No need to Panic.

[volfanIND]

By golly you'd think a hurricane came and destroyed Knoxville by these ridiculous post.
Yes it was a winnable game but let's look at this. This will be a large blog, but will keep it in sections.

(the game)
It's January, we schedule teams like these to sharpen our edges. SEC play is nothing more than a slug fest. Literally. We schedule this game (previously a uconn game and duke game) to get us back to playing basketball. Smart Move!

We got to see our weakness. We went on the road, played a national champion contender and lost by 5 possessions. This game is a HUGE confidence booster because the things we lacked in this game can be fixed... and believe it is being addressed by the coaching staff as we speak. If you are able to feel good about a loss, this would be one of them. You could tell by the players and coaches that they are P-word angry! <-- this will help the team in the long run!

(The Offense)
Hello Bash! This is fantastic. WOW. Again, great confidence booster for her. She needed this game. No reason on the face of this planet she should be doing this almost every night against your bama's, floridas, mizzy's... and the list goes on.

For all the haters saying we can't score... how many points did we put up? Our offense is crumbling and sinking in what? Yeah... Time to put up or shut up, and with this offensive output, I think the Vols put up so that leaves you with closed lips.
Also committing 10 turnovers is a positive from a guard stand point. We need always stay under 10 to be successful. ND is a HARD place to play, lot of pressure, glad we were able to keep this number low.

(Defense)
Lloyd is LLoyd, going to get her's. We can control 2 things that we did not do well in, giving up 36 rebounds and committing 19 fouls. Were the refs accurate on their calls? Who knows, you are on the road, it happens everyday. As a player and coach, I think it is easier to work with defense than offense. Both of those things can be fixed.

(Coaching)
Um I think this has been taken care of in previous post over the last two days. Holly is doing fine. This has been her best year of coaching without a doubt. She is making the right adjustments. We are playing with out Jones, our best athletic defensive stopper. My favorite quote so far that I support:

Did I miss something in the past? I didn't realize Pat's teams spent 300 weeks in a row ranked number 1 and went undefeated for 10 years straight. I must have slept through all those wins because I swear I thought she lost some games. I may be wrong. I guess I need to pay more attention.

16-3, undefeated in SEC. Coach's are graded by results of a season. Not by one game.

(The UCONN Connection)
Just comparing the box scores because its actual facts!
http://www.und.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2014-2015/ndconn-w.html
ND lost by 9 possessions in this game.
Lloyd had 31 pts on 27 shots.
Their starting and best center Brianna Turner didn't play in this game = Morgan Tuck scores 25 points 9 Rebounds.

I really believe that ND would of won this game with a healthy Brianna Turner. More rebounds, Tuck wouldn't have 25 points for sure. Lloyd is going to score 25+ in both games because she is a star. UCONN doesn't have someone with the athletic abilities of Jones like we do.

(conclusion)
We should of won this game, and it will sting because everybody on that TENN bench knows we should of won. Everybody from TENN knew we should of won that game. This isn't the end, this is a positive in the right direction come MARCH. Knowing that we loss on ND home floor by a few possessions and ND has a LEGIT shot at winning NC, and we have a couple months to get a little better for March. No worries needed here. We have more games, the season moves on. Keep your pitch fork in the barn, we are not even close to being done!
GLV!

 

[SGMVols]

ND has no shot of winning it all. They got clobbered on their home court by UCONN.

Holly is only beating teams with clearly inferior talent. Know who else at UT did that? Derek Dooley.

 

[volfanIND]

ND has no shot of winning it all. They got clobbered on their home court by UCONN.

Holly is only beating teams with clearly inferior talent. Know who else at UT did that? Derek Dooley.

Again, ND played without their All American starting center. I agree it is hear say to say what might of been, but ND is a different team when they have Turner and Reimer in the game. It completely changes the look of the team and the outcome of a game.

 

[tnvols72]

OP, TN has lost 3 games to teams that they had no business losing to.Your trying to act like that they scheduled a game like this to sharpen their edges , Serious ?
You can try to spin it ever how you want but HW is in over her head and she is letting talent go to waste. Holly will never win a NC , she isn't a very good coach.

 

[SuperDave]

ND has no shot of winning it all. They got clobbered on their home court by UCONN.

Holly is only beating teams with clearly inferior talent. Know who else at UT did that? Derek Dooley.

