Thinking about Louisville

[madtownvol]

I feel like Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame where he tries to envision the one single scenario out of a trillion future events where Thanos could be defeated.

We can assume that Jordan Horston will not be available which means, once again, the LVs will be in their next player up scramble mode.

The plus is that the LVs have gotten pretty good guard play from Jordan W. and Brooklyn. So that has to continue. I particular like “the fire” that BM has been bringing off the bench, She is ready for the fight.

Snoop has been a 20-10 machine of late and that has to continue. I am hoping she is on a magical tournament run.

I think it was important that Rae made the pass to Puckett for her big 3. Rae had been trying to be THE player who puts "the team on her back" and that is just not happening. In the 2nd half against Belmont, it looked liked she settled into being a player on the team. That needs to continue. The LVs will do better with Rae having a 12 points, 5 rebound, 3 assist game without all the turnovers and forced plays, than 20 points on 8 for 25 shooting and bunch of balls dribbled off her foot.

Sara Puckett seems to be finding her groove and that trend also needs to continue.

Tess has got to step up. I have been on her bandwagon but she was not good in the first two games. She looked like a nervous player. Maybe now that the team has gotten the sweet 16 monkey of their backs, she can relax a bit more. To win, it is likely that the LVs are going to need hit some 3s and that is Tess’s job. A 3 for 6 shooting night would come in handy.

And a better start for Tamari is a must.

 

[glv98]

I feel like Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame where he tries to envision the one single scenario out of a trillion future events where Thanos could be defeated.

We can assume that Jordan Horston will not be available which means, once again, the LVs will be in their next player up scramble mode.

The plus is that the LVs have gotten pretty good guard play from Jordan W. and Brooklyn. So that has to continue. I particular like “the fire” that BM has been bringing off the bench, She is ready for the fight.

Snoop has been a 20-10 machine of late and that has to continue. I am hoping she is on a magical tournament run.

I think it was important that Rae made the pass to Puckett for her big 3. Rae had been trying to be THE player who puts "the team on her back" and that is just not happening. In the 2nd half against Belmont, it looked liked she settled into being a player on the team. That needs to continue. The LVs will do better with Rae having a 12 points, 5 rebound, 3 assist game without all the turnovers and forced plays, than 20 points on 6 for 25 shooting and bunch of balls dribbled off her foot.

Sara Puckett seems to be finding her groove and that trend also needs to continue.

Tess has got to step up. I have been on her bandwagon but she was not good in the first two games. She looked like a nervous player. Maybe now that the team has gotten the sweet 16 monkey of their backs, she can relax a bit more. To win, it is likely that the LVs are going to need hit some 3s and that is Tess’s job. A 3 for 6 shooting night would come in handy.

And a better start for Tamari is a must.

On point. Yes yes yes, a better start for Key. Start hitting layups early. Also take more of those dang elbow jumpers! She shoots those and fts much better than layups. Probably because those shots are without 200 lbs of opponents draping off her arms.

One thing I would add: continued valuable minutes for Wynn. IMO, KJH's development and timely use of Wynn has been excellent. Knows when and where and for how long she is valuable. Unlike earlier in the season, I now think Wynn is going to be a real player in the future.

 

[Nute Gunray]

I feel like Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame where he tries to envision the one single scenario out of a trillion future events where Thanos could be defeated.

We can assume that Jordan Horston will not be available which means, once again, the LVs will be in their next player up scramble mode.

The plus is that the LVs have gotten pretty good guard play from Jordan W. and Brooklyn. So that has to continue. I particular like “the fire” that BM has been bringing off the bench, She is ready for the fight.

Snoop has been a 20-10 machine of late and that has to continue. I am hoping she is on a magical tournament run.

I think it was important that Rae made the pass to Puckett for her big 3. Rae had been trying to be THE player who puts "the team on her back" and that is just not happening. In the 2nd half against Belmont, it looked liked she settled into being a player on the team. That needs to continue. The LVs will do better with Rae having a 12 points, 5 rebound, 3 assist game without all the turnovers and forced plays, than 20 points on 6 for 25 shooting and bunch of balls dribbled off her foot.

