WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - Printable Version
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RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - martyup - 12-03-2025
Tied up at 62 with 11 seconds to play. TN ball after timeout.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BostonCard - 12-03-2025
tied at 62 with 11 seconds to go. Tennessee has the ball, so a big advantage. But we are one defensive stop from taking the #19 team to overtime.
Just hoping it’s not LSU redux.
BC
Tennessee scores but there are 6 seconds left. A bucket ties it; a three would win it. A turnover or missed shot and it’s likely all over.
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - martyup - 12-03-2025
Hard to believe that we can still win this game after breaking the all time record for turnovers.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BostonCard - 12-03-2025
oh well, nonetheless…
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - martyup - 12-03-2025
Agara was mugged on that last shot. The girl was hanging on her arm.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - Card10Fan - 12-03-2025
Too many self inflicted mistakes all game alas the 30 turnovers. Also has Agara ever hit a game winner? Not why I would have run the play for her. Our close loss to LSU last year is what began our terrible spiral. Does this team learn from this or let it break the confidence again where we don't win a game the rest of December? Cal, Washington, Oregon upcoming.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - martyup - 12-03-2025
We have a pretty good defense.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - scorecard - 12-03-2025
TV announcers missed it, she hooked Agara’s left arm so she couldn’t shoot the ball cleanly
SkiBum80 - SkiBum80 - 12-03-2025
I like Coach KP
But she’s taking the team in the wrong direction
They have become a team too reminiscent of the men’s team in the Haasian era
Where TO’s almost always exceeded Assists
Very hard to be a consistent winning team that way. Have to either be exceptional 3 point shooting, or exceptional out rebounding, to make up for your TO’s
Rather than just point out this shortcoming, how bout a suggestion?
Pick Coach Smith brain
He in one season turned the men’s team around. Now they commonly, usually, have more assists than TO’s.
He did it w/o suddenly getting the best ever players
In fact I think he’s done it with talent less significantly more than his opponents, than the womens team has over theirs
I hope Coach Paye can turn it around
But right now the lack of ball control is gonna be a serious lid/cap on going anywhere great.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BostonCard - 12-03-2025
one thing to be proud of, we held a team scoring an average of 81 points a game to its lowest scoring total of the season. The biggest drop off last year compared to our NCAA tournament teams was defense, not offense, so I think it bodes well that we held them to well below their shooting averages.
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - AxeMan89 - 12-03-2025
Was at the game and really liked how we played. I'm glad Swain got big stressful minutes and am thrilled about Ogden's improvement. The aggressive trapping defense is hard to play against but I thought Stanford got a lot better at it as the game rolled on, nevermind the statistics. Good practice for what's to come and I'm excited for the rest of the season. We have to beat Duke or UNC, or maybe NC State, to have any sort of resume...
BTW Cooper was pretty amazing with 10 steals - that pickpocket on Lepolo in the first quarter was artistic. I need to watch a replay.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - petersalas - 12-03-2025
I agree, but I’m having a hard time understanding why not give Shay a shot, why not give Alex a shot in the 4th quarter. I get going with returners, but MA didn’t really produce and turned the ball over in crunch time. We’re literally at the same record as we were last season after the LSU game and hope we do not spiral down and actually take care of business!!!
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - 2006alum - 12-03-2025
Yes, agreed. The optimist in me came away quite encouraged by how we handled a defense we had no experience against and probably minimal preparation for.
This felt, to me, like Swain's coming out party. Loved her tenacity and confidence in driving to the basket. Her passing still needs some work and she occasionally got ahead of herself but it's been a while since we've seen a freshman guard who confidently dribbles into traffic.
As I said earlier, I also loved seeing Ogden assert herself in offense - she has a really nice and rare (for Stanford) combination of size, handles, and shooting touch (when it's on). On this team, I think she's our only player who can consistently execute the mid-range jumper, and that pays such dividends in breaking defenses down.
I was really digging the Swain - Clardy - Ogden - Nunu - Somfai lineup. Offense + defense + handles + versatility. Could we please see more of that?
The only lament I have is that I think our tournament hopes evaporated in the last 50 seconds. The ACC is truly terrible this season and we have very few "good" wins left to build a resume. And given our disastrous road trips last season, I'm assuming we will lay a few road eggs yet again.
