Possible! I would hinge it on the Aja Wilson ankle injury. If she doesn’t play Tennessee beats South Carolina IMO. That ND game is in South Bend and I have a feeling MM will have the Irish ready for a payback from last season.
I tend to agree that SC is at risk without Wilson, but I wouldn’t necessarily chalk that game up as a TN win. TN is prone to turn the ball over and Dawn’s teams always play tough defense.Could be. But Wilson may miss the Tennessee game with an ankle sprain. Advantage Tennessee. ND should be out to recover some mojo after last night's beat down. And its at ND, advantage ND. If MSST is healthy, I don't see Tennessee winning. Big advantage for MSST.
But things do not look good for Tennessee.
Very nice analysis. IMO, even if TN loses the next 3, it’s not as if the Lady Vols are dropping games to teams they should beat, like they did last season. Last night they lost to a ranked team in OT on the road. They’re a young team that should get better by the conference tournament and Big Dance, at which point, TN could be a very dangerous team.Last night's loss stings big time since the odds of Tennessee winning 2 of the next 3 are awfully slim. On deck we have:
@ South Carolina--Wilson as of last night is day to day. I'll be stunned if she plays anything less than 35-40 minutes. This is probably the best chance Tennessee has for a win. SC just isn't that good this year, but they'll be at home and in front of a big crowd.
@ Notre Dame--Notre Dame is coming off one of its worst beat downs in my lifetime. They're going to come out focused and guns blazing, plus they're at home. I fear this one might be ugly.
vs. Mississippi State--Mississippi State looks to be the best team in the SEC and should be a big favorite. McCowan might be the best center in the country. Combined with their improved shooting and Vivian's improvement, this is another game that could be a blowout if Tennessee doesn't bring a great effort from the get go.
My big concern is that this stretch could really break the confidence of a lot of players....to go from 15-0 to 15-4 in ten days has to be difficult on the freshmen. I'm somewhat optimistic, but realistically I think Tennessee goes 1-3 or 0-4.
Elite Eight. But yeaRegardless of how they emerge form games over the next 7-10 days, I'm still impressed with the Lady Vols. I expect them to be a tougher nut to crack then they have been in recent tournaments. I think they will be a team you may not want to play that first week. I see them reaching the S-16, maybe the great 8.
There will be a "logjam" for entry into the great eight arena.
Their next three games are:
Yikes!
- at S. Carolina on Jan 14
- at Notre Dame on Jan.18
- vs Miss State on Jan 21
15-4 is not only possible, it's ...
Only ND is OOCBrutal schedule, but I commend the other UT in their scheduling.
What's to commend? Their conference schedule is what it is; Tennessee has no control over it.Brutal schedule, but I commend the other UT in their scheduling.