Tennessee season | Page 5 | The Boneyard

Tennessee season

Talaysia Cooper easily looks like a lottery pick if she declares for 2026. Holy cow she was impressive today. She's 6-0 but looks bigger with her length and is unbelievably athletic and a menace defensively. She got to the basket at will off the bounce today and made some brilliant passes. This team is wild and kind of all over the place but the players work their butts off on both ends and are a ton of fun to watch.
 
Kim Caldwell has to be one of the early favorites for NCOY, right? Tennessee has a completely new identity and looks to be thriving. Not contenders yet but going to do some damage to some really good teams. Cooper might be an All-American this year.
 
Carolyn Peck's over exuberance aside (she did coach there under Pat after all so she tends to be a "homer" for both TN and the SEC), this was a nice win for the LVs. But before anyone (looking at you STWAINFAN) gets too carried away, the Lady Vols were simply outplayed in every category but 3 -Turnovers (30-9) 3 pt shooting (24%-21%) and final score. They did force an impressive 30 turnovers which is what prompted the victory. However, they were thoroughly out rebounded 48-33, they shot an abysmal 39% from the floor (30/77) and an equally as bad 24% from the 3 pt line (7/29). They were called for a shocking 24 personal fouls (but probably committed well over 30!). Cooper should have gotten unsportsmanlike technicals at least 2 times for her behavior but I think the refs were so exhausted from blowing their whistles they couldn't muster the energy (Iowa was called for 21 fouls!). Add in only 8 assists vs 9 turnovers and you have the makings for an ugly, ugly game. This game did expose the fact that Iowa probably is not a top 25 team but that the LVs should be until they play a legitimate top 25 team.

I don't see this type of style working against teams with better back courts and better shooting from the 3 line. This bad shooting by LVs is endemic of their season-they are at 43% (245/570) from the field and an even worse 28.7% (74/258) from 3 pt line. So sure be happy today but please do not get carried away that the Lady Vols are "Back" as when they play SC, LSU, Texas, OU and even Ole Miss, they will have their hands full.
 
I came away from this game impressed with Kim Caldwell. She seems very likable and easy to root for.

In one of the huddles, they put her mic on and she said of Tennessee’s errant 3 point attempts - “that’s not an offense. That’s open gym”. Thought it was kind of funny because shooting high volume 3s at a not-great percentage is part of their M.O. The announcers made sure to remind the viewer of that fact frequently. But clearly there is a method to the madness. 30 turnovers for Iowa - wow. Cooper looked great.
 
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Am I the only one who saw all the illegal picks by Olsen in the lane? If I'm a streaky or rhythm player for TN I would go home every night crying in frustration with these hockey shifts. I've seen this type of offense before, but never with whole lineup changes. Good luck.
 
DefenseBB said:
Carolyn Peck's over exuberance aside (she did coach there under Pat after all so she tends to be a "homer" for both TN and the SEC), this was a nice win for the LVs. But before anyone (looking at you STWAINFAN) gets too carried away, the Lady Vols were simply outplayed in every category but 3 -Turnovers (30-9) 3 pt shooting (24%-21%) and final score. They did force an impressive 30 turnovers which is what prompted the victory. However, they were thoroughly out rebounded 48-33, they shot an abysmal 39% from the floor (30/77) and an equally as bad 24% from the 3 pt line (7/29). They were called for a shocking 24 personal fouls (but probably committed well over 30!). Cooper should have gotten unsportsmanlike technicals at least 2 times for her behavior but I think the refs were so exhausted from blowing their whistles they couldn't muster the energy (Iowa was called for 21 fouls!). Add in only 8 assists vs 9 turnovers and you have the makings for an ugly, ugly game. This game did expose the fact that Iowa probably is not a top 25 team but that the LVs should be until they play a legitimate top 25 team.

I don't see this type of style working against teams with better back courts and better shooting from the 3 line. This bad shooting by LVs is endemic of their season-they are at 43% (245/570) from the field and an even worse 28.7% (74/258) from 3 pt line. So sure be happy today but please do not get carried away that the Lady Vols are "Back" as when they play SC, LSU, Texas, OU and even Ole Miss, they will have their hands full.
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Brick city.

Return of Paul Westhead.

These are her goals for a game.

Caldwell expects 85-90 shots per game, boosted by a defense that forces 20-25 turnovers, 15 of which are steals, and 20 or so offensive rebounds. She explains this using simple math. "If you are equal to your opponent, or slightly better than your opponent, and you get 20 more shots than them, percentage wise, you're probably going to win."

