Tennessee 2025 season

[Bone Dog]

I watched a fair amount of this game. My thoughts are:
1. Without Cooper, Tennessee would be toast. Most of the reason that they didn’t get blown out was because Cooper put up a heroic effort...

For what it’s worth, I think the NC State is over ranked. Wes has done a pretty good job cobbling together a roster, but this really isn’t a team that I see going deep into March.

Two interesting points. I’m not sure what to make of NC St’s ranking. But they don’t seem to have a lot of depth. The core of Trygger Brooks Jones and Pierre is really solid, judging from this game. Samuels playing 30 mins given her offensive production is surprising. Her perimeter shot may return and that would be huge for the Wolfpack. I was very pleased by her defensive effort. She guarded Cooper most of the time and played her tough despite being physically overmatched. If she can sustain that defensive intensity she’ll continue to get good minutes. But if she doesn’t rediscover her shooting mojo and still gets major minutes, that is a sign of the weakness of their roster.

As for Tennessee, Cooper is clearly the key player. Given this, I wonder if it spells the end of Caldwell’s ‘hockey line’ substitution policy. And if Cooper and probably Spearman become go-to players, then it’s not clear how long they can sustain the all-out press. And then I have to wonder if Caldwell has the personnel to compete with a half-court game against the toughest competition.

 

[stwainfan]

Tennessee also took a hit before the game. When Ruby Whitehorn was dismissed.

 

[DefenseBB]

I watched a fair amount of this game. My thoughts are:
1. Without Cooper, Tennessee would be toast. Most of the reason that they didn’t get blown out was because Cooper put up a heroic effort.
2. It wasn’t enough time to adjust the loss of Whitehorn.
3. The substitution patterns seem to be a hot mess.
4. For the most part, the press was pretty ineffective. Tennessee took 77 shots in the game, NC State took 76. That alone tells you that they weren’t getting the amount of turnovers that they needed in order to play with controlled reckless abandon.
5. Tennessee shot much better on two point shots than they did on threes but 33 of their 77 shots were threes. I think they need to do a better job of looking for a good shot and not just taking the first shot. I know that goes against what Coach Caldwell is trying to do, but it would probably serve them better.

For what it’s worth, I think the NC State is over ranked. Wes has done a pretty good job cobbling together a roster, but this really isn’t a team that I see going deep into March. I think that Tennessee has the players to be pretty good, but they’re really reliant on freshman, and the coach is going to have to figure out some better strategies. Again, just my two cents.

Nice job on the recap except you seem to have ignored the regular appearance of the 800 lb Orange Orangutan in the room-FOULS…23-10 THATS 13 more than the opponent and last year they out fouled opponents 672-567 (and against many weak OOC teams). You are not going to win ANYTHING being this undisciplined. But hey @stwainfan you keep the faith and ignore all logic and decorum on the honesty of your team….

 

[southie]

I watched a fair amount of this game. My thoughts are:
1. Without Cooper, Tennessee would be toast. Most of the reason that they didn’t get blown out was because Cooper put up a heroic effort.
2. It wasn’t enough time to adjust the loss of Whitehorn.
3. The substitution patterns seem to be a hot mess.
4. For the most part, the press was pretty ineffective. Tennessee took 77 shots in the game, NC State took 76. That alone tells you that they weren’t getting the amount of turnovers that they needed in order to play with controlled reckless abandon.
5. Tennessee shot much better on two point shots than they did on threes but 33 of their 77 shots were threes. I think they need to do a better job of looking for a good shot and not just taking the first shot. I know that goes against what Coach Caldwell is trying to do, but it would probably serve them better.

For what it’s worth, I think the NC State is over ranked. Wes has done a pretty good job cobbling together a roster, but this really isn’t a team that I see going deep into March. I think that Tennessee has the players to be pretty good, but they’re really reliant on freshman, and the coach is going to have to figure out some better strategies. Again, just my two cents.

I wasn't thinking that about Tennessee as they just lost Whitehorn, but I was thinking that without Kamil Pierre falling into NC Stat'es lap this summer, they're the ones who would be toast. I still don't understand how she's even eligible as she circumvented the transfer portal, but it doesn't really matter anymore.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[stwainfan]

 

[stwainfan]

 

[stwainfan]

Cooper is playing like a AA.

