Tennessee @ Notre Dame (16) - 11/11/19

[DeeHusky]

Are we still mad that Geno stopped recruiting Brunelle?

 

[DEpup]

Are we still mad that Geno stopped recruiting Brunelle?

No way. She is a big who only wants to take 3 pt shots.

 

[Orangutan]

Impressive win by Tennessee. Good defense and the good movement and passing on offense (when they didn't turn it over). Cut down on the turnovers and they could be a dangerous team.

This may sound like salt but I wasn't all that impressed.

They are a turnover machine still. They built a big lead when Davis, who was great, was nailing 3s. Then they let ND actually making it nearly interesting. Despite having no bench, ND closed slightly stronger.

ND was always going to struggle this year but without Prohaska and Vaughn a difficult situation has become impossible. A really good team would have trashed ND tonight.

This was an ideal matchup for Tennessee. ND could not compete on the boards and the Irish guards could help but run straight into shot blockers.

At the end of the day, they took care of business and I realize they just lost a key player. But it was not the kind of win that I felt portended greatness.

That said, it is early in the Harper era. They will no doubt improve.

 

[Orangutan]

Given that she’s one of ND’s tallest players, I’m surprised how loath she is to play in the paint. Early on, it looked like they were playing a 5-out.

I think they want her out there because she is one of the only good three point shooters on the team -- in theory, at least.

I don't think ND ever expected her to be a low post banger. The players that were supposed to play the post this year were Patterson and Vaughn.

 

[bballnut90]

Definitely a November game...Tennessee will likely be up and down this year but they looked MUCH better than they did a year ago. The two things that really stood out were that players played hard and there was ball movement offensively. Horston is going to be a special talent, I can't recall the last time (if ever) where we've seen a guard with her size, athleticism and overall ability. Tons of turnovers and some bad play but I think she has potential to be special. Massengill also looked really solid on both ends. Defensively Tennessee looks long and athletic. Tamari is also a lot better than I expected. Extremely long, moves well and coordinated. It'll be fun to watch her go head to head with Boston this year. Definitely a bit raw but I'm quite excited for this season after tonight.

That said, losing Green is a major blow for this team. Forces Horston to start where I'd prefer her be eased into the starting 5 since she seems like a little bit of a wild child out there. Depth in the backcourt should be an issue and a lot more pressure is on Davis now.

Notre Dame is in for a tough year. Just looked bad all around. Brunelle really struggled shooting, Walker had some good moments but looked a bit out of control at times, Sniezek is a liability offensively and Gilbert/Peoples could be solid but the freshmen are forced to carry such a heavy load which I think is a recipe for failure. Muffet is a great coach so dont count them out but I think itll be a long season in South Bend.

 

[bballnut90]

This may sound like salt but I wasn't all that impressed.

They are a turnover machine still. They built a big lead when Davis, who was great, was nailing 3s. Then they let ND actually making it nearly interesting. Despite having no bench, ND closed slightly stronger.

ND was always going to struggle this year but without Prohaska and Vaughn a difficult situation has become impossible. A really good team would have trashed ND tonight.

This was an ideal matchup for Tennessee. ND could not compete on the boards and the Irish guards could help but run straight into shot blockers.

At the end of the day, they took care of business and I realize they just lost a key player. But it was not the kind of win that I felt portended greatness.

That said, it is early in the Harper era. They will no doubt improve.

I dont think greatness is ahead this year but theyll be a lot better than they were a year ago if they bring similar efforts in future games. The team is so athletic and everyone was working hard and playing unselfishly which we havent seen from Tennessee in a long time.

 

[stwainfan]

 

[futuretitles]

Thoughts:

Tenn: From the starting five to the coaching staff to the end of the bench there is something different. The attitude and effort are something I haven’t seen in awhile. Tamari and Jordan are thrust right into starting roles and will take some time but the potential is there. Tamari has solid fundamentals. Davis was Davis and Massengill’s 13 REB, 9 AST night is something to like. Turnovers are a problem but it’s November. Will be interesting to see Texas in a few weeks. Hoping for game by game improvement.

ND:
Gilbert, Peoples, Brunelle, Walker. Those 4 can shoot and if those shooters catch fire could be bad for teams. Marta is a solid engineer. However no size what so ever and this team needs time. Have to believe MM will get this team right. Need to hit shots to win games though.

Still early. Not trying to put to much into any team besides the top 5 until conference season rolls around.

