Why Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was impressed by Lady Vols ahead of March Madness matchup
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lady Vols basketball impressed Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff when he watched Tennessee in person on Friday.
The No. 5 seed Lady Vols won 101-66 against No. 12 seed South Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Schottenstein Center. Tennessee (23-9) will face the Buckeyes (26-6) in the second round Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
McGuff got a chance to scout the Lady Vols in person after his team beat Montana State 71-51 the first game of the night.
"They played great yesterday," McGuff said Saturday. "I was really impressed watching them live. We knew we'd have our hands full. Obviously we have to get back in transition and guard them and try to challenge them at the 3-point line. They made, what was it, 16 yesterday? That will be a huge part of the game."
The Lady Vols shot 16-for-37 on 3-pointers in the win over South Florida, which was a program record for an NCAA tournament game.
Both Tennessee and Ohio State press full court the whole game, and both teams like to get out in transition offensively. McGuff thinks the similar styles will make for an entertaining matchup.
"Their team is built for it," McGuff said. "They have got a lot of depth and they have a lot of athleticism and they have got a lot of length, and so they are difficult from that standpoint to play against. And so we know, one, we are going to have to stay extremely organized against the press; when we do break it, make really good decisions at the back end of it."
McGuff was also impressed by Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper, who led the team with 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Cooper went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and added six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in 20 minutes.
"She played really, really well," McGuff said. "I've seen her on TV, but to see her live and in person, she's very impressive. She's got long arms and she has kind of a knack for tipping balls or getting her hands on the basketball as you are trying to go by her. So we have to be real careful with the ball around her, and also somehow, some way, have to take her out of her rhythm, because she looked really comfortable shooting the 3 yesterday."
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was impressed by Lady Vols in NCAA first round
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