Except for kentucky.. and vanderbilt

 

[FlyFishnVol]

Wow! I thought we lived in a place that supported freedom of speech. No one is calling Holly a bad person, and you are right, she is not CPS. However, Lady Vols is a brand and Hart is not going to let this program go down the road like the football program. This is not a, like Holly and not like Holly issue, it could be very true that she can not coach at this level. ND was without their center and we never showed any signs that we could take control of the game, this is not the first time. As long as people's post are respectful and they do not use bad language, both sides have a right to support or not to support whoever they please. Last I looked, I still lived in the United States.

 

[Sandvol]

Too many people are pro coach more than they are pro program. If Holly gets it done I am fine with her. If she doesn't then send her ass packing. Right now she appears to be improving as a coach. As long as she is doing that I have no problem. She needs to get to the elite level. She is not there yet. If she doesn't get there then bye bye Holly. We need to be in the Final Four at least every other year-5 years out of 10. Pat did it like about 2/3of the time. I only expect Holly to do it half the time.

 

[tactical]

And now my assessment: For the past few years the Lady Vols have fallen to a second tier team in WBB. That is evident in the fact that they have not beaten a top tier team on the road in 7 years. Holly is improving but at what cost? The Lady Vols will win enough games this year for Holly to survive but I doubt they will go far into the tourney, not a final four. I think the reason will be due to poor in game adjustments. At present time there is Plan A, pound the ball inside for a 20% success ratio.If that don't work, in the last 3 minutes of a game, go to Plan B the 3 guard lineup. As seen with elite teams, that's too little to late. There is few set plays, mainly inside tosses (some are more like rolls), dribble, dribble, dribble, panic, shoot. Next year Diamond will hopefully be turned loose to do her thing, along with Te'a. If it's another year of pound the ball inside and watch whomever miss bunny after bunny, the results will be the same. Wonder why we never spread the floor and run plays or just run plays period?

 

[ALLVOL24/7/365]

Hello OP
Are you related to CHW, orare you just drinking the koolaid while looking thru the orange colored sunglasses? We got beat by a better coached team. The team that beat us was missing their post and we could not capitalize inside. I do agree with you that this is CHW best coaching job. That is the problem, this is her best and it just is no where good enough.

I do not expect us to hardly ever sniff the Elite 8, much less the Final Four any more with HW coaching us. It will be a rare event for us to make it to the E8. So till she is gone be prepared to watch the slow decay of a once great BB program.

 

[Amb3096]

Hello OP
Are you related to CHW, orare you just drinking the koolaid while looking thru the orange colored sunglasses? We got beat by a better coached team. The team that beat us was missing their post and we could not capitalize inside. I do agree with you that this is CHW best coaching job. That is the problem, this is her best and it just is no where good enough.

I do not expect us to hardly ever sniff the Elite 8, much less the Final Four any more with HW coaching us. It will be a rare event for us to make it to the E8. So till she is gone be prepared to watch the slow decay of a once great BB program.

Who was this? Taya Reimer didn't sit this one out, and she played a helluva game.

 

[volroadwarrior]

For those who believe the old Pat Summit days will return, you are smoking something. There are too many good teams now to do that. Is Holly the right coach? I don't know, but the competition is exponentially better than it was back in Pat's hey day. A coaching change at this point is a 50-50 crapshoot at best so Holly must be given time to succeed or fail before kneejerk changes are made.

 

[reno tony]

If TENN can play like they did the first half they should have a good chance at beating S.C. By the time they play them, UCONN would have knocked them down a few pegs and softened them up for the LVs. If they can take care of business until then, that win should give them a #1 seed.

 

[Volfan2012]

Recruiting would have to pick up to win against the top five teams. You need two strong post players. That is the one player were missing. If we had that type of dominating player in the post we can compete with anybody in WCBB. We haven't been able to get that player in the last few classes. Russell probably could be if she gets her feet well and puts on some muscle. We needed another in this last class failed to get one so next year looks suspicious as far as post players. Diamond is great but she needs that big player inside to make Tennessee and elite team.

 

[Nocleats]

The question is, what does Tennessee do to move in front of UConn and dominate again? The goal has not changed or diluted. Womens Basketball at Tennessee should strike fear in EVERY team and Coach in the country because they know there is no way they can win...

