Tennessee

[SECbbfan24]

Getting out worked on the boards was a surprise

 

[Mdoggie]

Inmates running the asylum. You can’t have a “friend” coach. Once they figured out Harper doesn’t know what she is doing and there are no repercussion for bad play, this is what you get.
Anyone know what other coaches actually interviewed for the job?

 

[cancontent]

Getting out worked on the boards was a surprise

It shouldn't be. Indiana has been a decent, if not good rebounding team from what I've seen.

I could be wrong but didn't Tennessee have the same issue when they lost to Michigan and Louisville in the last 2 NCAA tournaments? I don't know why they struggle but it does happen.

 

[EricLA]

Tennessee board is like... if you could replace "eating popcorn" with "eating their own"...

 

[visitingcock]

Inmates running the asylum. You can’t have a “friend” coach. Once they figured out Harper doesn’t know what she is doing and there are no repercussion for bad play, this is what you get.
Anyone know what other coaches actually interviewed for the job?

Interviews?

They hire “ from the tree.”

 

[mbr33ct]

Well, that was a very short stay at preseason #5 for the Lady Vols

 

[SECbbfan24]

TN missed their chance

But the funniest take on VolNation is some wanting Lawson now @triaddukefan

 

[amb3096]

Well, that was a very short stay at preseason #5 for the Lady Vols

And they aren't getting anywhere close to that again, unless they can beat VT and at least two of Texas/Stanford/UConn/SC.

I'm not looking forward to Stanford and UConn raining threes on this porous LV defense, SC killing them on the boards, and Texas turning them over ad nauseum...

 

[triaddukefan]

TN missed their chance

But the funniest take on VolNation is some wanting Lawson now @triaddukefan

They need to keep their grubby paws outta Durham

 

[Bigboote]

I just love Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes. This isn't specific to the Tennessee game, but it doesn't hurt that Indiana just defeated them. The game went about as I'd expected. I think Indiana and Ohio State should be ranked above Iowa.

 

[amb3096]

I just love Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes. This isn't specific to the Tennessee game, but it doesn't hurt that Indiana just defeated them. The game went about as I'd expected. I think Indiana and Ohio State should be ranked above Iowa.

Berger is a great, complete player on both ends of the court.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

And they aren't getting anywhere close to that again, unless they can beat VT and at least two of Texas/Stanford/UConn/SC.

I'm not looking forward to Stanford and UConn raining threes on this porous LV defense, SC killing them on the boards, and Texas turning them over ad nauseum...

An injured animal can be the most dangerous. This TN team is starting to remind me of the KY team from last year. Started slow and then when the tournaments started surprised a lot of folks. I didn't see the game yet. Looked at the box score and saw Keys with just 3 rebounds. And Walker with 28 minutes and 1 point.

 

[amb3096]

An injured animal can be the most dangerous. This TN team is starting to remind me of the KY team from last year. Started slow and then when the tournaments started surprised a lot of folks. I didn't see the game yet. Looked at the box score and saw Keys with just 3 rebounds. And Walker with 28 minutes and 1 point.

They will be better when Horston comes back, but there big problems when her, Jackson and Powell are on the court at the same time. They don't have chemistry playing together.

Kentucky also had Rhyne Howard last year, and she's way better than any of the Tennessee players. You have someone like her on the court, and you will always stay in the game. At least the rest of her teammates weren't fighting her for control of the ball; they knew their roles. That's what Tennessee needs to do. Jackson and Powell need to step back and let the offense run through Horston once she's back...warts and all.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Berger is a great, complete player on both ends of the court.

Indiana is a very good team. They really did add some nice pieces from the portal that blended nicely with that team

TN needs Horston back but they look like a group of individuals and not a team at this point. I don’t think Harper helps herself with her rotations, that hasn’t made much sense to me. I think she subs too liberally and some of the lineups clearly don’t mesh well

 

[Coler]

Tennessee board is like... if you could replace "eating popcorn" with "eating their own"...

View attachment 80691

They also want to ban Key’s eyelashes and rolled up shorts until they play better.

 

[Bayareahusky]

They also want to ban Key’s eyelashes and rolled up shorts until they play better.

Key seems very pedestrian and disinterested..... she has good spurts but overall is a spectator....