Sara Puckett seems to be finding her groove and that trend also needs to continue.

Tess has got to step up. I have been on her bandwagon but she was not good in the first two games. She looked like a nervous player. Maybe now that the team has gotten the sweet 16 monkey of their backs, she can relax a bit more. To win, it is likely that the LVs are going to need hit some 3s and that is Tess’s job. A 3 for 6 shooting night would come in handy.

And a better start for Tamari is a must.

You are right on, madtownvol, as usual. Tess needs to step up her offense. The rest of her game is solid.

 

[Volfan2012]

I feel like Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame where he tries to envision the one single scenario out of a trillion future events where Thanos could be defeated.

We can assume that Jordan Horston will not be available which means, once again, the LVs will be in their next player up scramble mode.

The plus is that the LVs have gotten pretty good guard play from Jordan W. and Brooklyn. So that has to continue. I particular like “the fire” that BM has been bringing off the bench, She is ready for the fight.

Snoop has been a 20-10 machine of late and that has to continue. I am hoping she is on a magical tournament run.

I think it was important that Rae made the pass to Puckett for her big 3. Rae had been trying to be THE player who puts "the team on her back" and that is just not happening. In the 2nd half against Belmont, it looked liked she settled into being a player on the team. That needs to continue. The LVs will do better with Rae having a 12 points, 5 rebound, 3 assist game without all the turnovers and forced plays, than 20 points on 6 for 25 shooting and bunch of balls dribbled off her foot.

Sara Puckett seems to be finding her groove and that trend also needs to continue.

Tess has got to step up. I have been on her bandwagon but she was not good in the first two games. She looked like a nervous player. Maybe now that the team has gotten the sweet 16 monkey of their backs, she can relax a bit more. To win, it is likely that the LVs are going to need hit some 3s and that is Tess’s job. A 3 for 6 shooting night would come in handy.

And a better start for Tamari is a must.

Jordan probably won't be available. but Kellie did throw out there see how she progresses this week. Maybe she is just throwing that out there to give Louisville something got think about or maybe Jordan is making enough progress that four more days may be enough to give it a try.

 

[glv98]

Kellie just said last week Jordan was not yet practicing. How could she play?

 

[Volfan2012]

Kellie just said last week Jordan was not yet practicing. How could she play?

Probably can't but she did say see how she progresses this week. That is all.

 

[creekdipper]

Saw the thread title and thought someone had hacked the romantic diary of one of our most beloved posters.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Kellie just said last week Jordan was not yet practicing. How could she play?

She's been out long enough that her conditioning is probably compromised. I wouldn't put her out there unless she had practiced enough to get her wind back.

 

[VolBall09]

Looking forward to this game. I tend to approach games looking at matchups and defense.

I think we matchup better with Louisville than we did with either of our two first round opponents. We tend to play better against teams that also have some size and rely on paint points. We are tough to score on in the paint if that’s your main thing.

Tamari is true rim protector and makes it incredibly difficult to score from about 15’ in. Cochran isn’t the most offensively talented player and will struggle to score on her. If TK can tag her with a couple fouls they get less talented quickly in the post. Dixon just isn’t that great IMO. I was bummed when she transferred to Louisville but haven’t really seen her do anything special.

They really only go 6 deep against good teams and Robinson is a defensive stopper but has no offensive game. They have 5 players who can score. That’s all.

They play Engstler at the 4 and I do not think she can guard Dye for a second. She’s a good rebounder but I think we will beat them on the glass.

Where VanLith really likes to get her shots is TK central. She loves that 12’ mid-range shot and Tamari usually sends those to half court. VanLith is not that speedy and is not likely to take you off the bounce. Tries to get open shots off screening action from mid-range or 3. I believe Rae will be able to keep up with her and will have some length on her to bother her shot.

Walker is likely tasked with checking Smith and will need to keep her in front. Something Walker has done well the last two games for the most part. I think BK will play heavy minutes to guard Hall and pressure the ball. Tess does not have a very good matchup in this game. Normally she would guard the 3 player but don’t think she can check VanLith.

