Tennessee guard Meighan Simmons (10) drives past Virginia forward Chelsea Shine (50) during an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
Virginia coach Joanne Boyle calls a play during an NCAA college basketball against Tennessee on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
Tennessee guard Ariel Massengale (5) drives past Virginia center Simone Egwu (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Tennessee came to Virginia averaging 90.5 points per game and brandishing a powerful offensive identity.
The Lady Vols departed late Sunday afternoon a mere shell of themselves. They couldn’t overcome a poised, determined opponent and they couldn’t resist wasting possession after possession. They were powerless to prevent a shocking 69-64 women’s basketball upset loss in overtime to the Cavaliers before a crowd of 6,450 at John Paul Jones Arena.
Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick’s postgame assessment included a nugget that was blunt and to the point: “They were ready to play and we weren’t.”
The loss was Tennessee’s first to an unranked opponent since one of the worst losses in program history: a 71-55 upset by Ball State in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament.
Chelsea Shine led five double-figure scorers with 18 points for Virginia (4-0). China Crosby scored 13, including three free throws in the final 1 minute, 7 seconds of overtime.
Ataira Franklin had 12 and Ariana Moorer was one of two Cavaliers to score 10 points. Despite shooting 3 for 16 from the floor, Moorer’s pull-up jumper gave Virginia the lead for good at 62-61 with 2:57 left.
“I think the key word in the locker room was ‘believe,’ ” Moorer said.
Taber Spani scored 22 for No. 3 Tennessee (2-1), which plays No. 1 Baylor next Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena. Shekinna Stricklen had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Glory Johnson scored 15.
UT, which shot 55.3 percent on 3-pointers in its opening two victories, couldn’t find the range from long range against the Cavaliers, finishing at 20.8 percent (5 for 24). Overall, Tennessee shot 40.7 percent (24 for 59) from the floor.
The Lady Vols weren’t much better from the free-throw line, shooting 52.4 percent (11 for 21). Johnson was 5 for 13.
The Lady Vols might have survived being off target if they hadn’t also committed a season-high 24 turnovers. Virginia converted the mistakes into 27 points, which minimized the sting of its 40.3 percent field goal shooting.
As the game progressed, Johnson said, “It got real quiet on the floor.”
“If our offense is not going, we kind of shut down,’’ Stricklen said. “That is something we really have to turn around. We have five seniors. A lot of this I blame on the seniors, the veterans, and I take a lot of responsibility for it and Glory does, too.”
The Lady Vols played without one senior. Center Vicki Baugh sat out with what Warlick described as tightness in her left leg.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, could take credit for an aggressive zone defense. They used multiple alignments to slow UT in transition and push the Lady Vols further from the basket in their half-court sets.
“I think the biggest thing about our zone was just staying aggressive in it,’’ Virginia first-year coach Joanne Boyle said. “We didn’t want to give them easy looks at the 3. I thought we covered ground pretty well. … We just covered for each other and stayed aggressive and tried to make them play out as far as possible.”
Despite falling behind by nine points in the second half, the Lady Vols got the game to overtime and then opened the extra session with a trey by Spani. Then they committed turnovers on three of their next five possessions. Meighan Simmons gave up a steal on an inbounds play. Freshman point guard Ariel Massengale, who trumped her seven assists with seven turnovers, double-dribbled in the open floor.
“Instead of capitalizing on (the lead) and taking it to them,’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said, “we kept making turnovers. We were our own worst enemy.”
They were at a loss to stop it.
Dan Fleser may be reached at 865-342-6288. Follow him at http://twitter.com/FleserKNS and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/fleser
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Comments » 54
ridor9th writes:
Go Hoos!
It is a great weekend for Virginia Cavaliers! Congrats to Joanne Boyle for pulling the upset in her only 4th game at UVa! In the last 4 years, UT-UVa has been 2-2. And I look forward to the future meetings!!!!
