SECT

[SECbbfan24]

I would contest that Tennessee plays hard.... certainly when you look at Pats old teams and how they hustled.... but take that away and just judging normally.... I see players not hustling.... but playing regular speed....

The LVs have been out of it for a dozen years now.... not a sniff of getting close to anything.... they still need help in the coaching department....

I think Tennessee hurt really bad this year from the graduation and losing multiple big time players to transfer, then Green goes down early which was a big hole to replace offensively. I think Key is talented but extremely raw. Horston seemed rushed into it a bit but they really didn't have many options.

I am not overly familiar with the offense Harper ran while at Missouri St but I don't remember it looking like this one at Tennessee. They need to completely strip down the current junk yard ball play offensively. Its nothing but turnovers and bad shots, which was a pretty big imprint from the Holly era. They need more actual ball movement and actual understanding of spacing on the floor. Decision making has to improve, Half of Tennessee's turnovers each game are not caused by anyone but themselves. in general. they looked like a team with no plan offensively other than shoot a jump shot, then try to rebound it and finish. If Harper wants to get Tennessee back, this must be addressed.

Tennesse needs better quality post play. Kushkituah had a nice game the other night but has been horrendous in general offensively. Key is a great shot blocker but her shot needs a lot of work and polish right now. If I am harper, I am hitting the transfer portal for another big. You need some type of post presence that can rebound, score and defend effectively.

Tennessee beat the teams they should have beaten this year which is good but also really didn't beat any top 25 teams which isn't good. There are some systemic issues that will need to be addressed next offseason.

 

[GoDawgs4]

After further review, I say they are in but they will be seeded low and will probably lose their first or second game.
They certainly have some talent but they turn the ball over way too much.

 

[ConwayGmck]

The SEC Media pre-season prediction:

1. South Carolina
2. Texas A&M
3. Mississippi State
4. Kentucky
5. Arkansas
6. Tennessee
7. Auburn
8. Louisiana State
9. Missouri
10. Georgia
11. Alabama
12. Florida
13. Mississippi
14. Vanderbilt


Pretty interesting - here's the final standings:

1. South Carolina (16-0)
2. Mississippi State (13-3)
3. Arkansas (10-6)
4. Kentucky (10-6)
5. Texas A&M (10-6)
6. Tennessee (10-6)
7. Louisiana State (9-7)
8. Alabama (8-8)
9. Georgia (7-9)
10. Florida (6-10)
11. Missouri (5-11)
12. Vanderbilt (4-12)
13. Auburn (4-12)
14. Mississippi (0-16)

I guess the biggest misses were Auburn being overrated and Alabama being a bit underrated, but otherwise the predictions were pretty well dead on. The 10-6 teams were placed in order of their overall win %, so conference-wise they are all tied for 3rd place. And as the SECT plays out, it seems the top 5 of USC, MSU, Arkansas, UK, and TAMU are still a bit above the others. Four of the 5 reached the SECT semifinals, with the 5th one getting knocked out by one of those 4. Makes sense....

Kelly Harper taking the Lady Vols from 19-13, 7-9 in Warlick's final season, to 21-10, 10-6 with losses of Westbrook, Jackson, and both Greens is a solid step forward, if not a major stride. That's 4 of your 5 predominant starters from the previous season removed from the equation, and they've still got the post-season ahead to add more wins.

Finding a legit PG to add to the roster - is Green one of those? - would help, but I agree the overall offense needs to be overhauled, and the perimeter defense also needs some improvement. But Tennessee was a solid interior defense team this season - shot-blocking, rebounding, field goal % defense (3rd nationally), 3-pt. field goal % defense (2nd in SEC), and overall scoring defense (3rd in the SEC) were...solid.

If they improved slightly on their own scoring offense, and improved substantially in turnovers per game, they would be significantly improved as a team. There is a stat for points off turnovers, but it's only for single game box scores and is not kept for a season statistic: I think if it was, Tennessee would be way down the list. They mute their defense with giving opponents multiple extra opportunities to make up for denying them opportunities at the same time. They take steps back for every step forward...

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I have posted all season UT is better than last, even though there is still a long way to go to even get back to the first season or two under Holly who was still utilizing Pat's players.

