Grind for 9 ground to a halt...

[JS]

Once again TN does not get out of the round of 16.

I feel for them. Especially for their loyal internet-posting fans who, over the years, have written so much that is gracious, sportsmanlike and respectful of Geno's achievements.

So when they go down in a hideous flurry of one-on-one moves bearing little resemblance to sentiently organized basketball, it's the pain of those loyal fans that comes to mind.

Thinking back on their body of work, it's hard to find the right words of commiseration -- to summon up something soothing as they go gentle into that good night . . .

Eloquence being thus elusive, one can only resort to a brief expression of heartfelt sentiment.

Screw 'em. I'm glad they lost.

 

[msf22b]

In many ways, the most discouraging for us and Tennessee season since the Ball State debacle.

A big talented front line doesn't show up.
The #1, top ranked player slow and lacking in dominance.
Baashara Graves regressed to a level almost beyond comprehension.
The Meagan Simmons show allowed to play out ad infinitum.
The freshman Carter disappeared after some promising late season work.

We'll never get to play them in the NCAA's if this kind of crap continues.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Some of the names on that Tennessee team were at the top of the HoopGurlz list before they came to Tennessee. Cierra Burdick, Bashara Graves, and Mercedes Russell. But they seemed rather unimpressive today. Meighan Simmons seemed like the whole team. Could her graduation allow these other girls to blossom? Is it the coach? I know other Boneyarders have expressed doubts about Warlick. Can't say I was impressed by her coaching today.

Blossoming would require a sound offensive scheme - the soil to grow and thrive in. UT does not have one. There are significant holes in the defensive and offensive basics for most of UT players and that is on the coaches. She is not a good coach and does not hold her players or herself to account.

 

[bballnut90]

Tennessee fans will be able to say that next year should be much better. On paper, sure. Look at the HS AA's on their team. Everyone comes back except Simmons, and they basically add Massengale, Tucker, and their freshman class (which is average for sure). BUT the problem remains the same. No matter how much talent you have and no matter how athletic your team is, if you don't teach a team concept and some sort of team offense, you just won't be able to score enough to beat good teams.

For all the "hoopla" over 5 SEC teams making the sweet 16, the relatively average strength of the SEC is starting to show. Down goes Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida, LSU getting blown out, and it remains to be seen how SC does this afternoon. There might only be 1 SEC team in the elite 8.

And Tennessee fans are delusional if they think Maryland was a harder 4 seed than UNC. NC just beat Maryland in early March. And while MD probably should have been a 3 seed, Tennessee should have been a 2 seed. So should South Carolina...

Per Holly - "We had to prove our worth all year. I don't' know why we did but we did."

Well gosh, Holly, I'm no expert, but you lost to LSU, Vandy and Kentucky, and had inexplicably close games against very below average competition (Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi and even LSU).

Agree with some of what you say. The last several seasons Tennessee just hasn't had the fire/killer instinct that they've had in the past. They haven't executed in the NCAA tournament and as a result have exited earlier than expected.

Tennessee's class should definitely help add depth and fill voids. Definitely an above average class when you factor in Tucker. They have Nared who is a top 5 recruit, Tucker who was top 10 in 2013, and Alexa Middleton who is #28 (the last few years, Tennessee's recruits in the 20-30 range have done very well relative to their rating--ie. Simmons/Carter/Harrison so I wouldn't be surprised if Middleton follows suit.)

Not to mention they are a finalist for A'ja Wilson. If Tennessee lands Wilson, they'll go from a top 6 class to a top 2 class.

I agree though, whatever issue is going on at Tennessee most likely will not be fixed by bringing in talented recruits. I think if they underperform another year, it might be time to look for a new coach/assistant coach to mix things up.

I also disagree with your statement about Tennessee not deserving a 1 seed. In hindsight were they one of the 4 best teams? No. But, based on their body of work, they definitely deserved a #1 seed over the likes of Louisville, South Carolina, Baylor and West Virginia.

 

[Sakibomb25]

From what I have seen this season, Russell was in NO WAY the #1 player coming out of hs last year. Diamond DeShields #1, Kaela Davis #2

Russell was always ranked No. 1 based on potential and not on the current product. If Russell had gone to a school with a history of post development (UConn, Stanford, etc...) she'd be a much better player. The same can be said about Elizabeth Williams.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Hands down, this is grounds for celebrating.

Simmons took more shots than the rest of the starters combined. So much for utilizing the "best" frontcourt. I'm partial to the one with Stewie, Stef, and K.

 

[UConnCat]

During today's post-game press conference Holly said her team started off "nervous" and "scared." She was reminded that she said the same thing after last year's loss to Louisville in the E8. She offered no explanation for it, nor how she can address it going forward.

