Three keys for Lady Vols against Ohio State

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After surviving Green Bay and overwhelming Arizona State in Tempe, the Tennessee Lady Vols take on the No. 3 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet 16. For the first time in this tournament, the Lady Vols face a team that can match their athleticism, tempo, and has a player who can take over a game at anytime.

If Tennessee has any chance to win this game, here are three keys they must focus on.

Slow down the game

Ignore the seeding and focus on the match-ups. Everything on paper looked solid for Arizona State. The No. 2 seed in the Sioux Falls Region played on their home court against a Lady Vol team who had just struggled to defeat Green Bay in the first round. From the start, Tennessee dictated the pace, and while the Sun Devils did an admirable job playing outside of their comfort zone, their lack of athleticism eventually caught up with them.

Ohio State will not have this problem.

The Buckeyes are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, finishing third in points per game and sixth in field goal percentage during the regular season. More importantly, when the tempo is fast and furious, Ohio State can run almost any team out of the gym. Because the Lady Vols lack the athletic edge and ability to shoot consistently, they must slow down the game and make it ugly.

Buckeye star Kelsey Mitchell averages over 26 points per game because she excels in transition. Playing to the strengths of one of the nation’s top offensive forces will do Tennessee no favors. Just look what Mitchell did to West Virginia in the round of 32. She scored 45 points and her aggressiveness led to 22 shots from the charity stripe.

Utilize size advantage

This is where the Lady Vols can do the most damage against an undersized Ohio State team. For the Buckeyes, Mitchell and second-leading scorer Ameryst Alston are 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-9, respectively. Tennessee has three options at the guard position that can cause serious mismatches. At 6-foot-1, DeShields is athletic enough to keep up with Mitchell, while Jordan Reynolds (5-foot-11) and Jaime Nared (6-foot-2) could alternate on Alston. The height of the Lady Vols’ guards will allow them to scan the court on the offense and alter shots on defense.

It’s worth noting that against West Virginia, a team that also had a size advantage at the guard position, Mitchell shot 11-of-31 from the field, while Alston was limited to six points due to a nagging right wrist injury. Reports indicate that her wrist won’t be fully healthy until after the season.

In the paint, Ohio State lacks a true starting center. Lisa Blair matches the 6-foot-6 Mercedes Russell in height, but averages only eight minutes per game. Forwards Shayla Cooper and Alexa Hart will crash the boards for the Buckeyes, but Russell’s four-inch height advantage over both players, along with superb rebounding Bashaara Graves, could spell trouble for an Ohio State team that is normally out-rebounded anyway.

IQ more important than athleticism

There is no question that Tennessee is playing their best basketball of the season right now. However, that doesn’t exclude them from falling back into bad habits, such as turnovers and stagnant offensive play.

Against West Virginia in the round of 32, the Buckeyes were outshot, out-rebounded, and to a degree, outplayed by the Mountaineers. Yet, Ohio State won 88-81 because they forced an astronomical 27 turnovers.

Protecting the ball is obvious, but because the Lady Vols aren’t playing a team they can dominate athletically, they must avoid the mental mistakes and run quality offensive sets. Poor decision making can lead to a dangerous game of full-court sprinting against a team that is lethal in transition.

Athleticism doesn’t win championships alone. Basketball intellect is essential. If Tennessee is to take down the mighty Buckeye offense, they’ll do it by playing unselfish basketball and effectively securing the ball.

Featured image by Donald Page, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

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