HOOOOOOS!
geraldodell#1377039 writes:
Glory johnson 5 for 13 on ft's was the difference. She has such a pure stroke and cant understand why she cant shoot better than what she does. I guess it is a lack of concentration. That was the difference in a win vs a loss.
butch31 writes:
Glory Johnson's five for 13 performance at the line was NOT the difference LOL...The difference was Shekinna, Taber, and Meighan shooting all those 3's and missing. The turnovers were just the absolute worst.
I'm glad this happened tho. Baylor up next, maybe the coaching staff will get back to playing Tennesse *Lady Vol* Basketball, GET THE BALL IN THE POST!!!! GET REBOUNDS!!!! PLAY DEFENSE.
nhaaga writes:
first, a few compliments. great effort taber spani, as usual. also, great courage, isabelle harrison.
second, it broke my heart to see the freshman, massengale, in tears as she fouled out of the game. great competitor, even greater heart. i love the intensity and competitive spirit that this group of freshmen show. glad to have them at UT. the courage, leadership, dedication... all of those things will pay dividends for our team greatly in the future. all three freshmen are athletic, dedicated. they want to win. and they will.
on the other hand.
still plagued by poor bench management/substitution patterns. coaching staff did a horrendous job of this last year. extremely talented players, never utilized properly. not only playing out of position, but often inserted in situations outside of the paramters that would allow maximum efficency. this includes playing out of position, (offensively and defensively), playing too many or too few minutes, etc. players are often never given a real opportunity to get into rhythm individually. and, overall, the team isn't given an opportunity to build chemistry and rhythm collectively. this has BEEN a problem! but, i thought the shorter bench might help. it hasn't.
today, the leadership from the seniors was lackluster. of course, some of this can be attritubed to the fact that baugh is out. in addition, can't understand why alicia manning isn't playing more minutes. she is a senior, a leader. calm, composed. a workhorse. she is productive, consistently. her poise and presence on the floor, against this senior laden virginia team might have proved crucial.
turnovers, free throws, DEFENSE, rebounds... all glaring issues tonight. as they have been. combined with poor shooting and a highly motivated competitor, these issues proved to be a lethal cocktail.
i didn't expect a loss to virginia. however, it is critical that we address the issues that are at the root of our struggles, now. our tenacious schedule will prove invaluable in preventing a meltdown in march. this team will be battle tested, and much much tougher. no reason whatsoever that we still can't contend for the ship.
coaching staff. you must be accountable for your errors as well. our half court offense has been stagnant for YEARS. our substitution pattern... erroneous for years. don't just drop it all in the lap of the players. there are a few players on this team that play their hearts out for you every night!!! and. as much as i hate to say this, they are often doing it on talent alone. no help whatsoever from your game plan.
i love this program. and i love this team. i have been following for 20 years. all comments made respectfully and with utmost love. i will be a fan if we lose every game. but, we shouldn't have to. we have all the potential in the world. but, we have to consistently convert every drop of that into kinetic.
SoddyVol writes:
Would it have helped if Simmons hadn't started? She seemed to revert back to her freshman year. Massengale had 7 turnovers to go with her 7 assists. I would like to see the game to see if it was Va. pressure or maybe a freshman mentally not able to play the first game on the road. That said, I think Va. played above their heads and even if the calls went equally both ways, I believe bad officiating can affect a good team more.
nhaaga writes:
totally agree. glory is one of the best athletes in the women's game. she just cannot shoot lol! but, that's okay. can still be extremely successful at both this level and the next. she, manning, and spani are my favorite upperclassmen on this team!
nhaaga writes:
baylor beat notre dame today. monster game by griner. 32 pts, 14 rebounds. excited to see how the girls respond against baylor.
miami team isn't baylor, by any stretch of the imagination. but, that was definitely a very good team. and, the girls got up for that one!
volpreacher writes:
If I was Virginia, I wouldn't want a rematch in the tournaments. Pat Summitt tends to make a point on rematches. NO way Virginia could beat them again. But congrats. Season losses don't bother me or PS.
rtrchatt writes:
Maybe the Lady Vols had a chance to see some of Gods country near Charlottesville. Way to go Lady Cavs. Hoos beat VaTech Saturday for the Commonwealth Cup and an opportunity to win the ACC Title against Clemson.
la_Madrina writes:
Excellent Post! First of all, you gotta give Virginia credit, and their coaching staff. They picked apart the lady vol defense, or lack thereof! Joanne Boyle did a good job against the lady vol coaching staff.
