Postgame Quotes: UT 97, TSU 46
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CannonVol80
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It is true that a win is a win. However, about the only thing the Lady Vols have proven so far is that they can overwhelm teams that are significantly less talented with a "smothering" press. While they may surprise me, I expect that if they attempt the same pressing defense against UTC and Texas, it could be a very long evening! Since many coaches (and I believe that Holly and crew are in this category) use early season games as teaching tools, I would have rather seen the team work on their half court defense and perfecting their communication.
In the first four games there were too many defensive breakdowns that resulted in easy baskets by the opposing teams. And this from teams the highest of which is ranked either #69 or #73, depending on whose metric you use. Our next opponent is not much better, having a #59 ranking by Massey, but, as I said, I think a continual press against them may have an unhappy outcome! And, while I'm on a roll about things I think the team needs to work on. The turnovers have got to be brought under control! And, yes, I am aware that the turnover average is down significantly from last year at this point. But it has been getting progressively worse! I don't mean the totals, but rather the type of turnover. Last night, although the team only had 14 turnovers, at least five of those were unforced errors caused by poor communication or sloppy/showboating passes. More concerning to me is the fact that the rise in the number of unforced turnovers per game has coincided with the return of the upperclassmen to the lineup.
And, just so you won't think that I am a gloom-and-doom type poster, there are several bright spots that come from these early wins against over-matched opponents. The freshmen have melded well with the upperclassmen and seem to be playing much better than our freshmen classes of the recent past. I am sure there will still be "freshman" moments, but, based on the play so far, I expect them to be fewer than usual. Also, the play of Nia Moore has apparently surprised a number of people. I have said since her freshman season that, given the chance to play, I thought Nia could be an impact player and it turns out I was right. All you had to do was look beyond her limited minutes and see how productive she had been in those minutes. Nia's emergence has somewhat softened the sting of not getting a strong post player in the upcoming class. (Who Kim Mulkey is going to run off to make room for her signing class is the subject for another discussion)
All in all, I think this year's team has the real potential to be a Final Four team. And, I will be sorely disappointed if we miss out again.
Jim
In the first four games there were too many defensive breakdowns that resulted in easy baskets by the opposing teams. And this from teams the highest of which is ranked either #69 or #73, depending on whose metric you use. Our next opponent is not much better, having a #59 ranking by Massey, but, as I said, I think a continual press against them may have an unhappy outcome! And, while I'm on a roll about things I think the team needs to work on. The turnovers have got to be brought under control! And, yes, I am aware that the turnover average is down significantly from last year at this point. But it has been getting progressively worse! I don't mean the totals, but rather the type of turnover. Last night, although the team only had 14 turnovers, at least five of those were unforced errors caused by poor communication or sloppy/showboating passes. More concerning to me is the fact that the rise in the number of unforced turnovers per game has coincided with the return of the upperclassmen to the lineup.
And, just so you won't think that I am a gloom-and-doom type poster, there are several bright spots that come from these early wins against over-matched opponents. The freshmen have melded well with the upperclassmen and seem to be playing much better than our freshmen classes of the recent past. I am sure there will still be "freshman" moments, but, based on the play so far, I expect them to be fewer than usual. Also, the play of Nia Moore has apparently surprised a number of people. I have said since her freshman season that, given the chance to play, I thought Nia could be an impact player and it turns out I was right. All you had to do was look beyond her limited minutes and see how productive she had been in those minutes. Nia's emergence has somewhat softened the sting of not getting a strong post player in the upcoming class. (Who Kim Mulkey is going to run off to make room for her signing class is the subject for another discussion)
All in all, I think this year's team has the real potential to be a Final Four team. And, I will be sorely disappointed if we miss out again.
Jim
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Smallvol#1
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GameTime, don't know if you got to watch the game or not. I was there, and I think the complaints/concerns are more related to weak areas: poor positioning on rebounds, getting beat down the court, missed mid range shots, just too many "sloppy" moments. Now CHW might have been working on something, had them focusing elsewhere than boxing out, etc. I don't know and I still think she's a good coach. I also think they are a much better team than what we saw against Tn St. It's the old do 'your best', 'give 100% effort', whatever. Just did not seem to be there that night. And that is what is unacceptable; they could win by 81 points, and sloppy play would still be unacceptable to most LV fans.
But ordinarily, 51 points would be more than plenty for me too
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