Last season was basically a train wreck for the LVs and the change had to be made. It was and some roster turnover happened, which was inevitable. I've frequently posted when I looked at the LVs roster last year the only players I saw who would have received substantial playing time in the Summitt years were Westbrook, Davis and Z Greene. The rest were role players at best. Two of those were gone this year.

Davis had a heck of a year and carried a lot of the load. Horston and Key, based on the games I watched, looked pretty good at times and have some potential to be good to great players. Massengill looked much better this season during the times I saw her even though I too am not sure she's the point guard they need.

Still, it was clear to me Kelly had the team displaying a much better attitude and hustle during the games even though the offense still leaves much to be desired. There are still too many turnovers. They need a true PG and a "4" player. Still they probably should be in the tournament as a 8 or 9 seed and will probably still lose on the first weekend. It's not a ton progress but Harper looks like she stopped the bleeding.

 

[stwainfan]

I'm so proud of Jordan Hortson. She just showed why she's a special player. Tennessee had six players that had never played in this tournament before. Now a couple of weeks before the NCAAT. Yes I think Tennessee is in. The team finished tied for 3rd in the SEC , 21 wins. I feel good that the team is heading in the right direction.

 

[oldude]

I'm so proud of Jordan Hortson. She just showed why she's a special player. Tennessee had six players that had never played in this tournament before. Now a couple of weeks before the NCAAT. Yes I think Tennessee is in. The team finished tied for 3rd in the SEC , 21 wins. I feel good that the team is heading in the right direction.

I agree that the LV’s are in the tournament. But let’s not get too excited. TN’s 21 wins was built on a plate full of OOC cupcakes. For the season, TN was 1-10 vs RPI top 50 teams.

 

[Geew1992]

Tennessee hasn't been overly impressive by any means but they have beaten everyone they should have beaten, no catastrophic losses which is something they have going for them.

Unlike Holly's teams, they hard, they may play bad but they play hard. Holly would have found a way to sneak in a couple really bad losses while the team quit on her.

Would need to look at all the other bubble teams

true....but would’ve had some good wins too

 

[HuskyNan]

true....but would’ve had some good wins too

That happened under Holly because of 1. Evina and 2. The players ignoring Holly and using their natural talent to steal some wins. Harper is trying to get them to play a structured offense and it’s just too big a change for some to turn around quickly. Every player’s development curve is different

 

[oldude]

That happened under Holly because of 1. Evina and 2. The players ignoring Holly and using their natural talent to steal some wins. Harper is trying to get them to play a structured offense and it’s just too big a change for some to turn around quickly. Every player’s development curve is different

Good point. In watching KY hammer TN yesterday, it was clear that KJH has installed a much more sophisticated offense at TN. The LV’s set picks, run plays and there’s lots of motion, something we never saw under HW.

TN’s problem is that the execution of that offense is terrible. The LV’s continue to commit far too many turnovers. Perhaps another year to get used to the system, and the return of Green at pg, and maybe TN takes a step forward. On the other hand, perhaps TN just doesn’t have the players required to run a sophisticated motion offense, no matter how long they practice it.

 

[stwainfan]

I think if this team can make a S16. That would be a successful fist year for Harper.

 

[oldude]

I think if this team can make a S16. That would be a successful fist year for Harper.

Creme currently has TN as an 8/9 seed. If he is correct that probably places the LV’s at one of the #1 seeds for the first 2 rounds. Since it won’t be SC, that leaves Baylor, OR, MD or Louisville..,,,,,

 

[stwainfan]

Creme currently has TN as an 8/9 seed. If he is correct that probably places the LV’s at one of the #1 seeds for the first 2 rounds. Since it won’t be SC, that leaves Baylor, OR, MD or Louisville..,,,,,

Yes. His rankings are not always accurate. I will wait for the selection show.

 

[oldude]

Yes. His rankings are not always accurate. I will wait for the selection show.

In any event, the LV’s are going to have to beat 1-2 ranked teams to get to the Sweet 16, something they haven’t been able to do all season. However, if they are somehow able to make it to the Sweet 16, I absolutely agree that it will be a successful year for KJH.

 

[SCGamecock]

She runs a clean program. Kids graduate and play hard, which I respect a lot. As a fan, I may seem selfish but I want more. Personally having a top 25 team that goes on occasional runs in NCAAT isn’t too much to ask. Why play the game if you aren’t going to strive to be great?

I just feel like we are mediocre. We play hard but that’s it.