For Tennessee, the substitutions were not good ones tonight. Players on the floor that weren't producing on either ends of the court. You would think Tennessee has never seen a zone defense thrown at them. This was a bad loss to an unranked team, although a good pretty good one for the most part. Virginia players believed they could win, Tennessee players, a few of them, the usual suspect, looked afraid of the big moment.
I give props to Glory, Taber, Izzy! Glory missed a few free throws, but she did a lot of other things well. Her free throws did not cost the lady vols the game. Shooting jumpers all night cost Tennessee this game, poor defense,an all-american that needs to step her game up, become more aggressive instead of being soft, the substitution patterns by the coaches, etc. This loss will not fall on Glory's inability to connect on her free throws, this was a team loss all the way around, including the coaching staff! Tennessee tried to shoot their way to victory. They established no post game whatsoever! You will not beat good teams jump shooting all night. As they can see, shots didn't fall, they didn't have anything else to fall back on. A post game needs to be established fast. Entry passes to the post need some serious work. A look into the post from someone other than Massangale would be nice!
frblalack writes:
Just wondering why Alicia Manning isn't getting more time on the court. She appears to be a much better player than others who are getting more pt.
Just my opinion, but free throw shooting is a matter of repetition and confidence. If Glory Johnson would shoot 100 free throws everyday, or until she could make 10 in a row...who knows...maybe she makes All-American. IMHO.
Volinflan writes:
I care and I agree. When we get the ball, whether from a rebound or a throw-in put somebody between Griner and the other end of the court. She's actually fast, but she's like a Giraffe, when she get those arms and legs going she's fast, but she can't change course easlily. I'd make her change directions as many times as possible. Of course I don't volunteer to be the one she runs over. Maybe if we slow her down the other four players can go down and have a chance to score before she comes in and starts swatting the ball into the stands.
Might as well have a bit of levity, the recently finished game has been very depressing. I mean, what went wrong? Better, did anything go right?
Five of 24 three's was the death knell.
SummittsCourt writes:
Where was Vickie Baugh?
dewey0022 writes:
What a horribly played game. Getting outrebounded by a much less athletic team is unheard of by a tennessee team. I am also wondering what happened to the pressing fast paced game that the coaches were certain that they were going to play this year considering the amazing athletes the lady vols have. Are they already reverting back to that slow, ineffective half court B.S. that will certainly take them out of any chance of a national championship and probably even a final 4 appearance. They looked great sprinting the floor and finding shooters spotting up in the first couple of games and the press was causing havoc against their opponents. Then it just disappears? I don't get it. Why tease the fans with a style of play that would give this team a chance to win a national championship if they are not going to walk the walk and talk the talk. This was not the players loss, this was absolutely a coaching brain fart!!! This exact same thing happened in a loss against Georgia 2 years ago when the coaching staff decided to go to a slow half court offence against a much less athletic team that only when 6 deep. What the hell? These coaches have been quoted as saying they would be a pressing, running team and 3 games in they are already back to that "walk the ball up the court and half court defense." Gosh I hate to be negative, but the coaches, not the players are at fault for this one. I am just waiting to see where these coaches try to pass the blame. At least that has been consistent for the past few years when a loss occurs. I have one last thing I would like to say. Please coaches, get in the film room and see what was working the first couple of games and grow on it. Possibly even the last few games of last years regular season would be appropriate. There are some incredible possibilities there and things that can be built on. Taking these ladies backward is not the answer and should not be an option. This team can win it all, but the personel needs to be understood a little better by those leading them. This game and the style that was played by Tennesse was sickening. Thats All!
ridor9th writes:
Agreed about Elizabeth Williams. Why do you think UVa tried to recruit her but failed? I think with Coach Boyle, the team is able to keep the same mindset. We shall see how they perform in Honolulu during the Thanksgiving weekend versus Texas, California & Hawai'i.
