KNOXVILLE - Sunday after a disappointing yet encouraging 73-71 loss to Texas A&M, Tennessee women's basketball coach Kellie Harper was asked if the team could continue to improve with just five regular-season games left.
"I think it's very realistic, and I am so hopeful that coming off of this game that we are going to do everything we can to try to correct some things and build on it and try to duplicate some of that, because I think that will give you an opportunity," Harper said. "Playing like this will give you an opportunity. There was a year, it was 1997, and I remember Pat (Summitt) walking into practice one day and she said, 'All right, we have two weeks, and in two weeks we have to be a better basketball team.' And I don't know what the magic was, but we were. Two weeks later we were a much better basketball team, so it is definitely possible this late in the season to get better."
But how? And will it be enough? Tennessee has just three wins against RPI top-100 wins, while all eight of its losses have come against teams ranked in that range with one more opportunity - Thursday against Arkansas - remaining.
"I think we have to be mature, and I think practice has to continue to be tough on them," Harper said. "They have to be able to fight and push in practice and find success when it's hard. I think practice is really the key there, and then we all have to stay bought in. We all have to continue to move forward, not looking at the season stats and the number of losses.
"You have to look at how we are playing and focus in and be the best we can be that day. So, to me, it's the little things. Next time, maybe if we can duplicate what we did today and shoot free throws a little better (we win)."
Tennessee center Tamari Key (20) attempts to score while guarded by Texas A&M center Ciera Johnson (40) during an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)Here are three next-day observations from the loss:
1. Better performance, not better result: A coach's patience can go a long way if the effort is there, and Tennessee's effort was there on Sunday. Harper spoke Sunday of cleaning up some of the "stat-sheet things" going forward, but the Lady Volunteers played with a sense of urgency that undoubtedly will be important for the them going forward.
2. Defense was there: It wasn't due to lack of a solid defensive effort that Tennessee lost Sunday. Texas A&M shot just 36% from the field and the Lady Vols won the rebounding battle 41-38. What cost the Lady Vols was 16 turnovers, which the Aggies quickly turned into 19 points. That plus the fact the visitors made 28 of 33 free throws while Tennessee missed 10 of 16 attempts at the line. It's always going to be little things that get you beat in close games, and that's what cost the Lady Vols Sunday.
3. The search for answers: It's real easy to point to the high school accolades of Tennessee's roster and wonder how Harper isn't doing better with "five-star talent." But it's a real easy answer: She inherited a roster full of players who haven't been coached the college game of basketball, which is so much more than just being more athletic or stronger than your opponents. Since arriving in April, Harper lost Evina Westbrook (Connecticut) and Mimi Collins (Maryland) to transfer and Zaay Green to a torn ACL. That basically has cost the Lady Vols two ball-handlers and forced them to have to be creative with a guard rotation of just two players in freshman Jordan Horston and sophomore Jazmine Massengill.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.
Tennessee's Rennia Davis (0) tries to maintain control of the ball on a steal attempt by Texas A&M guard Aaliyah Wilson (2) during an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)