SECT Game Thread: Lady Vols 74 - Kentucky 83

[creekdipper]

It's just hard watching basketball with 50 missed layups every game. Can't do it anymore. I just watch bits and pieces but it seems every time I watch them in important situations they are losing.

Well, since from your posts it appears that you rarely watch anyway, you won't be giving up much. Nonetheless, your insight will be sorely missed. Best wishes for your future team!

 

[creekdipper]

I would encourage her to transfer.

Fans here would strongly encourage you to transfer. We'll even start a GoFundMe page to facilitate your move. You have hundreds of other options who are salivating at the thought of having your expertise and wisdom to elevate their fan base.

 

[creekdipper]

For him telling the truth?

What truth is that?

Say it, so I can report your sorry presence, too.

You don't come onto other teams' fan boards and call their teams "trash." That's simply not allowed.

 

[creekdipper]

That was a very frustrating game to watch. KY gets credit for knocking down a lot of threes. And they hustled for rebounds. That's all the positives to be said for them.

Dye and Burrell were great, especially Dye when she went into beast mode. The freshmen gave lots of good minutes along with some freshmen mistakes. Karoline really gave a glimpse of her potential with strong moves to the basket and physical defense. Once she learns to do the latter, she'll be a handful.

Really good comeback after a slow start allowed us to stay in it throughout the rest of the game. Cut the lead to 3, 2, 4, and 1 but just couldn't make that play to tie or take the lead. Lots of small mental miscues that added up just enough to cost us the game. That includes soft defense, unforced turnovers, ill-advised shots, forced passes to covered teammates, giving up easy transition baskets, and, yes, some coaching decisions on Kellie & staff.

That said, we played Kentucky a lot better than LSU did. We weren't blown out, and we made KY work for their points after the first few minutes. And we had a lot of young players going all out against some very experienced KY players.

As disappointed as we are, think how the players must feel after coming so close to the championship game. The no-quit attitude has returned, and lessons learned now will benefit the team in the Tournament and in the future. Was hoping for the good publicity of being in the. SEC championship game, but we should be encouraged by the resilience of the team as they continue to figure out the new rotations.

 

[stlvolsfan]

That’s the bad coaching I was referring to. Coach Staley sat one of her best players that did not have it tonight. Kellie played hers.

That’s because Dawn has a bench full of AAs. Kellie doesn’t.

 

[Memvol44]

I regret that the Lady Vols lost, however, the freshmen played a heck of a game. Striplin has outstanding potential. She is going to be an outstanding post player. Wynn and Myles are outstanding defenders. I still think that TK needs to work on her footwork and her hand strength. Dye was off the charts the last two games. Where was all this previously? I feel that if we had Horston, we would have had a good chance to win this game. However, I feel that we can make some noise in the NCAAs.

Strip really needs to work on her foot speed..that will come..

 

[Memvol44]

Danny White needs to have a serious conversation with SEC officials!! His athletic department,across all sports,is seemingly getting the bad end of most calls.
White needs to stand up for his department. Find what the issues are and clear them up!! We are a top revenue producing program for the conference and should be treated that way.
If this problem is not solved it is going to effect recruiting,if it isn't already. Even our girls softball team gets lousy calls way to often.
Time to take a stand and end it!! Heck,I will put together a video of the atrocious calls or no calls Tennessee has gotten if he needs it!!!

 

[ftsandersvol]

From what I saw (which admittedly was sporadic due to frustration) Kentucky made the extra pass to get the higher percentage shot, whereas we didn't. It looked like we thought we could beat them one-on-one and ended up throwing up a prayer too many times. That usually leads to a loss.

 

[Raebo]

I thought Dye and the underclass men did well. The upperclassmen not so much. Maybe I am a homer but at half time I thought Kentucky would tire out and we would come came and win. IfI was more objective I would have payed more attention to our inconsistent shooting and being slow guarding the three. We are a pretty young team and I think with the experience they are getting now, they will be much better next year.

I really thought (or hoped) Key would become more of an offensive threat this season but for some reason I guess that is not in the cards.

My 2 cents on Rae. I have no idea if she has any lingering injury issues. Last year R Davis was the main scoring threat near the basket and Rae was her side kick. She played well in that role. It appears to me that she put more pressure on herself this year since Davis is gone and tries to take over the game like Davis could. She has the talent but doesn’t need to try to force things as much as she does IMO.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

keep apologizing for the one and done.

I am not apologizing for any of the performances, on the court or in this thread. The team after getting hit in the mouth with that barrage of three point shots at least had the character to multiple times close ground and get within reach of KY. Too many of our self engrossed fans who think they possess discernment of all things basketball, not so much. Many of them are very young, what is your excuse? I guess it could be you have lost nearly half of your best gray matter for the season.

 

[Rickster]

I am not apologizing for any of the performances, on the court or in this thread. The team after getting hit in the mouth with that barrage of three point shots at least had the character to multiple times close ground and get within reach of KY. Too many of our self engrossed fans who think they possess discernment of all things basketball, not so much. Many of them are very young, what is your excuse? I guess it could be you have lost nearly half of your best gray matter for the season.

The game thread turns into a Nega fest for some during the game. It’s just a bunch of stupid knee jerk reactions by malcontents with a smidgen of constructive comments by real fans mixed in. The stupid posters often disappear when we win but linger around when we lose just to act out like adolescents. Been that way most of the year.

