Now Is It Time to Start the Tennessee Strategizing Thread?

[JoePgh]

First of all, a couple of observations that may be of wide interest to Boneyarders:

1. Tennessee is playing Monday night (1/20) against Alabama at home. The game is televised on the SEC Network (7 pm EST). Most of us (including me) haven't seen Tennessee since it played Stanford, so this might be a good chance to observe them approximately as they will be on Thursday night.

2. Because Alabama is a conference game for Tennessee whose outcome actually means something to the Lady Vols (unlike the Thursday night game, whose outcome mostly doesn't matter to them), I don't think they will spend a minute preparing for UConn until at least Tuesday -- and since they have to have one off day per week, they might even wait until Wednesday to practice what they are going to do against UConn. Then they will have to travel to Storrs that same day. By contrast, UConn can have a day off on Monday, and then spend two full days (if they choose) to prepare for Tennessee. So UConn should have an advantage in preparation.

Based on what I saw in the TN-Stanford game, I think UConn's game plan against the LV's will be essentially the same as what they used against Baylor -- defend the paint and (if necessary) let them fire away from the 3-point line. But I don't think that the LV's have anyone who can hit 3's as well as Te'a Cooper was for Baylor when they played UConn. I also don't think that the Orange Ones pass as well as Baylor did. I think UConn's main challenge against TN will be to clear the boards against the LV's height, but that hasn't been a big problem for UConn so far this year (even against Baylor), so I think they will figure it out. I don't think TN has a chance to win unless they can get a ton of second-chance points.

If Tennessee plays a zone (which doesn't seem natural for them) and if UConn has trouble getting 3-point looks or if their 3's are dropping, that could also be a vulnerability for the Huskies. But I certainly don't expect TN to hold UConn to 29% shooting as Baylor did.

 

[DefenseBB]

I am not sure how to respond to this post as it is all over the place.
Protocol is for assistants to prepare the game plans and they are usually assigned when the season starts so one Tenn assistant has already done one for Alabama and another has one in progress for UConn that will be reviewed with the team after the Alabama game. I am sure the head coach has already had discussions with the assistant about UConn and what to review.
Now that said, you and many of the other worry warts should go to Massey and review the Tenn results. Their BEST win was against #72 Georgia. They lost to #47 Texas, 9 Stanford, 11 Kentucky.
This is not a great team. Their record is built upon the 91st best schedule and of that they haven’t played the top SEC teams yet. After us and Alabama, they play LSU, Vandy, SC, MSU, LSU again, Texas A&M, Arkansas so the team will be in for a rude awakening.
Again this 14-3 record is built upon poor teams.

Stop freakin out over this team.

 

[diggerfoot]

Stop freakin out over this team.

??? I took away from the OP that he's confident we will win. He throws a caution in simply to cover his bases.

In particular he points out what appears to be a perfect situation. On offense the games have shown we prefer playing against man-to-man; Tennessee prefers to play man-to-man. If they attempt a zone, with only one day to prepare, they are shooting themselves in the foot, whether they have had plenty of time to scout us or not.

Not much needs to be said about Tennessee being bigger because our defense has been solid even against bigger teams. I see no caution being offered about our defense.

I really do not see how you get "freakin out" over the OP.

 

[veryolddog]

It really is very simple. The strategy is for the UConn Team to make the ball go through the hoop more th an Tennessee in both field goalsand foul shots. And stop Tennessee from making the ball from going through the hoop. I wonder if the locals in Knoxville have been motivating their team to crush UConn for revenge for the last 2 weeks.

 

[oldude]

It really is very simple. The strategy is for the UConn Team to make the ball go through the hoop more th an Tennessee in both field goalsand foul shots. And stop Tennessee from making the ball from going through the hoop. I wonder if the locals in Knoxville have been motivating their team to crush UConn for revenge for the last 2 weeks.

So what you’re saying is that the key to the game is to score more points than the LV’s....

As far as motivation, it’s been about 13 years that LV fans have been motivating their team to crush the Huskies, since the last time we played them.

 

[eebmg]

Defensive Rebounding.

 

[Ozimoto]

If the shots fall at the rate they did against Tulsa they will handle the orange people easily. If they shoot 29% from the floor again, it will be a nail biter. Profound.

Hopefully the team that played Houston and Tulsa is the one that plays on Thursday.