I think I enjoyed playing UT Lady Vols during the regular season than in the postseason meetings.
Otherwise, I am starting to notice that Pat Summitt is not vocal as before. Yikes.
R-
xvolx writes:
I'm surprised Baugh lasted this long without an injury. She should quit while she can still walk. I've suffered with that injury for 46 yrs. and it only gets worse. Bone against bone and a knee replacement. Give it up Vickie. This senior class isn't the first worse for nothing.
butch31 writes:
Come on u guys...CHILL OUT! Obviously the Lady Vols got caught looking ahead *(Baylor)* LOL! It happens...We will Virginia any day of the week. The gunning HAS GOT TO STOP! Taber, Shekinna, and Meighan, we shoot these 3's next week, Baylor will blow right past us. I'm sure the coaching staff is aware of it. The ball belongs in the post, and everyone *(Taber)* included need to be crashing the boards. I love how they expect Glory to get every rebound, ITS GETTING REALLY BAD. I'm not sure why the coaching staff didn't do a rebounding drill after the Miami game. But the Lady Vols paid the price today. I hope certain individuals bring a better approach next week. This is a veteran team, and we all expect better from the seniors. Glad to see that Bri, Cierra and Izzy played today. I would love to see Vicki and Alicia playing more and BETTER.
kazoo writes:
First, this team needs Baugh. If she gets gimpy again, the Vols will not win the national title as they don't have enough inside presence now--not enough inside defense or inside scoring. Johnson is a warrior--but she's a power forward, not a center, and not a natural scorer; she gets most of her points off of offensive rebounds.
Second, poor fundamentals by UT today. As is often the case with UT, the half-court offense was not good; UVA's zone defense bothered the Vols. Instead of using quick ball movement to find open space and seams to get GOOD shots, UT got impatient and threw up a lot of TERRIBLE threes, which did not go in. Poor shot selection. PS's teams simply do not pass the ball well: Players hold onto the ball too long, looking around (for what, I'm not sure), and then are slow making passes, or get doubled and then panic and make a bad pass. If UT would MOVE the BALL more quickly, a lot of the turnovers and bad shots could be avoided--but UT under PS has never moved the ball well. In the second half Harrison made a nice turnaround jumper from around the foul line--12 footer or so. THAT is the kind of shot the Vols should have been working to get all game. THAT is the kind of shot Stricklin can make--but we got too impatient, too slow with the ball, and then throw up bad threes.
Third, Simmons was horrible today--and as a result the Vols got very little out of their guards. Our guard play consists of a Massengale, who's going to be very good but is a true freshman, and Simmons--who doesn't have a very high basketball IQ and who hurts the team if she's not shooting well because she can't pass the ball AT ALL and turns the ball over too much. Bass gives us very little. Simmons DESPERATELY needs to develop a mid-range game so that she can do more than simply hoist up threes. She had a bad first half--didn't start the second--and then the first shot she takes in the second is a 28-footer that's off. Not good.
Fourth, The free-throw shooting was terrible. Johnson gets fouled a lot and simply has to shoot the ball well from the line. Today she was pathetic--she alone missed 8 foul shots. Still, the Vols were in a position to win the game with 10 second left--but Stricklin clangs a free throw that might have won the game. A senior AA has got to make that free throw. And the same for Johnson--unacceptable.
