We have the pieces...

#1
armchair

armchair

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#1
This team has the horses to go all the way. I will say that now after watching the UNC game--even though it wasn't a great performance. Good performance, but not great--but it was only game two. UConn might have one or two players that are better than any one player we have, but I doubt very much that they have more overall talent than we do. Probably less. We are a better and more athletic defensively than we have been in years, even though Massengale and Simmons are still a bit soft on defense, and we looked very good on the boards tonight. UT's problem--and this has been true for many years--is that we are too sloppy and erratic on offense--and based on what i saw tonight, we are not very good at getting good shots for our bigs close to the basket. In our offense our bigs seem to go outside a lot to set picks.

Still, Carter brings a steadiness and high IQ to the court that we desperately needed, and she can shoot. Massengale is better, but still needs to improve at settling the team when we get into one of our funks. Harrison and Graves are athletic bigs; Burdick can shoot the mid-range and rebound and defend inside, Jones is a heckuva defensive player who should get better over the course of the season. Russell will get better if she focuses on using her body to score consistently in the paint. Simmons is Simmons--all over the map. Warlick cannot let her have really bad shooting nights, as she did in the first game. If she is missing, she needs to sit. If this team can minimize its turnovers, develop offensive cohesion and chemistry, we will be dangerous. We already are, but have to get good enough to beat Ct.
 
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#2
#2
There are still NO set plays on offense!!! This is the biggest problem! The other issue is feeding the post! Basharra works entirely too hard to get position for her to never get the ball passed to her.
 
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#3
#3
The depth we have is unreal. Mercedes will get better as the season goes along, but she seriously needs to take control of her rebounds.
 
#4
#4
Anytime you can go into Chapel hill and get a win, be thankful.

The rest be damned. Just knocking the rust off. This team is the real deal.
 
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#6
#6
Lady Vols still have trouble preventing opposing players driving to the basket late in the game, especially along the baseline, but an impressive win none the less.
 
#7
#7
armchair said:
This team has the horses to go all the way. I will say that now after watching the UNC game--even though it wasn't a great performance. Good performance, but not great--but it was only game two. UConn might have one or two players that are better than any one player we have, but I doubt very much that they have more overall talent than we do. Probably less. We are a better and more athletic defensively than we have been in years, even though Massengale and Simmons are still a bit soft on defense, and we looked very good on the boards tonight. UT's problem--and this has been true for many years--is that we are too sloppy and erratic on offense--and based on what i saw tonight, we are not very good at getting good shots for our bigs close to the basket. In our offense our bigs seem to go outside a lot to set picks.

Still, Carter brings a steadiness and high IQ to the court that we desperately needed, and she can shoot. Massengale is better, but still needs to improve at settling the team when we get into one of our funks. Harrison and Graves are athletic bigs; Burdick can shoot the mid-range and rebound and defend inside, Jones is a heckuva defensive player who should get better over the course of the season. Russell will get better if she focuses on using her body to score consistently in the paint. Simmons is Simmons--all over the map. Warlick cannot let her have really bad shooting nights, as she did in the first game. If she is missing, she needs to sit. If this team can minimize its turnovers, develop offensive cohesion and chemistry, we will be dangerous. We already are, but have to get good enough to beat Ct.
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Incredibly delusional post. The LVs were just lucky that UNC was horrendous and played schoolyard ball.
 
#8
#8
armchair said:
This team has the horses to go all the way. I will say that now after watching the UNC game--even though it wasn't a great performance. Good performance, but not great--but it was only game two. UConn might have one or two players that are better than any one player we have, but I doubt very much that they have more overall talent than we do. Probably less. We are a better and more athletic defensively than we have been in years, even though Massengale and Simmons are still a bit soft on defense, and we looked very good on the boards tonight. UT's problem--and this has been true for many years--is that we are too sloppy and erratic on offense--and based on what i saw tonight, we are not very good at getting good shots for our bigs close to the basket. In our offense our bigs seem to go outside a lot to set picks.

Still, Carter brings a steadiness and high IQ to the court that we desperately needed, and she can shoot. Massengale is better, but still needs to improve at settling the team when we get into one of our funks. Harrison and Graves are athletic bigs; Burdick can shoot the mid-range and rebound and defend inside, Jones is a heckuva defensive player who should get better over the course of the season. Russell will get better if she focuses on using her body to score consistently in the paint. Simmons is Simmons--all over the map. Warlick cannot let her have really bad shooting nights, as she did in the first game. If she is missing, she needs to sit. If this team can minimize its turnovers, develop offensive cohesion and chemistry, we will be dangerous. We already are, but have to get good enough to beat Ct.
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Amen!
Watch out once Mercedes gets her ish together! :)
 
#9
#9
I don't think they're ready for UCONN, but get the turnovers under control, and adjust to the tighter officiating this year, and they can compete with anyone else.
 
