GAME THREAD: @ Ole Miss, Monday, 1/26, 4 pm, ESPNU

[sechamp2012]

I'm guessing the makeup game will be played on a Tuesday Feb 10th. That week will be a super quick turn around week with South Carolina, Ole Miss and Missouri. Plus no men's Vols or Miss games to compete with.

I hope they don’t do this play USC on road/OM on road then come home wore down & play Miz that will playing their heart out for their coach. Could be a bad week. I’d rather pay out of the UConn or make a future year contact but it is close to 2/1/26 may be hard to cancel this late. Just hate to hiccup the season with an overload back to back road then home.

 

[Orangeslide]

I hope they don’t do this play USC on road/OM on road then come home wore down & play Miz that will playing their heart out for their coach. Could be a bad week. I’d rather pay out of the UConn or make a future year contact but it is close to 2/1/26 may be hard to cancel this late. Just hate to hiccup the season with an overload back to back road then home.

After last year, UCONN will be amped up to play us. No way they cancel unless forced.

 

[LadyVolsDiehard]

I hope they don’t do this play USC on road/OM on road then come home wore down & play Miz that will playing their heart out for their coach. Could be a bad week. I’d rather pay out of the UConn or make a future year contact but it is close to 2/1/26 may be hard to cancel this late. Just hate to hiccup the season with an overload back to back road then home.

I understand but It's not happening.

 

[1morevol]

"Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much ---" - the Bard

We must have lots of skinny people on this forum.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

After last year, UCONN will be amped up to play us. No way they cancel unless forced.

Anybody got a clue on DW/coach risk/reward analysis preferences? I am sure there is language to get out if or move this game. Cost????? Post season impact???

Tripling up with the all out 94 ft game plan IN CONFERENCE seems like a bad thing. How bad????

 

[37620VOL]

@DeerPark12 what are your thoughts on the rescheduling of this one? Will they cancel and swap the Uconn game or squeeze it in somewhere?

 

[th2421]

@DeerPark12 what are your thoughts on the rescheduling of this one? Will they cancel and swap the Uconn game or squeeze it in somewhere?

Just something to note about the UConn game, I’m in CT and we are supposed to get anywhere between 11”-28” of snow next weekend (depending on which weather service you look at). Still a lot of time for that forecast to change, but unfortunately seems totally possible this game could be cancelled.

 

[VolBall09]

Cancel the UCONN series for good. Let Kim develop her own rivalries.

No reason to play that game in the middle of a brutal conference schedule. Playing it in February has always favored UConn. They play cupcake after cupcake in conference and then have one real contest a month.

Meanwhile we’re getting beaten to death in the SEC and have to cram in an extra game against the #1 team that serves no purpose for the betterment of our team.

Beating them last year made us worse instead of better imo.

 

[Mr. Doo Wop]

Cancel the UCONN series for good. Let Kim develop her own rivalries.

No reason to play that game in the middle of a brutal conference schedule. Playing it in February has always favored UConn. They play cupcake after cupcake in conference and then have one real contest a month.

Meanwhile we’re getting beaten to death in the SEC and have to cram in an extra game against the #1 team that serves no purpose for the betterment of our team.

Beating them last year made us worse instead of better imo.

When was the last time Tennessee played UConn when they were the number one team?

 

[mprock]

Man up and play the game. Don’t worry about the beat down.

 

[Puppeteer]

Cancel the UCONN series for good. Let Kim develop her own rivalries.

No reason to play that game in the middle of a brutal conference schedule. Playing it in February has always favored UConn. They play cupcake after cupcake in conference and then have one real contest a month.

Meanwhile we’re getting beaten to death in the SEC and have to cram in an extra game against the #1 team that serves no purpose for the betterment of our team.

Beating them last year made us worse instead of better imo.

This game is theeee game everyone wants to see. Regardless of what a few fans want, viewership is off the charts with this game and will continue to be off the charts...at least until/if uconn becomes irrelevant when Auriemma retires. This game is great for WBB. No other game compares. None. Win or lose, I look forward to Uconn/Tennessee and so did all the Tennessee fans once upon a time. JMO...not looking for an argument. Just saying how valuable Uconn/Tennessee is to WBB.

 

[Volfan2012]

My thinking is I care more about where I finish in the SEC than I do playing a game with UConn at this time in the season. Playing them then one week having to play Tuesday, and Thursday and back on Sunday is just to much and it will cost us.