Fifth, UT doesn't play great defense. We are decent but not great--at all. If you work the ball patiently on offense--which UVA did (and UT didn't today)--you can get the Vols out of position and get a good shot. In this respect UVA was better fundamentally than UT today.
That's really the big takeaway from today: we did not play good fundamental basketball. I think Griner will be too much for this team, unless Baugh is ready to play, and I can't say I'm optimistic about the Baylor game. It is very important that Simmons improve her game.
FearlessFreep writes:
Went to the game - UVa is a tough and well-coached team. They will give many teams problems.
That being said, the LVs couldn't solve UVa's defensive pressure and seemed to rush things. UT will out-athletic most teams, but they need a go-to scorer to step up if they're to be a contender.
Vol72 writes:
This game was terrible! UT had no offensive flow. Stricklen did not show up. Simmons made terrible passes. No ball security! Massengale showed true heart and even though she had 7 turnovers she played her heart out. I think Burdick should of played more. They were not prepared for this 1-2-2 half-court zone. I mean everything was freestyle. There was no fight in the Lady Vols, but I do love all the Freshman. UT Lady Vols future will be bright. What is wrong with Stricklen? Its like she do not have any desire to play basketball. Its like she is just going through the motions. They better wake up or they will get embarrassed next week agaisnt Baylor who crushed Notre Dame. PLEASE DO NOT PLAY ZONE AGAISNT BAYLOR. ODDESSEY SIMS WILL PICK YOU APART. SHE HAD 25 POINTS TODAY. We must play man to man. Don't try to double team Griner because she is going to get hers regardless. Notre Dame played zone and look what happen to them.
switcher76 writes:
I love the lady vols but Baylor will eat them alive next Sunday!!! They better get their act together now instead of later! GEEZE...if they can't beat VA they are in BIG trouble for the rest of the season. Please prove me wrong! GBO
la_Madrina writes:
Stricklen seems like she is just along for the ride! When I look at her on the floor, I see nothing that she is doing that warrants all-america hype. Nothing! Her stat line today is very misleading! For an all-american, she should have had that, and more. She is 6'2, and with those smaller defenders on her at times, she should be taking them to the basket. Her game consists of a putback off a rebound, or three pointer. I rarely see her do anything else. Taber is playing like the all-american right now! Glory as well, besides the horrid free throw shooting!
Agree with the comment mentioned about Ariel earlier. She made mistakes, but the desire was there! At least she tried! That is more than I can say for some!
martic#220796 writes:
I agree with a lot of what you said. Every year the new and improved LV's look the same. No half court offense is a killer. The one thing we disagree on is Alicia Manning, she hasn't done much when given the opportunity, thoroughly disappointed in her play. It just seems when thing go bad,they go bad for everyone on the team. I know I'm no coach and I question myself for questioning our great coaching staff, but why can we not guard the baseline? Including the exhibition games I don't see a final four team.( I know it's early) Too many weaknesses, can't count on Baugh. I fear another long season. But I'll still be rooting them on as always!!!
kazoo writes:
Strick IS too passive--and especially so in the first half. She needs to take the ball to the rim more, and draw fouls. She and Simmons both need to play closer to the basket instead of throwing up deep threes regularly. And the biggest problem with Stick is that she doesn't seem a LEADER at all. She should be leading this team--vocally and with her play, and I too don't quite see it. She produces-she had a double double today--but she's a quiet performer.
ridor9th writes:
Never will. And I'm grateful for that, russ.
R-
Mama_Also_Calls_Me_Precious writes:
I honestly don't think she is even coaching the team now, she doesn't even draw up the plays or has anything to do with play calling during timeouts, the assistants do all of that. She is there of course if only as a figurehead, but the coaching is being done by Warlick, Lockwood and DeMoss. I didn't think her dementia was that far along, but I guess it is. This disease is a b itch.
bigdisbig writes:
I hope Pat hasn't caught "Doolitis" from hanging around Dooley. Its a terrible disease that causes one to become a loser. If she starts wearing orange pants then she is in the second stage. 2nd stage symptoms are blaming losing on bad luck and under achieving.
drum56 writes:
They need to fire the entire coaching staff! That was pathetic! Out coached again....when will it end!!!
huntined#565710 writes:
This was a tough loss and not expected...Just didn't understand why we had two freshman in the game in O.T. seems as if our older players with a lot of game experience would have been better under pressure and give VA credit they played hard and wanted the win..
g-man writes:
do you miss kelly cain and lyssi brewer now (and kamiko williams), you dont okay wait till next sunday
Theo writes:
We don't play cheaters mike.
Vols68 writes:
Ariel Massengale and Taber Spani really want to win! If Glory would have made her free throws we wouldve won the game! Shekinna Stricklen really needs to be called out! Im STILL not convinced she's an all-american! She has the LEBRON JAMES syndrome... When it really matters the most they DONT show up and take over.. Thats why LEBRON stil has no rings.. She is versatile, but just doesnt have that lady-vol quality about her! She seemS like the type of player that got away with ALOT in high school, and she cant play defense bc that was not DEMANDED of her! She been here 4 years and still really hasnt elevated her game! Manning is good on defense and being tough, but NO offensive rhythmn against quality teams.. Although there is much more basketball to be played until March Madness, and I still like our chances.. But im still waiting on stricklen to step up..
butch31 writes:
LOL...we do NOT need slow lazy people with bad attitudes!!! Shekinna needs to pick her game up, WNBA scouts watch that kind of stuff, she will end up drafting low, and eventually benched!
I really believe they were looking ahead to the Baylor game. Now that we had a wake up call, lets get it together. Glory Johnson needs more than 6 shot attempts, That is pathetic, and poor team concept of sharing the ball. If u have NO POST game, ur not winning no championship. Whoever the scout coach was for this game, u were the biggest loser today, not the lady vols!!! This was poor scouting! Anyone who knows coach Boyle knows she coached at Duke, HELLO...We had problems with them while Boyle assisted there. Coach Summit, please get ur staff in order.
flatrock writes:
Bobby Bowden had a propensity to go for broke-even when backed up on his own one-yardline. "Hold on, Darlin'-somebody's fixin' to score," he would say as he'd order a deep pass from his own end zone.
That's the feeling I get every time M. Simmons touches the ball. Some times the Lady Vols score- some times the bad guys score.
I like Ariel's game, but I miss Kamiko.
richvol writes:
Baylor will crush them...sorry.
ps11824 writes:
With this kind of play, the crushing will be frequent.
They are not being straight up about Baugh. All along they've told us she is healthy. I'm not seeing that. She just may be lacking confidence. If so, she won't be someone the team can count on.
I don't know why Manning is not being used more, seems to me we need a player with her guts on the court. Massengale was terrified. Perhaps she grew up some yesterday. For that matter, maybe the team as a whole had an early Thanksgiving portion of reality served up for them by an unranked team. That reality being a warning: Prepare for the next game ONLY. It is fruitless to think about anything other than the here and now.
Get better, go Lady Vols!
mnvol writes:
Hopefully this will be a wake-up call and will pay dividends down the road. Personally, I think this group - particularly the seniors - should be less worried about cutting down the nets in Denver and more worried about playing 40 minutes of basketball. We haven't seen 40 minutes of basketball within the same 24-hour period in the past three years.
BigRMan writes:
This core group of players has had 3 years of wake up calls. It is discouraging to lose to UVA who is a good team, but not the ACC's best. UVA deserves credit for their effort, but the lack of reslove and determination by the LVS was discouraging. Griner looks to have made good use of her international experience this past Summer and that does not bode well for a successful tilt with Kim Mulkey's Lady Bears. She has added muscle to her hustle.
wigmeister writes:
Two excellent posts. However, they are not as good as they think they are. They may be at some point, but not now. Too many holes. Almost non-existent post game. Baugh's physical problems have started already, and we have just started the season. We have some great players. We may even end the year in the top five. We will have trouble with teams with big front lines and standout post players. National champs - will require a lot more.
KennyGVolsFan writes:
Wow... That's all I have to say. To many turnovers!! Our guards handled the ball like phooey!! How many walks did we have? If we had cleaned up our turnovers and taken better care of the ball, this would have been a victory. Instead, we continued to turn the ball over, made stupid passes and failed to hit our shots.
I still believe in these ladies, we just need to get our confidence back after a horrible loss. A win against Baylor would help us secure our confidence and make a run!!
Lets go ladies, we still believe in you!!1
volboy81 writes:
That game was painful to listen to on the radio. Dont know what was wrong with them, but Im about to give up on Johnson and FT's! They better get better fast or Sunday will be embarrassing! You have to get Griner out of there to beat Baylor. They are average at best without her!
GO LADY VOLS!!
martinvol34 writes:
Please just say a prayer and not put this negativity into the universe. Thanks.
jdcdjc writes:
This was the worse Lady Vols team I hav e seen in some time and I have been around longer than I would like to admit. They appeared to not be very well coached, they were out rebounded, and they were outshot by just a fair Va team that itself is over ranked. This Va team looks like a five hundered team at best, and they outplayed our girls. We should not be in the top ten and a couple of weeks from now, they will not be. Someone needs to check and find out what these girls are doing after pratice, just don't seem to have their heads in the game. I guess this is the best we can expect with a freshman poiint guard. It's going to be a long season!!!
jdcdjc writes:
Agree, big time!!!
kazoo writes:
I hate to break it to Vol fans--and I am one of them--but UT is not the best coached team in women's basketball and hasn't been for a long time. I love and respect Pat, but she is way past her prime and now fighting a terrible disease. DeMoss is a good coach, not sure about the others. Summitt had her most successful years when we dominated people inside and could simply throw the ball down low and hit the boards. UT has never been good at teaching a cohesive, effective half-court offense; if we have a great player or two, like Parker, we score; if we have to rely on our system, we have problems. And that's why we lost to uva--we didn't attack their zone well, simmons played like it was her first college game ever, and we had veterans missing lots of foul shots. Not a recipe for a title.
Mama_Also_Calls_Me_Precious writes:
Demoss couldn't get it done at Kentucky, so I'm not sure she can get it done here if she is indeed the one calling all the offensive plays. I've watched hundreds of Lady Vol games and it's terribly easy to see the Pat isn't coaching her team anymore, it's the assistants. Just look at the timeouts and look at how quiet Pat is on the sidelines.
BolivrBob writes:
Ha! Good post HOOOOOS. Congratulations to your team. Maybe the Lady Vols will put down their press clippings, now, and play some ball. Go Vols!
BolivrBob writes:
Almost tip-off for the Duke game and I'm really excited. We may get drubbed but I've really been looking forward to this game. This will be the first time I've seen them. Really anxious to see how Golden looks and how this team plays defense.
g-man writes:
you going to need somebody to stop griner, anyway none of tennessee players are getting coached up, glory, shekinna, borkland all the way to hornbuckle and wiley gatewood etc, players come in top 5, top 10 recruits, and there games regress at tennessee, that sounds like coaching to me, but to fans like you thats slow lazy stupid people, believe it or not shekinna and glory's game haven't improved much or any since freshman year, they look like the same players they did as freshman, like a lot of others i mentioned
RLL59 writes:
Each year the players are blamed for losses to inferior teams; the player names change but the the process goes on. I guess fans are supposed to believe that somehow TN continually recruits only those high school All-Americans who don't have the heart to give it their all! It appears to me that this is simply another repeat of the last three years. I hope I'm wrong, but until someone figures out the real reason why the Lady Vols team, including the coaching staff, fails to live up to their potential, the tournament will end for the them once again with a loss before the Final Four.
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