With exactly a week left until SEC Tournament play tips off, the Tennessee women’s basketball team (21-6, 9-5 SEC) is looking to pick up a pivotal road win after suffering two disappointing losses in a row.
While No. 15 Tennessee currently occupies a four-seed spot tie with Texas A&M, another loss this week to upcoming opponent Florida (11-16, 3-11) on Thursday could be extremely detrimental to its chances to remain a top-four seed.
The team understands that this game is very crucial for its future tournament prospects.
“Florida is our focal point right now,” head coach Holly Warlick said. “It’s on the road, and we tend to struggle with teams on the road. So our focus is zeroed in on Florida.
“We’ve got to get the win.”
History suggests that Tennessee’s game against the Gators should be one that the Lady Vols win. Tennessee leads the overall series 50-4, including a 20-2 mark in games played in Gainesville, the home of the Gators.
The two teams have yet to meet this season; however, they met twice last season. The first game was played in Gainesville, with Tennessee downing Florida 84-75.
The second meeting between the two teams took place in Knoxville, with the Lady Vols again finding victory, 74-70.
Despite what history may suggest and Florida’s losing record both overall and in-conference, the Gators should not be taken lightly. Underestimating teams has been a problem for Tennessee this year.
The Lady Vols look like a completely different team on the road, for the worse. Four of their six total losses have come when facing opponents on the road, and they are just 4-3 when playing in SEC opponents’ arenas.
Tennessee has only scored an average of 76.4 points per game during away contests. This may seem like a positive statistic, but when compared to the 89 points the Lady Vols average at home, it becomes a worrisome mark for the team.
Warlick knows how her team can improve upon this discrepancy, though.
“Recognizing shot selection,” Warlick said, “Is that a good shot for me. Is that a great shot for me? Am I working to get open? Those types of things.”
Though Florida hasn’t won many games, the Gators have played a plethora of quality opponents down to the wire, including just a two-point loss on the road against now-No. 11 Missouri, which beat Tennessee on Sunday.
Florida lives by its scoring defense and has been able to limit dynamic offenses like Missouri’s this season to under 70 points. The Gators only allow an average of 69.7 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting.
Tennessee has not done well against opponents that are able to limit scoring, losing the last two against very good defensive teams Missouri and Alabama.
One aspect that has consistently doomed Tennessee this season is its high number of turnovers. The Lady Vols are averaging exactly 17 per game and have only had a positive turnover margin in 15 of their 27 games.
Although the Gators are adept at stopping teams from scoring, fortunately for Tennessee, they aren’t very well versed in causing havoc in the passing lanes. Florida’s defense only causes around 10 turnovers a game while turning the ball over just past 16 times.
The Gators only average around eight steals a game, as well.
“Obviously, it’s easy to get down on yourself when you don’t play well as a team,” senior Jaime Nared said following Sunday’s loss against Missouri, “But we just have to go back to work. We know we’re a good team.”
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
