Game Thread: #23/23 Lady Vols versus #3/5 UCONN

[VA_VOLFAN]

turnover losses ARE coaching losses

I agree and disagree because we have seen turnover after turnover after turnover in other seasons and no changes were made. This year we have seen a change in personnel during these things and today the whole team was just turning it over. Even with the adjustments. But turnovers do need to be addressed and you address them in practice ... she can ask her team was it the game, were they not prepared, was it the crowd, etc. As a coach I want to know and I am all ears about what my players saw, heard, felt because next time I was ya prepared.

I don’t want to limit players but certain ones on our teams I’m saying set screens, box out, and get out the lane.

For a player like Burrell it’s get the rebound, chin check the ball, and look for a set up person.

 

[Orange_Mamba]

It feels like years since we’ve had a team that didnt avg such high turnovers and that could play a consistent two halves of basketball.

 

[RAVOL]

We could use a quicker point guard and a quicker two guard. Horston has quickness but she has yet to learn a good pass from a bad one and how to finish layups. I counted six or seven layups that Brown, KK and Horston missed that they should've easily made.

Jordy just needs time. Her Athletic abilities our off the charts and she has tools to be a really good offensive player. I believe next year she will be dynamic once she continues to learn and gets stronger. And yes we need a true point who can handle the rock.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Got to find a way if your the coach can't win consistently until you find a way. If you keep giving up 20 shots more than you get to the opponent your gonna lose a lot of games.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt out of control?
You don't just flip an inner switch to get control back,

 

[travis929]

Made it to the game tonight in Hartford, surrounded by some very kind UConn fans (except for someone behind me trashing UT for how they treated Westbrook).

Agree with all the comments about the turnovers. The moment seemed to really catch up to us once UConn upped the pressure in the second half (great move by Geno to bench ONO and Irwin) and also led to many missed layups and free throws. That’s all on the players, but they’ll grow. Also agree that KK and Kam were just not up for this game and I would’ve liked to see us go small ball. Jaz continues to be just solid and nice to see her hunting her shots more.

Those trashing Key, just stfu. 1) it’s rare for freshmen posts to see much success in D1 (Graves is one of the few Lady Vols I can think of who was ready coming out of HS) and 2) she was getting shoved like crazy off the ball and slapped nonstop when she got the ball, and I don’t think she got a SINGLE CALL. She was clearly frustrated but she’ll learn. UConn got away with a lot, though.

 

[Voltopia]

27 giveaways. They might as well start calling themselves Turnoversee at this rate.

I think there's all the potential in the world in some of these kids but they just do the strangest things with the basketball. Sometimes I wish we could have a show where you just watch the tape with the players and ask "what were you thinking?" after some plays. I really want to know what they're thinking. Why'd you try that? What did you think would happen? I would love to know.

 

[Volfan2012]

Jordy just needs time. Her Athletic abilities our off the charts and she has tools to be a really good offensive player. I believe next year she will be dynamic once she continues to learn and gets stronger. And yes we need a true point who can handle the rock.

I think it is time for her decision making to get better. I don't expect her to be perfect but some of the bad decisions have to stop if were ever to get better. Six turnovers a game is just to many.

 

[Creekdog]

It ain't WHO to play,,,its how to settle them down.
They are the same team that whipped the connies in the opening,,same team

I don't pull punches
when you let three 6pt+ runs go by without a timeout,,,don't go inside when you dwarf their interior and sub just to sub...you are NOT going to beat Geno, nor his team!

I agree in theory but if you go to or even try to throw a pass to KK on the inside you'll likely end up with a net loss at the end of the game.

 

[RAVOL]

Pride is what Coach more than anything is trying to instill to her team. We haven't had it in years and it takes time to get it back. She understands without Zaye she doesn't have alot of talented options right now. But pride it doesn't take Athletic ability to have this. That is why Lou plays even on one good knee because she has pride.

 

[therealitytheory]

That's just plain false...

