A key for the Lady Vols again Mizzu, is to not be “timid at the top of the press.”
Knoxville, Tenn. – The Lady Vols started the season at a blistering pace with 13 straight wins to start the calendar, but after Southeastern Conference play started they’ve struggled to find their footing.
Now for the first time in Kim Caldwell’s career, she finds her Lady Vols team battling a three-game losing streak ahead of Missouri. Snapping that streak doesn’t get any easier when they go on the road to the Tigers.
Caldwell warns that the Tigers’ 12-11 (1-7) record isn’t reflective of just how good the team is.
“You look at their record and you think that it’s easy, it’s not. It’s a really good team and they’re playing very well right now,” said Caldwell.
A sentiment that’s also true for the Lady Vols, who despite three close losses, they’re still up in NET Rankings.
The main goal for the Lady Vols on Sunday is to get back to their brand of basketball. Caldwell spoke with the media on Friday and emphasized that when they’re not “timid at the top of the press” they affect the game just the way they want to.
That type of toughness and aggressiveness is crucial against the Tigers. They have the 5th best three-point percentage in the country, knocking down nearly 38% of their attempts.
“They’re hard to guard, so we have to really work on our defense today in practice to make sure that we can guard them,” said Caldwell.
A lot of attention is on Grace Slaughter who leads the team in scoring per game, averaging nearly 15 points. Inside SEC play, she’d finished with double-digit scoring in the last five games. Her best game might’ve come against Mississippi State when she put up a season-high 31 points.
“Yeah, she’s tough. We’re going to have to have somebody with the ability to keep her in front. She has the ability to take over a game,” said Caldwell.
With a heightened focus on the sophomore guard, Caldwell notes that the Tigers have scores everywhere.
“They’re very well balanced to where it doesn’t all have to come from her, but she can certainly put them on her back.”
For the Lady Vols to walk away with a victory, it’ll be vital to maintain a focused effort for all 40 minutes of the game.
“Making sure that we have a focused effort. And if we aren’t getting the rebound or we aren’t doing it the right way, we’re at least trying to, we’re at least in position. If we’re getting out jumped, we’re getting pushed around, or we’re not strong enough, but at least we’re in position,” said Caldwell.
The Lady Vols and Missouri tipoff on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET on SECN+.