Summitt expects to cut down the nets this year

[tnvolfan65]

Why do you come here with such an attitude? It's just my opinion.

I think that playing Johnson at the 5 is a problem. It weakens their perimeter defense and she struggles against larger players. You saw that Simmons was not an effective point. Or maybe you didn't see that?

Yes, Bass will get minutes against lousy teams. Great. Congrats.

Good luck this year.

Lol how have I had an attitude? I was just arguing points you made. Simmons and Johnson spent most of their time last year playing out of position, and while they are better suited at the 2 and 4, respectively, they are more than capable of handling the 1 and 5 in a backup capacity. They will still see most of their time at their natural positions.

 

[tnvolfan65]

Eric, no one expects Massengale or Baugh to be our best player, but their arrival/return allow our 3 best players to return to their natural positions which is why they are so important.

 

[Jmpenn]

No matter how TN plays during the season it will be hard for anyone to predict how they will do in the post season. IMO their main problem is that they let the pressure and nerves get to them. If they are to win it all they need to stay healthy and play with composure in the post season.

 

[doggydaddy]

Lol how have I had an attitude? I was just arguing points you made. Simmons and Johnson spent most of their time last year playing out of position, and while they are better suited at the 2 and 4, respectively, they are more than capable of handling the 1 and 5 in a backup capacity. They will still see most of their time at their natural positions.

I detected an attitude. My apologies of none was intended.
will
So, how do you see the minutes distributed in a game where Pat shortens her bench to 8?

200 minutes

PG - Massingale
SG - Simmons, Spani
SF - Stricklen, Spani, Manning, Burdick
PF - Johnson, Manning, Burdick
C - Baugh, Johnson

That's my guess on the positions these 8 will cover. What minutes do you see them playing to make up the 40 for each position?

 

[UConnCat]

No matter how TN plays during the season it will be hard for anyone to predict how they will do in the post season. IMO their main problem is that they let the pressure and nerves get to them. If they are to win it all they need to stay healthy and play with composure in the post season.

Better perimeter defense is also a key. Tenn's perimeter defense was very porous last year. Teams with decent guards were able to penetrate at will. Against most of those teams (e.g., FL in the SEC tournament, Marquette, Ohio State), Tenn was able to score more points. But against Notre Dame, Tenn struggled to score points and couldn't stop Notre Dame's guards. That will need to improve.

I also think the issues you raise about pressure and composure are important ones. Against Notre Dame, I watched Tenn players who played as if they weren't sure who needed to get the ball at critical times in the game.

 

[Jmpenn]

Better perimeter defense is also a key. Tenn's perimeter defense was very porous last year. Teams with decent guards were able to penetrate at will. Against most of those teams (e.g., FL in the SEC tournament, Marquette, Ohio State), Tenn was able to score more points. But against Notre Dame, Tenn struggled to score points and couldn't stop Notre Dame's guards. That will need to improve.

I also think the issues you raise about pressure and composure are important ones. Against Notre Dame, I watched Tenn players who played as if they weren't sure who needed to get the ball at critical times in the game.

I agree. Defense has to improve and it has been a major focus in practice. I don't expect Ariel to come in as a freshman and fix everything but as a true point guard I hope she can fix some of the issues we had and give us a more fluid offense. I think she can help us improve with assists and turnovers and also give Simmons and Strick more time at their natural positions.

 

[MarieM]

Alot has to go right for Tennessee to win another National Championship. First, they have to stay healthy; one more major injury, especially to a post player and it will be game, set, match. They can't afford to lose a post player like Glory. Second, Vicky has to be close to the way she was before the ACL injury. It is highly doubtful, and I hope I'm wrong, that Vicky will be anywhere near the player she was before the injury. Also, like Caroline, Vicky is one bad fall from another season ending injury. Third, Tennessee is putting all their chips on a freshman point guard. Not to many teams win championships with a freshman point guard.

so true we saw it with uconn tennessee and baylor all had freshman point guard and no championship...

