The Lady Mocs will help usher in the Holly Warlick era at Tennessee on Friday night. Warlick of course replaced Lady Vols coaching legend Pat Summitt. And now she'll make her head coaching debut at McKenzie Arena.
UTC head coach Wes Moore expects the same old Lady Vols under Holly Warlick with maybe a few minor tweaks. "I know they are trying definitely to play at a very fast pace. They've always done that. But now they're picking up full court man-to-man. They're really trying to speed the game up."
Chattanooga is 0-18 lifetime against Tennessee. But the last time the Lady Vols visited McKenzie Arena in 2008, they barely survived, winning 66-63. Said Moore, "Think we gave up one three in that game. It was with a minute and-a-half to tie it when we lost somebody in transition. I told the team yesterday that I'll never, ever forget that."
Warlick hasn't forgotten that game either. "Three years ago, when we supposedly had the number one recruiting class in the country. We beat UTC on a last second shot at UTC. You don't think I'm pretty connected and pretty focused on that game? It has been on my radar since April."
So what will UTC have to do right on Friday night to pull off the upset? Said Moore,"Taking care of the ball, and keeping them off the offensive boards are probably the two most important things."
Moore hopes his team can somehow envision the Lady Vols as just another opponent. "You can't get caught up on the name on the front of their jersey. If you do, you are going to be in trouble before the tip even."
Friday's game will tip at 7pm.