 

[Volfan2012]

Rae Burrell does not have the balance or handling skills she had before the injury. A step slower than she was easily loses her balance when making a drive. She is better now than when she first came back, but still something like 80 percent of where she was last season and start of this season.

 

[87&91ALUM]

Watched the game. Once again we can’t put the ball through the hoop when it counts and we can’t defend threes. Kentucky played tough and won. Congrats. I’m betting South Carolina will win SEC and NCAA championships. We struggle without Horston. Good to see the improvement in our younger players. Kellie did a great job with injuries.

 

[NeedOrange]

Rae Burrell needs to come back and demonstrate the return of her natural explosiveness. She is half a step slower and does not elevate as before the injury.

As far as the game the Lady Vols scored enough to win and defended enough to lose. Where was the perimeter defense? UT defenders got sucked into the paint and couldn't recover to close on the 3 point shots.

 

[creekdipper]

Can't trade twos for threes. Hold them to only 5 or 6 made threes and we have a lead in the 4th. Also, when a team is hot shooting threes, usually the worst that can happen is that they miss (three-point shooters are rarely blocked). Even if they miss, longer rebounds often favor the offense.

If you run them off the line and force them to drive, you usually have help. They may travel, charge, step on the baseline, push off, have teammate called for three seconds or moving screen, or try to force a bad pass. Defenders may poke the ball loose or block the shot. There are just a number of things that can go wrong that usually don't happen on three-point attempts. Of course it's a lower-percentage shot, but some teams excel at making them. We knew they were capable from the LSU game.

Hopefully, we'll have a better strategy if we face another hot-shooting team in the Tournament.

 

[Memvol44]

Rae Burrell does not have the balance or handling skills she had before the injury. A step slower than she was easily loses her balance when making a drive. She is better now than when she first came back, but still something like 80 percent of where she was last season and start of this season.

Agreed....she should stay another year. Guess she wants to continue with her life..

 

[glv98]

As far as the game the Lady Vols scored enough to win and defended enough to lose. Where was the perimeter defense? UT defenders got sucked into the paint and couldn't recover to close on the 3 point shots.

Not closing out on hot 3 pt shooters has been one our biggest ongoing defensive issues. Need to solve this.

 

[Orange Maniac]

The last two games, Kentucky played like everyone thought they would play all year. They finally decided to play ball and probably saved Kyra’s job..

 

[Memvol44]

The last two games, Kentucky played like everyone thought they would play all year. They finally decided to play ball and probably saved Kyra’s job..

Yes, I believe she was on thin ice for a while early in the season.

 

[Amb3096]

The last two games, Kentucky played like everyone thought they would play all year. They finally decided to play ball and probably saved Kyra’s job..

It helped that they got back all of the players that were suspended or injured. When you have to play Emma King for 30 min a game, you can't expect a good outcome (no disrespect to Emma, but it's true).

 

[teacherdean]

Also, a team that’s has this many injuries and has a nice showing like we did. We owe them nothing but respect. They are tough! I can’t imagine the mental fatigue of having to regroup after every injury.

The problem is the many fans do not really understand the full effects of injuries to the success of a team. This is especially true when you lose a player like Horston, or Burrell. We can all say next person up but it is not easy to replace your best players. Injuries affects a team mentality and physically. We had Green go down and Marta never hit the floor. Instead of bad mouthing this team we need to realize that things could have been a lot worse. These ladies did not feel sorry for themselves they got themselves together and competed. I am proud how they have responded and the freshmen have showed some spunk. This team has a bright future.

 

[Memvol44]

I don't obviously see her practice day in and out so I'll rely on Harper's take. She's moving great from what I've seen and initiated contact without shying away.

What do you expect her to say?? " She is limping all over the court and scared to get physical"???

 

[stlvolsfan]

Rae Burrell does not have the balance or handling skills she had before the injury. A step slower than she was easily loses her balance when making a drive. She is better now than when she first came back, but still something like 80 percent of where she was last season and start of this season.

I think these last two games she’s played the best she has all season. Seemed to have more control.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think these last two games she’s played the best she has all season. Seemed to have more control.

She is coming along still think she will get drafted in the first round and will be back to close to herself by the time their season starts.

 

[glv98]

Danny White needs to have a serious conversation with SEC officials!! His athletic department,across all sports,is seemingly getting the bad end of most calls.
White needs to stand up for his department. Find what the issues are and clear them up!! We are a top revenue producing program for the conference and should be treated that way.
If this problem is not solved it is going to effect recruiting,if it isn't already. Even our girls softball team gets lousy calls way to often.
Time to take a stand and end it!! Heck,I will put together a video of the atrocious calls or no calls Tennessee has gotten if he needs it!!!

Dear Sweet Baby Jesus! The vast conspiracy to cheat UT in sports (plus deny them their due publicity) has now spread to recruiting! So recruits are aware the whole world is against UT? Well yeah, I wouldn't want to go there either! And would definitely want to investigate the root of such a heinous plot. How'd they first choose us to hate on anyway? And how'd they get so many refs, commissioners, networks, and now recruits to keep quiet about it? A secret plot involving thousands!

But yes, clearly, with everything going on at the university and in the world, please spend time getting to bottom of this!