#10
#10
Great start for the LV's, especially the outside shooting, if Mass, Carter, and Simmons can hit their 3's, this team will/can beat anyone. It's also nice to see Burdick hit those mid-range jumpers. Hope Simmons stays focused, she will have to be a team player this year, as there is a lot of talent, need to spread the ball around. This team has a look of confidence, and a good complement of shooters, ball-handlers, drivers, and rebounders. Will be fun to watch!!!:)
 
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#11
#11
Volle said:
Great start for the LV's, especially the outside shooting, if Mass, Carter, and Simmons can hit their 3's, this team will/can beat anyone. It's also nice to see Burdick hit those mid-range jumpers. Hope Simmons stays focused, she will have to be a team player this year, as there is a lot of talent, need to spread the ball around. This team has a look of confidence, and a good complement of shooters, ball-handlers, drivers, and rebounders. Will be fun to watch!!!:)
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I am really impressed with Carter. She should become a great player for the LVs and has so much fun playing the game. She has the best attitude I have seen in College basketball in a long time. Plays hard, plays well, and have a lot of fun doing it.
 
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#12
#12
The big problem for UT over the last several years is offensive efficiency. This was the big difference between geno and pat, frankly. PS was great but she really couldn't coach team offense--UT has not been a good passing team, and as a result we have a lot of turnovers and too few assists. Her teams struggled to score consistently if they didn't have a superstar like Parker, even if the team was full of top-ranked high school players. So this is the challenge for Warlick--team offense. Watch the number of assists in the games against the number of turnovers. We have too many turnovers--24 last night--though a nice number of assists. Assists to turnovers--good passing to get open shots, making those shots versus bad passing and losing the ball: that will show as they season progresses whether we have a real chance to compete for the title. It really starts with Massengale showing more leadership when it comes to running the team.
 
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#14
#14
Kev415 said:
Amen!
Watch out once Mercedes gets her ish together! :)
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She's not playing like #1 in the nation. She didn't show much in the NC game except for height. Can't seem to make a layup, and the guards can't get her the ball. She's too easy to push around. She may get there, but it will probably take a couple of years but only if she is serious about hitting the weight room.
 
#15
#15
The thing I can say about the game is that if we can play this bad and still win by 16 this team could progress into a final four team easily. We shot 40 percent turned the ball over 24 times missed 9 free throws many that were one and one attempts and still won easily. Burdick hitting 27 percent from the field has to hit around 45 for us to be really good. Simmons hasn't even showed up yet and Graves has not been good offensively in the first two games. I think this team could progress into a super team barring injuries. I look for Carter to become a starter real soon.
 
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#16
#16
I think it's a blessing in disguise that Mercedes isn't dominating right off the bat. Every year since 2008, it seems like a Freshman comes in and we look to her to be the answer. This year, we've started off with no Freshman starting and it allows our Freshman to learn and grow at their own pace. It also gives them something to strive and shoot for. I do wish her free throw shooting wasn't so atrocious - 3 for 13 or 23% ... yikes!

I have mixed feelings about last night. If North Carolina truly is a top 12 team, then it's obviously a good victory, but North Carolina couldn't hit water in the ocean and it didn't seem like we were necessarily the only reason why. If they had just an average or above average shooting night, not even great, that could have been a tough game to win based on how we were playing.

I was troubled by the high turnovers and fouls called. I also watched the UCONN/Stanford game and I thought UCONN looked more polished. It seems like we didn't value ball possession. I'm also discouraged that Simmons and Graves, who should be our two best players, both seem to be struggling. I have no doubt they will come around, but we really need to get the ball to Graves more. This needs to be an inside out team and Graves is key to that.

On the plus side, Carter looks really good, Izzy is off to a strong start, and Ariel is asserting herself and proving she can score if she needs to. We begin a 7 home game stand against all unranked teams. Hopefully during this stretch, they can iron out these kinks and set the stage for a game we need to win on the road against Stanford if we want to get a #1 ranking come March.
 
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#17
#17
VOLINVONORE said:
I am really impressed with Carter. She should become a great player for the LVs and has so much fun playing the game. She has the best attitude I have seen in College basketball in a long time. Plays hard, plays well, and have a lot of fun doing it.
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She is a special player. I do think though that she takes too many unnecessary risks with her body.
 
#19
#19
There is one thing about sports, if you are a VOL fan you can always depend on the LADY VOLS, a bad year is a 4 seed think about it.
 
#20
#20
clkou said:
I think it's a blessing in disguise that Mercedes isn't dominating right off the bat. Every year since 2008, it seems like a Freshman comes in and we look to her to be the answer. This year, we've started off with no Freshman starting and it allows our Freshman to learn and grow at their own pace. It also gives them something to strive and shoot for. I do wish her free throw shooting wasn't so atrocious - 3 for 13 or 23% ... yikes!

I have mixed feelings about last night. If North Carolina truly is a top 12 team, then it's obviously a good victory, but North Carolina couldn't hit water in the ocean and it didn't seem like we were necessarily the only reason why. If they had just an average or above average shooting night, not even great, that could have been a tough game to win based on how we were playing.