 

[MarieM]

all i want to see is a uconn vs tennessee game in the ncaa tourney this season

 

[tnvolfan65]

In a big game I would expect something close to the following

Massengale: 30 min at pg
Simmons: 25 min at sg, 10 min at pg
Stricklen: 35 min at sf
Johnson: 25 min at pf, 10 min at c
Baugh: 30 min at c
Spani: 15 min at sg
Manning: 5 min at sf, 5 min at pf
Burdick: 10 min at pf

Obviously, there will be some fluctuation but these estimates are more than fair. If fouls or fitness becomes an issue, any of our bench players can pick up more minutes. Reports on Izzy have been surprisingly encouraging, and she is a big body available if we need her. Bass too, hasn't played much but she has speed and knows the system. I expect her to play more as a senior. She came in as Pat switched defenses to a zone because of our size, and a 5'2" pg at the top of it wasnt very hard to pass over, but now that we've gone back to a man, I feel like her minutes will increase.

 

[blackbird]

This is probably going to be one of Pat's last decent years of coaching. I can't believe I'm saying it, but if Uconn doesn't win, I hope Summit does.

 

[Husky68]

In a big game I would expect something close to the following

Massengale: 30 min at pg
Simmons: 25 min at sg, 10 min at pg
Stricklen: 35 min at sf
Johnson: 25 min at pf, 10 min at c
Baugh: 30 min at c
Spani: 15 min at sg
Manning: 5 min at sf, 5 min at pf
Burdick: 10 min at pf

Obviously, there will be some fluctuation but these estimates are more than fair. If fouls or fitness becomes an issue, any of our bench players can pick up more minutes. Reports on Izzy have been surprisingly encouraging, and she is a big body available if we need her. Bass too, hasn't played much but she has speed and knows the system. I expect her to play more as a senior. She came in as Pat switched defenses to a zone because of our size, and a 5'2" pg at the top of it wasnt very hard to pass over, but now that we've gone back to a man, I feel like her minutes will increase.

That is a pretty heavy load on starters for big games 30, 35, 35, 35, 30. Not a particularly good outside shooting team. Fouls on bigs will be a problem when occurs.

 

[tnvolfan65]

i mean how many big games will we have? 5-8...otherwise i expect our bench to average more minutes all the way across.

and simmons and stricklen will be one of the best 2/3 combos in the country. strick can shoot from anywhere and simmons has the tennessee record for three's in a game. we may not have a "pure" shooter like bjorklund, in that starting lineup, but they are as good of a shooting perimeter trio as there is on any other top 10 team.

spani is a pure shooter however, and she will be our designated gunner off the bench.

 

[Justavisitor]

Tony,

Vicki did not sit out 2+ seasons. She played her freshman year, then missed a large portion of her sophomore year and all of her junior year. Last year, Vicki played. That's less than 2 years. For reference, look at the return of Devereux Peters, who returned to the court somewhat limited in 2009 - 2010 (latter part of the season) and she was only a shell of herself, but this past season (2010 - 2011) she was a major contributor to NDs success. I recall Candace Parker going through the same multiple surgeries on her knee, but when she returned, there were no limitations. Anyway, I will go by the video footage that I've seen and the in person reports that I've heard. All indications are that she's back.

Some will resort to Ball State. It will remain a part of their history, as it should, but it does not define who they are today. TN was NOT healthy and the team was supposed to consist of Cain at the 5, Baugh at the 4, Fuller at the 3, and Cait at the point, with the freshmen filling in. Instead, it was a court full of freshmen due to necessity with only 1 upperclass leader. This year, players will finally be in their natural positions.

 

[UConnCat]

I think the Peters analogy is a good one, though Peters was still not quite herself at the beginning of last year. She clearly played better as the season progressed. Hopefully that will be the case for Baugh as she seems like a great person.

