Poll: UT @ ND

[DaddyChoc]

84-65

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I will bet that Tenn ends up as a two seed. They're currently #2 in the RPI, and even if they lose tonight, they should fare well in the rest of their SEC schedule. I have a hard time buying Kentucky, Maryland, Duke and Rutgers all staying ahead of them when the conference tourneys have played out.

I'm with you Alex. Tennessee has already beaten Rutgers and will, I think, beat
Kentucky in Knoxville. As for Duke and Maryland, I said a month ago that I thought
Tennessee was better than either of them, and I still think so.

Tennessee, at their best, would give a good game to any of the top four. The problem
for them is consistently playing at or near their best.

 

[speedoo]

This is a no brainer. E

That would be my answer as well, but I don't think Spani will play, so E does not work.

 

[Wonkster]

E: In a route.

Route, route, route for the home team, if they don't win it's a Shamus!
.

 

[vtcwbuff]

No matter which team wins, it will all be about the referees with the losers. Of all the major sports(men+women), the fans of the losing team place most of the blame on the refs. I hate to listen to the: "If that foul was not called"....."She was hit and they didn't call it".....etc.
Can anyone explain this about Women's Basketball on the college level?

Even the coaches whine about it. Maybe that's where the fans take their cue.

 

[Bestiarius]

Yes, E but also:

We could have easily won those four games. Losing games now is intentional to give opponents a false sense of security. In March, when the wins count, we will win them all. Regardless of how many games we intentionally lose now, the powers that be will still make us #1 seed, as they will take our obvious superiority into consideration when assigning.

It's totally unfair to opposing teams that prayer is allowed in ND's Joyce Center arena. You may think they are clapping, but there is something else going on when those two hands come together.

 

[easttexastrash]

I understand Spani is close to being back in lineup. She is off crutches and doing drills in practice. She is a very good shooter. So having her back will help.

Spani is a good shooter but her biggest improvement this year is being able to get her shot off on the move. I suspect that her injury is going to slow her down a bit so it may be hard for her to get open looks if she is not 100%.

 

[msf22b]

As we know, Notre Dame is a very good team. I think they'll overwhelm Tennessee this evening and there will be no excuses

 

[Icebear]

I do not think that TN is able to handle ND's pressure.

 

[rington]

I'm with you Alex. Tennessee has already beaten Rutgers and will, I think, beat
Kentucky in Knoxville. As for Duke and Maryland, I said a month ago that I thought
Tennessee was better than either of them, and I still think so.

Tennessee, at their best, would give a good game to any of the top four. The problem
for them is consistently playing at or near their best.

Your last sentence says it best.

 

[Sonny44]

Just to be unpopular I'm predicting an upset tonight. UT the winner in a squeaker.

 

[Kevin G]

ND's team chemistry and ball pressure will definitely cause problems for Tennessee's prone turnover players. Tennessee has an advantage with height. But no doubt there will be some ND home cooking so UT has no chance.

 

[easttexastrash]

UT does not look like a team that can challenge for a national championship. This is going to be the second beat down that they have received by a top 4 team.

I can't say that I am confident that Massengale is going to be a top PG. She just doesn't look big enough or fast enough to be able to create her own shot.

 

[doggydaddy]

Just to be unpopular I'm predicting an upset tonight. UT the winner in a squeaker.

Nice call.

 

[Stray Cat]

The game is still 7+ hours away but the tears are already flowing in Summittville with some pre-emptive excuse making about a possible/anticipated loss. The question is, after ND thumps the Lady Vols (I am predicting a double-digit Irish win), what will be the biggest "complaint(s)" by UT fans as to why this happened?

A) "We were without one or more of our key starters"

B) "All the regulars played, but they weren't all at full-strength"

C) "The refs completely homered us"

D) "ND had the home court advantage (i.e. crowd)

E) All the above

F) Other (please specify)

IMO, at this point and time, ND is a superior TEAM (not to be read necessarily as the team with the most individual talent) compared to UT. Playing consistent, cohesive, team ball is not something that happens overnight, and in this regard UT is inferior and has a long way to go. On the other hand, ND is a close net group that plays very well as a team which is the primary reason why, along with the home court advantage, that I believe ND with win this game by 10 points or more.

Looking forward to watching the game. Go Big East!

Several Summitteers offered a new reason that I hadn't heard before and it has to be quite discouraging if you're a UT fan: " (the) team completely quit...I mean all out surrender". Nice!