Limit the turnovers and this Tenn team can be scored on. Liberty scored 93 points against them, and that was with 25 turnovers.

The closest game was against Florida State which only turned the ball over 16 times but gave up a bunch (23) of offensive boards which was the difference in the game.
 
A few things about the game and season. One thing that did effect Tennessee was early foul trouble. Cooper played limited minutes in the first half, she made a difference in the 2nd half. A quote from Caldwell after the game.
It wasn't pretty, wasn't our best game," she said. "But I think you can turn that into a positive, that we can get a lot better, and we have a high ceiling. She also said we are closer to our floor than our ceiling.
How will Tennessee look against UCONN, South Carolina, Texas and other top teams? We will see.
 
Congrats to Kym on her first Quad 1 victory- though I expect Iowa to bottom out at Quad 2.

St, it’s a step up from who the to Kim’s have been playing
 
stwainfan said:
A few things about the game and season. One thing that did effect Tennessee was early foul trouble. Cooper played limited minutes in the first half, she made a difference in the 2nd half. A quote from Caldwell after the game.
It wasn't pretty, wasn't our best game," she said. "But I think you can turn that into a positive, that we can get a lot better, and we have a high ceiling. She also said we are closer to our floor than our ceiling.
How will Tennessee look against UCONN, South Carolina, Texas and other top teams? We will see.
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Are you just in denial? In 7 games this year your team has committed 146 fouls to opposing teams 126. that's 21 fouls per game. At some point it is who you are. Don't try to dismiss the fact that Cooper was in trouble as an anomaly-it isn't. Iowa is a step up slightly from FSU but given the cupcakes that you have played, Caldwell is doing a bit of "misdirection" with saying it wasn't your best game. Like I said, I am anxious to see how this plays against other teams who actually have back court depth, play good defense or can shoot. As UConncat noted, Caldwell's style is not new and is not sustainable to win any championships but given the state of the LVs it will bring energy back to a fan base still in denial they aren't the center of WCBB.
 
DefenseBB said:
Are you just in denial? In 7 games this year your team has committed 146 fouls to opposing teams 126. that's 21 fouls per game. At some point it is who you are. Don't try to dismiss the fact that Cooper was in trouble as an anomaly-it isn't. Iowa is a step up slightly from FSU but given the cupcakes that you have played, Caldwell is doing a bit of "misdirection" with saying it wasn't your best game. Like I said, I am anxious to see how this plays against other teams who actually have back court depth, play good defense or can shoot. As UConncat noted, Caldwell's style is not new and is not sustainable to win any championships but given the state of the LVs it will bring energy back to a fan base still in denial they aren't the center of WCBB.
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I was just pointing out that Cooper had limited minutes in the first half. As far as Caldwell coaching style. She has 7 conference championships in 8 years as head coach. Yes it's different in the SEC.
This years team has already beaten two teams last years team lost too. When SEC play starts we will see how it goes. Sure there are things to improve on. Don't every team have some things to improve on too?
 
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DefenseBB said:
Carolyn Peck's over exuberance aside (she did coach there under Pat after all so she tends to be a "homer" for both TN and the SEC), this was a nice win for the LVs. But before anyone (looking at you STWAINFAN) gets too carried away, the Lady Vols were simply outplayed in every category but 3 -Turnovers (30-9) 3 pt shooting (24%-21%) and final score. They did force an impressive 30 turnovers which is what prompted the victory. However, they were thoroughly out rebounded 48-33, they shot an abysmal 39% from the floor (30/77) and an equally as bad 24% from the 3 pt line (7/29). They were called for a shocking 24 personal fouls (but probably committed well over 30!). Cooper should have gotten unsportsmanlike technicals at least 2 times for her behavior but I think the refs were so exhausted from blowing their whistles they couldn't muster the energy (Iowa was called for 21 fouls!). Add in only 8 assists vs 9 turnovers and you have the makings for an ugly, ugly game. This game did expose the fact that Iowa probably is not a top 25 team but that the LVs should be until they play a legitimate top 25 team.

I don't see this type of style working against teams with better back courts and better shooting from the 3 line. This bad shooting by LVs is endemic of their season-they are at 43% (245/570) from the field and an even worse 28.7% (74/258) from 3 pt line. So sure be happy today but please do not get carried away that the Lady Vols are "Back" as when they play SC, LSU, Texas, OU and even Ole Miss, they will have their hands full.
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But will it be this way next year? TN has a very impressive recruiting class coming in that reflects the coach's basketball style. I would expect the pressure to be better and the 3 point shooting to be greatly improved. The biggest question is how will this style fare against a team that values the BB and can shoot the three equally as well. We won't find out till next year.
 
