Texas vs Tenn: The 40th Game

Discussion in 'Women’s Basketball' started by BabHorn, Dec 7, 2018.

  1. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    #12/12 Texas (7-1) will host the #9/9 Tennessee Lady Vols (7-0) this coming Sunday in the 40th game of the series. Texas is coming off a disappointing loss to #6/6 Mississippi State on last Sunday. The Horns dropped a 67-49 game to the Bulldogs in Austin while the Lady Vols were picking up a 76-63 win over Oklahoma State the same day. Texas trails in the series with Tennessee 15-24. The Horns had won three in a row before losing last year, 75-82, in Knoxville. Tennessee is coming into this game off a 65-55 win over Stetson in which the Lady Vols were down 16 at the half and down 20 after the opening minutes of the third before staging a comeback to win. Look for them to be ready from the get-go although they do have a history of starting slow in the first half.

    Coach Aston will be seeking her 150th win as the head coach at Texas for the second game in a row. Interesting tidbit from the Tenn pregame write up: Tenn HC Holly Warlick was junior in the very first game between the two schools and was the Lady Vols starting PG in their 84-60 win.

    Tennessee Lady Vols (7-0):
    Kasiyahna Kushkituah (#11, 6-4 Soph. C), who started the first five games for the Lady Vols, suffered a sore knee between the UAB and Ok. State games and has missed the last two games. The status of the tallest Lady Vol for the Texas game is unclear. She is listed as day to day.

    Four Lady Vols are averaging in double digits with an additional player just south of that mark. Evina Westbrook (#2, 6-0 Soph. G) averages 15.7 ppg while Rennia Davis (#0, 6-2 Soph. G/F) adds 15.3 ppg. Meme Jackson (#10, 5-11 Sr. G/F) contributes 10.3 ppg and Kushkituah pitches in with 10.2 ppg. Zaay Green (#14, 6-0 Fr. G) is just behind the quartet with 9.3 ppg. Kushituah’s 59.0 % (23-39) tops four players hitting over 50% of their shots. Cheridene Green (#15, 6-3 RS Sr. F) is making 57.5% (23-40) of her FGs. Davis (35-68, 51.5%) and Westbrook (39-77; 50.6%) complete the quartet. The Lady Vols are making a very average 31.0% from BTA as a team. Westbrook is hitting an exceptional 56.3% from BTA, having made 9 of 16 treys. Davis is also outstanding from BTA with a 43.8% on 7 of 16 threes. The 3pt volume shooters are Jackson (14-38; 36.8%) and Z. Green (4-26; 15.4%). Rae Burrell (#12, 6-1 Fr. G/F) has made 4 of 16 3s (25.0%) while Jazmine Massengill (13, 6-2 Fr. G) has hit on 1-15 (16.7%). Only the posts really don’t take the three. All the perimeter players have double digits attempts from BTA, some more effective than others. Tennessee is getting to the FT line twenty two times a game. The most effective player to getting there has been Westbrook (23-37; 62.2%). The two best once there are Davis (15-18; 83.3%) and Jackson (8-10; 80.0%).

    The Lady Vols have three primary rebounders in Davis (7.3 rpg), C. Green (7.0 rpg) and Kushkituah (6.2 rpg). Five players have reached double digits in assists. Westbrook is tops with 32 assists. Jackson has dished out 19 and Z. Green has handed out 15. Five have at least 11 steals with Jackson (20), Z. Green (15), Westbrook (14) and Massengill (14) at the top. All ten players that have seen the court this season have at least one block. Kushituah still tops this group with five, even though she has missed the last two games. Jackson has four blocks and four others have three blocks each.

    Westbrook, Jackson and C. Green have started all seven games for the Lady Vols. Kushkituah started the first five before missing the next two. Davis has started all six games she has played in. Z. Green has three starts in seven games, including the last two. Kamera Harris (#5, 6-3 Jr. C) has only played in five games and is the only Lady Vol not averaging at least 10 mpg although she is at 9.8 mpg. Lou Brown (#21, 6-3 RS Sr. F) is the only player on the roster not to have played so far this season. Jackson at 30.1 mpg is the only player averaging over 30 mpg. Davis at 29.8 mpg is close. Five others average between 21.9 and 26.9 mpg. Mimi Collins (#4, 6-3 Fr. F) and Burrell average in the teens.