 

[chuckiepoo]

@DeerPark12 what are your thoughts on the rescheduling of this one? Will they cancel and swap the Uconn game or squeeze it in somewhere?

Thank you for providing a little coherence to a previously pondering wandering…

 

[brittannica]

I like the UConn series. Winning last year was inarguably the high point of Lady Vols basketball in a while. With them picking up and a home-and-home with Vandy and playing LSU, I am not sure the series will continue after this year anyway.

 

[lvocd]

Man up and play the game. Don’t worry about the beat down.

My concern is not about worrying over a beat down in CT, but that playing three games in a week in the exhausting style Tennessee plays could have a negative effect on the outcomes of the two league games, which is something we cannot afford to have happen when every win matters.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Playing UConn in the regular season is not this serious as the usual negative minded fans are making it out to be.
I don’t see the point in dwelling on the game.
I also think that it’s one thing to state facts but to lie as if Coach Caldwell LV team has ever gotten beat to death in the SEC particularly last season is just being foolish.
The truth is against SEC ranked opponents in the SEC her team in year 1 loss several games by about 7 points or less. And before anyone comes with the same broken record it’s not a moral victory to point out the facts.. it’s a fact they were competitive and it showed during the run to the Sweet 16 in year 1 which only 5 other SEC teams made it that deep into the NCAA tourney last season.
This season, Tennessee certainly starting the SEC at 6-0 is not going to get beaten to death if they continue to play as a team and build off the success which has the LVs ranked #15 after starting the season ranked #7.

 

[ncteacher88]

Cancel the UCONN series for good. Let Kim develop her own rivalries.

No reason to play that game in the middle of a brutal conference schedule. Playing it in February has always favored UConn. They play cupcake after cupcake in conference and then have one real contest a month.

Meanwhile we’re getting beaten to death in the SEC and have to cram in an extra game against the #1 team that serves no purpose for the betterment of our team.

Beating them last year made us worse instead of better imo.

I can totally understand you wanting to cancel a series with UConn. However, I’m going to dispute your argument about playing in February has always favored UConn. It was clearly done for TV viewership reasons, exposure for women’s basketball, and financial reasons.

Of course, you have already stated you do not like a different opinion and in fact, even refuses to read anything which is different than what you already believe. (I think your quote was, “blah blah blah I am not even gonna read that.”) However, this is for anyone else who might read the post, and are more objectively open-minded.

Currently, the big East is extremely weak, no question, even UConn fans are unhappy with that. However, your statement said, “has always favored UConn.” Between 2006 and 2019 they did not play each other, and during this period were arguably some of UConn‘s strongest teams and arguably some of Tennessee’s weakest teams, (although they did win two championships). Prior to 2006 the big east was an extremely strong conference, and included teams, like Notre Dame, Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia.

Here is a breakdown of the teams that made the NCAA tournament and the winning percentage during the tournament. As an objective person can see, the Big East held their own as a top conference during those years. In fact, based on winning percentage, the big east outperformed the SEC each and every one of those years, except for 2008 thanks to Tennessee’s 6-O record.

Therefore, to sum it up. While the big East is weak now that has not always been the case, and Tennessee agreed to play in February for the same reason Connecticut agreed to play in February, because when you are a winning university with a winning mentality, you do not look for lame excuses. If anything, playing a tough schedule prepares you for tough midseason games as opposed to a week schedule, which doesn’t prepare you for tough games. I believe that is the argument that people used why LSU struggled in their first tough game. Winning 40 point games is actually counterproductive.



Year: BE % SEC %

2008 8 .636 5 .765

2009 7 .714 7 .462

2010 7 .647 6 .647

2011 9 .679 4 .600

2012 8 .652 8 .600

2013 8 .696 7 .667

 

[chuckiepoo]

My thinking is I care more about where I finish in the SEC than I do playing a game with UConn at this time in the season. Playing them then one week having to play Tuesday, and Thursday and back on Sunday is just to much and it will cost us.

The OOC matchup was determined well in advance of the SEC schedule. How it fell in our schedule was determined by the SEC. No favors… just play.

 

[VolBall09]

I can totally understand you wanting to cancel a series with UConn. However, I’m going to dispute your argument about playing in February has always favored UConn. It was clearly done for TV viewership reasons, exposure for women’s basketball, and financial reasons.

Of course, you have already stated you do not like a different opinion and in fact, even refuses to read anything which is different than what you already believe. (I think your quote was, “blah blah blah I am not even gonna read that.”) However, this is for anyone else who might read the post, and are more objectively open-minded.