 

[mikey2smart]

And now my assessment: For the past few years the Lady Vols have fallen to a second tier team in WBB. That is evident in the fact that they have not beaten a top tier team on the road in 7 years. Holly is improving but at what cost? The Lady Vols will win enough games this year for Holly to survive but I doubt they will go far into the tourney, not a final four. I think the reason will be due to poor in game adjustments. At present time there is Plan A, pound the ball inside for a 20% success ratio.If that don't work, in the last 3 minutes of a game, go to Plan B the 3 guard lineup. As seen with elite teams, that's too little to late. There is few set plays, mainly inside tosses (some are more like rolls), dribble, dribble, dribble, panic, shoot. Next year Diamond will hopefully be turned loose to do her thing, along with Te'a. If it's another year of pound the ball inside and watch whomever miss bunny after bunny, the results will be the same. Wonder why we never spread the floor and run plays or just run plays period?

What difference will running an offensive set make if the players are missing WIDE OPEN LAYUPS??? Your opinion of better sets would've worked in the game against Auburn, but against ND. The offensive is fine and as a coach, I'm here to tell you there is only so much you can do from the sideline. We all know she isn't Pat Summitt, but only those that live in the past are expecting her to be. Get over yourself and over the fact that she is the coach because she's here for the long haul. Or you might want to get a new team to root for.

 

[mikey2smart]

Hello OP
Are you related to CHW, orare you just drinking the koolaid while looking thru the orange colored sunglasses? We got beat by a better coached team. The team that beat us was missing their post and we could not capitalize inside. I do agree with you that this is CHW best coaching job. That is the problem, this is her best and it just is no where good enough.

I do not expect us to hardly ever sniff the Elite 8, much less the Final Four any more with HW coaching us. It will be a rare event for us to make it to the E8. So till she is gone be prepared to watch the slow decay of a once great BB program.

IF she is so much better, how come she can beat UConn in the regular season and still lose to them in the Championship game? Last I checked the only coach that you can truly say is better than Holly is Geno. All others are behind him by far. You so called fans kill me, first with your she doesn't know how to teach them to play defense. She gets that in order, then it's she doesn't know how to teach rebounding. Checks that off the list, then its she can't coach an effective offense. Bam got that one in the bag, now its she can't get the team to the final four. When will it stop??? No GREAT COACH, not Pat nor Geno. Not Coach K or Dean Smith. Not one GREAT HOF Coach won a championship in their first 3 years at the helm. Relax people, she's doing a great job considering the fact that she replace a legend!

 

[ReelfootVol]

Lets just face facts, I am a VFL . However, regardless how much we hate to admit it, in terms of women's basketballs , Geno is the man. He now sets the standards.

 

[oldsmokey67]

ND has no shot of winning it all. They got clobbered on their home court by UCONN.

Holly is only beating teams with clearly inferior talent. Know who else at UT did that? Derek Dooley.

you are comparing holly and Doolander.holly is way better.is she great no.compared to drooley she is.and i hate to break it too ya.Doolander never beat anybody worth a crap.at least holly has beat a few good teams.

 

[volfanIND]

A couple of post have mentioned that ND played without their center... umm they did.
1) UCONN played against ND without their starting center, and defeated ND.
2) We played ND with their starting center, and ND defeated us.

My point is, when you have your starting 5 players on the floor, you are a different team than when you only have 4 of your 5 starters playing.

Example.... Tenn vs. Texas. IF we played Texas today with Izzy... it would be a different game because we would be playing with our starting center.

Conclusion: The ND/UCONN game can't compare to ND/TENN game.

 

[Ladyvolfan4ever]

Recruiting would have to pick up to win against the top five teams. You need two strong post players. That is the one player were missing. If we had that type of dominating player in the post we can compete with anybody in WCBB. We haven't been able to get that player in the last few classes. Russell probably could be if she gets her feet well and puts on some muscle. We needed another in this last class failed to get one so next year looks suspicious as far as post players. Diamond is great but she needs that big player inside to make Tennessee and elite team.

We have a big player. She was #1 out of high school.
Her name is Mersades Russell. I think her foot surgeries will make her play like #1.

 

[volfanIND]

OP, TN has lost 3 games to teams that they had no business losing to.Your trying to act like that they scheduled a game like this to sharpen their edges , Serious ?
You can try to spin it ever how you want but HW is in over her head and she is letting talent go to waste. Holly will never win a NC , she isn't a very good coach.

They schedule "a game like this" because it gives the team as a whole to compare how they are doing with a real top 5 program. If you follow sec basketball, most games no matter who is playing is low scoring because they physicality of the game. Everybody knows (maybe not you, not sure) that sec play is just 'different'.

Your normal top 5 vs. top 5 teams are more finesse and less physical than sec.

2/3 games we lost, we were playing without Izzy... almost fair enough to say, 3/3 games we lost, we played without Izzy. So playing without your star player and emotional leader somehow falls on the coach?

