NCAA Tournament Game Thread: (3) Lady Vols vs. (6) Michigan

[RAVOL]

Agreed. They didn't shoot the 3 that well, we just shot horrifically so every time they made one it felt all the more imbalanced.

And when they made one it seemed to tighten this team up even more.

 

[volnationnj]

This game emphasizes the need for a top point guard. I'm talking about a Clark or Bueckers type.
Someone who can make a 3 while also making the other players on the team better. Against a good defensive team, that we can't kill on the boards, we are in trouble.

 

[VolBall09]

I don’t know if we would’ve beaten any of the 6 seeds in the tourney given how we performed tonight. I certainly would not have felt great having Iowa as our 6 seed if Michigan got seeded higher.

At some point, we’re just gonna have to get it done regardless of our draw. It’s not going to get any easier either.

The 6 seeds seem tougher than a lot of the 4 seeds this season. Half wonder if they didn’t do that to try to have more early round upsets in the women’s tournament. That’s been a complaint for a long time that we don’t have enough upsets so they figured they’d manufacture some?

 

[RAVOL]

Yep both squads didn’t execute. Neither Barnes or Harper can control abysmal shooting and effort.

Can’t run suicides to motivate mid-game.

No you can't. Now Coach does have to recreate a bench. I like our 4 incoming recruits but we need to add a few good tranfer players.

 

[Amb3096]

We got one coming!!!

Maybe after 2-3 years in the program. But a lowly rated 5'6 PG isn't likely to be an impact player out of the gate.

 

[Memvol44]

Maybe after 2-3 years in the program. But a lowly rated 5'6 PG isn't likely to be an impact player out of the gate.

The 6:0 guard from Texas?

 

[travis929]

The 6 seeds seem tougher than a lot of the 4 seeds this season. Half wonder if they didn’t do that to try to have more early round upsets in the women’s tournament. That’s been a complaint for a long time that we don’t have enough upsets so they figured they’d manufacture some?

Teams like Michigan, Rutgers, and Oregon State seem to have been hurt in their seeding by shorter seasons after missing several games due to COVID pauses, which looks like has led to some bracketing imbalances. Just a weird season all around.

 

[volforlife10]

Maybe after 2-3 years in the program. But a lowly rated 5'6 PG isn't likely to be an impact player out of the gate.

here is too keeping hope that she comes in and dominates. she’s gonna take time to acclimate to the game, but let’s hope she can come in and atleast give us better minutes that walker.

 

[JCP201]

slow your roll. it’s year 2 for kellie, and our previous coach dug us into quite a hole. we have to give her time. i don’t see many coaches come in year 1 and 2 and dominate. ivey at notre dame and banghart at north carolina could attest to that statement.

I hope you are right. I think Holly was a really bad coach, but her recruiting was great and it was NOT like the guys football team when Harper came--the cupboard was full. If you can't win with Davis/Burrell and Key/KK giants--plus Horston etc, then??? I can't help but worry that this is the best we are going to be.

 

[VolBall09]

I left here during the game because I was tired of reading the SOS about Harper.

Tough loss - but it wasn’t from lack of effort. And I don’t care what game plan or prep you do as a coach — if your team shoots 12 of 27 on layups, you’re going to lose.

I, for one, am glad Harper is our coach, and I’m excited for the future.

Me too. I’m with Coach Harper. Win or lose honestly. I was absolutely not sold when she was hired. She has won me over though. I had so much fun watching the Lady Vols again this season. For the last 5-6 years I couldn’t say that.

The product she put on the floor this season was fun to watch and our ladies looked like they were competing every night. I’m excited for the future.

 

[Rickster]

Disappointed more than usual. Just need to continue to develop.

 

[Amb3096]

They were predicted to finish 6th in the SEC. So I would say finishing 3rd wouldn’t be considered “far from success”.

Just calling it like it is. They exceeded expectations, but it still was at the end of the day a disappointing season.

If SC finished 3rd in the SEC and 2nd round NCAAT exit, they would consider the year a disappointment. Are Tennessee's standards.really lower than theirs?

 

[RAVOL]

This game emphasizes the need for a top point guard. I'm talking about a Clark or Bueckers type.
Someone who can make a 3 while also making the other players on the team better. Against a good defensive team, that we can't kill on the boards, we are in trouble.

