Tennessee hasn't gotten out to the start it desires.
Through 10 games, the Lady Vols sit at 5-5 and are not only outside the AP Top 25 but also ESPN's bracketology.
However, now, Tennessee has the chance to reset. It is in the midst of a nine day break between games and will take a 12 day rest following Tuesday's clash with Wofford.
This break in the schedule due to finals and the holidays comes at a perfect time.
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Head coach Kellie Harper is aware of the importance that comes with this break. She knows the balance that comes with school work and athletics, but is excited for opportunity to work with her team on the court.
"I think this could be extremely valuable time if we are able to progress through practice," said Harper. "Obviously, our players are in finals, so they're going to get some days to just focus on their finals. We'll work around their final exam times, find some times that practice makes sense, and we'll really get to dive into us. It's nice to be able to focus on us and not an opponent for a little while. We'll get to put some things in that we've been wanting to put in, (because) we've just not had the time because of games. We'll get to put some wrinkles in, and then hopefully it'll sure up some things that we need to be a little bit better at. That's on both ends of the court and still with our rebounding, as well."
One of things Harper will be paying close attention to is the team's defensive schemes.
"It's hard for me to pick one thing," said Harper. "Defensively, I think there are still a few things that we can be a little bit more disciplined with in terms of our system."
On offense, turnovers are a big point of emphasis. The team has continually forked over the ball this season. This was one of the reasons Eastern Kentucky was able to keep the game close.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols hold spot, Lady Vols drop out of latest ESPN bracketologies
Along with this, Harper will look for her team to rebound, as well.
"Offensively, taking care of the ball, making better decisions at times, but also finding that balance and rhythm within our offense," said Harper. "Rebounding will be an everyday work for us. We've not seen a lot of zone defense this year. (Against Eastern Kentucky), we saw the most zone that we have seen. We need to work through that a little bit. There are some things we need to be better at in zone offense. We've got a few things defensively we need to put in that we haven't had time to hit yet. In terms of an emphasis, it's hard to just pick one because there are several things we want to get better at."
The Lady Vols face Wofford on Dec. 19 and Liberty on the road on Dec. 31 to finalize out-of-conference play. From there, Tennessee will play through its SEC schedule before finishing out the regular season.
If the Lady Vols don't turnaround the season at this junction, there is a real possibility they could miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. This half a month stretch, despite barely seeing the court, could be the most important of the season.
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