Might see some offense/defense subs with Darby and Miles this weekend.

In general I think this is a very winnable game. I thought Louisville was overrated all season and played a weak non-con schedule. They squeaked out a lot of wins just like us. They didn’t lose any stars to injury but a couple bench players are out I think. They are definitely not a deep team. Could be in our favor if we can wear them out a little.

 

[lvocd]

She's been out long enough that her conditioning is probably compromised. I wouldn't put her out there unless she had practiced enough to get her wind back.

I vaguely recall reading that she had been able to do cardio work despite the injury, so while riding bikes or other means of doing it doesn't compare to up-and-down court running, I am at least confident she hasn't been a total couch potato for all these weeks. I'll be surprised if she's cleared to play, but if she is I would imagine she's done enough to go for at least a few minutes. Whether it would even make sense to try if she can go only a handful of minutes, I don't know.

 

[LadyVols_WBK]

Englester concerns me she practically lives in the passing lanes. She has a nice wingspan too

 

[volroadwarrior]

I hope we can win this one. It is frustrating to see these teams seem to get all of the loose balls and offensive rebounds with their smaller players. The stats may not bear this out, but it keeps the inferior teams in the game. A win is a win though and would love to see us advance further. What a great play by Burrell and Puckett at the end of the game. That is one to be remembered.

 

[LadyVol1908]

Englester concerns me she practically lives in the passing lanes. She has a nice wingspan too

She’s my concern as well. She moves well without the ball and Dye loses her player way too much on defense. I think if we maintain her, we have a good chance at winning.

 

[River67]

She's been out long enough that her conditioning is probably compromised. I wouldn't put her out there unless she had practiced enough to get her wind back.

She’s been doing conditioning and some other things, just not practicing with the team yet from what Kellie said a week or so ago

 

[LadyinOrange]

If we play Louisville like we played Belmont, the end will be far different I'm afraid.

 

[madtownvol]

On point. Yes yes yes, a better start for Key. Start hitting layups early. Also take more of those dang elbow jumpers! She shoots those and fts much better than layups. Probably because those shots are without 200 lbs of opponents draping off her arms.

One thing I would add: continued valuable minutes for Wynn. IMO, KJH's development and timely use of Wynn has been excellent. Knows when and where and for how long she is valuable. Unlike earlier in the season, I now think Wynn is going to be a real player in the future.

Good point about Kaiya. She looks like a different player from the early season. She has definitely provided valuable minutes and is helping to fill the perimeter defense gap left by Jordan's absence.

I remain mystified by Key and even Dye missing so many bunnies early in the game, though they seem to settle down as the game goes on. Is it nerves? It has become such a consistent pattern.

On the plus side, TK's FT shooting has been really clutch for the latter half of the season. I am betting her 63% breaks down to 50% for the first half and 75% for the 2nd half. I also would like to see her test the defense bit a more with her mid-range game.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Good point about Kaiya. She looks like a different player from the early season. She has definitely provided valuable minutes and is helping to fill the perimeter defense gap left by Jordan's absence.

I remain mystified by Key and even Dye missing so many bunnies early in the game, though they seem to settle down as the game goes on. Is it nerves? It has become such a consistent pattern.

On the plus side, TK's FT shooting has been really clutch for the latter half of the season. I am betting her 63% breaks down to 50% for the first half and 75% for the 2nd half. I also would like to see her test the defense bit a more with her mid-range game.

That shot Key took from the elbow last night seemed smooth as silk. Moar please!

 

[Peas29]

I feel like Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame where he tries to envision the one single scenario out of a trillion future events where Thanos could be defeated.

We can assume that Jordan Horston will not be available which means, once again, the LVs will be in their next player up scramble mode.

The plus is that the LVs have gotten pretty good guard play from Jordan W. and Brooklyn. So that has to continue. I particular like “the fire” that BM has been bringing off the bench, She is ready for the fight.

Snoop has been a 20-10 machine of late and that has to continue. I am hoping she is on a magical tournament run.