So I'm trying to adjust to a mentality that this will need to be a three-year rebuild rather than two. I think I'm on board with it, especially if we continue to see player growth like we saw from several of our key pieces tonight
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BostonCard - 12-03-2025
(12-03-2025, 11:21 PM)petersalas Wrote: I agree, but I’m having a hard time understanding why not give Shay a shot, why not give Alex a shot in the 4th quarter. I get going with returners, but MA didn’t really produce and turned the ball over in crunch times time.
If you look at the last four minutes of the game (crunch time) after Somfai tied it at 57 with a layup as crunch time, MAS only came in for the last 6 seconds (unless I missed something on the PbP). The players on the floor were Agara, Swain, Sonfai, Clardy, and Ogden until the 2:03 mark, at which point she fouled out. Lepolo came in for her and played until the 6 second mark, at which point she went out and Stevenson came in. Here are the results of the Stanford possessions over the last 4 minutes.
3:40 (57-59) Nunu Agara missed a layup
2:41 (57-62) Hailee Swain turnover
2:17 (57-62) Laura Sonfai turnover
1:54 (57-62) Chloe Clardy turnover
1:20 (57-62) Nunu Agara made Three Point Jumper (60-62)
0:43 (60-62) Chloe Clardy turnover (after a Talana Lepolo steal)
0:13 (60-62) Nunu Agara made layup (after Lara Sonfai missed her two free throws, though fortunately, Agara grabbed to offensive board)
0:02 (62-64) Nunu Agara missed layup
0:00 (62-65) Chloe Clardy misses three pointer
In crunch time, unfortunately, we had two turnovers by Clardy, and one each by Sonfai and Swain. WE had two made shots and three misses: Agara was 2/4 and accounted for all five of our points, Sonfai missed two free throws, and Clardy missed a three pointer as time expired.
Stevenson did not produce, but she also wasn’t playing in crunch time; for the same reason, she didn’t turn it over in crunch time (and only had 1 TO for the game, unless the box score is wrong). For the most part, we had the ball in the hands of the players who were producing all game: Agara (14 points), Sonfai (10 points), Clardy (12 points), and Swain (14 points), which I think are the right players to be running our offense, but unfortunately, they only scored five points in nine possessions.
BC
(12-03-2025, 11:40 PM)2006alum Wrote: I was really digging the Swain - Clardy - Ogden - Nunu - Somfai lineup. Offense + defense + handles + versatility. Could we please see more of that?
I’m inclined to agree, and that was the lineup that was on over the last four minutes of the game, at least until Ogden picked up her fifth foul with 2 minutes to go. However, as I note above, while it likely was the best overall lineup we have, it didn’t perform well in crunch time.
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - PVTree - 12-04-2025
With 6 seconds left and the ball, I was surprised to see Lepolo on the court. We needed shooters at that moment, and I would have had the best 6 shooters on the court.
Turnovers were the story of the game. Tennessee got tired of missing so many shots, but they kept getting more opportunities with their pressure and our lack of taking care of the ball. I would guess that a third of our turnovers were unforced while the rest were definitely related to the pressure Tennessee exerted.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - petersalas - 12-04-2025
My definition of crunch time was no as accurate as yours. I meant in most time on the court today. Unfortunately, she didn’t do well.
BostonCard dateline='[url=tel:1764830949' Wrote: 1764830949[/url]']
petersalas dateline='[url=tel:1764829305' Wrote: 1764829305[/url]']
I agree, but I’m having a hard time understanding why not give Shay a shot, why not give Alex a shot in the 4th quarter. I get going with returners, but MA didn’t really produce and turned the ball over in crunch times time.
If you look at the last four minutes of the game (crunch time) after Somfai tied it at 57 with a layup as crunch time, MAS only came in for the last 6 seconds (unless I missed something on the PbP). The players on the floor were Agara, Swain, Sonfai, Clardy, and Ogden until the 2:03 mark, at which point she fouled out. Lepolo came in for her and played until the 6 second mark, at which point she went out and Stevenson came in. Here are the results of the Stanford possessions over the last 4 minutes.
3:40 (57-59) Nunu Agara missed a layup
2:41 (57-62) Hailee Swain turnover
2:17 (57-62) Laura Sonfai turnover
1:54 (57-62) Chloe Clardy turnover
1:20 (57-62) Nunu Agara made Three Point Jumper (60-62)
0:43 (60-62) Chloe Clardy turnover (after a Talana Lepolo steal)
0:13 (60-62) Nunu Agara made layup (after Lara Sonfai missed her two free throws, though fortunately, Agara grabbed to offensive board)
0:02 (62-64) Nunu Agara missed layup
0:00 (62-65) Chloe Clardy misses three pointer
In crunch time, unfortunately, we had two turnovers by Clardy, and one each by Sonfai and Swain. WE had two made shots and three misses: Agara was 2/4 and accounted for all five of our points, Sonfai missed two free throws, and Clardy missed a three pointer as time expired.