Nope. She got canned at NC State....TRUE

• Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State has fired women's basketball coach Kellie Harper after four seasons.
The school said Tuesday the 35-year-old coach wouldn't return after missing the NCAA tournament for the third straight year. Harper, a former player under Tennessee's Pat Summitt, was the successor to late Hall of Famer Kay Yow, who died in 2009 after a long fight with cancer.

Harper's first team went 20-14, made a surprise run to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final and reached the NCAAs in 2010. But that season ended up being the high point.
The Wolfpack never reached 20 wins again, going just 50-50 with a 16-32 mark in ACC play and two trips to the WNIT in the past three seasons.

 

[Volfan2012]

So so frustrating watching UT just give teams extra possesions each and every game. Not sure who Kellie needs to play to keep the turnsovers down but good grief. If I were coaching I would have lost my mind during a TO and reaming the team out and likely being all over social media for my outburst.

A different era now but Pat Summitt would've lost her mind and some players would be washing clothes next week or may even have to hitch hike back to Knoxville. She would never allow a team to turn the ball over like that without some type severe punishment.

 

[Creekdog]

It ain't WHO to play,,,its how to settle them down.
They are the same team that whipped the connies in the opening,,same team

I don't pull punches
when you let three 6pt+ runs go by without a timeout,,,don't go inside when you dwarf their interior and sub just to sub...you are NOT going to beat Geno, nor his team!

I agree in theory with the height advantage but if you go to or try to throw a pass to KK on the inside you'll likely end up with a net loss at the end of the game.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I agree in theory but if you go to or even try to throw a pass to KK on the inside you'll likely end up with a net loss at the end of the game.

There are drills for this

 

[RAVOL]

I think it is time for her decision making to get better. I don't expect her to be perfect but some of the bad decisions have to stop if were ever to get better. Six turnovers a game is just to many.

Yes it is but we have to let her play through it because there is no other option in a game like this

 

[Coach Jumper]

I agree and disagree because we have seen turnover after turnover after turnover in other seasons and no changes were made. This year we have seen a change in personnel during these things and today the whole team was just turning it over. Even with the adjustments. But turnovers do need to be addressed and you address them in practice ... she can ask her team was it the game, were they not prepared, was it the crowd, etc. As a coach I want to know and I am all ears about what my players saw, heard, felt because next time I was ya prepared.

I don’t want to limit players but certain ones on our teams I’m saying set screens, box out, and get out the lane.

For a player like Burrell it’s get the rebound, chin check the ball, and look for a set up person.

you address them in practice yes,,,but you interrupt them when they start happening too much,,in games!
You sure as heck don't go home with two timeouts in your pocket

 

[dapeak]

KK played too many minutes. Period. Put Lou out there and go small. Put Harris out there but KK ain’t it. At all. She did nothing tonight that brought me any confidence. The game tonight imo was lost on turnovers and interior play. Two of which I felt would be our Achilles. Key is good but needs to build muscle and add post moves to her game, she’s a freshman. She’s already good defensively and has a bit of an offensive game already. Horston, does not make good decisions. She’ll be great in the W but she’s going to have to mature with the ball a bit to be as great as she’s going to be. Davis played well, Brown played well, Massengill played well, Burrell played well. The two we missed in order to win this game were Horston and Key. Those two maturing the rest of this season will be the key to this team’s success. Tamari is the only true post presence we have and Horston is a guard with great skill and poor decision making.

 

[Amb3096]

Check the box score: Fouls—Us, 16, them, 14. More of ours were shooting fouls.
That doesn't show bias by the refs. The refs didn't cause our turnovers, weird substitutions, or pitiful shooting in the second half. Blame the refs if you must; fans of losing teams have been doing that for as long as I've been watching or playing, and that's getting on towards seventy years.

They out-Tennessee'd Tennessee. They crashed the offensive boards hard and got fouled on putbacks. Hard to believe that Tennessee let a small UConn team manhandle them on the boards like that.

