Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged) | Page 7 | The Boneyard

Tennessee Post Game Thread (merged)

Henry said:
Geno has also said he wants to start ramping up the starters' minutes in anticipation of what may be necessary in March.
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Yeah, do we really think Azzi and Sarah are going to play many 4th Qtr minutes in the last 8 games in the regular season or in the conference tournament or in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament? TN kept the press going till the end, so it was a chance for them to play 37+ minutes against a good team regardless of the MOV. The other starters rotate in for 4th Q minutes in league games usually, and those two sit.

Even in blow-outs I think we see starters playing most of the second/third Q to get to near the thirty minute mark for games.
 
Next 12 said:
I posted DEFENSE was the key to win this game and 24 points in the second alf for Tennessee was it. 96 points was the norm in scoring for Uconn. Uconn is 23-0. Uconn is on a 38 game win streak and 10 more to the BE title and 48 game streak. Then 6 more game win streak and NCAA title NO13 and a 54 game win streak. It is so nice to see every thing back to normal with Uconn, GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!
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HuskyNan said:
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This is what happens when you trust your system more than your players.

I still recall a comment Geno made after facing Kentucky and their "40 minutes of dread" in the NCAAs. It was something along the lines of: "they kept bringing in worse and worse players, it was great!" Geno understands that 5 minutes of tired Azzi or Sarah is still better than 5 minutes of Kelis or Ayanna right now.
 
mainerhuski said:
I think Geno expected Caldwell to call of her press with the game so clearly over. She didn’t, and I think that’s why he left starters in.
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For what it’s worth, TN had several starters on the court to the final whistle. There’s a certain ethic to basketball that some may not be aware of. The losing team usually pulls their starters first, then the winning team does so.

Essentially, if TN is still pressing with their starters in the game, with 2 minutes left in the game, why should UConn unilaterally pull their starters? So that TN can make the game respectable?
 
Just found this on ESPN. May be duplicate??

"The Huskies now boast 18 straight wins by at least 25 points, the longest streak by a Division I team over the past 25 seasons." That could be one metric of dominance no?

And how undiplomatic od Azzi:

"I think we just kind of got lax," Fudd said. "Everything that they were getting were just mess-ups on our part, miscommunications, no communication, just little things, mental lapses."
 
Cuango said:
I’ve gotta say, I think she’s a good coach but might be a tad too demanding of this roster. This is only the second year of what, let’s face it, is a complete rebuild of a program that had totally self-destructed and lost their mojo! She’s got way too many transfers and imo, is at serious risk of losing this team completely. Clearly, she has a plan, one that with the right personnel could be pretty devastating but based on what I’ve seen, she needs to get more of her own recruits into the mix. I think this could go two different ways. In four years she will either be contending for the title or will have had to seriously change her approach. I’m betting they will be a serious problem once she gets more of her own recruits on her roster. Anyhoo, this was a very good test for us and will, I believe provide great dividends later on.
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I think a great many of the Vol faithful would disagree that Kim is a good coach. They are very much down on her and her mass-substitution approach. To that point, one of Husky Nan's posts captured a Daniel Connolly Tweet that cited after Tennessee's 10-0 spurt the starters were subbed out and UConn quickly went on an 8-2 run of their own.
IMO, Kim's approach to the game will not win and it will not attract the great talent needed to compete in the SEC.
 
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Actually just got home to Jersey from dinner after driving back from Hartford. It was my first time at that venue and I think it is a great place to watch a basketball game. The fans are savvy, incredibly focused, and very passionate.

I had said that it was "an Azzi game" and she started right off the bat. When the Vols took a 4 point lead though late in the first half, Jana gave us a big lift off the bench. It was a very physical game, let them play game and she matched it perfectly.

When Geno came out with CD for the second half, they were both laughing and smiling. I was dying so I thought "is he just used to this?" or "does he know something?". It was both I think.

On defense they tightened up, Serah became more physical ( Geno had been on her all first half), and when their bigs put the ball on the floor, our guards were there to put a hand in, grab the ball and cause chaos. It definitely stopped their dribble drive offense. Sarah was not going to have a low scoring second half too and she just started getting into the paint, hitting 3s and having a NPOY worthy half. Azzi's defense is just a thing of beauty. The fact that she is the best shooter in the country is almost secondary when she really watch her play defense live. Remember "The Glove". She is more like "The Handcuffs".

