NCAA Tournament Game Thread: (3) Lady Vols vs. (14) Middle Tennessee

[LadyVols_WBK]

Michigan. We should take this one setting up a game with Baylor in the sweet 16

hopefully Virginia Tech take cares of Baylor for us

 

[madtownvol]

Obviously bothers her so should bother us. I’m a white person. That announcer gets her name wrong because he doesn’t care. It’s disrespectful and far to common for women like Rennia. She gets constantly disrespected on a national level.

She had a huge double double and torched MTSU and they couldn’t even get her name right because they were too busy talking about Annie Hayes or Paige Bueckers every 3 seconds.

I agree with you. In this case, I don't think it is specifically a race issue but the predispositions that announcers bring to the game. For some reason, Rae, perhaps her success was unexpected, has become the face of the LVs for the national media, whereas Rennia is always like "Oh, yeah, we forgot about her; she is pretty good to." It seems like the media just wrote Davis off after he slow start and became team Rae. They even report the stats in interesting ways. "RAE BURRELL LED THE LADY VOLS IN SCORING until Rennia Davis overtook her later in the season."

So, they are always primed for Rae to make a play even when its by Rennia while Rae is on the bench.

Per the MTSU game,, Hayes put up gawdy numbers and the producers probably saw this game as one that had good upset potential (which would have been a good story from a broadcast perspective).

On Page Bueckers, ESPN is literally putting her their all-time great wall with Taurasi, Stewart, Moore, and Bird.

ESPN finally acknowledged the outstanding freshman player from Iowa Caitlin Clark who led the nation in scoring playing in the more demanding Big 10 conference.

 

[Vols2015]

hopefully Virginia Tech take cares of Baylor for us

I think VT may at least give Baylor a run for their money. After all, VT did beat NC State this year by double digits, and only lost by 4 to Louisville.

 

[madtownvol]

So true guys....I turned on several of the ESPN stations 3 different times yesterday, before the game started, and each time they were doing a Paige B special...They went on and on about how she was the greatest and only going to be even more greater.....bla bla bla.....

Enough already...They can go Buecker themselves...

Well, she has cured cancer, solved the unified field problem in physics, negotiated lasting world peace, ended poverty, and most off all, led Uconn to a conference title.

 

[sisaq]

The coach didn’t do it. She was dismissed by UT itself... Holly made it clear it was a school decision.

Why all of a sudden she's a topic. Lady vols made her look great more than she is if they had played defense on her. Most of the points she made they were just looking at her..I kn she's a great player but they didn't play hard on her.

 

[VolBall09]

I think VT may at least give Baylor a run for their money. After all, VT did beat NC State this year by double digits, and only lost by 4 to Louisville.

It won’t be close. They did beat NC State but only when Cunane was out. She’s their main threat.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Why all of a sudden she's a topic. Lady vols made her look great more than she is if they had played defense on her. Most of the points she made they were just looking at her..I kn she's a great player but they didn't play hard on her.

It’s a topic because we just played her and she is the second leading scorer in the country. Would she score that much at TN, naw, but she could be that disruptive small guard that could have been an extra shot in the arm.

That and her mom and dad are a topic of discussion...

 

[Lurker]

It’s a topic because we just played her and she is the second leading scorer in the country. Would she score that much at TN, naw, but she could be that disruptive small guard that could have been an extra shot in the arm.

That and her mom and dad are a topic of discussion...

She plays fast but not in control. No difference from when she was here and she was also disruptive. Glad she's gone and don't care why. Addition by subtraction. Lady Vols looked like a team yesterday. Keep up the good work.

 

[Volfan2012]

Rennia 1803 points and 943 rebounds. If not for covid she would've been a 2000 point scorer and 1000 rebounder for her career. A few players may score more points or get more rebounds but very few players that play her position do both. You add .814 from the free throw line and she has been one of the most efficient players in Lady Vol history or WCCB history.

 

[VolBall09]

Exactly. When the announcer got Rennia’s name wrong (by calling her Rae), Rae wasn’t even in the game. I was like, huh?

Also, Re is a projected top-five WNBA prospect who’s been a starter since she arrived at UT. She’s been the face of the program for two years. Shouldn’t be getting her name wrong. Do better, ESPN!

It wasn’t just once which is why I mentioned it. 3-4 times he called her the wrong name. He called her Rae a couple of times and then credited her as Horston a couple times in transition. He got her name wrong more than he got it right I’m pretty sure.

