Tennessee

[DefenseBB]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

 

[Jmsdawg]

My take: Tennessee was overrated. They have obvious talented players and a decent coach but team chemistry is just not there, another weakness is individual player confidence, Tennessee had wide open players with fairly easy shots but the player did not even attempt to make the shot. Going to be a long season for Tennessee unless they can get it together as a team!

 

[EricLA]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

In general I agree with you and normally would for this topic - all teams will look different in March. But this is Tennessee.

Summitt taught basic offense that revolved around crashing the boards with superior athletes. She was not good at teaching offense, no matter what revisionist history fans may wish. Holly and Kelli both learned under that style, and it's their basic fall back.

Thru sheer force of will, Pat was able to get more effort out of her players and get them to play at maximum energy. Holly and Kelli don't have that.

My basic point is that teams have had all summer, and the first 2 months (September/October) of the season to learn new offense, mesh new players, etc. Tennessee's offense seemed to have 2 components - dump the ball into Key, or do 1 on 1 drives. Once the games start, you can't teach offense from scratch.

You CAN improve on all the things that were learned over the summer and the 1st two months of the season, but to think Kelli can suddenly teach offense AND mesh a bunch of new players now that the season has started is unrealistic IMHO.

Lastly, Tennessee does NOT have a roster filled with talent. Aside from Horston and Jackson, most all of their players were rated below 40 coming out of HS. Pissot was 11, and while a nice piece (I watched her play for Team USA this summer - she was not a starter, and was decent but not great when she did play), is not a future superstar. Kelli's recruiting has paled in comparison to Holly's. Kelly may be a better coach, but Holly had WAY more talent.

I do expect Tennessee to get better, but I also expect other teams to get better. Their basic genetics and talent level is not indicative of a team destined to be in the top 10 this season, or any time in the future (given their lack of recruiting). They were a nice story for the early season ("Tennessee is relevant again as a top team"), but I think they will percolate around the 15-20 range and lose more games than their fans ever thought they would this season.

 

[Puppy Love]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

I mostly agree with you but I also think that with the exception of Horston, as a team they lack killer instinct. I don’t want to call out individual players because it’s not my team, but I will say that some of them don’t seem to know how to take advantage of the assets that they have. If you are tall enough or fast enough or skilled enough to destroy someone every time down the court and you don’t do it because you are tentative, that tends to lead to problems. More than anything, that is what I saw against Indiana. At least some of that is a coaching problem. Either the right message isn’t being delivered, or the players aren’t listening to it. Yes, I think that they will get better by the end of the year, but I wonder if it will be enough for them to compete.

 

[rvwsleep]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

I believe Indiana had 3 new starters in their lineup that were not with the team last year.

 

[CBus13]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

I had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I mostly agree with you but I also think that with the exception of Horston, as a team they lack killer instinct. I don’t want to call out individual players because it’s not my team, but I will say that some of them don’t seem to know how to take advantage of the assets that they have. If you are tall enough or fast enough or skilled enough to destroy someone every time down the court and you don’t do it because you are tentative, that tends to lead to problems. More than anything, that is what I saw against Indiana. At least some of that is a coaching problem. Either the right message isn’t being delivered, or the players aren’t listening to it. Yes, I think that they will get better by the end of the year, but I wonder if it will be enough for them to compete.

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

 

[amb3096]

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

As MSST fan, I'm surprised you don't feel that way about Rickea Jackson. Thoughts?

 

[cancontent]

I had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

Heck, Tennessee barely played any of their sophomores when I think of it.

 

[Jmsdawg]

As MSST fan, I'm surprised you don't feel that way about Rickea Jackson. Thoughts?

Rickea has talent but IMO she lack confidence. When she first came to MSST she was oozing with both talent and confidence, I remember her performance that first summer overseas and she was GREAT. However, she slowed considerably when the season started and it took Vic a while to get her going again. Under Nikki she really digressed and IMO never recovered. Can she return to her freshman form, beats me but she was wide open in the Indians game and did not take the shot. I do not believe Freshman Rickea would have paused one minute in that situation. I really love WBB and long for freshman RICKEA,

 

[GamecockFam]

Rickea has talent but IMO she lack confidence. When she first came to MSST she was oozing with both talent and confidence, I remember her performance that first summer overseas and she was GREAT. However, she slowed considerably when the season started and it took Vic a while to get her going again. Under Nikki she really digressed and IMO never recovered. Can she return to her freshman form, beats me but she was wide open in the Indians game and did not take the shot. I do not believe Freshman Rickea would have paused one minute in that situation. I really love WBB and long for freshman RICKEA,

I got a similar impression during the microcosm of just the Indiana game. I noticed that she was on fire at the beginning of the game and basically disappeared by the end of the game. I think her confidence was hurt during some drives where she failed to break down the defense in 1-on-1 matchups and then she just stopped trying.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

Horston has had stretches where she looked less than great as well. The only bad year Jackson had was her sophomore year. She was great in her junior year too, statistically speaking, just on a not so great team.

 

[Mdoggie]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

 

[cancontent]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

You're kidding right?

 

[Mdoggie]

You're kidding right?

Not kidding

 

[Geew1992]

You're kidding right?

Nope… they really did

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Tennessee looking more or the less the same fits my confirmation bias so it would be hard not to see the 1-2 start as disappointing for them from my point of view.

 

[Geew1992]

Tennessee looking more or the less the same fits my confirmation bias so it would be hard not to see the 0-2 start as disappointing for them from my point of view.

Aren’t they 1-2?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Aren’t they 1-2?

Yeah. Corrected it.

 

[UcMiami]

I had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

Good analysis, but you didn't note that Green and Burrell were both injured last year - Green played 19 games and Burrell 22, so the average minutes is deceptive since it wasn't based on the 34 games TN played.

Since TN's last NC, they have fairly consistently under-performed their talent and expectations. As far as Holly's recruiting ... it also slipped until she hired that assistant (name forgotten) who was a good recruiter. She also coached while TN was still surrounded by the glow of saint Pat but now the recruits were only in diapers in 2008.

TN was ranked 15 at the end of last year and everyone appears to have gotten over-excited by their new toys acquired in the portal and bumped them to #5 - a little too rarefied air for an unproven team. After this game, they will be ranked in the mid teens again which is where they belong until they prove themselves.

 

[amb3096]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

I didn’t see who posted that, but they’re not wrong. Key in particular looked anemic last night…

 

[Mdoggie]

I didn’t see who posted that, but they’re not wrong. Key in particular looked anemic last night…

It was Major or Majors @amb3096

 

[undersized]

Rickea Jackson needs to fall out of love with tough midrange jumpers and get to the rim more. That's when she was at her best.

 

[GamecockFam]

I believe that Tennessee has the potential to be a top 5 team by the end of the season. They have the talent, they just don't have the chemistry.

 

[amb3096]

Rickea Jackson needs to fall out of love with tough midrange jumpers and get to the rim more. That's when she was at her best.

Someone needs to be able to consistently make the 10-15 foot jumper so they don't just pack the paint, and Rickea does it as well as anyone on the court. I don't mind her taking that shot when she's open or has a matchup advantage. It's when she becomes hellbent on releasing the ball towards the hoop no matter that becomes a problem. They aren't sharing the ball and finding the open players nearly as much as they should be.