    TEXAS LONGHORNS (7-1)
    Sug has taken over for the Longhorns. She is second in scoring (10.1 ppg), 1st in rebounding (5.9 rpg), assists (50) and steals (10). She is shooting 45.2% from the field (33-73) even though she is only 6-21 (28.6%) from BTA. That means she is making half her shots inside the arc. Aside from her 3pt shooting, she also needs to improve her FT shooting (9-17; 52.9%) as she is tied for first with the most FT attempts.

    Jatarie is the leading scorer at 12.0 ppg. Danni (8.8 ppg) is third and Destiny (8.3 ppg) is fourth. Danni (25-77; 32.5%) has taken the most FGs while Jatarie is tied for second with 73 attempts (made 43; 58.9%). Olamide has the best FG% on the team at 61.1% (11-18). Jada also breaks 50% from the field at 54.3% (19-35). Danni tops four players that have reached double digit in 3pt attempts. She is 14-41 (34.1%). Destiny is second in taking shots from BTA with 8 makes on 31 attempts (25.8%).Sug is third while Audrey is the fourth player to shooting from BTA (3-19; 15.8%). Audrey (10-14; 71.4%) and Charli (12-17; 70.6%) are the best FT shooters on the team. Danni has the best FT% at 85.7% but is averaging less than one FT attempt per game (6-7 FTs).

    As noted, Sug is the leading rebounder at 5.9 rpg. The starting lineup of Sug, Jatarie (5.1 rpg), Danni (3.9 rpg), Jada (4.4 rpg) and Audrey (4.1 rpg) accounts for 23.4 of the team’s 44.9 rpg. Charli (4.6 rpg), Destiny (4.0 rpg) and Olamide (3.4 rpg) add another 12.2 rpg off the bench. Sug has totaled 50 assists (6.3 apg), more than four times the 12 that Danni has. Audrey and Jada each has ten assists. Charli has 1.1 blocks per of the Horns’ 3 bpg. Olamide’s 0.5 bpg is second on the team. Audrey has nine steals while Jada has eight to rank second and third, respectively, to Sug’s team leading ten steals.

    The past four games has the starting lineup of Sug, Jatarie, Danni, Jada and Audrey take the court for tipoff. Sug (29.1 mpg) and Danni (29.6 mpg) top the players in mpg. The other three starters all average over 20 mpg along with Destiny. The other three all average between 12 and 17 mpg. Currently, the Horns have nine players on the active list.

    The good news: Joyner might play a few minutes in the Tennessee game although the original target date her return has been the Stetson game, a week later.

    LINEUPS
    Projected lineups are based on the previous game’s starting lineups.
    Screenshot (55).png

    The availability of Kushkituah will be key for Tennessee. She gives them a strong inside presence in the paint. However, they do have plethora of 6-3 Fs to throw into the fray inside. If the Lady Vols stick with the starting lineup of the past two games, Jada will be matched up Davis, a tough matchup for Jada. In fact, the Horns will be giving up several inches at every position in this game. The battle between Sug and Westbrook at the PG position is going to be great to watch and key to the game. Both do a lot for their teams but Westbrook has Davis as a sidekick while Sug currently is auditioning for a replacement to Lashann. The three point shooting of Danni, Destiny and Audrey will help in opening up the inside of the zone that Tenn likes to play.

    STATS COMPARISON
    Screenshot (49).png
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    Both teams like to run and gun. Both play zone and man to man defense and both are bothered by a zone. Both are more likely to penetrate and either finish or dish out than use the three to break down the zone. Texas is much better at finishing inside the arc while Tennessee is more proficient at getting to the FT line. Neither is that good from BTA for the season. Both rely on offensive rebounding to score. The Lady Vols are much better at getting steals while Texas is slightly better at protecting the ball although one would be hard pressed to say that after each team’s last game.

