Tennessee

[rvwsleep]

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 believe Indiana had 3 new starters in their lineup that were not with the team last year.

 

[CBus13]

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 had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

 

[Jmsdawg]

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.

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

 

[amb3096]

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

As MSST fan, I'm surprised you don't feel that way about Rickea Jackson. Thoughts?

 

[cancontent]

I had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

Heck, Tennessee barely played any of their sophomores when I think of it.

 

[Jmsdawg]

As MSST fan, I'm surprised you don't feel that way about Rickea Jackson. Thoughts?

Rickea has talent but IMO she lack confidence. When she first came to MSST she was oozing with both talent and confidence, I remember her performance that first summer overseas and she was GREAT. However, she slowed considerably when the season started and it took Vic a while to get her going again. Under Nikki she really digressed and IMO never recovered. Can she return to her freshman form, beats me but she was wide open in the Indians game and did not take the shot. I do not believe Freshman Rickea would have paused one minute in that situation. I really love WBB and long for freshman RICKEA,

 

[GamecockFam]

Rickea has talent but IMO she lack confidence. When she first came to MSST she was oozing with both talent and confidence, I remember her performance that first summer overseas and she was GREAT. However, she slowed considerably when the season started and it took Vic a while to get her going again. Under Nikki she really digressed and IMO never recovered. Can she return to her freshman form, beats me but she was wide open in the Indians game and did not take the shot. I do not believe Freshman Rickea would have paused one minute in that situation. I really love WBB and long for freshman RICKEA,

I got a similar impression during the microcosm of just the Indiana game. I noticed that she was on fire at the beginning of the game and basically disappeared by the end of the game. I think her confidence was hurt during some drives where she failed to break down the defense in 1-on-1 matchups and then she just stopped trying.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Talent does not always lead to greatness, Horston is talented and IMO has the will to go after it, again, IMO, no other Tennessee player has that unique edge that make a great player.

Horston has had stretches where she looked less than great as well. The only bad year Jackson had was her sophomore year. She was great in her junior year too, statistically speaking, just on a not so great team.

 

[Mdoggie]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

 

[cancontent]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

You're kidding right?

 

[Mdoggie]

You're kidding right?

Not kidding

 

[Geew1992]

You're kidding right?

Nope… they really did

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Tennessee looking more or the less the same fits my confirmation bias so it would be hard not to see the 1-2 start as disappointing for them from my point of view.

 

[Geew1992]

Tennessee looking more or the less the same fits my confirmation bias so it would be hard not to see the 0-2 start as disappointing for them from my point of view.

Aren’t they 1-2?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Aren’t they 1-2?

Yeah. Corrected it.

 

[UcMiami]

I had started typing this before others replied...had to break for a work meeting...but

I think Indiana and Tennessee have similar teams from a "veteran/new" level.
Indiana lost three of their starters:

Dr. Patberg – 34.4 min, 11.6pts, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Cardaño-Hillary – 33.8 min, 11.6 pts, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 steals
Gulbe – 34.4 min, 11.8pts, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists

and have three transfers and three Freshmen who played in yesterday's game.

Tennessee lost:
Alexus Dye – 23.1 min., 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, .9 assists
Keyen Green – 14.7 min., 7 points, 3.2 rebounds, .5 assists
Rae Burrell – 26.5 min., 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists

They played four transfers and zero freshman yesterday.

Indiana lost three of their top eight used players. But majority of the minutes of games went to the starters or Moore-McNeil (21.2 min) or Kiandra Browne (13.7 min), who didn't play yesterday. So, six of Indiana's 9 players who played last night were new to the team this season.

Tennessee lost two of their top eight used players. And Tennessee played deeper into the bench than Indiana. Brooklynn Miles played the least amount of those top 8 minute getters and still averaged 19.6 minutes. Four of Tennessee's Eleven players were new to the team. I could add Suarez to the group since she was injured last season, so 5 of 11.

I think the biggest factor in that Indiana loss was no Horston. Tennessee did handle the ball better without against a team that is more known for their defense than Ohio State and UMass. I think if Indiana was without Berger (leading scorer and assister last season), the game would have also been different. Both teams should get better as the time goes on.

Key and Walker should have brought the same level of composure to the team that Berger and Holmes did for Indiana. Horston was the team leading in Points, Rebounds, Assists, and Steals last season for Tennesee but Key was third and second in Points and Rebounds last Season. Walker was second in Assists and Steals. Brooklynn Miles was third in Assists and Steals. I'm not sure why Harper doesn't run more plays through Key and Jackson, especially, with Horston out. Most of the time, it seemed like only Jasmine Powell was trying to win and hustle for loose balls. Both teams will improve, but doesn't seem like Tennessee has a chance at winning the Big Ten this season but they get another chance against Rutgers next.

Good analysis, but you didn't note that Green and Burrell were both injured last year - Green played 19 games and Burrell 22, so the average minutes is deceptive since it wasn't based on the 34 games TN played.

Since TN's last NC, they have fairly consistently under-performed their talent and expectations. As far as Holly's recruiting ... it also slipped until she hired that assistant (name forgotten) who was a good recruiter. She also coached while TN was still surrounded by the glow of saint Pat but now the recruits were only in diapers in 2008.

