]

Easy enough to rationalize this loss but it was a missed opportunity. The TCU upset of ND and TX not playing at its best offered the LVs an unexpexcted path to the final four and they had the players to take it.

I will say that the LVs being up 4 pts midway in 4th quarter on an abysmal shooting night was not on my bingo card but at that point in the game, it really seemed like the LVs starting to feel the pressure while TX stayed calm. The LVs had a disastrous series of possessions with 3 or 4 unforced TOs.

This team had two big losses that have to go in the "coaching mistake" category-- not taking their foul to give in the first LSU game and instead letting Gilbert [corrected on edit] use the final 10 seconds to get a buzzer beater shot.

In this game, after the 2nd and certainly 3rd bad possession in crunch time, it was on CKC to take a time out and settle her team down. They were caught in panicked, frenetic type of play. They needed a minute to regroup and run a calming set play out of the Time Out.

The future looks bright but this season could have been much more.

Did you watch that TCU vs ND
TCU use some double screen to get open threes.
And their center set some screens do get ND Defender off the ball handler .
First time seeing TCU head coach coaching a game.
Don't know if he win a championship or not.
But in that game the offense TCU ran fit TCU players.

 

[GameTime]

Richard Head (Pat Summitt's Dad) said it best:
"You don't take donkeys to the Kentucky Derby

At 5:21 to go we were down 2 56-58

At that point, in the most important game of your life, you have to park your donkeys and go with your thoroughbreds.

Yes, your system worked to get you to that point, but in a close game, coaching, does, will and always has decided the outcome.

Sara was 0 for 1 w 3rebs in 14 mins

why was she out there?

Coach my friend, I totally agree Sara had no business being on the court at that very critical time of the game....She definitely had the slowest twitch muscles on the court...That is not debatable.

I cringed every time I saw her come into the game....Her game has never recovered from the game ending 3 point miss at the end of the Oklahoma game...It was a defining moment then that continues to define her...Just the way it is.

Sara is probably one of the nicest girls on the team and is a team player...This is good, but the modern game of basketball is not built around niceties...It's built around athletic ability, speed, controlled aggression, and extreme tenacity...

 

[KTrain]

All we needed was a little better percentage on our threes and we’re still dancing. Lady Vols were very cold early, seemed like the rim had a lid on it at times. They put forth a game winning effort and I’m not mad at ‘em at all! Looking forward to next season!

I agree they put forth a game winning effort and the first quarter was good on D blocking out and they were very aggressive and sped up Texas. The only thing they were sped up on D but IMO that carried over to O and they sped up or rushed their 3s. If they had just hit 35% the 1st Q we have a good lead. Looking forward to who we get in the portal and how they fit in and just next year altogether GBO.

 

[glv98]

That pass should have been her curtain call.

Hopefully over time Sara will have bookends. First the 3 pt shot her freshman yr against Belmont to get that team to the S16, and curtain call is the brains and hustle of the play yesterday where she flipped the shoe then chased down the play at the other end to prevent the layup. Then the little smile.

So much went on in between. Looking back, I wish she had transferred and had a really nice supporting role Sr season like Strip. Bless her, a great person throughout.

I will miss Tess!

I will miss my love/frustration relationship with her. Never would have guessed she would have the best yr of the returning seniors. She seemed to thrive. Also a great person you know will be a big success in life.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

a shame we couldnt have capitalized on texas team which didnt look at their best we will be ok though

 

[madtownvol]

Coach my friend, I totally agree Sara had no business being on the court at that very critical time of the game....She definitely had the slowest twitch muscles on the court...That is not debatable.

I cringed every time I saw her come into the game....Her game has never recovered from the game ending 3 point miss at the end of the Oklahoma game...It was a defining moment then that continues to define her...Just the way it is.

Sara is probably one of the nicest girls on the team and is a team player...This is good, but the modern game of basketball is not built around niceties...It's built around athletic ability, speed, controlled aggression, and extreme tenacity...

Sara has had a tendency over her career to make passes like that. I am not sure why but it is like she gets tunnel vision and just does not see the angles. But putting this loss on Sara, I think is a little harsh. [Per GLV98, she made an amazing defensive recovery play, slow twitch muscles and all]

More importantly, Ruby, Coop, Zee, Spencer all had turnovers and made poor decisions in that panicked stretch run. As I said before, this stretch was a time for CKC to intervene and calm her team down. They were playing rushed and nervous.

CKC's coaching has been a double edged sword this year if we are truly honest about it and hold her to the same standards as other LV coaches. Her uptempo style was a blast to watch and her system did disrupt really good teams. On the flipside, she was too by the number in her mass subbing patterns and often had the team stay over comitted in the press. [Note: our best games happened when she in fact backed off the hockey line subs and played more of a high pressure half court D].