    Texas is more battle tested this season than Tennessee is although Texas stumbled against Mississippi State while Tennessee survived a scare from Stetson, Texas’ next opponent. Neither is what you would call deep. Texas is nine deep with the possibility that Joyner might make it in for a few minutes. The Lady Vols are also nine deep with the uncertainty of the availability of Kushkituah. Tennessee does have an overall height advantage as only one player is below 6-0 and that one is 5-11. Texas does have a slight height advantage in the post with 6-5 Charli, especially if the 6-4 Kushkituah is not available to play.

    Did Texas learn from the Mississippi State game and has a better idea of how to handle the full court press that Tennessee will throw at them? Will the Texas zone, if used, bother the Lady Vols as much as the Stetson zone did in the first half of their game?

    Obviously, I am a bit biased, but I am looking for a Texas win in a close and exciting to watch game.

    Tennessee Lady Vol Head Coach Holly Warnick from the press conference after the Stetson game: Lady Vols vs. Stetson Postgame Quotes - University of Tennessee Athletics
    Game time is scheduled for noon Sunday, Dec. 9. The game will be carried on ESPN2 and the radio broadcast will be on 105.3 FM. This game is part of a scheduled doubleheader that day with the MBB hosting Purdue at 5 PM. Bevo Blvd will make its basketball debut during the doubleheader, open from 10:30 am to 11:45 am and reopening from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.
    Bevo Blvd. heads to Frank Erwin Center for Basketball doubleheader on Sunday, Dec. 9 - University of Texas Athletics

    No. 12 Women's Basketball preview: No. 9 Tennessee - University of Texas Athletics

    Video: Tennessee vs. Texas Women's Basketball rivalry - University of Texas Athletics

    HOOPS CENTRAL: No. 9/9 Lady Vols vs. No. 12/12 Texas - University of Tennessee Athletics

    Geez, I know the game vs Miss. State was bad, but did the Daily Texan have to use a photo VB’s Logan Eggleston making a kill shot at the head of the article instead of a WBB picture?
    Aston challenges team’s effort heading into Tennessee matchup - The Daily Texan
     

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    Last edited: Dec 7, 2018
  2. flash34

    flash34 1,000+ Posts

    From ESPNW...…Mechelle Voepel

    The matchup has been renewed every season since 1982. And at different times, one or both teams have entered the game as powerhouses. This year, both come in ranked in the top 15 in the country, but are still trying to figure out the true personality of their teams minus senior departures from last season and guards they expected to have this season.

    No. 9 Tennessee travels to No. 12 Texas on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Lady Vols are 7-0 after a difficult 65-55 victory over now 1-7 Stetson on Wednesday in which they had to rally from 20 points down. Texas is 7-1, with its loss to No. 6 Mississippi State.

    "It was a tale of two halves, and our defense the first two quarters was non-existent," Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said of the Stetson game. "But our team is resilient. When you go into the second half and get 13 stops in a row, you understand the importance of defense and rebounding."

    They'll need both at Texas, a place where Tennessee really can't afford another lethargic start. For Tennessee, this will be the first of two long-term, nonconference rivalry games in a row: After a finals week break in competition, the Lady Vols will host No. 11 Stanford on Dec. 18. That series dates to 1988, and includes three meetings in the NCAA tournament, including the 2008 national championship game.

    Strangely, Tennessee and Texas have never met in the postseason. They first played on Dec. 8, 1978, on a neutral court at Missouri, which was hosting an event called the Midwestern Classic. The Lady Vols were No. 1 and the Longhorns No. 10 then, being coached by legends Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt, respectively, and Tennessee won 84-60.

    Then their home-and-home yearly series started Dec. 9, 1982, in Austin, Texas, and has continued every season since. Tennessee leads the series 24-15, including an 82-75 victory last season. Texas won the three meetings before that.

    The history is important because the programs have been so key in the long-term development of women's basketball and women's college athletics in general. But this season represents new chapters for both the Lady Vols and Longhorns.

    Tennessee lost Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell from last season; both are now in the WNBA, with Russell winning a league title with Seattle this summer. Her Storm team won the WNBA Finals over Washington, which featured rookie Ariel Atkins of Texas. The Longhorns also lost another standout guard, former Big 12 Player of the Year Brooke McCarty, to graduation.

    The Lady Vols, who went 25-8 and lost in the NCAA tournament's second round to Oregon State last season, were expecting to have back all the freshmen who contributed a year ago. But 5-foot-7 guard Anastasia Hayes was dismissed from the program in August for a violation of team rules after averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 2017-18. She was named SEC sixth woman of the year last season.

    However, two sophomores are leading the way: Evina Westbrook (15.7 points per game) and Rennia Davis (15.3). Another sophomore, Kasiyahna Kushkituah, has started five games and is averaging 10.6 PPG and 6.2 rebounds per game, but she has missed the past two games with injury and is considered day-to-day.

    Tennessee is undefeated, but the Lady Vols have been walking a tightrope the past few games. They had to go to overtime to beat UAB on Nov. 24 in the Bahamas. Sunday, Tennessee was down 43-40 at halftime at Oklahoma State, but the Lady Vols won 76-63 after a strong defensive third quarter.

    Jatarie White and Texas won their first seven games of the season before falling 67-49 to No. 6 Mississippi State on Dec. 2.

    Then Wednesday, Tennessee got into that big hole at home against Stetson of the Atlantic Sun conference. Westbrook and Davis rallied the Lady Vols, combining for 44 points.

    "Probably the third and fourth quarters, we pushed the ball more," Warlick said. "But you've got to get off to a good start. Texas is good, very athletic. We always have a pretty tough game with them. We're two similar teams: athletic, run the ball, rely on defense and rebounding. I thought Oklahoma State helped us prepare for Texas."

    The Longhorns lost current senior guard Lashann Higgs to a season-ending knee injury suffered in their victory over Quinnipiac in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida, a tournament they went on to win. Higgs was averaging a team-leading 13.8 points when she was hurt, a big blow considering her backcourt experience was particularly valuable with the loss of Atkins and McCarty.

    Senior post player Jatarie White (12.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG) and junior guard Sug Sutton (10.1 PPG, 6.3 APG) lead Texas, which advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. Texas coach Karen Aston said she hoped that the Longhorns learned something from their 67-49 loss to Mississippi State on Dec. 2. They've had a week to prepare for Tennessee.

    "I think the thing that jumped out to me pretty quickly is just how much more physical Mississippi State was than our team," Aston said. "I think that has to do with several things. I don't think we're the most physical team that I've coached. But it also has to do with some youth and inexperience.

    "They were physical and beating us to spots. We'll see a very similar type team that will try to get us off our path and make us uncomfortable in Tennessee."
     
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  3. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Excellent find, flash. :hookem2:
     
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  4. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    Great write-up, Babhorn. This is always the game I look forward to the most outside the playoffs. I doubt if there's another rivalry in the country that goes back so far without a break, year after year. We had a bad game against them last year. Hope we turn that around this time. I expect a close game.
     
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  5. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

  6. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

  7. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Looks like this is for the East Campus Garage only.

     
  8. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    I always enjoy this game. Tennessee and Texas were/are my favorite teams. I was a big Tennessee fan in their hay day in the 90’s and I became a Texas WBB fan in 2001.
     
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  9. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Watched highlights of Tenn's comeback vs Stetson. Lots of traps as Stetson crossed midcourt near the sideline. Great place to trap with the sideline and midcourt line serving as extra defenders. Horns will need to be careful not to get caught there.
     
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  10. GameOfHorns

    GameOfHorns 250+ Posts

    I saw them attempting that some with the OSU Cowgirls. Be ready, Texas!
     
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  11. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

     
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  12. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

     
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  13. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    No. 9 Lady Vols set for top-15 match up with No. 12 Texas
     
  14. txtreefan

    txtreefan 100+ Posts

    Gonna be a game. The only coach in elite WCBB who does less with more than Karen Aston is Holly Warlick. Both great recruiters for different reasons, both very weak game planners and terrible x's and o's coaches. Unlikely to be any in game adjustments: just defense, rebound, intensity. Old, white lady, low basketball IQ kinda game. TN has a little more talent and more depth. Aston, at least has a philosophy on offense: reverse the basketball, and half baked pick and roll. All Warlick has on the offense side of the ball is chuck it up and pray. This one is down to pure hustle. It will be ugly basketball. Home court advantage: Texas
     
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  15. GameOfHorns

    GameOfHorns 250+ Posts

    Tiffany is ready!

     
  16. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    If I had a week to think about it, I couldn't have articulated my exact thoughts any better.
     
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  17. jmsdawg

    jmsdawg < 25 Posts

    Good luck with Tennessee, hope you hang first loss on them!
     
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  18. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Just tried to type Hook ‘Em on my phone and it autocorrected to Hopeless. I hope not. Damn autocorrect
     
  19. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Like clock work Tennessee goes to a zone and Texas doesn’t score a field goal in almost 8 minutes. Destiny got a couple good looks but missed them. Jatarie has to step up because they desperately need a low post presence.
     
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  20. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    The refs are nuts to call that an unsportsmanlike play by Williams. That's how you shoot a lay-up. It was a foul by Westbrook.
     
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  21. HornByProxy

    HornByProxy < 25 Posts

    underwood is a liability on both ends of the court. Don’t understand why she plays so much
     
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  22. BabHorn

    BabHorn 10,000+ Posts

    man, what a game to watch. Too bad the outcome was not what we had wanted. Tenn takes an 88-82 win over the Horns.

    Horns didn't shoot bad at all. Tenn just shot better. Horns were 28-66 (42.4%) from the field, 7-17 (41.2%) from BTA and 19-24 (79.2%) from the FT line. Tenn was 27-60 (45.0%), 10-18 (55.6%) and 24-32 (75.0%).

    Nice to see Joyner back on the court. Audrey had a career day in scoring 21 pts. Danni (14 pts), Destiny (13 pts) and Sug (11 pts) all reached double figures. But Tenn rode Jackson's career 33 pts and Westbrook's 23 pts to the win.

    The team played much better and showed, for a few brief minutes, how much better they can be with Joyner on the court.

    Still have work to do, though. That Tenn zone really slowed the Horns down as did not scoring for about 8 minutes in the second half.

    Horns got another week to help ease Joyner back into the rotation and three games before conference play begins.

    Tough loss, Horns. :hookem2:
     
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  23. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Not good enough. There were some bright spots like Audrey but this teams basketball IQ is not very good. And today is where you miss a player like Lashann on the defensive end. Sug as the leader has to make better decisions, play better defense, and make her free throws. And could we please work on layups? Texas missed a ton of layups and a few were uncontested like the one Jada missed on a put back and then gave up a 3 on the other end. That’s a 5 point swing in the 4th quarter.

    I thought Danni had a solid game particularly in the 2nd half but took a couple of bad shots in important situations. Joyner brought energy earlier on when she came in but you could clearly tell that she got tired really easily. Destiny played well although her decision making also needs to be better. Not adjusting to the zone earlier in the 2nd quarter was also a big issue. Basketball IQ/ shot selection, layups, and defense has to improve if they want to be a good team.
     
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    Last edited: Dec 9, 2018
  24. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Yeah, I would like to see Joanne get some quality playing time.
     
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  25. DINO22

    DINO22 1,000+ Posts

    Texas should have won that game.
    Just too many mistakes.
     
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  26. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Agreed. Although as a fan I’m disappointed with the lose there is some things that they can build on. Hopefully Coach Aston will continue to work on and find more ways to attack the zone.
     
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  27. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    It's your fault then! :D
     
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  28. HornByProxy

    HornByProxy < 25 Posts

    I was pleasantly surprised on how much better they looked than last week. Not sure if it’s because ms state is that good and tenn isn’t or we just got better but it was a nice response from getting blown out last week.

    To me the difference was the 2nd quarter when tenn went to zone. It was like 6+ min without a fg. Gotta get better with the zone offense.


    Not too upset with the loss. At least they played well and can grow from it.
     
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  29. texexted

    texexted 500+ Posts

    The male ref was absolutely terrible. What an embarrassment. He did a good of aiding Tennessee’s win.
     
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  30. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Absolutely. And like I mentioned Texas got some good looks against it in the 2nd quarter but missed the shots. Joyner also had a shot rim out against it. I thought Texas did a better job of not settling and attacking the zone and getting to the rim in the 2nd half. Also kudos to the poster that first identified and talked about Audrey Warren at the basketball camp and for Coach Aston also recognizing her she’s been great.
     
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