Short of a team-wide influenza attack, there really are no circumstances in which a Tenn team should ever lose to a team like Ball State in the first round of the NCAAs. Having said that, I believe it is well past time for fans to stop bringing up that game. It's time to move on.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I think the Peters analogy is a good one, though Peters was still not quite herself at the beginning of last year. She clearly played better as the season progressed. Hopefully that will be the case for Baugh as she seems like a great person.

Short of a team-wide influenza attack, there really are no circumstances in which a Tenn team should ever lose to a team like Ball State in the first round of the NCAAs. I agree Having said that, I believe it is well past time for fans to stop bringing up that game. It's time to move on. well said but I hope you dont get any heat for saying it

 

[EricSD]

i dunno, Cat. my dislike for tennessee is higher than for any other "rival" in any other sport i follow. i dislike them more than the Yankees, Duke men, or the Oakland Raiders. so while i agree they are NOT the same team who lost to Ball state, from a historical perspective for all time low moments in a NCAA tourney, i think we will continue to mention Ball State for many many years. after all, while tenn-BSU was not a 1-16 matchup, people still talk about Stanford-Harvard umpteen years after it happened. i have no doubt the tenn-BSU game will be referred to along the "can you believe it" lines... in fact, it's the only time tennessee lost in the first round since 1982. pretty amazing streak which was stopped in 2009...

 

[DaddyChoc]

what happened with Stanford & Harvard... which sport

 

[doggydaddy]

what happened with Stanford & Harvard... which sport

Stanford lost to Harvard on a 1-16 matchup in women's basketball. A couple of injuries left Stanford stunned.

 

[UConnCat]

i dunno, Cat. my dislike for tennessee is higher than for any other "rival" in any other sport i follow. i dislike them more than the Yankees, Duke men, or the Oakland Raiders. so while i agree they are NOT the same team who lost to Ball state, from a historical perspective for all time low moments in a NCAA tourney, i think we will continue to mention Ball State for many many years. after all, while tenn-BSU was not a 1-16 matchup, people still talk about Stanford-Harvard umpteen years after it happened. i have no doubt the tenn-BSU game will be referred to along the "can you believe it" lines... in fact, it's the only time tennessee lost in the first round since 1982. pretty amazing streak which was stopped in 2009...

I just don't think it adds anything to the conversation about this year's team. Now, if we're talking about a thread devoted to the top losses suffered by a team you don't like, it'd be high on my list. But that's an entirely different conversation.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Stanford lost to Harvard on a 1-16 matchup in women's basketball. A couple of injuries left Stanford stunned.

oh thanks DD

 

[UConnCat]

Allison Feaster, who went on to play in the WNBA, scored 35 points for Harvard in that game. I think the game was at Maples. Stanford lost both Folkl and Nygaard days before the Harvard game. Folkl was an All-American and Vanessa Nygaard was honorable mention AA. Very similar to UConn in 2001, though UConn had more time to adjust to Svet's injury...and had Diana Taurasi to replace her.

 

[Husky68]

I just don't think it adds anything to the conversation about this year's team. Now, if we're talking about a thread devoted to the top losses suffered by a team you don't like, it'd be high on my list. But that's an entirely different conversation.

I just don't think it adds anything to the conversation about this year's team. Now, if we're talking about a thread devoted to the top losses suffered by a team you don't like, it'd be high on my list. But that's an entirely different conversation.

I think it does. Same coach, lot of same players only now seniors. Choke once, got to be in the back of your mind. Things start going bad, other fans start chanting Ball State as game gets tight in early NCAA rounds. I can almost see it!

 

[Justavisitor]

Logic says TN should never lose to Ball State, but regardless of talent, too much youth and players out of position will lose to many teams. I would think a team with USA professionals would lose to no other country, besides maybe the Aussies or Russia, but a bad mix without a strong leader is capable of losing to lesser talent, as recently witnessed with Team USA.

