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I see some of our fans ruing that we didn't put together a tougher OOC schedule. I think that will work out just fine in the SEC; there will be plenty of tough games and we will need to win some to get in with a good seed. I doubt Shea is really surprised the team is playing this well, but it's also been appropriate to have enough easy games to get used to winning.

Congrats to Khamil!
 
PhilipVU94 said:
I see some of our fans ruing that we didn't put together a tougher OOC schedule. I think that will work out just fine in the SEC; there will be plenty of tough games and we will need to win some to get in with a good seed. I doubt Shea is really surprised the team is playing this well, but it's also been appropriate to have enough easy games to get used to winning.

Congrats to Khamil!
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I agree entirely. They're getting ready for their third true road game later this week and have had two neutral site games against Arizona and Michigan State. That's five of 14 scheduled non-conference games away from home.

The home schedule has been weak, but that will be rectified starting in a couple weeks. The difference this season is they are hammering the weaker teams on the schedule whereas last season they escaped by the skin of their teeth at times.

It's not a UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina type schedule, but it shouldn't be at this point. Games at USF and Miami and the two neutral site games do put you in realistic danger of losing. That's tough enough for now.

 
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PhilipVU94 said:
I see some of our fans ruing that we didn't put together a tougher OOC schedule. I think that will work out just fine in the SEC; there will be plenty of tough games and we will need to win some to get in with a good seed. I doubt Shea is really surprised the team is playing this well, but it's also been appropriate to have enough easy games to get used to winning.

Congrats to Khamil!
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Seriously? That's a shame. Look at where this program is compared to a few years ago. Not to mention, they played well in California during Thanksgiving, and those weren't easy teams. Vandy is trending in the right direction.
 
PhilipVU94 said:
Mikayla gets SEC co-Freshman of the Year for I believe the 4th time in this young season. It's such a privilege to have someone that talented in our program.
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They give out Freshman of the Year when the year is not yet over? Wow! ;)
 
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PhilipVU94 said:
I see some of our fans ruing that we didn't put together a tougher OOC schedule. I think that will work out just fine in the SEC; there will be plenty of tough games and we will need to win some to get in with a good seed.
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Using updated NET, here is Vandy’s SEC schedule by Quad:

Quad 1—9 games
Quad 2—3 games
Quad 3—1 games
Quad 4—3 games

Four of the Quad 1 games are at home (including South Carolina), five are on the road.
 
Mikayla Blakes was sensational Thursday night in her first SEC game, a 108-82 win over Georgia at Memorial Gymnasium. Her 36 points broke the program record for points by a freshman, and she did it against coach Abe's smash and grab defense, which only seemed to fire her up. Her performance somewhat overshadowed Khamil Pierre's 28-point night and Jordyn Oliver's rare double double that didn't include points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

 
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BRS24 said:
Preseason conference projections have Vandy at #10. I guess we'll see about that. :D
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Vandy is a good team. I emphasize the word good. There are no great expectations from this team, for good reasons.
 
At no point in coach Ralph's postgame remarks did she say the words "I told you so", but that's the gist of it. Several times during the season after a blow-out win over inferior opponents, she has lamented her team's slow start or loss of focus after getting a big lead. She has warned that this will come back to bite them if they don't correct it. Well, it bit them. Kentucky made a 14-2 first-quarter run to take an 11-point lead, and the Commodores had to fight uphill the rest of the way. Finally, they got it down to five in the second half after trailing by 20, but never got it closer.

It's not going to get easier. This was the first of four straight Quad One games with the next two, Ole Miss and LSU, on the road. The other is a home game against Tennessee, which is always tough on Vandy.

I predicted an 8-8 conference record, maybe 9-7 if all goes well. I think either of those would be enough to make the NCAA tourney as it would include several Quad One wins. So far, all has not gone well.

Coach Ralph's postgame remarks after the 18-point home loss to Kentucky:

 
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Last night’s 83-77 loss at LSU was in many ways heartening for Vandy fans, but ultimately, they just couldn’t get over the hump. There were 13 lead changes and neither team ever led by more than six. Quarters one and two ended in a tie, and quarter three ended with LSU up by one. Vandy quickly grabbed a four-point lead to start the fourth quarter, but the trio of Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams, who combined for 68 of the Tigers’ 83 points, were just too much down the stretch.

Vandy had a legit chance to win the game, but a couple of untimely turnovers and a forced shot or two really hurt. For the first time all year, Mikayla Blakes looked like a freshman. In simplest terms, she seemed to get sped up and had some unforced mistakes. Sophomore Khamil Pierre, meanwhile, was superb with 28 points and 8 rebounds, and Iyana Moore hit 5 of 8 three-pointers and added 23 points. Blakes had 12.

It was a big bounce back from a horrendous performance at Ole Miss. Coach Ralph’s postgame comments:

 
I forget the players name but she's out for the year with a blood clot. I think the outcome would have been different if she was there
 
Great game! Pierre very special. She is elusive and slippery, getting thru to the hoop even when well defended and doubled!

Vandy now facing a challenge. Can still get to 8 and 8 in SEC and make tourney.

These new big conference schedules are brutal.
 
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packwrap said:
Great game! Pierre very special. She is elusive and slippery, getting thru to the hoop even when well defended and doubled!

Vandy now facing a challenge. Can still get to 8 and 8 in SEC and make tourney.

These new big conference schedules are brutal.
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I've predicted 8-8 or maybe a fortunate 9-7 all along. I never expected to win at Ole Miss or LSU, but I certainly didn't expect to get run out of the gym in Oxford. This four-game stretch of Kentucky, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee was always going to be tough. I did think we could have done much better at home vs. Kentucky, but they shot lights out (made 15 threes), and way too many of them were wide open.

There are still trips to Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama coming up and South Carolina at home, so things don't get a lot easier. Mixed in that gauntlet are some more winnable games, though, and those will determine our ultimate fate.
 
Geew1992 said:
I forget the players name but she's out for the year with a blood clot. I think the outcome would have been different if she was there
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You're talking about 6'2 Sacha Washington, a three-year starter in the post and the team's best rebounder. Her loss really hurts a team with sub-par rebounding, but it will be a blessing to have her back next year to team up with Khamil Pierre and a year-older Mikayla Blakes. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.
 
Some good news. Madi played in 11 games last year before going down with an ACL tear. The NCAA has granted her a waiver for a medical redshirt. Rori Harmon of Texas got a waiver earlier this year. She had played in 12 games last season before also going down with a season-ending injury.

Greene is a valuable guard off the bench for coach Ralph. She now has three more years of eligibility.

 
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