Tennessee Lady Vols / Kentucky Lady Wildcats Open Game Thread
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 6:00 PM EST
in Lady Vols Basketball
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PrintConsider this a warm-up for the Saturday game, if you will: UT at UK in a must-win conference game for the team in orange.
 |
February 19, 2009 |
 |
|
18-6 (7-3)
13(AP) 19(USA Today) |
13-12 (3-7)
NR(AP) NR(USA Today) |
| Tennessee |
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Yr.
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
|
| G | 5 Angie Bjorklund |
6-0
|
-
|
So.
|
11.8
|
2.8
|
2.8
|
| F | 25 Glory Johnson |
6-3
|
-
|
Fr.
|
11.3
|
7.5
|
0.8
|
| F |
40 Shekinna Stricklen |
6-2
|
-
|
Fr.
|
12.9
|
5.9
|
2.9
|
| F/C | 44 Alexis Fuller |
6-3
|
-
|
Sr.
|
7.6
|
6.1
|
1.3
|
| G |
15 Alicia Manning |
6-1
|
-
|
Fr.
|
3.8
|
3.0
|
1.1
|
| Kentucky |
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Yr.
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
|
| F/C |
1 Eleia Roddy |
6-3
|
-
|
Sr.
|
12.0
|
8.5
|
0.6
|
| F | 34 Victoria Dunlap |
6-1
|
-
|
So.
|
12.4
|
8.7
|
0.9
|
| G |
00 Carly Ormerod |
5-8
|
-
|
Sr.
|
5.8
|
3.0
|
2.1
|
| G | 24 Amber Smith |
5-5
|
-
|
So.
|
7.8
|
2.2
|
3.6
|
| G |
25 Amani Franklin |
5-11
|
-
|
Jr.
|
10.5
|
4.5
|
1.3
|
In any other year, this would be a game that you could bank on the Lady Vols winning and not even blink an eye. They're still the more talented team (by far) and still the heavy favorites, but they have shown a tendency to get lazy when they don't feel the pressure to perform. They know they can win in the last few minutes (they've done it enough), but they need to learn to make the last few minutes irrelevant. Can they come out with the killer instinct and take over this game as their talent level suggests they should?
GO LADY VOLS!
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Comments
Quick note:
Given Brianna Bass’s stellar performance in the Duke game, she may very likely get the start tonight. I hadn’t heard anything on it, so I featured the previous starting lineup in this post. FYI.
I wonder if anyone will be watching the first half...
I’ve got a critical hockey game to watch, so I’ll be back and forth.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
It's on Fox College Sports SE here, which I don't have.
To the internet! (no audit feed, likely, so I’m scoreboard watching.)
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
That's what you get for trusting the big ol' media!
::puts on tinfoil hat::
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 7:11 PM EST up reply actions
Looks good so far.
Yahoo has been sucking it up with the women’s games. They haven’t even seen the tip yet.
Bass did get the start.
No kidding.
She was the only reason the game was as close as it was.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
Hooper, the pacemaker should've died right about 3-4 minutes ago.
I’m convinced this game has been 16-15 or 17-15 for the last 5 minutes.
Hopefully someone will have scored by then....
Since the 9:47 mark, we’re outscoring Kentucky 3-2.
That last score occurred at 5:08.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 7:38 PM EST up reply actions
Oooo, here it comes!
That only took ages.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 7:44 PM EST up reply actions
Tied at halftime!
Kentucky’s shooting well, but the non-scoring stats look better for the Vols (including leading in rebounds, woo!).
Can you imagine what Coach Summitt is thinking?
She probably has one assistant whose main task is to say “They’re only Freshmen.”
I believe their confidence is shot.
They’re telegraphing everything and opponents are getting the jump on them.
It's a body language thing.
Watch the kids when they come off the court (at least if it’s anything like the Duke game). It was plainly obvious they were frustrated and unsure what to do, but they weren’t willing to listen to Summitt.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 8:25 PM EST up reply actions
In that Duke game,
when they were forced into a full-court press and had to play fast to preserve time, they got a lot better. Once they stop thinking everything through and just play on their talent, they’re better.
Of course, once they get the thinking thing straightened out and combine it with the talent, they’ll be unbelievable. It appears that’s next year at the earliest – and that only if they work on it in the offseason.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 8:31 PM EST up reply actions
Can we start the next game with all the guards on the bench?