DefenseBB said:
Carolyn Peck's over exuberance aside (she did coach there under Pat after all so she tends to be a "homer" for both TN and the SEC), this was a nice win for the LVs. But before anyone (looking at you STWAINFAN) gets too carried away, the Lady Vols were simply outplayed in every category but 3 -Turnovers (30-9) 3 pt shooting (24%-21%) and final score. They did force an impressive 30 turnovers which is what prompted the victory. However, they were thoroughly out rebounded 48-33, they shot an abysmal 39% from the floor (30/77) and an equally as bad 24% from the 3 pt line (7/29). They were called for a shocking 24 personal fouls (but probably committed well over 30!). Cooper should have gotten unsportsmanlike technicals at least 2 times for her behavior but I think the refs were so exhausted from blowing their whistles they couldn't muster the energy (Iowa was called for 21 fouls!). Add in only 8 assists vs 9 turnovers and you have the makings for an ugly, ugly game. This game did expose the fact that Iowa probably is not a top 25 team but that the LVs should be until they play a legitimate top 25 team.

I don't see this type of style working against teams with better back courts and better shooting from the 3 line. This bad shooting by LVs is endemic of their season-they are at 43% (245/570) from the field and an even worse 28.7% (74/258) from 3 pt line. So sure be happy today but please do not get carried away that the Lady Vols are "Back" as when they play SC, LSU, Texas, OU and even Ole Miss, they will have their hands full.
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Laurence Fishburne Pop GIF by ABC Network
 
DefenseBB said:
Carolyn Peck's over exuberance aside (she did coach there under Pat after all so she tends to be a "homer" for both TN and the SEC), this was a nice win for the LVs. But before anyone (looking at you STWAINFAN) gets too carried away, the Lady Vols were simply outplayed in every category but 3 -Turnovers (30-9) 3 pt shooting (24%-21%) and final score. They did force an impressive 30 turnovers which is what prompted the victory. However, they were thoroughly out rebounded 48-33, they shot an abysmal 39% from the floor (30/77) and an equally as bad 24% from the 3 pt line (7/29). They were called for a shocking 24 personal fouls (but probably committed well over 30!). Cooper should have gotten unsportsmanlike technicals at least 2 times for her behavior but I think the refs were so exhausted from blowing their whistles they couldn't muster the energy (Iowa was called for 21 fouls!). Add in only 8 assists vs 9 turnovers and you have the makings for an ugly, ugly game. This game did expose the fact that Iowa probably is not a top 25 team but that the LVs should be until they play a legitimate top 25 team.

I don't see this type of style working against teams with better back courts and better shooting from the 3 line. This bad shooting by LVs is endemic of their season-they are at 43% (245/570) from the field and an even worse 28.7% (74/258) from 3 pt line. So sure be happy today but please do not get carried away that the Lady Vols are "Back" as when they play SC, LSU, Texas, OU and even Ole Miss, they will have their hands full.
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You forgot one VERY important stat. The LV’s are taking around 25 more shots per game than their opponents are. That is why their coach never gets hung up on shooting %’s. It’s a huge equalizer.
 
LwrcasefaN said:
Am I the only one who saw all the illegal picks by Olsen in the lane? If I'm a streaky or rhythm player for TN I would go home every night crying in frustration with these hockey shifts. I've seen this type of offense before, but never with whole lineup changes. Good luck.
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So far, the only significant player who seems to struggle in the new system is Jewell Spear. Not sure if it will continue, but it’s noticeable in her stats.
 
Darwin said:
So far, the only significant player who seems to struggle in the new system is Jewell Spear. Not sure if it will continue, but it’s noticeable in her stats.
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She has a lower leg injury.
 
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Well coach, we held them under 140! :eek:

Board will have fun with this game.
 
44 turnovers forced, 30-63 3pt FGA, this is a VERY different Tennessee program than we’ve ever seen.
 
The Lady Vols put up Grinnell College numbers! Paul Westhead and David Arseneault would be proud. And the scary part, they are just getting warmed up! They are in the early part of the season, still learning this system. Once they get adjusted and find a few more options to take advantage of, watch out SEC and NCAA tournament teams.
 
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