Stevenson did not produce, but she also wasn’t playing in crunch time; for the same reason, she didn’t turn it over in crunch time (and only had 1 TO for the game, unless the box score is wrong). For the most part, we had the ball in the hands of the players who were producing all game: Agara (14 points), Sonfai (10 points), Clardy (12 points), and Swain (14 points), which I think are the right players to be running our offense, but unfortunately, they only scored five points in nine possessions.
BC
2006alum dateline='[url=tel:1764830408' Wrote: 1764830408[/url]']
I was really digging the Swain - Clardy - Ogden - Nunu - Somfai lineup. Offense + defense + handles + versatility. Could we please see more of that?
I’m inclined to agree, and that was the lineup that was on over the last four minutes of the game, at least until Ogden picked up her fifth foul with 2 minutes to go. However, as I note above, while it likely was the best overall lineup we have, it didn’t perform well in crunch time.
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BostonCard - 12-04-2025
(12-04-2025, 12:05 AM)PVTree Wrote: With 6 seconds left and the ball, I was surprised to see Lepolo on the court. We needed shooters at that moment, and I would have had the best 6 shooters on the court.
Turnovers were the story of the game. Tennessee got tired of missing so many shots, but they kept getting more opportunities with their pressure and our lack of taking care of the ball. I would guess that a third of our turnovers were unforced while the rest were definitely related to the pressure Tennessee exerted.
A) Unless the box score was wrong, she wasn’t on the court with six seconds to go:
0:06 Talana Lepolo subbing out for Stanford 64 62
0:06 Mary Ashley Stevenson subbing in for Stanford 64 62
Of course, you can be surprised that MAS was on the court. Ogden fouled out though, but it would have been reasonable to ask for Amborn (who didn’t play at all) if you wanted a shooter.
B) While it would be nice to be able to have six shooters on the court, that would be a technical ;)
BC
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - AndyCardinal03 - 12-04-2025
A game of pluses and minuses last night (I was only able to watch the 2nd half):
I agree with one of the previous posts that Tennessee looked like a pretty dreadful basketball team in this one, but they won the game on strength, physicality and athleticism. They might have had one of the worst shooting games by a "quality" team I've seen. Did they make a single shot between the rim and the 3-point line? Air balls on wide open corner-3s, bricks from the FT line. It was ugly. And I'm not even dragging them, I think their coaches know they are a poor shooting team, they had a game plan, and they executed it and deserved to win the game, imo. It's a game plan that usually works well against Stanford, no matter what our personnel is.
No team should be able to win after turning it over 30+ times in 40 minutes, and yet we had a shot to tie/win in the final 10 seconds. That's kind of mind-boggling. The saving grace there was that a lot of those turnovers ended up being balls out of bounds, and so Tennessee's points off turnovers weren't totally crazy, despite the raw total of turnovers. I thought in the 2nd half we were mostly "breaking" the press fine, i.e. getting it over half-court with the defender at our back, but then Hailee or Chloe would get near the 3-point line or the top of the key and be going downhill so fast that they couldn't make a decent play, so we had some charges and balls bouncing out of bounds off of our feet. The press kept us out of rhythm, but I'm not sure getting into our half-court offense and running sets would have been a boon to our team anyway. When we held onto the ball, we generally found good shots early in the clock. Hailee, Nunu, Lara and Chloe all looked capable of scoring against them in the 2nd half.
The Stanford D was good, though aided by their terrible shooting. Nunu and Lara mostly held up against their front line and we produced some steals in the half-court by collapsing on them when they had a foot in the paint.
The coaches may be reading this Board, because they found the best 5-person lineup and ran with it for most of the 2nd half: Chloe, Hailee, Courtney, Lara & Nunu. I think we should continue to note - with all the talk about Alex on this Board - that KP & the coaches are relying on Lara and Hailee as every-down backs on this team, and that's not something we saw much from Tara with any freshmen in the last 10 years (besides Haley Jones). They mostly abandoned Lepolo, despite all the turnovers, because it was obvious that she wasn't quick enough to beat their guards up the floor with the ball. Even though Chloe and Hailee were losing the ball a lot, they were at least capable of getting the ball past the Vols' players, and/or seeing over the D if they had to pick up their dribble. That 5-person lineup looked good to me - capable of playing with a team this physical, and skilled enough to beat them. We just need Hailee & Lara to slow down the game a bit and the pieces will start to come together more.
