November 15, 2010 |
||
0-1
NR |
1-0
#4 (AP)
#4 (USA Today)
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The Lady Vols host the second Chattanooga squad to play in TBA in four days as the Lady Mocs come to town. Having lost 77-60 to ETSU, the Lady Mocs are looking for their first season win while the Lady Vols are looking to continue the good start to the season that began with a 63-50 win over Louisville in the newly opened KFC Yum! Center.
We'll be watching this game to see what lineups are used and to see the continued development of freshman hotshot Meighan Simmons, who has started the season on fire, earning player of the game awards in her first-ever start. The likely starting lineups are listed below, along with further analysis.
Position | Name | Experience | Height | PPG | RPG | APG | |
G | Angie Bjorklund | Sr | 6-0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
F | Alicia Manning | Jr | 6-1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
G | Taber Spani | So | 6-1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
G-F | Shekinna Stricklen | Jr | 6-2 | 14 | 12 | 2 | |
F | Glory Johnson | Jr | 6-3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
G | Kayla Christopher | So | 5-9 | 16 | 7 | 4 | |
G | Tenisha Townsend | Jr | 5-6 | 12 | 1 | 4 | |
F | Whitney Hood | Jr | 6-2 | 15 | 5 | 2 | |
G | Bailey Dewart | Jr | 5-11 | 5 | 11 | 3 | |
G | Kylie Lambert | So | 5-11 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
As is often the case with the Lady Vols, there is a distinct advantage in height across the board. Tennessee is likely to start a 'smaller' lineup without Cain, Baugh, or Brewer and still is decidedly taller than Chattanooga. Chattanooga's big upside is that they don't rely on a single person - or at least didn't do so in their opener.
The Lady Vols will likely feel out the Lady Mocs with the same opening lineup they used against Louisville, then begin to rotate in Baugh and Cain after they see Chattanooga's defensive schemes. Perhaps the biggest upside to this strategy is that Cain gets to see how tightly the game is called by the refs before going in, helping her avoid the early foul troubles that she experienced last year.
The Lady Mocs are playing with a short deck, so to speak, as their height has graduated and they can't bring in Lady Vol transfer Faith Dupree (6'-3") until the spring semester. Faith is still working on Tennessee's practice squad until the transfer is cleared by the NCAA, which has to make this a surreal game for her.
When watching this game, look for two things. On defense, watch for composure and technique. Against Louisville, the Lady Vols played with effort but were guilty of not using their arms properly and not communicating well. They will have to tighten up their defensive technique before the meatier part of the schedule arrives. On offense, watch for ball circulation and shot selection. Against Louisville, the Lady Vols often shot the three ball quickly rather than work the interior. Had they not been such a cold three-point team on the night, this might not have been an issue, but they do need to work their offense harder to find higher percentage shots.