 

[TheGOAT23]

I wasn't thinking that about Tennessee as they just lost Whitehorn, but I was thinking that without Kamil Pierre falling into NC Stat'es lap this summer, they're the ones who would be toast. I still don't understand how she's even eligible as she circumvented the transfer portal, but it doesn't really matter anymore.

They found a loophole.

 

[GoChips20]

I wasn't thinking that about Tennessee as they just lost Whitehorn, but I was thinking that without Kamil Pierre falling into NC Stat'es lap this summer, they're the ones who would be toast. I still don't understand how she's even eligible as she circumvented the transfer portal, but it doesn't really matter anymore.

Pierre’s father used to be allllllll over the NCAAW Reddit page and made a ton of really flippant comments when she left Vanderbilt (after she was initially rumored to have been transferring months earlier and he denied it vehemently). He then vanished and hasn’t posted in months. It’s certainly an unusual situation. I’m not advocating for making players sit out a year, but I also don’t understand how she’s on the court.

 

[GoChips20]

Cooper is playing like a AA.

Cooper is who casual viewers think Fulwiley is IMO

 

[stwainfan]

I remember when these two teams played. I came down to the wire. Still some things to improve on. Kim wasn't happy with the offense. After scoring 97 and winning by 50.

 

[Sifaka]

Cooper is playing like a AA.

Against Div II level competition. Sure, Cooper is an excellent player, but ETSU is a creampuff for any top 50 opponent.

 

[stwainfan]

Against Div II level competition. Sure, Cooper is an excellent player, but ETSU is a creampuff for any top 50 opponent.

She also played good against NC State.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Cooper is who casual viewers think Fulwiley is IMO.

Very similar high school careers. Both centerpieces of high school offenses who were left to do whatever they liked.

Cooper transferred partly because of Fulwiley of course.

 

[visitingcock]

Very similar high school careers. Both centerpieces of high school offenses who were left to do whatever they liked.

Cooper transferred partly because of Fulwiley of course.

And in larger part because of Tehina Paopao.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[stwainfan]

 

[stwainfan]

 

[DefenseBB]

So I guess a win is a win but by a mere 11? Me thinks the LVs are a bit overrated…

 

[visitingcock]

Why did Cooper only play 17’miinutes? Did she get hurt?

 

[stwainfan]

Why did Cooper only play 17’miinutes? Did she get hurt?

I hope not. I am thinking Caldwell is giving a little more time to a few players right now. Civil has a similar game to Cooper.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[DefenseBB]

Hey, @stwainfan I am observing how well that Niya Robertson pickup is doing as she shot an abysmal .325 from the floor last year and nearly as bad .312 from 3 pt last year. This year, while still very early, is indicating very similar poor shooting- .321 from the floor and .235 from the 3 pt line. But yeah, she was a "great pick up". Slightly better is Jersey Wolfenbarger who also is drastically underperforming considering her hype. Jersey, is living up to her career stat lines of very little production. Only Barker has taken a step forward to match or exceed her prior school numbers. Again it is early but two of the games were against mediocre teams. How about actually acknowledging some of the "concerns" instead of the constant "look at me" posts?

 

[stwainfan]

Hey, @stwainfan I am observing how well that Niya Robertson pickup is doing as she shot an abysmal .325 from the floor last year and nearly as bad .312 from 3 pt last year. This year, while still very early, is indicating very similar poor shooting- .321 from the floor and .235 from the 3 pt line. But yeah, she was a "great pick up". Slightly better is Jersey Wolfenbarger who also is drastically underperforming considering her hype. Jersey, is living up to her career stat lines of very little production. Only Barker has taken a step forward to match or exceed her prior school numbers. Again it is early but two of the games were against mediocre teams. How about actually acknowledging some of the "concerns" instead of the constant "look at me" posts?

Yes it's early. Robertson scored 17 last game. I think Jersey will be a good player in this style. There is still a lot of basketball left.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[JeannoCT]

Not a fan of Caldwell’s coaching style. I just don’t understand it. What is she preparing them for?? Certainly not the WNBA or foreign leagues.

 

[stwainfan]

Not a fan of Caldwell’s coaching style. I just don’t understand it. What is she preparing them for?? Certainly not the WNBA or foreign leagues.

This is also the 4th game in 9 days. The schedule is harder than last year. Caldwell teams haven’t played the best in November. That's good because you want to get better. As for player improvements look at Spearman now compared to her players at Miami or Cooper now or at South Carolina.

 

[stwainfan]