 

[bballnut90]

Russell was always ranked No. 1 based on potential and not on the current product. If Russell had gone to a school with a history of post development (UConn, Stanford, etc...) she'd be a much better player. The same can be said about Elizabeth Williams.

In Tennessee's defense, she's also just a freshman and has ample time to improve. I do agree though, she was probably over hyped/ranked at #1, which should have gone to Diamond Deshields in hindsight.

 

[MilfordHusky]

During today's post-game press conference Holly said her team started off "nervous" and "scared." She was reminded that she said the same thing after last year's loss to Louisville in the E8. She offered no explanation for it, nor how she can address it going forward.

Well, I guess it's not even a learning experience.

What are they afraid of? Pat's not on the bench any more.

 

[EricLA]

Agree with some of what you say. The last several seasons Tennessee just hasn't had the fire/killer instinct that they've had in the past. They haven't executed in the NCAA tournament and as a result have exited earlier than expected.

Tennessee's class should definitely help add depth and fill voids. Definitely an above average class when you factor in Tucker. They have Nared who is a top 5 recruit, Tucker who was top 10 in 2013, and Alexa Middleton who is #28 (the last few years, Tennessee's recruits in the 20-30 range have done very well relative to their rating--ie. Simmons/Carter/Harrison so I wouldn't be surprised if Middleton follows suit.)

Not to mention they are a finalist for A'ja Wilson. If Tennessee lands Wilson, they'll go from a top 6 class to a top 2 class.

I agree though, whatever issue is going on at Tennessee most likely will not be fixed by bringing in talented recruits. I think if they underperform another year, it might be time to look for a new coach/assistant coach to mix things up.

I also disagree with your statement about Tennessee not deserving a 1 seed. In hindsight were they one of the 4 best teams? No. But, based on their body of work, they definitely deserved a #1 seed over the likes of Louisville, South Carolina, Baylor and West Virginia.

Nared is a top 5 recruit per HG. No one else has her in the top 15. Blue Star has her 19, ASGR 25, Prospect Nation 40. I'm sure you all hope she's a top 5 kid, but composite, she's not even top 20. And I'm glad you all are so high on Middleton, but she's certainly not better than Carter, Massengale, or Tucker.

No one disputes that on paper, Tennessee routinely has talent that puts them in the top 5 every year. But they haven't made it past the elite 8 in 6 years. And this year they bowed out in the sweet 16. Much worse than losing to Baylor when they had Griner or ND when they had Diggins. It's almost like Tennessee is going backwards, not forward.

I get that you are going to "defend" your team. And you have always been respectful on our board. And you know I absolutely hate Tennessee. But I do try to be fair in my criticisms. Almost every season in the past 6 fans have said "but we will be better next year - XXX coming back better, YYY - great recruit coming in, the seniors who left weren't as good as expected/hoped, etc etc", but the fact remains that they've not really made any forward progress since their last NC.

And good luck in the Wilson sweepstakes. I know your moderator believes it's between you and SC. We will see soon enough!

 

[UcMiami]

I also disagree with your statement about Tennessee not deserving a 1 seed. In hindsight were they one of the 4 best teams? No. But, based on their body of work, they definitely deserved a #1 seed over the likes of Louisville, South Carolina, Baylor and West Virginia.

I say they only deserved a #1 seed if you buy into the 'superior strength' of the SEC. They had five losses three of which were 'unworthy' of a 1 seed - KY, LSU and Vandy. I get that they played some good teams, but the only significant victory was against SC and if the committee truly deemed Stanford as a two seed than I would say they had 4 losses that were not 'worthy of a #1' seed.

 

[bballnut90]

Nared is a top 5 recruit per HG. No one else has her in the top 15. Blue Star has her 19, ASGR 25, Prospect Nation 40. I'm sure you all hope she's a top 5 kid, but composite, she's not even top 20. And I'm glad you all are so high on Middleton, but she's certainly not better than Carter, Massengale, or Tucker.

No one disputes that on paper, Tennessee routinely has talent that puts them in the top 5 every year. But they haven't made it past the elite 8 in 6 years. And this year they bowed out in the sweet 16. Much worse than losing to Baylor when they had Griner or ND when they had Diggins. It's almost like Tennessee is going backwards, not forward.

I get that you are going to "defend" your team. And you have always been respectful on our board. And you know I absolutely hate Tennessee. But I do try to be fair in my criticisms. Almost every season in the past 6 fans have said "but we will be better next year - XXX coming back better, YYY - great recruit coming in, etc etc", but the fact remains that they've not really made any forward progress since their last NC.

