Kellie Harper previews Lady Vols’ next two games

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper met with media.

On what she has learned from her team through three games

“I think going up to West Virginia, there was a question of how we were going to compete against that caliber of a team. I was proud of them. I thought our players fought hard and played to win. We were on the floor a lot after loose balls; we had a desire that was really good to see. We just came up short. You look at that game, and you have so many mistakes. Mistakes are turnovers, but mistakes are also a missed boxout. Mistakes are also a missed assignment or falling asleep defensively. There are a lot of different things that add up in that game. We’re really one more free throw away from winning that game in regulation, one more knocked-down jumper or one more boxout where they don’t get a put-back. You look at that entire game and see how many opportunities we had. We could have been better.”

On what it’s been like for the basketball teams with COVID-19 protocols in place this season

“He (Rick Barnes) and I spoke last week. We talked a little bit about the whole environment and the situation. We had played a couple of games here. At that point, he had not. So, we talked a little bit about what the atmosphere was like. It is different. Every day, you just keep your fingers crossed that you get to continue this day and you get to play tomorrow. We understand. You don’t have to look far to see the men’s team and see how their schedule has ended up. You look in women’s basketball and all of these different sports, that’s just reality. That’s the world we’re living in. You’ve got to understand that at any point, it could be taken away from you for at least a short period of time. You just have to prepare and enjoy the opportunities that you do get.”