 

[Bigboote]

I think they want her out there because she is one of the only good three point shooters on the team -- in theory, at least.

I don't think ND ever expected her to be a low post banger. The players that were supposed to play the post this year were Patterson and Vaughn.

Agreed, but when it’s Brunelle and four guards on the court, someone needs to be playing inside. For y’all’s sake, I hope Vaughn makes a speedy recovery, and if not, that Brunelle and the coaching staff work to make her a willing back-to-the-basket player.

 

[Steelerone]

Not saying that Tennessee is back but happy to see Little Miss Muffet's team on the losing end.

 

[Plebe]

So they said UConn was the only team before tonight to beat Notre Dame in South Bend in the past five years (and did so three times).

Who was the last team other than UConn, before tonight, to win in South Bend?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Sort of a weak year for a lot of traditional powers but that's a big win that Tennessee can sell.

 

[sivad40]

So they said UConn was the only team before tonight to beat Notre Dame in South Bend in the past five years (and did so three times).

Who was the last team other than UConn, before tonight, to win in South Bend?

Baylor 73-61 in 2012. Diggins and Griner's senior season. That was the year Notre Dame beat UConn three times and lost to them in the Final Four

 

[hoopsfan22]

We'll see what Muffet can do with this group over time. It looks like the worst ND team I've seen in 20+ years.

The Irish have 3 home losses in 5 years--all to UConn.

Tennessee has size and some nice pieces. They could be ranked in time.

And I still wouldn't want to face them come March.

 

[tazmaz]

How awesome would it be if, when a reporter asks MM what went wrong it she replied "I don't know, I don't know, we'll just have to go and work harder"....

Tenn’s underachieving the past few years well deserved. Sometimes you are too close to a situation to be objective. Tenn was so unwatchable they were a disgrace to WCBB. Coaching change was an obvious case of addition by subtraction.

 

[southofnorth]

This may sound like salt but I wasn't all that impressed.

They are a turnover machine still. They built a big lead when Davis, who was great, was nailing 3s. Then they let ND actually making it nearly interesting. Despite having no bench, ND closed slightly stronger.

ND was always going to struggle this year but without Prohaska and Vaughn a difficult situation has become impossible. A really good team would have trashed ND tonight.

This was an ideal matchup for Tennessee. ND could not compete on the boards and the Irish guards could help but run straight into shot blockers.

At the end of the day, they took care of business and I realize they just lost a key player. But it was not the kind of win that I felt portended greatness.

That said, it is early in the Harper era. They will no doubt improve.

Oh no doubt they need to clean up the turnovers and clearly Notre Dame has had more than its fair share of setbacks, but I was more comparing the play from Tennessee to the last few years when they arguably had equal to or more talent. It seems like they’re actually attempting to run an offense—something they haven’t done in recent years. Usually it’s been one pass (at most) and then a Hail Mary shot from whoever thought they were Steph Curry that night. The turnovers might be a result of inexperienced players coupled with a new offensive style many of them aren’t used to yet. I think they could achieve a lot if they can make smarter passes going forward. That’s a big if I know, but one that Harper might be able to conquer.

Muffet McGraw has a lot on her plate this season. Notre Dame has had more than its fair share of setbacks already. You never want to hear about illness or injuries for anyone, period. So I hope both Vaughn and Prohaska can make full recoveries. As much as I dislike Notre Dame when they play UConn, I love how much they push UConn to play better. It’s exactly what Tennessee (and for a few years around the Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart eras, Stanford) used to do. It made for great basketball and grew the women’s game. Notre Dame has some good pieces, so I hope they can figure out how to put the puzzle together.

 

[donalddoowop]

Davis is on fire and ND is bricking free throws. Not ideal.

Peoples has terrific potential but someone needs to completely rebuild her shot.

I watched Peoples in high school and she looked really good. She started out slowly today but got better as the game continued. She needs to remember some of those things that worked in high school won't work at ND.

 

[Reypl21]

I think some folks need to cut Brunelle some slack. She's a freshman, playing out of position and logging a lot of minutes. When she first committed to ND, I thought she could be like Westbeld. A forward that does a bit of everything, but Brunelle would be better offensively. It's obvious that she's gonna have a tough time to start, because she is her team's number one option. And defenses are playing her as such. Westbeld was the player that was left open by design.

She shot a lot today, and shot poorly, but that's what ND needs her to do. In her short time playing with Vaughn, she seemed comfortable at the high post and passing into her. I think once they get healthier ND can be good. They couldn't capitalize on Tenn's TOs, which is a sign of a young team.