 

[msf22b]

I am not sure how to respond to this post as it is all over the place.
Protocol is for assistants to prepare the game plans and they are usually assigned when the season starts so one Tenn assistant has already done one for Alabama and another has one in progress for UConn that will be reviewed with the team after the Alabama game. I am sure the head coach has already had discussions with the assistant about UConn and what to review.
Now that said, you and many of the other worry warts should go to Massey and review the Tenn results. Their BEST win was against #72 Georgia. They lost to #47 Texas, 9 Stanford, 11 Kentucky.
This is not a great team. Their record is built upon the 91st best schedule and of that they haven’t played the top SEC teams yet. After us and Alabama, they play LSU, Vandy, SC, MSU, LSU again, Texas A&M, Arkansas so the team will be in for a rude awakening.
Again this 14-3 record is built upon poor teams.

Stop freakin out over this team.

Agree with Digger...no need to attack Joe

About UTenn...one has to remember how bad they were the last couple of years and they lost (transfers; one to us) two of their best players.

And they're playing decent middle of the road to slightly better BB. Fundamentals are returning, Geno complimented the job that Kellie has done digging the program out of a deephole.

They're big but don't really rebound up to their size; I don't imagine the game will be lost on the boards.

I'm not sure their guards can withstand the defensive pressure that Geno trotted out yesterday ...dress rehearsal?

The one player of theirs who has the potential to be a problem is Rae Burrell, a soph for whom the coaches are just figuring out what they have...uber competitive, athletic, she is slightly Gabbyish with
more BB skills at the Soph level....(Gabby is playing like a Maya clone these days).

 

[Steelerone]

I don't care what their record is or whether they consider this some type of "revenge" game, they are Tennessee, they are in a Power Five conference, they still are able to recruit five star players and their new coach appears to have them on the right track. That said, we win again.

 

[oldude]

While many of us here on the BY chuckled at the LV’s slow deterioration under HW, I don’t think we fully understood just how ineffective she was as a HC. Other than recruiting for the 2020 class, KJH has done a really good job of turning the LV program in the right direction. In so doing, she’s made it painfully obvious how much HW brought down one of the two best programs in the history of WBB.

To start with the team is long at every position. While the LV offense can still bog down and commit too many turnovers, they play hard on defense the entire game. Gone are those inexplicable periods when the LV’s just stopped playing. Gone too are the postgame comments throwing the players under the bus. KJH has been consistently positive since she was named the HC in Knoxville.

With that said, the LV schedule is a bit of a mirage. TN has fattened up on cupcakes, another legacy of the HW era. They have no signature wins to date, with their best win at home vs 10-7 UGA. It will certainly be interesting to see just how well they fair on the road vs UConn. The LV’s do have the talent to stay with the Huskies. Whether they have the mental toughness remains to be seen.

 

[Tonyc]

Tenn is not a good team. As we have seen in past years they have the talent but just cant seem to put it together. Now with that said they have a new coach and she has a new staff. Kelly Harper is doing a good job rebuilding Tenn however she has got a couple of more years before her team gets to where she wants them. Tenn fans are excited and they should be. They have gone through tuff times much like ND is going through now. Kelly is a good coach, with a good staff and she will recruit good players however Tenn is not there now. There has been improvement but Tenn has lost alot and is no match for UConn whether UConn plays their C game or their A game.

I expect the XL Center to be loud and crazy. UConn wins this game by 20 plus. A big question is now that UConn is back in CT will last nites game continue to show progress against Tenn. I believe UConn is approaching a new level of play. I believe UConn is coming together and the underclassman are maturing. Geno gave the non starters alot of time last nite and there was a reason for that. IMO the reason was to get them ready for the second half of the season. Anna Griff and Molly looked great. This is the first step which I believe will continue in the development of the team. Anna and Molly both showed signs of leadership with confidence. Tenn is ranked in the top 25 with a schedule of teams ranked out of the top 50. Their wins are not impressive because of the low quality of teams theyve played. Final Score UConn 88 Tenn 56

 

[pvdoggy]

I expect the XL Center to be loud and crazy. UConn wins this game by 20 plus. A big question is now that UConn is back in CT will last nites game continue to show progress against Tenn. I believe UConn is approaching a new level of play. I believe UConn is coming together and the underclassman are maturing. Geno gave the non starters alot of time last nite and there was a reason for that. IMO the reason was to get them ready for the second half of the season. Anna Griff and Molly looked great. This is the first step which I believe will continue in the development of the team. Anna and Molly both showed signs of leadership with confidence. Tenn is ranked in the top 25 with a schedule of teams ranked out of the top 50. Their wins are not impressive because of the low quality of teams theyve played. Final Score UConn 88 Tenn 56

Uconn may or may not beat Tenn but the big reason that the non-starters got so much time in Saturday game is because Tulsa is a very bad team, but even for a very bad team, they had a lot of open look at the basket as well but their shots were not falling, not that it would have made much difference in the game.