Kelli is a step up from Holly, yet not seemingly what TN needs. Indiana tonight looked poised, well coached and hard working

 

[eebmg]

The contrast of a disciplined IN team and the 1-1 TN team was remarkable in the 2nd half of the 4th Q

Commentators could not believe TN playing zone down so much and needing to force TO's

 

[LoTrader]

Vols have a lot of improving to do for me to think they can make it to the Sweet 16. Good news for the Vols is there is plenty of time.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Vols were rated on what people think their players should be rather than what they have been.

Tough tough start for them.

 

[jonson]

Berger is a great, complete player on both ends of the court.

Yes, she is. And players at Indiana also never seem to graduate.

 

[EricLA]

Key seems very pedestrian and disinterested..... she has good spurts but overall is a spectator....

Kelli is a step up from Holly, yet not seemingly what TN needs. Indiana tonight looked poised, well coached and hard working

Perhaps in coaching, but Holly's recruiting was light years better than Kelli's...

 

[DefenseBB]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

 

[Jmsdawg]

My take: Tennessee was overrated. They have obvious talented players and a decent coach but team chemistry is just not there, another weakness is individual player confidence, Tennessee had wide open players with fairly easy shots but the player did not even attempt to make the shot. Going to be a long season for Tennessee unless they can get it together as a team!

 

[EricLA]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

In general I agree with you and normally would for this topic - all teams will look different in March. But this is Tennessee.

Summitt taught basic offense that revolved around crashing the boards with superior athletes. She was not good at teaching offense, no matter what revisionist history fans may wish. Holly and Kelli both learned under that style, and it's their basic fall back.

Thru sheer force of will, Pat was able to get more effort out of her players and get them to play at maximum energy. Holly and Kelli don't have that.

My basic point is that teams have had all summer, and the first 2 months (September/October) of the season to learn new offense, mesh new players, etc. Tennessee's offense seemed to have 2 components - dump the ball into Key, or do 1 on 1 drives. Once the games start, you can't teach offense from scratch.

You CAN improve on all the things that were learned over the summer and the 1st two months of the season, but to think Kelli can suddenly teach offense AND mesh a bunch of new players now that the season has started is unrealistic IMHO.

Lastly, Tennessee does NOT have a roster filled with talent. Aside from Horston and Jackson, most all of their players were rated below 40 coming out of HS. Pissot was 11, and while a nice piece (I watched her play for Team USA this summer - she was not a starter, and was decent but not great when she did play), is not a future superstar. Kelli's recruiting has paled in comparison to Holly's. Kelly may be a better coach, but Holly had WAY more talent.

I do expect Tennessee to get better, but I also expect other teams to get better. Their basic genetics and talent level is not indicative of a team destined to be in the top 10 this season, or any time in the future (given their lack of recruiting). They were a nice story for the early season ("Tennessee is relevant again as a top team"), but I think they will percolate around the 15-20 range and lose more games than their fans ever thought they would this season.

 

[Puppy Love]

So, as much as I really don't want to defend Tennessee, they lost 2 games: one to a very good and underrated and veteran tOSU team that will contend for the Big10 title with, two-Indiana who is also a very good team and veteran Hoosier squad. Losing these two games with a completely new mix of players as they learn to play together can and should be expected. Plus, Horston was out, who is the most talented player.

Kelli deserves some credit for scheduling these tough OOC games whereas Holly had more cupcakes than the local Bakery on her preconference schedule to pad it with Wins. This test of games shows what they need to work on before the brutal SEC schedule will occur.

For gosh sakes, it is the 2nd week of the season and new players need acclimate. Does anyone think Texas will be the same team in March that they were last night with all their new players and their top player out with injury? I am not saying Kelli is as good a coach as Vic but chemistry takes time. Don't bury this Lady Vol team yet.

Now, I need to go take a shower....

I mostly agree with you but I also think that with the exception of Horston, as a team they lack killer instinct. I don’t want to call out individual players because it’s not my team, but I will say that some of them don’t seem to know how to take advantage of the assets that they have. If you are tall enough or fast enough or skilled enough to destroy someone every time down the court and you don’t do it because you are tentative, that tends to lead to problems. More than anything, that is what I saw against Indiana. At least some of that is a coaching problem. Either the right message isn’t being delivered, or the players aren’t listening to it. Yes, I think that they will get better by the end of the year, but I wonder if it will be enough for them to compete.