LOL... i love the newly found faith in the coaching staff but i think we will play a hungry team that hasn’t played in a week. I have faith but if we win in a landslide that would hopefully set up a great road trip!
I am also worried about the availability of Jordan Horston and Marta for depth purposes and mismatches. Kasi would have to guard on the perimeter more with Cooks so maybe put Re on her to match up some? i know it’s 6’2” vs 6’4” but if you crowd her space that may help.
I think the LVs pull it out but meet a hungry MSU team. Maybe hit them early and take the winds out of their sails.
If Jordan can play that helps tremendously on the defensive end even with smaller guards... What match ups do you see swaying the game?
MSST is talented 1-9, but it's obvious there is something going on with that program. They do NOT look like they want to be there. If Vic was there, then I'd feel differently about Tennessee's chance. I think NMP has her work cut out for her to get this team back to where they should be.
These are my matchups:
PG: Jordon Horston vs. Myah Taylor: Horston needs to disrupt Taylor's ability to run the offense. She's a smart player, but I think Horston can control her with size.
EVEN
SG: Rae Burrell vs. JaMaya Mingo-Young: Mingo-Young is physical, has a nice mid-range shot and a good rebounder as a guard. Rae is all of these things, plus has better size for defense and a reliable outside shot.
Big edge to TN
SF: Rennia Davis vs. Rickea Jackson: Similar players with similar strengths. Davis is a better rebounder and is just playing better right now. Rickea has been slow to get into games, and that will cost MSST big.
Slight edge to TN
PF: Kasi Kushkituah vs. Sidney Cooks: Cooks is not much of a true post. She prefers to shoot threes, not overly physical and not a great rebounder. She's had 1 game in double figures this season as a starter. Not impressed.
Big edge to TN
C: Tamari Key vs. Jessika Carter: You asked which is my key matchup; this is it. Carter is physical, can rebound, can post up, and has a nice 10-15 foot jump shot. She's been pretty consistent all season. I think she's a better player than Key, but can get taken out early because she's foul prone.
Slight edge to MSST.
I think the matchups boil down to 1.) Whether Key can control Carter in the post 2.) can MSST's guards provide scoring to free up Carter/Jackson inside. 3.) Can Tennessee get scoring from their "Big 3" (if Horston joins along, MSST has no chance).
If no Horston, I think the PG advantage swings bigly over to MSST. Their bench is also better than Tennessee's. All of this sounds nice, but they have to want to play...and right now it doesn't seem that's the case.