The game against the former mentor. The rematch of the team’s biggest win. The final home game in three players’ careers. The game that could stop a three-week tailspin.
Women’s basketball games don’t get more scripted than LSU’s match against Tennessee on Thursday night in the PMAC. But with new storylines mounting, coach Nikki Caldwell emphasized the work ethic that has gotten the Lady Tigers this position.
“You go back to what made this program special,” Caldwell said. “This program has been built on sweat equity of those who defended and rebounded the basketball.”
LSU (18-9, 7-7 Southeastern Conference) will take on the Lady Volunteers (21-5, 11-3 SEC) tonight in the PMAC after losing four consecutive games. The latest downfall came when Arkansas — 4-9 in the SEC at the time — beat the Lady Tigers, 57-53, at home Sunday.
The major issues have come offensively, with the team’s scoring dropping significantly over the four game skid. But recently, the team’s chemistry has come into question, and Caldwell said it’s something that needs to come together soon.
After the Arkansas loss, Caldwell talked about the difficulty of forming chemistry in recent years with things like cell phones and social media as possible distractions. Caldwell’s thoughts can be defended by both a mentor from the past and an opponent in the near future, Tennessee coach Holly Warlick.
“These days, kids’ communication levels are a little different because they talk through social media,” Warlick said. “I don’t think teammates get to know each other as well as they should. It’s hard to communicate with that barrier of a phone between them.”
Warlick and Caldwell go back to Nikki’s playing days in Knoxville, when Warlick was her position coach. The team was led by legendary coach Pat Summitt, who set an NCAA record for wins (1,098) as well as eight national titles.
Warlick said Summitt demanded respect from her players and had the drive to lead her team to national titles, including a 1991 championship win with Caldwell. Warlick noticed Caldwell may not have been the most skilled player, but she made up for it with her knowledge of the game and work ethic.
Caldwell was influenced by the discipline of Summitt, who taught Caldwell to never cut corners. The former Lady Volunteer said she learns new things from Summitt even years after her days as a player.
“She challenged us in so many different ways that we did not even realize them until you were removed from the program,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell secured her first victory against her Alma Mater on Jan. 2 when LSU beat the Lady Volunteers 80-77 for its biggest win of the season. The game saw the Lady Tigers get out to a 16-point lead with less than five minutes left before letting Tennessee nearly come back, cutting the lead to one in the final minute.
Sophomore guard Danielle Ballard led LSU to victory with 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Ballard was key in the first half, scoring 17 of her team’s 40 points to keep the Lady Tigers within four at halftime.
Ballard said she found things in the Lady Volunteers defense that allowed her to drive to the basket.
“I noticed that Tennessee really doesn’t play defense,” Ballard said. “They have some good players that can play defense, but as a team they don’t play defense. You have to take it where their heart is at, and that’s in the middle.”
Today’s game also brings another senior day, with forwards Theresa Plaisance, Shanice McKinney and Jeanne Kenney playing their final home game.
Kenney and McKinney have reached the peak of their careers as seniors, with both notching highs in points and rebounds per game this season. Plaisance has stuck to her role as leader of the team, getting selected to two different watch lists for Player of the Year awards.
McKinney said it would be a great feeling to beat Tennessee again on such a special night.
Amid all the storylines, LSU has fallen into a tie for fifth in the SEC and needs a win for better placement in both the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Caldwell knows the only way for her team to move forward is through composure from all of her players.
“Every year you have to look at the cohesion of your team. Every year your cohesion is going to be tested when adversity hits,” Caldwell said. “This group is a good group. They have the makeup. They are very capable of turning this around.”