Tennessee Lady Volunteers
SEC (27-5, 13-3)
In the second year of the Holly Warlick era, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers have evolved into one of the more potent offensive teams in all of women’s college basketball. The 2013-14 edition of the Lady Vols has a great deal of balance with multiple double-figure scorers per game. They also are very battle tested from playing top teams like Stanford and Notre Dame and have been very successful in navigating a difficult Southeastern Conference schedule.
Big Wins: 1/26 at Texas A&M (76-55), 2/27 at LSU (72-67), 3/2 South Carolina (73-61)
Bad Losses: 1/02 LSU (77-80), 1/12 at Vanderbilt (63-74), 2/16 Kentucky (71-75)
Coach: Holly Warlick (2 seasons at Tennessee)
Why They Can Surprise:
The ability to score the basketball and not have to rely upon one superstar scorer is an invaluable asset in the postseason. Teams will not be able to just lock in and stop a Meghan Simmons and be able to relax. You have to defend the entire court against the Volunteers if you are going to beat them. The overall athleticism and experience will allow Tennessee to be able to match up physically with just about anyone in the country. Also, the Volunteers will have home court advantage in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which should propel them into the Sweet 16 with ease.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Foul trouble could be a problem for Tennessee as they are not the deepest team in the nation, playing an average of seven to eight players. Thus, if they run into a tightly officiated game, that could become very problematic. Also, when this team has lost this season the defensive execution has stood out as a major flaw. In the Notre Dame game for example, the Volunteers gave up 86 points and allowed the Fighting Irish to shoot 50 percent from the floor and that is not textbook Tennessee defense.
Probable Starters:
Meighan Simmons, Senior, Guard, 16.2 ppg, 2.3 apg
Andraya Carter, Sophomore, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 2.3 apg
Cierra Burdick, Junior, Forward, 8.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Basharra Graves, Sophomore, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Isabelle Harrison, Junior, Center, 13.9 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Mercedes Russell, Freshman, Center, 6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Jasmine Jones, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.0 (23rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.7 (67, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.4 (13, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.9 (21, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.1 (186, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.6 (13, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.4 (139, 6)
Rebound Margin: 11.4 (5, 1)
Assists Per Game: 16.4 (27, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.8 (230, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oral Roberts
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Creighton
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Oklahoma
2013 NCAA Regional Final loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Tennessee-Martin
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over DePaul
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Kansas
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Baylor
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Marquette
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio State
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Notre Dame
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stetson
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Austin Peay
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Dayton
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Baylor
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Ball State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oral Roberts
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Purdue
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Notre Dame
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Texas A&M
2008 NCAA National Semifinal win over LSU
2008 NCAA National Final win over Stanford
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Drake
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Pittsburgh
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Marist
2007 NCAA Regional Final win over Mississippi
2007 NCAA National Semifinal win over North Carolina
2007 NCAA National Final win over Rutgers
*all team stats through 3/6
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