I think it was important that Rae made the pass to Puckett for her big 3. Rae had been trying to be THE player who puts "the team on her back" and that is just not happening. In the 2nd half against Belmont, it looked liked she settled into being a player on the team. That needs to continue. The LVs will do better with Rae having a 12 points, 5 rebound, 3 assist game without all the turnovers and forced plays, than 20 points on 6 for 25 shooting and bunch of balls dribbled off her foot.

Sara Puckett seems to be finding her groove and that trend also needs to continue.

Tess has got to step up. I have been on her bandwagon but she was not good in the first two games. She looked like a nervous player. Maybe now that the team has gotten the sweet 16 monkey of their backs, she can relax a bit more. To win, it is likely that the LVs are going to need hit some 3s and that is Tess’s job. A 3 for 6 shooting night would come in handy.

And a better start for Tamari is a must.

Just posted about Rae’s pass! Everything you’re saying is spot on

 

[FrozenLVFan]

Good point about Kaiya. She looks like a different player from the early season. She has definitely provided valuable minutes and is helping to fill the perimeter defense gap left by Jordan's absence.

I remain mystified by Key and even Dye missing so many bunnies early in the game, though they seem to settle down as the game goes on. Is it nerves? It has become such a consistent pattern.

On the plus side, TK's FT shooting has been really clutch for the latter half of the season. I am betting her 63% breaks down to 50% for the first half and 75% for the 2nd half. I also would like to see her test the defense bit a more with her mid-range game.

In 4 post-season games, Dye is averaging 20 ppg on 57% shooting and 11.5 rpg. I rather like that pattern.

 

[And1]

I see us winning this game. LOU is not as deep, even with our injuries, and they have had several games where they didn't finish well late in the game, with single digit scoring in the 4th qtr. If the Lady Vols can keep it close, I think we pull it out in the 4th qtr. I think the picture that many on here are painting--that LOU is a Goliath--is a fallacy. They are very beatable and I believe have had much weaker opponents this year overall than the Lady Vols.

 

[madtownvol]

In 4 post-season games, Dye is averaging 20 ppg on 57% shooting and 11.5 rpg. I rather like that pattern.

Per my original post, without Alexa, this team is on vacation. She has been fantastic in all the tournament games and she has been key (no pun intended) to the LV's small ball line-up. Having said that, she still misses some very easy shots early in games. if she can settle in sooner, her numbers will be through the roof (and since the LVs are not a great shooting team, they need all their shots around the rim). But without question, Snoop has been teams MVP since Jordan went down.

 

[Darth_Vol]

In 4 post-season games, Dye is averaging 20 ppg on 57% shooting and 11.5 rpg. I rather like that pattern.

If Dye played like this in the regular season, they never would have left the top 10...

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

Against Lousiville, it will be All Hands On Deck...There is no tomorrow without a win...No holding back!

 

[VolBall09]

I see us winning this game. LOU is not as deep, even with our injuries, and they have had several games where they didn't finish well late in the game, with single digit scoring in the 4th qtr. If the Lady Vols can keep it close, I think we pull it out in the 4th qtr. I think the picture that many on here are painting--that LOU is a Goliath--is a fallacy. They are very beatable and I believe have had much weaker opponents this year overall than the Lady Vols.

My thoughts exactly. They do tend to jump on people and get out to a lead. They let off the gas and let teams back in though. If we can keep it close all game I like our 4th quarter chances. If this team is within 5 in the last 5 minutes of a game they have proven they can win time and again.

Get down 10+ and we just don’t have the offensive firepower to overcome the deficit.

 

[chuckiepoo]

My thoughts exactly. They do tend to jump on people and get out to a lead. They let off the gas and let teams back in though. If we can keep it close all game I like our 4th quarter chances. If this team is within 5 in the last 5 minutes of a game they have proven they can win time and again.

Get down 10+ and we just don’t have the offensive firepower to overcome the deficit.

You don’t think that would help them feel free to let it fly from the perimeter? I’m inclined to believe it may. The problem would be tensing up. Drive and kick to Puckett!