Tenn can also be very good in the SEC.

 

[Carnac]

I watched the game tonight. As hard as I tried, I couldn't bring my self to root for either team. Believe it or not, it was easier to watch the game that way. Lots of height for Tenn this year. Based on the way we played Sunday, and what I saw tonight, I wouldn't be too quick to chalk them up as an automatic win. We won't see Tenn until Jan 23, so the problems and issues we're experiencing now will all be resolved by then. Definitely a rebuilding year for ND. Losing to an unranked team at home should drop them out of the top 25.

 

[IrishTiger]

I think some folks need to cut Brunelle some slack. She's a freshman, playing out of position and logging a lot of minutes. When she first committed to ND, I thought she could be like Westbeld. A forward that does a bit of everything, but Brunelle would be better offensively. It's obvious that she's gonna have a tough time to start, because she is her team's number one option. And defenses are playing her as such. Westbeld was the player that was left open by design.

She shot a lot today, and shot poorly, but that's what ND needs her to do. In her short time playing with Vaughn, she seemed comfortable at the high post and passing into her. I think once they get healthier ND can be good. They couldn't capitalize on Tenn's TOs, which is a sign of a young team.

Tenn can also be very good in the SEC.

You’ve nailed it. Right on.

 

[Tonyc]

28 turnovers and Davis goes off for a fantastic game. As bad as ND looked if Davis doesnt go off Tenn might have lost. Both teams dont look very good and imo should not be top 25...yet. They have alot to prove.

 

[Dwilliams02]

28 turnovers and Davis goes off for a fantastic game. As bad as ND looked if Davis doesnt go off Tenn might have lost. Both teams dont look very good and imo should not be top 25...yet. They have alot to prove.

Give credit when credit is due. It's a sloppy game. Both teams has a lot of young starters or first time starters. And Davis is SEC first team so that should be expected out of her. Tennessee is not the same team from the past few years. They are better defensively and moving the ball a lot. Plus they lost one of their better players. Both teams will be good. ND just have to develop that chemistry.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Watched it. Some observations.

1. Good win by TN. ND is a shell of what they have been for a decade but it was still a top program on the road. It's a good win based on the LVs recent record. ND has injuries and no depth but TN also lost their 2nd best player and still responded well.

2. Brunelle and Horston are a couple of games in to their college careers. Both will improve. They looked fine but were pressing the issue to try and make an impact. Give them time to grow.

3. Jury will be out on KJH for a bit but this team appears to have better flow and attitude than what has been present for several years. If ND is completely healthy they will still be a top 15 team. The LVs looked solid and both probably have the potential to be in the second weekend of the tournament.

4. This game probably wasn't what was anticipated when it was scheduled but it wasn't a bad one either. Davis was outstanding, Key was better than I expected and Massengill played her role well.

There is a lot of basketball to be played. Let the Vols celebrate and move on. McGraw probably learned a lot about her team last night and will adjust. The season is young. I hope it's a good one.

 

[Lwrc]

My takeaways.

ND should not have been ranked so high. They are clearly not top 25. They got that ranking purely out of respect for Muffet. Which is fair but Muffet’s weakness is not with x and o’s but people. You can find the testimony of some past players praising Muffet but too many stories about her relational issues over all the years. Without the right coaches around her ND is in trouble. I said before on this forum, ND is in for a tough road without Niele now. The reputation of the culture Muffet creates is catching up to her now. Brunelle is a fine player but very overrated coming out of high school. Besides Maddie Westbeld their incoming class is not strong. The future looks bleak. Unless they can land Caitlin Clark, she’s a game changer. If they land her they can build or have enough pieces around Clark to win again. The Irish need to hit those rosaries hard this week, Clark will announce soon.

This game affirmed to me that Tennessee will be back. Harpers style and reputation is already impacting the team in a good way. You can build a winning program around Hoarston, she’s the real deal. I disagree with other posters on here that this game was an aberration of some type. Davis made a good number of shots because she took good open shots. Created by good ball movement. Any player of her caliber will score a lot if given the room to do it. That’s partly on ND defensively but also a testament to a good program. I do think Tennessee is a top 25 team this year. They showed good size and good hustle. Although NDs lack of size was exposed as well.

 

[stwainfan]

I like what I have seen from Tennessee this year. Yes there are things to improve on. I think Key has a chance to be a real good player. Horston is going to be really good.