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Message: [QUOTE="bballnut90, post: 2531360, member: 2117"] Wow....that game could not have finished any worse from a Tennessee fan's perspective. Tennessee was up by 16 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd. From there Notre Dame outscored Tennessee 47-17. Major credit to Notre Dame for adjusting and draping defenders all over Russell while also executing on their end of the court. Neither team is particularly strong defensively, but offense was the biggest differentiator tonight. Notre Dame has players who set screens and are constantly moving. The run back cuts, guards penetrate and kick, or just penetrate and score. Tennessee did nothing to stop ND's offense in the last 3 quarters. You can't give up 74 points in 3 quarters to any team and expect to have a chance. Notre Dame was very good after the slow start. Tennessee's offense just stopped after the great start. Notre Dame packed defenders in on Russell and the guards forced the issue which resulted in turnovers instead of hitting midrange shots or penetrating and kicking it out. I also didn't think Russell posted nearly as hard as she needed to. She fades away as a game continues and that's a major issue with her. When she's involved and working hard, she's nearly unstoppable. Tennessee also was horrible from the free throw line. Reminded me of Texas vs. UCONN where Tennessee ended up really hurting themselves with missed free throws while Notre Dame didn't miss. Hit 2-3 more and it could have turned the tide a bit. I did like the ball movement from Tennessee most of the game, and I liked that players were looking to make the extra pass, but it has to tighten up. Losses like this and the A&M one can be pretty demoralizing as the year goes on. Tonight looked more like Tennessee of the last 2 years where the focus and execution would be there for a couple of quarters, and then it would inexplicably disappear and they lose a very winnable game. Mississippi State will be an interesting game. They don't move the ball like Notre Dame does but McCowan is a handful inside and if they don't contain Vivians and other shooters it's not going to be a good night for Tennessee. I wouldn't be surprised if they bring a lot of emotion and pull out an upset, but I just hope Tennessee can stay focused for the whole game and not break down like they did tonight. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach