Tennessee Lady Vols could fix depth issue in the post by moving over Rae Burrell

Yes, the Tennessee Lady Vols showed some resiliency in their 13-point comeback win to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks 86-83 in overtime Monday. However, make no mistake about it, there’s still a major issue with this team.

Kellie Harper’s team didn’t begin its’ comeback until after Arkansas’s leading scorer, Makayla Daniels, went down with an injury. If she stayed healthy, it’s likely UT would have lost two straight, and that horrible loss at the Auburn Tigers would still be hanging over them.

So what’s causing this issue? Well, it’s a lack of depth in the post. The Tennessee Lady Vols lost Keyen Green for the season against the Georgia Bulldogs, and she was their only four or five coming off the bench. Emily Saunders and Karoline Striplin clearly aren’t ready.

That leaves Tamari Key and Alexus Dye, both of whom are starters, to shoulder the entire responsibility. Because of the effort they have to put on the glass and on the defensive end, they are having to save their energy on offense. That lack of a threat is a huge deal.

Key saved just enough energy to be effective in overtime and at the free throw line. She scored five points in the extra period and went 8-of-9 from the stripe en route to 14 points. However, in regulation, she was only 1-of-5 from the field, and Dye finished 2-of-7 from the field.

This is going to be a problem going forward, and Harper has to fix it. The only way for her to do so is to move Rae Burrell, who is back to full form, over to the four. Jordan Walker, Jordan Horston, Burrell and Key should be the four starters, and Dye should come off the bench.

On the wing, Tess Darby and Sara Puckett have emerged as elite three-point shooters, so one of them should be the starter there. This way, the Tennessee Lady Vols can still run a solid enough rotation where all players at key positions get a rest.

Burrell playing in the post may limit some of her outside shooting, but Darby and Puckett have emerged enough to offset that. Also, she can play the stretch-four, she’s great at the free throw line, and she is a solid scorer in the post.

Ideally, Harper would be able to force Saunders or Striplin to step up, but that’s not working. Key’s injury was that devastating, even more devastating than Burrell’s injury solely due to how thin this team has shown to be in the post.

Playing Burrell at the four is the only way to offset this issue, and it actually gives the Tennessee Lady Vols more versatility there as well. After all, Key plays under the basket, and Horston largely plays in the paint as a guard. Putting Burrell at the four can stretch things out a bit and add more depth for the team’s offense.