I was troubled by the high turnovers and fouls called. I also watched the UCONN/Stanford game and I thought UCONN looked more polished. It seems like we didn't value ball possession. I'm also discouraged that Simmons and Graves, who should be our two best players, both seem to be struggling. I have no doubt they will come around, but we really need to get the ball to Graves more. This needs to be an inside out team and Graves is key to that.

On the plus side, Carter looks really good, Izzy is off to a strong start, and Ariel is asserting herself and proving she can score if she needs to. We begin a 7 home game stand against all unranked teams. Hopefully during this stretch, they can iron out these kinks and set the stage for a game we need to win on the road against Stanford if we want to get a #1 ranking come March.
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Nice post. NC has top 12 talent, but is not a top 12 team. The game did not make Tennessee look good. If Massengale didn't hit 5 3s, it could have been a loss.

Simmons is a mess. Seemed like she and Diamond were having a personal contest to see who could jack up the most ill conceived shots. How Simmons could have been chosen as all american is beyond me. She shouldn't even be starting.

I'm surprised that Graves hasn't transferred to another school. She works very hard on offense, but the guards rarely get the ball to her. Why do all that work and not get rewarded for it?

Tennessee is not ready to handle the top teams. Although uconn handled Stanford easily, they are well coached and the Frosh looked like they are going to be good. I wouldn't count on Tennessee beating them without significant improvement before the game. Assist to turnover ratio must improve significantly. Same with in game coaching. Holly is not the answer.
 
#22
#22
Convoluted said:
Nice post. NC has top 12 talent, but is not a top 12 team. The game did not make Tennessee look good. If Massengale didn't hit 5 3s, it could have been a loss.

Simmons is a mess. Seemed like she and Diamond were having a personal contest to see who could jack up the most ill conceived shots. How Simmons could have been chosen as all american is beyond me. She shouldn't even be starting.

I'm surprised that Graves hasn't transferred to another school. She works very hard on offense, but the guards rarely get the ball to her. Why do all that work and not get rewarded for it?

Tennessee is not ready to handle the top teams. Although uconn handled Stanford easily, they are well coached and the Frosh looked like they are going to be good. I wouldn't count on Tennessee beating them without significant improvement before the game. Assist to turnover ratio must improve significantly. Same with in game coaching. Holly is not the answer.
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I agree with most of this except for the Holly not being the answer. I don't think we have seen enough to know yet. We will have a lot clearer picture at the end of this year. I've not seen any team have a great game yet this year but UCONN seems to be the closest to playing as they should. I just hope the Lady Vols settle down and get it together.
 
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#23
#23
Ari Mass nailed five three pointers last night! :rock:
The LVs will get better if they can develop team chemistry. :yes:
 
#24
#24
They can and should get better with chemistry, hopefully they do.
 
#25
#25
clkou said:
I think it's a blessing in disguise that Mercedes isn't dominating right off the bat. Every year since 2008, it seems like a Freshman comes in and we look to her to be the answer. This year, we've started off with no Freshman starting and it allows our Freshman to learn and grow at their own pace. It also gives them something to strive and shoot for. I do wish her free throw shooting wasn't so atrocious - 3 for 13 or 23% ... yikes!

I have mixed feelings about last night. If North Carolina truly is a top 12 team, then it's obviously a good victory, but North Carolina couldn't hit water in the ocean and it didn't seem like we were necessarily the only reason why. If they had just an average or above average shooting night, not even great, that could have been a tough game to win based on how we were playing.

I was troubled by the high turnovers and fouls called. I also watched the UCONN/Stanford game and I thought UCONN looked more polished. It seems like we didn't value ball possession. I'm also discouraged that Simmons and Graves, who should be our two best players, both seem to be struggling. I have no doubt they will come around, but we really need to get the ball to Graves more. This needs to be an inside out team and Graves is key to that.

On the plus side, Carter looks really good, Izzy is off to a strong start, and Ariel is asserting herself and proving she can score if she needs to. We begin a 7 home game stand against all unranked teams. Hopefully during this stretch, they can iron out these kinks and set the stage for a game we need to win on the road against Stanford if we want to get a #1 ranking come March.
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than the Vols because we have been a sloppy offensive team, prone to turnovers, for years while the huskies pass the ball better and are more efficient. This is the BIG difference between the two teams. We simply have to become a smarter team and a better passing team when we have the ball.

Agree, also, that we need to start our offense inside. We could get nothing inside in the first half--whether it was our offense, which has the centers setting picks 20 feet from the basket a lot, or UNC's defense, I'm not sure. But you can't count on making a lot of 3 point shots every game. The coaches really need to push Mercedes with her low post game. She is supposed to be a good passer and also ought to be able to find Harrison and Graves and Burdick with passes for easy shots. UT has not been a high IQ team offensively for a long time. That has to change. One change might be to play Simmons less--I love her passion but she is a senior and still as erratic as ever. Harrison, Graves, Burdick and Russell make for an imposing front line--IF, IF, IF Warlick & Co. can find the chemistry.
 
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