I would have loved to see Amborn get a few minutes and just position in her in the corner in front of our bench. Lara and Nunu were generally standing there when Chloe or Hailee were carrying the ball into the front-court, and while they are capable of making a corner-3, Amborn could be a real weapon there. And I think they could have gotten away with hiding Amborn on the defensive side because Tennessee really couldn't hit a shot.
I thought the team showed a lot of fight in the face of adversity and it was encouraging how Hailee and Lara played in this one. Ogden is really showing herself to be an improved players this year, too. They're not a top-16 caliber team and they're not going to be this year, imo, so I think we have to be patient with the ups and downs of this bunch.
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - Maple Leaf - 12-04-2025
(12-04-2025, 07:50 AM)AndyCardinal03 Wrote: A game of pluses and minuses last night (I was only able to watch the 2nd half):
I agree with one of the previous posts that Tennessee looked like a pretty dreadful basketball team in this one, but they won the game on strength, physicality and athleticism. They might have had one of the worst shooting games by a "quality" team I've seen. Did they make a single shot between the rim and the 3-point line? Air balls on wide open corner-3s, bricks from the FT line. It was ugly. And I'm not even dragging them, I think their coaches know they are a poor shooting team, they had a game plan, and they executed it and deserved to win the game, imo. It's a game plan that usually works well against Stanford, no matter what our personnel is.
No team should be able to win after turning it over 30+ times in 40 minutes, and yet we had a shot to tie/win in the final 10 seconds. That's kind of mind-boggling. The saving grace there was that a lot of those turnovers ended up being balls out of bounds, and so Tennessee's points off turnovers weren't totally crazy, despite the raw total of turnovers. I thought in the 2nd half we were mostly "breaking" the press fine, i.e. getting it over half-court with the defender at our back, but then Hailee or Chloe would get near the 3-point line or the top of the key and be going downhill so fast that they couldn't make a decent play, so we had some charges and balls bouncing out of bounds off of our feet. The press kept us out of rhythm, but I'm not sure getting into our half-court offense and running sets would have been a boon to our team anyway. When we held onto the ball, we generally found good shots early in the clock. Hailee, Nunu, Lara and Chloe all looked capable of scoring against them in the 2nd half.
The Stanford D was good, though aided by their terrible shooting. Nunu and Lara mostly held up against their front line and we produced some steals in the half-court by collapsing on them when they had a foot in the paint.
The coaches may be reading this Board, because they found the best 5-person lineup and ran with it for most of the 2nd half: Chloe, Hailee, Courtney, Lara & Nunu. I think we should continue to note - with all the talk about Alex on this Board - that KP & the coaches are relying on Lara and Hailee as every-down backs on this team, and that's not something we saw much from Tara with any freshmen in the last 10 years (besides Haley Jones). They mostly abandoned Lepolo, despite all the turnovers, because it was obvious that she wasn't quick enough to beat their guards up the floor with the ball. Even though Chloe and Hailee were losing the ball a lot, they were at least capable of getting the ball past the Vols' players, and/or seeing over the D if they had to pick up their dribble. That 5-person lineup looked good to me - capable of playing with a team this physical, and skilled enough to beat them. We just need Hailee & Lara to slow down the game a bit and the pieces will start to come together more.
I would have loved to see Amborn get a few minutes and just position in her in the corner in front of our bench. Lara and Nunu were generally standing there when Chloe or Hailee were carrying the ball into the front-court, and while they are capable of making a corner-3, Amborn could be a real weapon there. And I think they could have gotten away with hiding Amborn on the defensive side because Tennessee really couldn't hit a shot.
I thought the team showed a lot of fight in the face of adversity and it was encouraging how Hailee and Lara played in this one. Ogden is really showing herself to be an improved players this year, too. They're not a top-16 caliber team and they're not going to be this year, imo, so I think we have to be patient with the ups and downs of this bunch.
excellent analysis/review
RE: WBB: Tennessee Game Thread - BobK - 12-04-2025
Excellent post Andy