When you are there, the moments that make a game change or make a game effectively over are so much easier to see. I had noticed before the game that Jen Rizzotti was sitting in back of the bench. Those back to back "1995" full court drives by Kayleigh were just sensational and so evocative of the original, especially in Kayleigh's reaction after the second one. I thought the roof was going to come down. The other was Allie's 3 at the end of the third. Just an explosion. I thought it was appropriate that those 2 plays were both by subs, not starters, demonstrating our bench and what Geno can do with one.

Let's not forget about Blanca. Observing the first half, we were a different team without her. She just moves the needle even more for us. Hope she will be back.

So now we are getting into 'Metamorphosis" time. The tightening, refining, enhancing and then rebirth that happens every February/March to this team. What will happen? What will we end up looking like this year? Whatever it is, do yourself a favor. Go see this runaway train on steroids live.
 
Majorthreat said:
This game really should not have been this close in the first half. Tennessee was playing bully ball at times and it seemed like our feet couldn’t move because they were just driving to the basket at will, blowing by us. I am not surprised that there were not more 3-second calls called on Tennessee the way they were trying to back us down and post up in the paint. Tennessee exposed our defense. We had late rotations. We never kept our dribble which caused us to turn the ball over. I was also concerned without Blanca being available, and in the 1st half it showed.

That’s why Geno took Allie out of the game in the first half. Her defense was terrible in the first half. Allie is a second half player and shooter. She isn’t one who comes into the game and will immediately hit 3’s, she is a rhythm shooter who has to go up and down the court a few times and get in the groove.

Kaleigh didn’t play terribly, but she was indecisive when she got in the paint with the ball and had crucial turnovers in the first half but came to life in the 3rd qtr.

Serah Williams, I thought when she came over would put us over the top, but her play is all over the map. Her rebounding has been atrocious. Maybe there is time for her to be the player we all thought she could be.

Jana unfortunately will always be a backup it seams and will be used situationally against other 6’5” or taller players or to spell Serah for a few minutes.

Azzi is a Tennessee killer. Her 3’s were crucial. 7 rebounds, 7 assist which might be a career high or close to it along with 4 steals. Her defense is certainly underrated and she needs more recognition.

50/50/80 were some good stats for the Huskies versus an athletic Tennessee squad.
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Pretty harsh, I think. I guess I watched a different game. The one thing I will agree with is that Azzi had a great game. Other than that? Not so much. I thought Serah had a very good game, Kayleigh was outstanding, Jana will be a good player for us, and if that was “exposing our defense” I’ll take a double! It’s not like we were playing a bunch of stiffs! Say what you will about Tennessee and their coach, once she gets her own kids making up the bulk of her roster, they are likely going to become a big problem. This was exactly what this team needed!
 
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BBallF said:
So now we are getting into 'Metamorphosis" time. The tightening, refining, enhancing and then rebirth that happens every February/March to this team. What will happen? What will we end up looking like this year? Whatever it is, do yourself a favor. Go see this runaway train on steroids live.
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I think the metamorphosis for this team has already happened - every year is different. Last year it was this TN game that woke them from the winter doldrums. This year I think it was just confirmation of what has already occurred. Yes, there is more tinkering to do and tightening things up so today's Q2 doesn't happen, but who will be in there, the adjustments available on defense and offense, and the various line-ups that work are solid. The roles for each player have been defined. There is a nine player rotation with K9, Blanca, Allie, and Jana off the bench, and a few more emergency pieces in Caroline, Ayanna, and Kelis that will likely get more run in the next 8 games to see what they can bring with consistency.
 
SprtzJnkee said:
The starters did not need to be in at the end of this game.
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I honestly think they did. They need to play extended minutes as this might be the only game they do until ncaa tourney time. The bench should have extended minutes next 11 games. I think Allie only playing 15 minutes scoring 10 might have deserved more based on last game but that’s about it. Blanca not playing and all. She was missed and that’s a game I really wished she played. She needs games like this to be part of.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
Just found this on ESPN. May be duplicate??

"The Huskies now boast 18 straight wins by at least 25 points, the longest streak by a Division I team over the past 25 seasons." That could be one metric of dominance no?

And how undiplomatic od Azzi:

"I think we just kind of got lax," Fudd said. "Everything that they were getting were just mess-ups on our part, miscommunications, no communication, just little things, mental lapses."
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Longest streak in 25 years is very impressive.

Tennessee plays a very unorthodox/unconventional style of basketball. Maybe that is what Azzi really meant.

Maybe it's me, but Tennessee seemed to play very physical/rough. I saw one play where K9 got clobbered and they give K9 the foul...

I am very impressed with K9.
 
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