IMO Nikki would be a terrific bench coach. As a hc she has flaws that keep us from getting to the next level!

Man I just love Nikki though. I would hate to see her get the boot at LSU. Such a fun coach and I love the way LSU plays. And like you said, she runs a clean program and has always come across as very classy to me. They are the only other SEC team I seriously root for when they aren't playing SC.

 

[oldude]

She runs a clean program. Kids graduate and play hard, which I respect a lot. As a fan, I may seem selfish but I want more. Personally having a top 25 team that goes on occasional runs in NCAAT isn’t too much to ask. Why play the game if you aren’t going to strive to be great?

I just feel like we are mediocre. We play hard but that’s it.

IMO Nikki would be a terrific bench coach. As a hc she has flaws that keep us from getting to the next level!

Losing your best player in early February doesn’t help much either. If Mitchell was still healthy, there’s a good chance that LSU wins 2-3 more games and earns itself a much better seeding in the Big Dance.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Losing your best player in early February doesn’t help much either. If Mitchell was still healthy, there’s a good chance that LSU wins 2-3 more games and earns itself a much better seeding in the Big Dance.

Definitely. Just really bad luck for us. Another big issue for me is we seem to fold like cheap tents in the NCAAT. We had a team with Mitchell, Moncrief and Chloe Jackson get bounced in the first round which was a bad look. We have yet to get past the first round in over 5 years. We missed the dance a couple other times.

This is year 9 for her? Meanwhile Vic and Dawn have transformed bottom dwellers into national powers all while she has been here. The competitor in me wants more though.

 

[garddog]

Definitely. Just really bad luck for us. Another big issue for me is we seem to fold like cheap tents in the NCAAT. We had a team with Mitchell, Moncrief and Chloe Jackson get bounced in the first round which was a bad look. We have yet to get past the first round in over 5 years. We missed the dance a couple other times.


This is year 9 for her? Meanwhile Vic and Dawn have transformed bottom dwellers into national powers all while she has been here. The competitor in me wants more though.

The question is will LSU pay top tier coaches salary for WBB. Isn't Nikki at 350k one of the lowest paid in the SEC?

 

[SECbbfan24]

The question is will LSU pay top tier coaches salary for WBB. Isn't Nikki at 350k one of the lowest paid in the SEC?

Her salary is about the same from which we hired her in 2011? She was considered a hot hire at the time given she was a Summitt disciple, UCLA had some good records, but had not so good NCAAT success. Ironically, when she was originally hired, a UCLA fan came onto the LSU forum and warned us of some recruiting issues that eventually hit them hard after she had left.

Van Chancellor (previous coach at LSU), recruited pretty damn well but his teams were so poorly coached and just didn't play together. We had quite a bit of talent originally when Nikki came in, we also got to host NCAAT the first few years which was extremely beneficial for us. Over the years, the recruiting dropped off significantly, we had multiple key players kicked off the team or transferred which has resulted in multiple NCAAT misses and first round exits.

LSU has the money to make changes to athletic programs if they truly wanted. Last AD (Joe Alleva), was completely useless and awful (thanks @triaddukefan) gave up on multiple sports programs. We currently have a new one. There is a lot of pressure currently among boosters to elevate certain programs. No WBB will never be football, baseball or basketball at LSU but put a good product out there, people will come and support. No one wants to pay money to see an overall poor product on the floor. Attendance has dropped pretty dramatically over the last 4 years. I don't see Nikki getting let go after they over achieved this year but she is not on good terms with current fanbase/boosters. If they don't sign a good class this coming year, there is a potential for a disaster considering the current roster is so messed up and unbalanced. We will lose Trasi, Aifuwa, Pointer, Cherry, Spencer.


As Geno said when he came to LSU recently and beat us bad. This isn't the same program of the past. He said they just don't have the players, and he is correct. Got to have talent to win.

 

[garddog]

Never heard Van didn't coach well. Known his family all my life and have a lot of friends that played for him at Ole Miss. He is a MSU graduate, which we let get away.

 

[SimpleDawg]

LSU definitely had the smallest fan support among the 4 teams I saw yesterday. MSU has the worst band though - I prefer Kentucky, Tennessee, and LSU's fight songs over ours by far. But I like our cheerleaders... lol, they got the moves.