 

[glv98]

On a positive note, Massingill continues as by far the team's most improved player, and one of it's most reliable in all areas. 11 pts. 7 rebs, 5 asst, 3 steals, and only 2 of the dreaded turnovers. Very, very solid in the biggest game of her career.

 

[Big Orange Rock]

Our post never step to the pass!!

Exactly our posts even after the ball is passed their way continue to body up and lean on the defender behind them allowing the defender to reach over and tip the pass away. Quit leaning on them , take a step to the passer , catch the ball and go to work

 

[Coach Jumper]

Yes it is but we have to let her play through it because there is no other option in a game like this

Jordan wasn't alone. The only one playing, even under control for the game was Rennia,,,,Jaz shooting four 3's in the first half and Lou not...Rae coming in like she was playing five on one....From the bench you have to see this and act on it...sometimes harshly!

 

[VolBall09]

I think we could have won this game. This was our chance. UConn is not as good as past teams. Except for defense. UConn turned it up a notch on defense and accelerated our turnovers. We substitute in for fresh legs. UConn has fresher legs at the end. Conditioning is one of the keystone trademarks of a UConn team. They can run all night

It’s too soon to give up on this team and definitely way too soon to be speaking negatively about Coach

Keep you chin up Coach

I have real hope that this is the game that fixes the turnovers. There has never been a better example of winning nearly every other aspect of the game. Except one. Even 10 fewer and it goes down to the wire. 15 less to 12 where we should be an we control the game.

Giving up offensive rebounds is essentially a turnover as well. It always has been, and always will be a game of possessions. You give them 20 more looks at the basket and you beat yourself.

 

[Nute Gunray]

KK played too many minutes. Period. Put Lou out there and go small. Put Harris out there but KK ain’t it. At all. She did nothing tonight that brought me any confidence. The game tonight imo was lost on turnovers and interior play. Two of which I felt would be our Achilles. Key is good but needs to build muscle and add post moves to her game, she’s a freshman. She’s already good defensively and has a bit of an offensive game already. Horston, does not make good decisions. She’ll be great in the W but she’s going to have to mature with the ball a bit to be as great as she’s going to be. Davis played well, Brown played well, Massengill played well, Burrell played well. The two we missed in order to win this game were Horston and Key. Those two maturing the rest of this season will be the key to this team’s success. Tamari is the only true post presence we have and Horston is a guard with great skill and poor decision making.

Very intuitive analysis, dapeak. The only point I will disagree is about Brown. She does not give the LVs enough scoring. They missed Zaay. I wish McCoy were an option.

 

[VolBall09]

Exactly our posts even after the ball is passed their way continue to body up and lean in the defender behind them allowing the defender to reach over and tip the pass away. Quit leaning on them , take a step to the passer , catch the ball and go to work

They need to elevate TO the ball, like they want it. As a post defender that’s the easier ball the get if the offensive player just leans on you: side step, offensive player falls back off balance, take the ball and outlet.

It’s not just easy to get it’s a transition dream, your big is taking the ball in stride facing the opposite end. Usually with a player already out front streaking the other way.

 

[Rockytoprowdy]

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt out of control?
You don't just flip an inner switch to get control back,

No you don’t just flip a switch. But if what you’re doing isn’t working, you try something different. You don’t run the same “offensive set”, and I use that loosely, every time down the floor. If all else fails, get the ball in the hands of your best player and see what happens. When a team goes triangle and two on your two best players, you don’t stick Rennia in the corner and hope your young, inexperienced players can handle their pressure. She had to know if was coming after Alabama ran a box and one with success last game. And she better figure something out quick because she’ll see a lot more of it after what they did tonight.

 

[lvocd]

I knew this crap would happen. Tennessee struggles to beat Tennessee State early in the season, and Alabama a few days ago, yet the majority of posts tonight are from people who appear to be shocked and devastated that Tennessee didn’t handle one of the best teams in the country on a court they’ve lost about 2 games on in 15 years. If people are shocked and devastated, they may actually be stupid.