TN was ranked 15 at the end of last year and everyone appears to have gotten over-excited by their new toys acquired in the portal and bumped them to #5 - a little too rarefied air for an unproven team. After this game, they will be ranked in the mid teens again which is where they belong until they prove themselves.

 

[amb3096]

Someone on Volnation suggested that Coach Harper see this

@amb3096

I didn’t see who posted that, but they’re not wrong. Key in particular looked anemic last night…

 

[Mdoggie]

I didn’t see who posted that, but they’re not wrong. Key in particular looked anemic last night…

It was Major or Majors @amb3096

 

[undersized]

Rickea Jackson needs to fall out of love with tough midrange jumpers and get to the rim more. That's when she was at her best.

 

[GamecockFam]

I believe that Tennessee has the potential to be a top 5 team by the end of the season. They have the talent, they just don't have the chemistry.

 

[amb3096]

Rickea Jackson needs to fall out of love with tough midrange jumpers and get to the rim more. That's when she was at her best.

Someone needs to be able to consistently make the 10-15 foot jumper so they don't just pack the paint, and Rickea does it as well as anyone on the court. I don't mind her taking that shot when she's open or has a matchup advantage. It's when she becomes hellbent on releasing the ball towards the hoop no matter that becomes a problem. They aren't sharing the ball and finding the open players nearly as much as they should be.

 

[amb3096]

I believe that Tennessee has the potential to be a top 5 team by the end of the season. They have the talent, they just don't have the chemistry.

They have upside, but they need to play to that potential. They are far from it right now.

The biggest problem I see is that the best offensive players suck at defense and the best defensive players suck at offense. Horston and Powell are the closest to being 2-way players. Key should dominate on both ends but doesn't. Hollingshead, Jackson and Pissott have the potential to be great at both. Many of the others are too slow or have poor shot mechanics, so I don't know where they fit in.

 

[EricLA]

I believe that Tennessee has the potential to be a top 5 team by the end of the season. They have the talent, they just don't have the chemistry.

What talent? This is the mantra people keep saying and it's just not true. Horston and Jackson were top 5 recruits. Pissot was 11, and over rated IMHO. Not a single other player on their team was in the top 40 coming out of HS. Key has overperformed from her HS rankings as has Powell (xfer from Minny). But where's the "talent"?

 

[CBus13]

Good analysis, but you didn't note that Green and Burrell were both injured last year - Green played 19 games and Burrell 22, so the average minutes is deceptive since it wasn't based on the 34 games TN played.

Wouldn't the average minutes played be relative to each players "games played" ?

Keyen Green's season-ending injury happened in January, her "minutes per game" wouldn't be changed based on the games she wasn't even available, would they?

Horston only played 1 more game than Burrell and averaged 29.3 minutes a game compared to Burrell's 26.5 minutes. I believe. Burrell's numbers would be affected by her injury since she was injured early on and would have needed minutes restrictions when returning. The previous season she averaged ~32 minutes a game.

But even more so for experience, six players for Tennessee played in at least 33 games last season, only Alexus Dye (23.1 minutes per game) of that group is no longer on that team.

Of those players who played in nearly every game, none averaged more than 27.3 (Jordan Walker) minutes per game and only Brookylnn Miles averaged less than 20 minutes (19). So, I think that number lends to how deep of a bench Tennessee usually plays which then lends to more in-game experience. Of all players, Emily Saunders played in the least amount of games (18) and the lowest minutes a game (4.6).

So, Tennessee had 13 players on their team last season. Three played less than 20 games. Of the 10 who played more than 20 games, only 2, Karoline Striplin and Kaiya Winn, averaged less than 9 minutes a game. Of the eight who saw regular game time (at least 20 games and 19 minutes, only three didn't see the court against Indiana (Dye and Burrell, graduation/ Horston injury, who only played 23 games last season). Of the players left, 5 of them played at least 33 games and averaged at least 19 minutes to the most minutes being Jordan Walker with 27.3.

Indiana had 3 players who didn't play more than 8 games (two no more than 4). Six of their players never even averaged more than 6.9 minutes a game. So, 13 players, Six barely played. Of the seven who did get regular minutes, three are no longer on the team. So, of the remaining 4 players from Indiana's team last year, only three played in the game against Tennessee. Berger played the most games (33) and Minutes per game (36.4). Holmes was injured for a lot near middle of the season and played in 25 games and averaged 28.5 minutes. Moore-McNeil played in 31 games and averaged 21.2 minutes.

So, I'd say the teams were pretty similar with "Veteran" play but Tennessee's players have more in-game experience with their coach. Tennessee also added three Sr/Gr transfers who have plenty of college game experience. A fourth transfer being So. Hollingshead who played in 20 games at UGA. Indiana brought in two Sr/Gr transfers and one Junior Transfer (23 games as a Sophomore at Oregon).

I think Jackson and Powell are talented and will help the UT team improve, but the issue of the first three games has to be on the coach and the scouting team and not on the "players experience".

 

[Jmsdawg]

Rickea Jackson needs to fall out of love with tough midrange jumpers and get to the rim more. That's when she was at her best.

Agree