Bass has gone absolutely subarctic tonight – 2 fouls and zero points. They all do better off the bench than when they start.
Only if we can get Kelley Cain a start.
She’s been quietly good the last two games now.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 8:37 PM EST up reply actions
yesyesyesyesyes
I agree. She’s not asserting herself, per se, but she’s actually playing her role and contributing, which is a plus.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 8:38 PM EST up reply actions
The downside is that teams are already outrunning them.
If we use a big lineup, would that get worse? Could it get worse?
Or would it be better? /eyeroll
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 8:57 PM EST up reply actions
Well, I look at it this way.
A big team – at the college level – can’t run. So you turn the game blatantly halfcourt and count on rebounding on both ends. The problem isn’t offensive or defensive rebounds, the problem is in the transition game. Bjorklund should be a good enough shooter that defenses have to at least respect the three, and Glory should have a spot in the lineup as well. Add Strickland to that lineup and my question is: can Bjorklund run the team?
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:00 PM EST up reply actions
I don't think she's every really been the point.
Interesting lineup though.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 9:02 PM EST up reply actions
The nice part is you get the ability to completely retool the lineup.
Take Cain or Fuller out, swap Glory out, put in two guards, and hey – you’re playing smallball! The question is if Bjorklund could handle the point; if not, she may need to be the 6th woman with this lineup, since it’ll need a distributor.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:04 PM EST up reply actions
Bass is the best distributor.
And a tenacious defender. She’s probably the best fit for the mix, despite the size thing.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not concerned about perimeter size.
The weakness here is obviously defending the three, but I’m hoping that dominating the interior and preventing slashing plays is enough to counteract that.
Then again, I often think that a team that’s good from beyond the arc can be beaten on most nights.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:07 PM EST up reply actions
Wow, don't look at their 3-pt shooting percentage.
Seriously, don’t.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 8:54 PM EST up reply actions
Too late.
Also, look at the box scores on the guards tonight as well. Equally abysmal. Of course, there is correlation between the two.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 8:55 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, that's causation.
BTW, I’d suggest everyone change it to ESPN2 like, now. UNCC is up on Xavier and it’s late.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 8:56 PM EST up reply actions
I'm TV-less.
I’m relying on GameCast for the Ladies right now. Not that it’s any prettier.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions
UNCC has a guy named An'Juan Wilderness.
I feel like more of a man just writing that name.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:01 PM EST up reply actions
I'd like to issue a public service announcement.
Kelley Cain is again leading the Baby Vols in rebounds.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:01 PM EST up reply actions
That's so odd, too.
Last year, she was absolutely lights-out. This year, she’s really his a slump.
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 9:02 PM EST up reply actions
It happens to shooters sometimes.
I don’t want her not to take shots, but it’ll hurt for a while.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:04 PM EST up reply actions
Yes.
I think she’s overthinking her shots. (duh)
by David Hooper on Feb 19, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions
By the way, this is loss #8 on the season.
The most ever was 11 losses (second year coaching). They’re probably going to lose 1 each in the tourneys, so one more would practically guarantee a tie for that.
This is loss number, what, 5 to unranked teams?
It’s some absurdly small number. These games are normally as close to guarantees as you can get. I just hope that Summitt is keeping videos of these games for motivation.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:06 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder:
Did the pressure of the 1,000th win throw their development off-track? Summitt wasn’t concerned about it, but with all those freshmen, they may not have been ready for such distractions.
I think it's more than that.
This is the first time these gals have ever played on TV (or, be honest, in front of more than 500 people) for any length of time, I’d bet. I think that has as much to do with it.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
I gotta go offline. I might pop back in, but it's probably goodnight for me.
Thanks for playing, ’Snail. Your dedication has been noted – can you pass some off to the Ladies? ;-)
Heh.
It’s not dedication, really; I just find this more interesting than football right now (there will be more than enough time to talk about that until we’re all sick of it) and the men’s team is so wildly unpredictable. With the women’s team, it’s interesting because we know they’re young, we know they’re talented, and we expect them to win. I like to see the pieces come together.
by Chris Pendley on Feb 19, 2009 9:10 PM EST up reply actions
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