Not many of those players available but I do agree in tournament play you better have a lead guard that can score and run team. I love Walker hustle and toughness so let's hope she really develops offense in off-season. In CHRIST Alone

 

[TJVol95]

idk why you continue to watch dude

Always hoping for a well coached hard charging lady Vol basketball team to play consistently. I’m a Proud UT grad and will support the Vols until I die. I will also call it like it is. GLV

 

[JCP201]

Teams like Michigan, Rutgers, and Oregon State seem to have been hurt in their seeding by shorter seasons after missing several games due to COVID pauses, which looks like has led to some bracketing imbalances. Just a weird season all around.

Also, no fans.. In the women's game maybe being in neutral fields has helped the lesser teams do better (Texas AM should have lost yesterday).

 

[RAVOL]

I left here during the game because I was tired of reading the SOS about Harper.

Tough loss - but it wasn’t from lack of effort. And I don’t care what game plan or prep you do as a coach — if your team shoots 12 of 27 on layups, you’re going to lose.

I, for one, am glad Harper is our coach, and I’m excited for the future.

Preach On. In CHRIST Alone

 

[Amb3096]

For the players we lost in the last two seasons to transfer or injury I felt we vastly outperformed expectations. That’s how I gauge how successful it was.

We were projected 6th in the SEC and were a bubble team for two seasons before this. To finish 3rd in the SEC behind A&M and SC and then get a #3 seed in the tournament we outperformed expectations by a lot.

Would more have been better? Always. But let’s not discount this season for all the progress it made for the program. What would y’all be saying if we had finished where experts projected us?

I don't disagree with anything you said relative to Tennessee over the past two years. A step in the right direction for sure, but still ultimately a disappointment...just not as big as a disappointment as the previous years.

What does sting is that with Rennia and KK leaving, next season is likely to be a true rebuilding year.

 

[VolBall09]

Teams like Michigan, Rutgers, and Oregon State seem to have been hurt in their seeding by shorter seasons after missing several games due to COVID pauses, which looks like has led to some bracketing imbalances. Just a weird season all around.

Yeah. I’ve said all year the winner of this one will have an asterisk next to their name. Wasn’t a level playing field.

Different conferences had very different protocols as well. The PAC 12 and SEC had some of the most strict in terms of contact so that certainly played a role in the amount of coaching the players could even receive.

I think that’s why we saw some mid-majors take really good teams down to the wire or beat them. More so than this year they benefitted being at a smaller institution, in a smaller conference. More relaxed rules and more normalcy. You notice the mid major teams played a lot more games as a whole. There were not the rigorous contact tracing protocols like there were in the major conferences.

 

[Amb3096]

The 6:0 guard from Texas?

The PG from Kentucky. Wynn is not a PG.

Even Wynn will probably need a season or two to be a real contributor.

 

[RAVOL]

I hope you are right. I think Holly was a really bad coach, but her recruiting was great and it was NOT like the guys football team when Harper came--the cupboard was full. If you can't win with Davis/Burrell and Key/KK giants--plus Horston etc, then??? I can't help but worry that this is the best we are going to be.

It was Davis and Burrell who missed many shots they have made all year. Bad evening.

 

[volmanNC]

Win or lose I thank Kellie and staff for their hard work. It was TN choice not to pick a veteran coach.. so, we need to have patience with her. Beginning of the season we were not ranked but she fought her way to here. So thank u.

CKH was a veteran coach, just not a very good one. She had been a head coach at a P5 school.. Of course she did get fired..!!

 

[DEEFEEZEE]

The lady vols need a big name as CEO of this program to compete with geno,Dawn and tara name recognition goes along way with this generation.

 

[vol66]

.

 

[Coffy73]

I've watched every game this season I've been a lady vol fan for 35 years and I'm from the west coast Tennessee's not a a elite program anymore I just call it how I see it.

I hate when some think criticism of a favorite program is being somehow disloyal. A true fan will always tell it like they see it and the Lady Vols are not elite anymore, which really is to be expected! I remember when it was a sure thing to go very far come tourney time, it was almost guaranteed, but that time is gone! We might get there again one day, but it's time to stop thinking like it's expected cause it's not. Hope we get some good players down the line and just hope for the best; maybe we'll get some nice surprises in the future!

 

[ttharp]

The 6 seeds seem tougher than a lot of the 4 seeds this season. Half wonder if they didn’t do that to try to have more early round upsets in the women’s tournament. That’s been a complaint for a long time that we don’t have enough upsets so they figured they’d manufacture some?

We should know more by the end of the second round. As of now though, we’re the first 3 seed to get bounced.

The 6 seeds in this tourney are: Rutgers, Oregon, Texas, and Michigan. Of those 6 seeds, I would still prefer to face Michigan. Rutgers got bounced by a lower seed in the first round. Let’s see how the remaining 6 seeds perform, and that’ll answer your question.