Currently, the big East is extremely weak, no question, even UConn fans are unhappy with that. However, your statement said, “has always favored UConn.” Between 2006 and 2019 they did not play each other, and during this period were arguably some of UConn‘s strongest teams and arguably some of Tennessee’s weakest teams, (although they did win two championships). Prior to 2006 the big east was an extremely strong conference, and included teams, like Notre Dame, Louisville, Rutgers, and West Virginia.

Here is a breakdown of the teams that made the NCAA tournament and the winning percentage during the tournament. As an objective person can see, the Big East held their own as a top conference during those years. In fact, based on winning percentage, the big east outperformed the SEC each and every one of those years, except for 2008 thanks to Tennessee’s 6-O record.

Therefore, to sum it up. While the big East is weak now that has not always been the case, and Tennessee agreed to play in February for the same reason Connecticut agreed to play in February, because when you are a winning university with a winning mentality, you do not look for lame excuses. If anything, playing a tough schedule prepares you for tough midseason games as opposed to a week schedule, which doesn’t prepare you for tough games. I believe that is the argument that people used why LSU struggled in their first tough game. Winning 40 point games is actually counterproductive.



Year: BE % SEC %

2008 8 .636 5 .765

2009 7 .714 7 .462

2010 7 .647 6 .647

2011 9 .679 4 .600

2012 8 .652 8 .600

2013 8 .696 7 .667

Windbag.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Windbag.

Do you ever lurk the boneyard? It will help with your sense of perspective…

Not too soon to start discussion TENNESSEE? So much to discuss... My questions are=

I would enjoy hearing from the BONEYARD on all things "Lady Volunteers" but to start: 1. Have you "Major" concerns about Tennessee's press? I watched the game highlights of Louisville beating Tennessee and it appeared to me that (IN THE SECOND HALF) Louisville had no trouble breaking down the...

the-boneyard.com

 

[1morevol]

Cancel the UCONN series for good. Let Kim develop her own rivalries.

No reason to play that game in the middle of a brutal conference schedule. Playing it in February has always favored UConn. They play cupcake after cupcake in conference and then have one real contest a month.

Meanwhile we’re getting beaten to death in the SEC and have to cram in an extra game against the #1 team that serves no purpose for the betterment of our team.

Beating them last year made us worse instead of better imo.

I mostly agree. The timing of the UConn game is bad, particularly this year after we've already played the toughest out of conference schedule of any team in the conference. I don't like the optics of appearing to be running from UConn though. If the rivalry is to continue, perhaps the game should be scheduled earlier in the season. On the other hand, the hope is the regular season game won't be necessary when our Lady Vols get back to the point where we are regularly facing off against the Huskies in Elite Eights and Final Fours.

 

[ncteacher88]

Windbag.

I do not usually respond to a person not able to conduct civilized discourse. If a person with 20,000 posts on a message board and the best they can come up to dispute a different opinion backed with statistical data is:

1. Blah blah blah or
2. Any form of name-calling.

It shows that they have failed in the area of adult, interpersonal communication and possibly (with no information to back up my next claim) in life in general.

People are allowed to value their opinion more than anyone else’s. However, generally, a person afraid of a differing opinion is afraid that their personal beliefs will not stand up to scrutiny, and do not trust the veracity of their own belief system and prefer to live in the bubble of their own making.

 

[1reVOLver]

Windbag.

 

[LadyVolsDiehard]

If you want the UConn/LV game cancelled because of a potential "butt kicking" we could receive tells me a lot about some.

I remember last year I read this argument on Twitter and other platforms and we managed to win it and we was happy and talking ISH.

If we so happened to pull an upset this year, with it being our last year under Nike, it would be a HUGE STATEMENT WIN, recruiting could actually peak with this game, and the media and popular women's basketball podcasters on YouTube would have no choice but to talk about us!

Have you noticed since our last two butt kickings, NO ONE TALKS ABOUT US because they still don't trust our team for example. If we want to show we have potential throughout the rest of the season to keep up with the country's elite we have to start with the best whether we win or lose.

Just a thought.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Fake news. Tennessee been trending on social media since the start of SEC conference play.
The two SEC ranked wins been buzzing on social media. Mia Pauldo, Jaida Civil, Deniya Prawl, Mya Pauldo, and Lauren Hurst play as the best freshmen class in WBB has been buzzing on social media.
The way posters come on this forum to spread false information is comical.