[81alum]

Thanks MT, those are very helpful quotes.  Tennessee did eventually figure out how to "solve" South Carolina and crushed them in the rematch 74-58.  I would think looking at the first game will teach us how NOT to play South Carolina and looking at the second game may give us clues as to how to get it inside.

"We weren't ready to guard or defend (the Gamecocks') athleticism in Knoxville," Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick said. "We've gone back and we really put in the time with our defensive effort. I think you're seeing it pay off."

The Lady Vols shot 50.9 percent (27 of 53) for the game and limited the Gamecocks to 34.9 percent shooting (22 of 63). They held a 38-30 rebounding advantage and hit 15 of 20 from the free-throw line.

"I think finally we figured out that defense and rebounding is the philosophy here," Baugh said. "That's Tennessee basketball. It opens up a lot in the transition game, especially where we're most comfortable."

Grant, who had scored 27 points in the regular-season game, had 13 this time for South Carolina, and Ieasia Walker added another 13 points.

http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=320632633

Not sure that tells us exactly what Tennessee did.  Clearly "Grannie" was not hot and did not hit 7 3 pointers, and Tennessee was "hot" and scored above 50% for the game!  Maybe it was as simple as that.  I wish the game were still available on ESPN3. 

It does sound like defending "Grannie" to prevent her from heating up from 3 is crucial--so that sounds like it might be Toni's job.  West Virginia also tried to deny us the ball inside and they did have some success until we burned them with backdoor cuts and Amber's penetration.  South Carolina will have seen that so expect them to be prepared against the back door cuts.  They lack the quality centers that West Virginia had, though, so I'm not sure how they will be able to guard against lob passes.  Finally, one would hope that we could kill them with offensive rebounds--but they apparently do a very good job of boxing out despite their lack of height.

Mechelle Voepel says about our matchup:

(5) South Carolina vs. (1) Stanford (ESPN/ESPN3, 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday): Nothing so far has really slowed the Cardinal as they attempt to make their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance. But they have to look out for the physical defense and all-around gumption of the Gamecocks, who are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002.

South Carolina had to go the same road to the regional semis that St. John's and Duke did: beating a team on its home court in the second round. For the Gamecocks, that was Purdue. South Carolina has relied on slowing down games and keeping scores low most of this season. Yet in the NCAA tournament, the Gamecocks' offense has been hot, too, as they've shot 51.3 percent in the first two rounds. This is also an interesting coaching matchup: Stanford's Tara VanDerveer coached South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Gamecocks assistant Nikki McCray on the 1996 Olympic team.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basket...mpressions

[81alum]

Thanks MT, those are very helpful quotes.  Tennessee did eventually figure out how to "solve" South Carolina and crushed them in the rematch 74-58.  I would think looking at the first game will teach us how NOT to play South Carolina and looking at the second game may give us clues as to how to get it inside.

"We weren't ready to guard or defend (the Gamecocks') athleticism in Knoxville," Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick said. "We've gone back and we really put in the time with our defensive effort. I think you're seeing it pay off."

The Lady Vols shot 50.9 percent (27 of 53) for the game and limited the Gamecocks to 34.9 percent shooting (22 of 63). They held a 38-30 rebounding advantage and hit 15 of 20 from the free-throw line.

"I think finally we figured out that defense and rebounding is the philosophy here," Baugh said. "That's Tennessee basketball. It opens up a lot in the transition game, especially where we're most comfortable."

Grant, who had scored 27 points in the regular-season game, had 13 this time for South Carolina, and Ieasia Walker added another 13 points.

http://espn.go.com/ncw/recap?gameId=320632633

Not sure that tells us exactly what Tennessee did.  Clearly "Grannie" was not hot and did not hit 7 3 pointers, and Tennessee was "hot" and scored above 50% for the game!  Maybe it was as simple as that.  I wish the game were still available on ESPN3. 

It does sound like defending "Grannie" to prevent her from heating up from 3 is crucial--so that sounds like it might be Toni's job.  West Virginia also tried to deny us the ball inside and they did have some success until we burned them with backdoor cuts and Amber's penetration.  South Carolina will have seen that so expect them to be prepared against the back door cuts.  They lack the quality centers that West Virginia had, though, so I'm not sure how they will be able to guard against lob passes.  Finally, one would hope that we could kill them with offensive rebounds--but they apparently do a very good job of boxing out despite their lack of height.

Mechelle Voepel says about our matchup:

(5) South Carolina vs. (1) Stanford (ESPN/ESPN3, 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday): Nothing so far has really slowed the Cardinal as they attempt to make their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance. But they have to look out for the physical defense and all-around gumption of the Gamecocks, who are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002.

South Carolina had to go the same road to the regional semis that St. John's and Duke did: beating a team on its home court in the second round. For the Gamecocks, that was Purdue. South Carolina has relied on slowing down games and keeping scores low most of this season. Yet in the NCAA tournament, the Gamecocks' offense has been hot, too, as they've shot 51.3 percent in the first two rounds. This is also an interesting coaching matchup: Stanford's Tara VanDerveer coached South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Gamecocks assistant Nikki McCray on the 1996 Olympic team.

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basket...mpressions