 

[DefenseBB]

Here's what I am totally confused about on the perspectives-not attacking anyone, just not sure why they say what they say-NO evidence points to this team being really good or even just good. This team has not been test or played anyone with a good ranking. I stated as much in the post. All the data is out there and it says the same thing. To say that KJH has done a good job is not evident by anything concrete. Their 14-3 record is build against the cupcakes that Holly scheduled to pad her record and Kelli has said as much. We like KJH's narrative on what the team needed and has to do but as of today, nothing shows this team is very good. I would argue the voters keep voting for Tenn in the top 25 due to the name and gawd awful orange, not due to the quality of play. As far as Rae Burrell and the Gabby comparison, you lost me. Yes, she is from Nevada, yes, I see a decent guard with athleticism, I also see a player who gets lost at times and is inconsistent scoring and not as good on defense as a soph. She hasn't even started 1 game for them.

Opinions are great when supported by evidence or facts but to say "hey, Tenn worries me because they used to be great 12 years ago" is what I go bonkers over. Let's also not forget what a terrible and I mean terrible Athletic Administration UT is. That's the one constant that hasn't changed in all these years. I despise their duplicity. So yes, I have strong vitriol for anyone who sticks up and respects LV too much. They haven't earned it.
@JoePgh I apologize for coming off as criticizing you and your opinion, I have seen far too many posts of yours that I like, respect and agree with to impugn or come off on being derogatory of your opinion, to which you and anyone should always be allowed to express without fear of attack. Sincerely DefenseBB.

 

[Dokey]

The X factor could be important, the X that says an already counted out Tennessee has everything to gain and little to lose. Of course, another X factor is an Anna out to prove she’s no one night wonder. My money is on Anna.

 

[oldude]

Here's what I am totally confused about on the perspectives-not attacking anyone, just not sure why they say what they say-NO evidence points to this team being really good or even just good. This team has not been test or played anyone with a good ranking. I stated as much in the post. All the data is out there and it says the same thing. To say that KJH has done a good job is not evident by anything concrete. Their 14-3 record is build against the cupcakes that Holly scheduled to pad her record and Kelli has said as much. We like KJH's narrative on what the team needed and has to do but as of today, nothing shows this team is very good. I would argue the voters keep voting for Tenn in the top 25 due to the name and gawd awful orange, not due to the quality of play. As far as Rae Burrell and the Gabby comparison, you lost me. Yes, she is from Nevada, yes, I see a decent guard with athleticism, I also see a player who gets lost at times and is inconsistent scoring and not as good on defense as a soph. She hasn't even started 1 game for them.

Opinions are great when supported by evidence or facts but to say "hey, Tenn worries me because they used to be great 12 years ago" is what I go bonkers over. Let's also not forget what a terrible and I mean terrible Athletic Administration UT is. That's the one constant that hasn't changed in all these years. I despise their duplicity. So yes, I have strong vitriol for anyone who sticks up and respects LV too much. They haven't earned it.
@JoePgh I apologize for coming off as criticizing you and your opinion, I have seen far too many posts of yours that I like, respect and agree with to impugn or come off on being derogatory of your opinion, to which you and anyone should always be allowed to express without fear of attack. Sincerely DefenseBB.

I generally agree with all of your points with one notation. Past TN teams under HW would play up or down to their competition, often stumbling to unexplainable losses. At least so far, TN has won all the games they should have won comfortably, particularly vs second tier SEC teams: Mizzou, MS, UGA & FL.

 

[Rixxx]

TN has one player under 6'. Somehow, TN needs to use that to their advantage if they expect to win.

 

[pvdoggy]

Here is a stat to chew on, I know they can be misleading, but.... Disclaimer, I never watch them play, just go on what the stats tell me. People always talk about the LV don't play team ball, don't pass the ball, individual play, etc... Guess what, so far this season, the LV has 310 assists from 504 FG attempts for a slightly higher percentage than the Huskies who have 313 out of 513.

 

[eebmg]

Here is a stat to chew on, I know they can be misleading, but.... Disclaimer, I never watch them play, just go on what the stats tell me. People always talk about the LV don't play team ball, don't pass the ball, individual play, etc... Guess what, so far this season, the LV has 310 assists from 504 FG attempts for a slightly higher percentage than the Huskies who have 313 out of 513.

Just beat me to this although UCONN is 15th in Assists / TO while TN is 43. However TN is ranked 2nd in the nation in total rebounds per game. They are not going to self destruct. We will have to beat them.

 

[oldude]

Here is a stat to chew on, I know they can be misleading, but.... Disclaimer, I never watch them play, just go on what the stats tell me. People always talk about the LV don't play team ball, don't pass the ball, individual play, etc... Guess what, so far this season, the LV has 310 assists from 504 FG attempts for a slightly higher percentage than the Huskies who have 313 out of 513.