Hear me out, I think this game turned very early. Coop comes off the bench for her first entry in the game. About 30 seconds latter, the team has a scrambled possession but Coop retrieves the lose ball and nails a 3 pointer shot before the shot clock. Then she is almost immediately subsitituted. She was on the court for less than a minute. In no coaching world does that kind of sub pattern make sense with your best player. You go, maybe Coop's feeling it today and ride her game for a bit. There is no real reading of the game in many of these sub patterns. She never got in the groove. And we can say what you want about players being flexible but that sub had to get into her head. "I have been in just 45 seconds, did not start, and then get yanked after a wonder shot." That is treating your prize race horse like a broken down plow house. CKC has never really had a star player before and it showed right there.

I truly believe this. CKC has all the potential in the world but she has to become a better manager of her talent and a better reader of game situations or else we will have a lot of close but no cigar seasons.

 

[Orange007]

Spearman said it best after the game. She said the LVs got too excited at the end and they were trying to do too much at once instead of settling down. She said their adrenaline was way high. They will harness these issues moving forward, as will the coaches.

Let's take a step back. CKC just coached her FIRST season in Div 1 AND that season was in the SEC with some players she did not recruit. Pretty incredible results. As for next year, her expectations will be higher. She knows it. We know it. That said, for the first time since Pat, I trust the head coach to make changes to REALLY solve issues.

 

[Decker Moss]

Most people had doubts this team could even make the tournament, definitely not the Sweet Sixteen. If Cooper or Spear had hit just a couple of shots we would be going to the Elite Eight. I know we could all spot things we think needs improvement, but Kim overperformed with the talent she had for this new system.

 

[Decker Moss]

Spearman said it best after the game. She said the LVs got too excited at the end and they were trying to do too much at once instead of settling down. She said their adrenaline was way high. They will harness these issues moving forward, as will the coaches.

Let's take a step back. CKC just coached her FIRST season in Div 1 AND that season was in the SEC with some players she did not recruit. Pretty incredible results. As for next year, her expectations will be higher. She knows it. We know it. That said, for the first time since Pat, I trust the head coach to make changes to REALLY solve issues.

Totally agree

 

[madtownvol]

Spearman said it best after the game. She said the LVs got too excited at the end and they were trying to do too much at once instead of settling down. She said their adrenaline was way high. They will harness these issues moving forward, as will the coaches.

Let's take a step back. CKC just coached her FIRST season in Div 1 AND that season was in the SEC with some players she did not recruit. Pretty incredible results. As for next year, her expectations will be higher. She knows it. We know it. That said, for the first time since Pat, I trust the head coach to make changes to REALLY solve issues.

I agree but being a first year coach does not excuse a head coach in a S16 game not recognizing that her players needed a TO where she could settle them down. I am sorry if Kellie Harper had let her team commit 6 straight TOs with a game in balance, people would be screaming for blood.

CKC made a major coaching mistake here. The long term, important question is what does SHE learn from this.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Coach my friend, I totally agree Sara had no business being on the court at that very critical time of the game....She definitely had the slowest twitch muscles on the court...That is not debatable.

I cringed every time I saw her come into the game....Her game has never recovered from the game ending 3 point miss at the end of the Oklahoma game...It was a defining moment then that continues to define her...Just the way it is.

Sara is probably one of the nicest girls on the team and is a team player...This is good, but the modern game of basketball is not built around niceties...It's built around athletic ability, speed, controlled aggression, and extreme tenacity...

Our system of mass subbing got us to the summit, but at some point coaching has to take over and in close games, especially in the last 5 mins,,,the game IS decided by coaching moves,,,or lack thereof.

Very proud of this team for making it to the sweet 16, I don't consider that they over-accomplished to get there, as S16 is the standard for ANY TN Lady Vol team....ANY!

I have never looked so forward to the changing of the incoming/outgoing as I do this year....The Wonder Twins, Prawl and Civil will all be immediately impacting...I hope Hurst is too, but to me a 2-sport player at t his level is not one I will put my hopes on.

Been a fun year and love the impact that Kim's system has made, not only on TN, but on women's collegiate BB as a whole.

Time for off-season growth
"Teams are made during the season, players are made during the offseason"
Have a great summer, coaches, fans, players, and all

 

[Orange007]

I agree but being a first year coach does not excuse a head coach in a S16 game not recognizing that her players needed a TO where she could settle them down. I am sorry if Kellie Harper had let her team commit 6 straight TOs with a game in balance, people would be screaming for blood.

CKC made a major coaching mistake here. The long term, important question is what does SHE learn from this.

The other side of that is a time out would have let TX get another breather. Both have downsides.

 

[creekdipper]

People need to stop calling this season Caldwell 's first year as a D-1 coach.

Marshall gave her a shot at the big time when they hired her in 2023. Caldwell did great in her only year there, winning their conference before getting crushed in Round 1 of the NCAA. Then she left Marshall when White lured her away with the $$$.

 

[chuckiepoo]

People need to keep calling this season Caldwell 's first year as a D-1 coach.

Marshall gave her a shot at the big time when they hired her in 2023. Caldwell did great in her only year there, winning their conference before getting crushed in Round 1 of the NCAA. Then she left Marshall when White lured her away with the $$$.

Agreed. P4 is definitely accurate, though. Great year for the Lady Vols.