And good luck in the Wilson sweepstakes. I know your moderator believes it's between you and SC. We will see soon enough!

Didn't realize that about Nared, I guess it remains to be seen how she performs. And I completely agree about the "we will be better next year" sentiment....I was on that band wagon for a while because I really thought that Tennessee did do a good job with recruiting areas of weakness (ex. I thought landing Massengale would do wonders for Tennessee in 2011-12) but I'm more realistic now after 6 consecutive disappointing finishes. That said, I'm still optimistic and hopeful that Tennessee will reach their potential next year and have a great season after a disappointing finish today.

 

[bballnut90]

I say they only deserved a #1 seed if you buy into the 'superior strength' of the SEC. They had five losses three of which were 'unworthy' of a 1 seed - KY, LSU and Vandy. I get that they played some good teams, but the only significant victory was against SC and if the committee truly deemed Stanford as a two seed than I would say they had 4 losses that were not 'worthy of a #1' seed.

Vandy was a bad loss. In hindsight, LSU wasn't a terrible loss. Kentucky beat a lot of really good teams this year (Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisville, Bayl0r), so I wouldn't count that as a bad loss. Besides these losses, they lost a close one at Stanford and at home to Notre Dame.

Baylor lost by 16 to a bad, bad Kansas team and Stanford lost to Washington and USC, and Louisville had 0 top 25 wins entering the tournament.

Side note--SEC had 5 Sweet 16 teams this year, and has a good chance to land 2 Elite 8 teams. No truly elite teams, but a strong conference nonetheless.

 

[Boxerpups4me]

That whole "grind for nine" thing was silly, and cierra proclaiming we had the best front court "hands down" was equally silly and unfortunate comment. Holly made excuses all year instead of directly trying to correct all the problems this team had. She had all of last season and all of this season to fix the turnover issue, fix the offensive cohesion and effectiveness. She had all season to figure out gameplans to keep star players from having career days against us, but yet again we see another player light us up. Holly was really carried by the raw talent of some of the players, mainly harrison and Simmons. In the end we need good coaching to round everything out and make us contenders, instead of the laughing stock of WCBB. This team was embarrassing to watch today, and as bad as we played, maryland didn't play so hot either. We are lucky we didn't get beat by 30 or more. Next season I hope we keep our mouths shut, drop the silly marketing gimmicks and just play basketball. Prove things on the court first ladies before you do the smack talk..

 

[msf22b]

That whole "grind for nine" thing was silly, and cierra proclaiming we had the best front court "hands down" was equally silly and unfortunate comment. Holly made excuses all year instead of directly trying to correct all the problems this team had. She had all of last season and all of this season to fix the turnover issue, fix the offensive cohesion and effectiveness. She had all season to figure out gameplans to keep star players from having career days against us, but yet again we see another player light us up. Holly was really carried by the raw talent of some of the players, mainly harrison and Simmons. In the end we need good coaching to round everything out and make us contenders, instead of the laughing stock of WCBB. This team was embarrassing to watch today, and as bad as we played, maryland didn't play so hot either. We are lucky we didn't get beat by 30 or more. Next season I hope we keep our mouths shut, drop the silly marketing gimmicks and just play basketball. Prove things on the court first ladies before you do the smack talk..

Something major has to change in advance of a serious change of fortune in Knoxville.
On paper, the team seems formidable.
On the court, their play closely resembles that of previous years, going back to the Summit administration.
For all of her gifts, the Simmons four-year stretch has been painful to watch.
It is possible, as many surmise, that her absence alone will improve the team.
Don't bet on it.
If Holly has any true head-coaching ability, next season is her last legitimate chance to prove it.
A more provident course of action would be for her to take stock and resign.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

That whole "grind for nine" thing was silly, and cierra proclaiming we had the best front court "hands down" was equally silly and unfortunate comment. Holly made excuses all year instead of directly trying to correct all the problems this team had. She had all of last season and all of this season to fix the turnover issue, fix the offensive cohesion and effectiveness. She had all season to figure out gameplans to keep star players from having career days against us, but yet again we see another player light us up. Holly was really carried by the raw talent of some of the players, mainly harrison and Simmons. In the end we need good coaching to round everything out and make us contenders, instead of the laughing stock of WCBB. This team was embarrassing to watch today, and as bad as we played, maryland didn't play so hot either. We are lucky we didn't get beat by 30 or more. Next season I hope we keep our mouths shut, drop the silly marketing gimmicks and just play basketball. Prove things on the court first ladies before you do the smack talk..