Good point. My counter argument would be that it’s much easier to play team basketball when your playing teams like TN St, Central AR, AR Pine-Bluff & Howard.

Against Stanford the LV’s had only 7 assists on just 20 made baskets.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I haven't seen a serious thread on the LV forum dedicated to beating UConn. There is a lot of chatter about EW transfer denial and Geno's comments that result in comments about wanting to beat us. Most of the recent posts I've seen are at best hopeful they can pull one out. While this team is much better that last year's version of the LV's they should not win on Thursday and, looking at their recruiting, not for a long time after that.

They have some nice players and will get better. Davis can score and Key is a Liv light but has potential. They lack strong guard play but can rebound.

My prediction; UConn dominates inside and out for a comfortable win.

 

[pvdoggy]

Good point. My counter argument would be that it’s much easier to play team basketball when your playing teams like TN St, Central AR, AR Pine-Bluff & Howard.

Against Stanford the LV’s had only 7 assists on just 20 made baskets.

and against Baylor, Uconn only has 8 assists

 

[oldude]

Just beat me to this although UCONN is 15th in Assists / TO while TN is 43. However TN is ranked 2nd in the nation in total rebounds per game. They are not going to self destruct. We will have to beat them.

Rebounding could be an issue vs TN. But here again, statistics can be misleading. In their loss to Stanford, TN was -6 on the boards.

 

[oldude]

and against Baylor, Uconn only has 8 assists

Exactly my point. Let’s see how TN does against one of the better defensive teams in WBB.

 

[pvdoggy]

Rebounding could be an issue vs TN. But here again, statistics can be misleading. In their loss to Stanford, TN was -6 on the boards.

Stanford is not a small team though

 

[eebmg]

Geno in his post game presser chided the press on hyping the UConn - TN matchup. Basically, he said the winner / loser of this game does not mean much as a few days after the game, no one will remember the score

Then he said the UConn- ND games were a serious rivalry because the results of those games always mattered. In this year, he brought up as meaningful rivalries OR vs OSU and the OR / UConn game.

My interpretation, TN has to earn being a good rival.

 

[oldude]

Stanford is not a small team though

Nor is Baylor who outrebounded the much smaller Huskies by +1. I’m sure that Geno would tell us that rebounding is as much about desire as it is about size.

 

[JoePgh]

Nor is Baylor who outrebounded the much smaller Huskies by +1. I’m sure that Geno would tell us that rebounding is as much about desire as it is about size.

Having been at the Baylor game and watched the replay, it appeared to me that Baylor deliberately did not contest UConn defensive rebounds of its missed jump shots from the perimeter. The only time that they fought for offensive rebounds was when the original shot was already in the paint or very close by. I presume Baylor was sufficiently respectful of UConn's transition game that they wanted everyone back on defense after a missed perimeter shot. But that strategic decision by Kim and her coaches meant that UConn got an "artificial" boost to its rebounding totals.

I have a feeling that TN will not make the same strategic decision. They will aggressively go after offensive rebounds on all of their shots, since they won't be able to win without many second-chance points. I think Geno will anticipate that and will be looking for runouts when UConn does get the defensive rebound. If UConn gets enough transition points, TN will either stop crashing their offensive boards or they will lose badly to UConn's transition game. On the other hand, if UConn cannot get defensive rebounds against the Orange Trees, then TN's game plan could work.

On the broader point of what the expectation should be for the game, and trying to ignore history and just concentrate on the 2019-20 teams for each school, they seem to me to be closer (in talent and record) than some of you seem to believe. People say that TN hasn't beaten any good teams, but really, isn't that almost equally true of UConn? Each team has played against one Top 10 opponent thus far, and each team lost that game rather one-sidedly. UConn's best win thus far has been against DePaul -- is that enough to give UConn a big edge in this game?

 

[Papa33]

Nor is Baylor who outrebounded the much smaller Huskies by +1. I’m sure that Geno would tell us that rebounding is as much about desire as it is about size.

Desire, yes, but even more is the discipline NOT to give in to the almost universal habit of watching the ball and moving in toward the basket, thereby yielding precious rebounding space to the opponents. First move should be to locate either your man (if in a "man" D) or the opponent closest to the basket (zone D), and firmly block them out with a low, wide stance. Try watching to see how many players on any team do that regularly. It's a surprisingly low percentage!

 

[UConn2SF]

This surprised me, The fans will be much needed in a close game.

 

[oldude]

This surprised me, The fans will be much needed in a close game.

Capacity for the XL Center is 16,000+. The crowd is generally older, and don’t necessarily support weeknight games like they once did. If this were a Sunday afternoon game I would definitely expect a sellout.