And ND isn't a team that we should lose to? While I agree I would hope for a perfect season, sometimes you just don't win them all, while the UTC game was one I agree we shouldn't lose to, ND and Texas are top 10 teams, with ND a top 4 team and legit chance to win a NC this year.

 

[tactical]

Milky2smart

Your post replying to my thoughts makes me laugh. Your remark about not running sets being useless when they were missing lay ups - not all sets are designed for lay ups. How long has it been since there has been more than 3 sets to run? That's my point, there is no structure beyond pounding the ball inside until it's too late to do anything. My feeling is that we are a Tier 2 team and it's only going to change if and when changes are made and that is not just with the staff. IF other players are allowed to shoot that may change things. I think Holly is here for the long term because she will win enough to look respectable. Hart will be happy as long as no one is holding back on financial support. It's going to be interesting next year to see how the staff handles players that can score. Bash had her best game in a long while last night but overall she has digressed since her freshman year. She is not the only player to have done so. It rolls down hill, failure ultimately rests on the shoulders of the one in charge. Last but not least, I have been a season ticket holder and contributor for 21 years, I will pull for whom ever I wish and I'll express my view. You should remember, we live in the USA and have freedom of speech. Thank you, if you too served, and have a good day!:salute:

 

[mikey2smart]

Milky2smart

Your post replying to my thoughts makes me laugh. Your remark about not running sets being useless when they were missing lay ups - not all sets are designed for lay ups. How long has it been since there has been more than 3 sets to run? That's my point, there is no structure beyond pounding the ball inside until it's too late to do anything. My feeling is that we are a Tier 2 team and it's only going to change if and when changes are made and that is not just with the staff. IF other players are allowed to shoot that may change things. I think Holly is here for the long term because she will win enough to look respectable. Hart will be happy as long as no one is holding back on financial support. It's going to be interesting next year to see how the staff handles players that can score. Bash had her best game in a long while last night but overall she has digressed since her freshman year. She is not the only player to have done so. It rolls down hill, failure ultimately rests on the shoulders of the one in charge. Last but not least, I have been a season ticket holder and contributor for 21 years, I will pull for whom ever I wish and I'll express my view. You should remember, we live in the USA and have freedom of speech. Thank you, if you too served, and have a good day!:salute:

First off, here is the question that you have to ask yourself... Can these players handle more complex offensive sets or more sets in general??? My opinion is no, they are very successful with the sets they have and a motion offense doesn't need anything other than what they are doing and that's making the defense shift. I commend you on being a 21 year season ticket holder and all that. However, it seems that you are living in the days of Tennessee's past and you have to move on and join us here in the 21st century. The parity of the women's game is at an all-time high and the fact that you can't even admit that shows you're out dated. This is the United States and I did in deed contribute to your right to have the freedom of speech by serving in the Armed Forces. I wasn't telling you to do anything or that you couldn't voice your opinion, but what I was saying was that it makes no sense in complaining about something you can't change nor control. Now here is my SUGGESTION to you: either climb aboard or get left behind. Either way its your choice. Good Day to you mate! :salute::thumbsup:

 

[tnvols72]

They schedule "a game like this" because it gives the team as a whole to compare how they are doing with a real top 5 program. If you follow sec basketball, most games no matter who is playing is low scoring because they physicality of the game. Everybody knows (maybe not you, not sure) that sec play is just 'different'.

Your normal top 5 vs. top 5 teams are more finesse and less physical than sec.

2/3 games we lost, we were playing without Izzy... almost fair enough to say, 3/3 games we lost, we played without Izzy. So playing without your star player and emotional leader somehow falls on the coach?

And ND isn't a team that we should lose to? While I agree I would hope for a perfect season, sometimes you just don't win them all, while the UTC game was one I agree we shouldn't lose to, ND and Texas are top 10 teams, with ND a top 4 team and legit chance to win a NC this year.

If they indeed schedule ND and if it was to see where there at as a team then they are in bigger trouble than I first thought. If HW can't adjust against layups then she really is in over her head. The bottom line is HW is not a good coach , agree or not is not up to me. A good coach knows how to adjust and get the best out of their players and with that she gets a F.

 

[Tenacguy50]

The question is, what does Tennessee do to move in front of UConn and dominate again? The goal has not changed or diluted. Womens Basketball at Tennessee should strike fear in EVERY team and Coach in the country because they know there is no way they can win...

Recruit better and coach better. Not gonna happen though til Geno is gone and that's a long time from now.