 

[Volfan2012]

It wasn’t just once which is why I mentioned it. 3-4 times he called her the wrong name. He called her Rae a couple of times and then credited her as Horston a couple times in transition. He got her name wrong more than he got it right I’m pretty sure.

I watched it with the mute on so didn't know what was being said we had the two worst announcers to ever call a Tennessee game.

 

[ttharpe]

I watched it with the mute on so didn't know what was being said we had the two worst announcers to ever call a Tennessee game.

Which is why I was so surprised to hear Lobo compliment our players/team. We must’ve done something right (especially in the 2nd half) because she seemed v impressed.

 

[VOLPAT]

She will but Landers will not.

He hasn’t forgotten the number of times Pat kicked his butt.

 

[Volfan2012]

Getting the point guard position playing better should be all the staff is working on another 9 turnovers from that position yesterday. Burrell had 5 and the rest of the team only 7. Point guard has consistently been the position that turns the ball over this season averaging at least 7 a game amongst Walker and Horston. If we could get some quality point guard play and less than five turnovers we might make the final four.

 

[Coach Jumper]

So true guys....I turned on several of the ESPN stations 3 different times yesterday, before the game started, and each time they were doing a Paige B special...They went on and on about how she was the greatest and only going to be even more greater.....bla bla bla.....

Enough already...They can go Buecker themselves...

We may get our chance to shut them up

 

[glv98]

As far as the announcer, just like with the refs I think its more incompetence than any intentional diss. Doesn't seem racial at all to me. Would be a very strange career choice for someone who doesn't care to get Black folks names right to be a basketball announcer.

Disappointed, but not surprised Rennia gets as little national respect as she does, hell she gets dissed on this very site ALL the time for alleged selective hard play. Seen as an intentional turn on and offer. "If only she'd DECIDE to play like that ALL the time . .""when Davis DECIDES to . . .". If her own fans think that of course the outside world does, in spite of the evidence of her great play and passion. She'll never shake that incorrect perception apparently.

That's a crying shame and quite an irony in my book, since Rennia will turn out to be the player most responsible for the LV turnaround. I'm so glad Rennia realizes this; she discussed it proudly and movingly in one of the recent videos. Must be a big comfort as she tries to navigate gracefully around Snubsville.

 

[Nute Gunray]

KJH deserves some love for the change she made at half time. She pushed the zone out and stopped all the free looks from 3 also stopped the weak side from sliding in to the post which meant the ball reversal stopped working.. MTSU was too slow afoot to run any back cuts while the Lady Vols height meant there was no need to pack in to cover all the defensive rebounds. Great job by Kellie.

I agree completely with your comments, NeedOrange. However, Kellie said she did not make any halftime changes in a postgame interview. She said the LVs implemented fully the pregame defensive plan in the second half.

 

[Nute Gunray]

So true guys....I turned on several of the ESPN stations 3 different times yesterday, before the game started, and each time they were doing a Paige B special...They went on and on about how she was the greatest and only going to be even more greater.....bla bla bla.....

Enough already...They can go Buecker themselves...

Peanut Butter, oops, I mean Paige Bueckers is a up and coming great player. I hope all this ESPN hype doesn't go to her head.

 

[Nute Gunray]

Well, she has cured cancer, solved the unified field problem in physics, negotiated lasting world peace, ended poverty, and most off all, led Uconn to a conference title.

Madtownvol, you are too much. LOL, hahahahaha

 

[creekdipper]

Well, she has cured cancer, solved the unified field problem in physics, negotiated lasting world peace, ended poverty, and most off all, led Uconn to a conference title.

And that Big East title was the most difficult task!

 

[glv98]

Well, she has cured cancer, solved the unified field problem in physics, negotiated lasting world peace, ended poverty, and most off all, led Uconn to a conference title.

No, sorry, clearly it was Dolly Parton who did all of this.

Seriously, ya'll better get used to this or tune out. They always go with the easy, obvious story and beat it to death. If it includes UConn, who is definitely the face of WCBB as well as ESPN's beloved pet, all the better. They did exactly the same thing with the Meeks, with CP, etc. They're not going to reach real deep, don't care about the overall game enough.

 

[W.TN.Orange Blood]

He hasn’t forgotten the number of times Pat kicked his butt.

 

[chuckiepoo]

View attachment 358650

That finger was so much more than "The Elderwand"

 

[W.TN.Orange Blood]

That finger was so much more than "The Elderwand"

I miss her coaching & her leadership style on the sidelines so much ...... she's irreplaceable.

 

[VolBall09]

I miss her coaching & her leadership style on the sidelines so much ...... she's irreplaceable.

I just miss her being in this world. A true leader.