 

[Justavisitor]

I think it does. Same coach, lot of same players only now seniors. Choke once, got to be in the back of your mind. Things start going bad, other fans start chanting Ball State as game gets tight in early NCAA rounds. I can almost see it!

Every team can turn the corner with experience. Somehow ND and TexAM found it within themselves to not lose to the same team for a 4th time. Same players and same year and same coaches.

 

[alexrgct]

I think it does. Same coach, lot of same players only now seniors. Choke once, got to be in the back of your mind. Things start going bad, other fans start chanting Ball State as game gets tight in early NCAA rounds. I can almost see it!

I sort of agree. The senior class of LVs came to Knoxville with sky-high expectations, but they haven't made it over the hump. Obviously, they've made it past the Ball State hump, but they've definitely gotten tight as the favorites in the past three NCAA tourneys, and if things get tight again, who knows what will happen.

Once that senior class is graduated, Ball State is totally irrelevant. Until then, it marked the first of a series of disappointing losses that the LV Class of 2008 still has going in the NCAA tourney (i.e., I'd consider it an active streak). The good news for them is that the losses have gotten progressively less shocking over time.

 

[EricSD]

bingo Alex. and when you have a rival like tennessee who is hated by many UCONN fans, why NOT bring Ball State up? low point in the past 29 years that just occurred 2.5 years ago. it's not like it happened in the 80's or 90's.

i love seeing tennessee fail. i love the fact that they've not made it out of the elite 8 in the past 3 years. i love the fact that in the next 3+ years they are firmly behind UCONN in recruiting. if we ever play them, i hope we win by 50 or more. that's part of having a hated rival. on the flip side, i can certainly acknowledge that they should be a top 5 team all season and should make the final 4 and on paper are a talented bunch. and i can certainly acknowledge Pat is recruiting very well, but she's fighting it out for 2nd place behind UCONN since 2009.

doesn't mean i dislike them any less. i'm certainly not going to treat their fans they way we, or UCONN in general, are treated on their board. and i'm not going to pretend i ain't totally psyched when they fall flat on their faces.

 

[Icebear]

alex, they have tons of baggage from the last three years. The test for them will be if they are in a tournament game and things start going south. In such a situation will they panic and give in to old habits and fears or stabilize and pull things out. I expect the former since they have had little big time success to date.

 

[UConnCat]

Response to our Justavisitor:

Uh, no. Tenn's team had Bjorklund, Cain, Fuller and the top-rated freshman class in the country that year. It was Tenn's 33rd game of the season. We're not talking about a BCS conference team; it was a 16-point loss to Ball State out of the MAC conference for god's sake. It was a debacle in every respect as evidenced by the Tenn coach's post-game reaction as described in that unforgettable NY Times article.

I assume you're referring to Team USA in Europe and that's a silly comparison. The USA team consisted of 8 players and was put together on the fly at the end of a grueling WNBA season. There was very little preparation time and the USA lost to good, experienced and well-prepared professional teams that have played together for a lot longer than a few days. Those European professional teams were not the equivalent of Ball State.

 

[connboy77]

This is probably going to be one of Pat's last decent years of coaching. I can't believe I'm saying it, but if Uconn doesn't win, I hope Summit does.

I don't think you will find to many people on this board agreeing with you!

 

[Justavisitor]

Response to our Justavisitor:

Uh, no. Tenn's team had Bjorklund, Cain, Fuller and the top-rated freshman class in the country that year. It was Tenn's 33rd game of the season. We're not talking about a BCS conference team; it was a 16-point loss to Ball State out of the MAC conference for god's sake. It was a debacle in every respect as evidenced by the Tenn coach's post-game reaction as described in that unforgettable NY Times article.
.

Cain was a freshman and she only played 14 mins that game. After Cain went down with the injury, the deer in the headlights look spread across the entire team. Fuller was never the same after her knee injuries. Angie was a sophomore. I don't care how many regular season games they played. It was their first tourney game and that's alot for freshmen to handle without a leader and when playing out of position.