The margin for error is thin for Lady Vols basketball in its last three games.
But that’s nothing new for the team. Margin of error is something Tennessee (16-9, 9-4 SEC) has talked about a lot all season, coach Kellie Harper said Friday ahead of the Lady Vols’ home matchup with No. 10 LSU (23-4, 10-3)Â on Sunday (noon ET, ESPN).
“We’ve talked about, that’s where we are, we have a very small margin for error, throughout the year,” Harper said. “But that’s what the SEC is this year. You have to play well to win, and you can see from scores each and every night, there’s going to be something that’s a surprise, or a bit of a surprise.”
The Lady Vols are third in the SEC, which would earn them a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. But they also play Texas A&M at home and No. 1 South Carolina on the road after LSU, which is the hardest stretch to end the season for any team in the conference.
With the games it dropped earlier in SEC play, Tennessee is in a position where it may not end up with a double-bye in the conference tournament. The Lady Vols have the best shot at keeping the double-bye if they start the final stretch with a win over LSU that would also keep them solidly off the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, too.
They’re meeting the Tigers at the right time, coming off their best three-game stretch of the season. After getting close to an upset against South Carolina, only losing 66-55, Tennessee has some confidence going into its final games.
“Confidence is important going down the stretch, period, regardless of who you’re playing. I think you’ve got to have it, and right now, I think we do,” Harper said. “I think we have a little bit more confidence than we had earlier in the season, and you don’t just get it by wanting it and hoping you have it. You get it by working and finding some success, and our team has done that.”
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Tennessee split with LSU last season, losing on the road in the regular season but avenging the loss in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Harper said the biggest similarity between last season’s team and this season’s is forward Angel Reese, who had 25 points and 20 rebounds against Auburn on Thursday.
While there are a few new players around her this season, LSU is still doing the same things.
“They can make threes, they can get the ball on the floor, they get the ball inside, they can score from a lot of different ways. They’re very, very talented,” Harper said. “I’d love to say we’ve got to keep Angel Reese off the boards – no one has been able to do that this year. So, we’ve got to try to limit their board production as a whole and be ready to be physical and compete.”
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @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: Lady Vols-LSU: Tennessee plays Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey at perfect time