Honestly, and I don't mean this negative at all, Tennessee will be better next year without Simmons. I realize you guys love her (as you should) but I don't think she plays team basketball. Harrison/Graves should be your first option EVERY time down the floor. Any guard should be looking for them. You can see watching the Lady Vols play when Simmons is gonna shoot and looking for her shot the minute she crosses half court.

At any rate, that is just my 2 cents.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Touche Boxer.... I really think a coaching overhaul is needed..... you need to do something in the next year or two, so that the link to the past glory is smoother.... if that makes sense...

Your program is good... you are certainly not a laughing stock.... just underachieved that is all.... Good luck going forward.

 

[Bayareahusky]

I agree with comment on Simmons.... and how she never has played team basketball..... But my rhetorical question is how can you pursue team basketball when the coaches do not teach it.?? UT rode the Meghan Simmons horse for 4 years and it got them nowhere..... The others on the team are less selfish, yet not fully engaged to the point of achieving full potential in terms of utilizing teammates to full benefit. Again, fundamentals

 

[earl the pearl]

That whole "grind for nine" thing was silly, and cierra proclaiming we had the best front court "hands down" was equally silly and unfortunate comment. Holly made excuses all year instead of directly trying to correct all the problems this team had. She had all of last season and all of this season to fix the turnover issue, fix the offensive cohesion and effectiveness. She had all season to figure out gameplans to keep star players from having career days against us, but yet again we see another player light us up. Holly was really carried by the raw talent of some of the players, mainly harrison and Simmons. In the end we need good coaching to round everything out and make us contenders, instead of the laughing stock of WCBB. This team was embarrassing to watch today, and as bad as we played, maryland didn't play so hot either. We are lucky we didn't get beat by 30 or more. Next season I hope we keep our mouths shut, drop the silly marketing gimmicks and just play basketball. Prove things on the court first ladies before you do the smack talk..

How about dropping the dumb habit of the sub bringing in a towel to hand off to the person they are replacing.........

 

[Tenspro2002]

Simmons always struck me as a poster-child for Tennessee underachievement over the last 4 years.

She had a monster game today, but more often than not was at the wrong end of some pretty un-clutch play.

I think she is a major Ewing Theory candidate. UT fans may love her, but this should be a case of addition by subtraction. If not, it might just be coaching.

 

[pap49cba]

During today's post-game press conference Holly said her team started off "nervous" and "scared." She was reminded that she said the same thing after last year's loss to Louisville in the E8. She offered no explanation for it, nor how she can address it going forward.

Elite teams don't play "scared". Nervous? Perhaps. But scared? No.

 

[UcMiami]

Vandy was a bad loss. In hindsight, LSU wasn't a terrible loss. Kentucky beat a lot of really good teams this year (Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisville, Bayl0r), so I wouldn't count that as a bad loss. Besides these losses, they lost a close one at Stanford and at home to Notre Dame.

Baylor lost by 16 to a bad, bad Kansas team and Stanford lost to Washington and USC, and Louisville had 0 top 25 wins entering the tournament.

Side note--SEC had 5 Sweet 16 teams this year, and has a good chance to land 2 Elite 8 teams. No truly elite teams, but a strong conference nonetheless.

I know everyone focuses on wins but for a #1 seed ... the issue is who did they lose to. Yes Baylor had one bad loss and one loss to KY which I would classify as maybe not a bad loss but not one you expect from a top four team. And I would classify the WV loss the same way. WV had two borderline bad losses to Baylor and a bad loss to OSU in their first game. LSU was a bad loss - the ONLY teams LSU beat away from home were Ol Miss, La Tech, UALR, Missouri, Tulane and oh yes, Tennessee. They lost to every decent team they played on the road except TN. They had a glorious 7-9 conference record to boot. Stanford had one bad loss, Louisville had that one loss to KY, SC had the loss to TN, and to TA&M on the road and to KY and UNC on neutral courts. And finally TN couldn't get to the elite eight let alone a FF.
Yes - the SEC has a lot of teams in that 10-20 range, we will see how many end up being in the top eight standing. We already know the AAC has two, the Big 12 has 1, the SEC may get two in, the ACC may get 3 in and the Pac or Big10 will get 1

 

[pap49cba]

 

[Wbbfan1]

Got to add Nina Davis of Baylor in the mix somewhere. Don't know how she was Hoopgurlz 52nd Ranked player and 14th in her position.

From what I have seen this season, Russell was in NO WAY the #1 player coming out of hs last year. Diamond DeShields #1, Kaela Davis #2

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

As I've stated before, TN no longer exists on the Div. I scene! They are where good players go to become mediocre, sort of like Rutgers, GA, Duke, etc.!