 

[triaddukefan]

LSU has the money to make changes to athletic programs if they truly wanted. Last AD (Joe Alleva), was completely useless and awful (thanks @triaddukefan) gave up on multiple sports programs. We currently have a new one. There is a lot of pressure currently among boosters to elevate certain programs.

Glad to have yall take him off our hands.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

South Carolina- Miss State is a good one.

Prior meeting is the only down to wire game South Carolina has played all season, which worries me for the ncaa tournament.

I sure hope that we've got something for stopping penetration off the weave.

Jackson is gonna be more difficult to deal with every time we meet.

 

[SCGamecock]

South Carolina- Miss State is a good one.

Prior meeting is the only down to wire game South Carolina has played all season, which worries me for the ncaa tournament.

I sure hope that we've got something for stopping penetration off the weave.

Jackson is gonna be more difficult to deal with every time we meet.

She's gotten better. So have we.

 

[SimpleDawg]

my impressions of the losers so far:


We saw Arkansas' weaknesses, trying to play the inside game against South Carolina today, balls swatted and contested in the paint all game along, a taller player was always over Ramirez or Tolefree, and turnovers were incessant. South Carolina ran down the court and wore Arkansas down mentally. Arkansas always worried about where the players are on the court and those shots blocked in the paint created transition opportunities for SC. SC had as much transition 3s as Arkansas, Ramirez shot 6-9 from 3 and they still lost by 26.

Kentucky's weaknesses also evident. Rickea just had a bad day the last time. When she has a normal day, Kentucky goes back to same old Kentucky 1 quarter team, 1 player offense. And even their best gun goes 10-26 and 2-12 from 3. I guess their midrange was good but that's it. Their transition game was matched if not bettered, couldn't even win the 3-point shooting, and their inside game got 5 blocks for Morris and 10 rebounds each for Jackson and Morris combined. Rhyne Howard is superb, but I felt like Rickea was more efficient. She can really create shots, and steps through and maneuvers around better and locates better easier spots, and she's comfortable with a lot of different angular body positions. I think Howard creates space better and she has the fadeaway shot with accuracy, but.....eh. But it was probably more about her teammates who couldn't do enough to stay in the game.

And Texas A&M.... eh. Probably need more shooting guards besides just Carter (they just don't score enough with the guards that they have), and their point guard play... is meh. They got some bigs, but should probably dominate more than they have so far. Don't get me wrong... they're great in the inside but I just expected them to be more dominating..... 69.73 points scoring average is just underwhelming for a team with some players that should be ordinarily superior to an average opponent's.

 

[militarydog]

my impressions of the losers so far:


We saw Arkansas' weaknesses, trying to play the inside game against South Carolina today, balls swatted and contested in the paint all game along, a taller player was always over Ramirez or Tolefree, and turnovers were incessant. South Carolina ran down the court and wore Arkansas down mentally. Arkansas always worried about where the players are on the court and those shots blocked in the paint created transition opportunities for SC. SC had as much transition 3s as Arkansas, Ramirez shot 6-9 from 3 and they still lost by 26.

Kentucky's weaknesses also evident. Rickea just had a bad day the last time. When she has a normal day, Kentucky goes back to same old Kentucky 1 quarter team, 1 player offense. And even their best gun goes 10-26 and 2-12 from 3. I guess their midrange was good but that's it. Their transition game was matched if not bettered, couldn't even win the 3-point shooting, and their inside game got 5 blocks for Morris and 10 rebounds each for Jackson and Morris combined. Rhyne Howard is superb, but I felt like Rickea was more efficient. She can really create shots, and steps through and maneuvers around better and locates better easier spots, and she's comfortable with a lot of different angular body positions. I think Howard creates space better and she has the fadeaway shot with accuracy, but.....eh. But it was probably more about her teammates who couldn't do enough to stay in the game.

And Texas A&M.... eh. Probably need more shooting guards besides just Carter (they just don't score enough with the guards that they have), and their point guard play... is meh. They got some bigs, but should probably dominate more than they have so far. Don't get me wrong... they're great in the inside but I just expected them to be more dominating..... 69.73 points scoring average is just underwhelming for a team with some players that should be ordinarily superior to an average opponent's.

After the MSU loss at Kentucky I made the remark about how they were mentally tough. They started off the same against MSU this game. However I was very surprised how quickly they folded when MSU punched back, especially R Howard.