Who Must Step Up for the Lady Vols Without Jordan Horston to Close the Season?

Last Thursday, a bad game against Alabama turned into a worst-case scenario night in Tuscaloosa as Jordan Horston exited the game with an elbow injury.

Soon, Horston would return to the Tennessee bench with a cast on her left elbow and not return.

The Lady Vols lost to Alabama 74-64, marking their fourth consecutive road loss and third loss to an (at the time) unranked team. Due to the overwhelming amount of injuries and quick turnaround from an Alabama loss, the chances of an upset in Columbia against South Carolina were grim. Tennessee hung around, but ultimately the Gamecocks showed their muscle and coasted to a 14-point win.

Tennessee has two games left on their regular-season schedule, and both games will take place in Thompson-Boling Arena, where the Lady Vols are 13-1 on the season. Given their recent five-game road skid, the best possible news for Kellie Harper's squad is ending the season on a pair of home games. This season, the Lady Vols are 13-1 in Knoxville, with their only loss coming to the reigning National Champions in Stanford.

Without Horston, though, the Lady Vols must find production elsewhere. Against South Carolina, Tamari Key stepped up with a near triple-double performance, recording 10 points, ten blocks and seven rebounds. Key is an eraser and one of the best defensive players in the NCAA, but the junior center can only do so much on offense.

Who can find that extra gear for the Lady Vols? The one that Horston uses to take over games?

The answer is a collection of players. And it starts with Rae Burrell.

Burrell has dealt with her fair share of adversity this season as she missed 12 games with a knee injury she suffered in the season opener has been back with the Lady Vols since their first game against Arkansas.

Still, the injury has caused Burrell to not produce at the level she has shown in the past, specifically in the first half against Southern Illinois to begin the season (12 points).

"This has been a really difficult time for Rae," head coach Kellie Harper said. "You're this talented player and have an idea of how this year is going to go, and with that injury, it just didn't go that way."

The Las Vegas native has taken a bench role for the Lady Vols as of late but made her return to the starting lineup following Horston's injury.

"She's one of these players that hasn't been hurt a lot," Harper said of how Burrell has been affected by her injury. "It's not easy to deal with, especially with a late time in your career. So, I've been proud of her. She's hung in there when it hasn't been easy."

Regardless of the lasting effect the injury is having on Burrell, solid production from the senior is a must for Tennessee if they are to remain a top-tier SEC team without Horston.

"We're going to need her," Harper said of Burrell moving forward. "She and I watched film together yesterday, just trying to figure out where we can help, where she can do things, and where she can do more things. She's really excited going down the stretch and to what she can do. I don't know if she's quite back where she was, because she had such an explosiveness about her in early November. In terms of what she can bring to the team, there is still so much she can bring. I think she knows that and the team knows it."

Against South Carolina, Burrell started at the three and came out hot for Tennessee, nearing a double-digit total by halftime. But the Gamecocks clamped on defense in the second half to limit Burrell to five points in the last 20 minutes. The Lady Vols senior finished with 14 points and three rebounds in 33 minutes. Burrell's 33 minutes tied her season-high (Georgia) in games that did not go to overtime.

And while Burrell is the most likely candidate to assist the Lady Vols offensively, Harper mentioned graduate senior and Troy transfer Alexus Dye, as the player who has to continue her efficient play as of late and crash the boards as much as she can.

"I think we have to stay on her and give her exactly what we want her to do," Harper said of Dye. "Jordan Horston was not in there to steal any of her boards, so Alexus is going to have plenty of opportunities to get in the mix. She has to stay aggressive for us. She is going to have opportunities. She has to continue to be a huge presence both in transition and on the boards. Also, although they play different positions, I still think defensively she can help us fill in some of the areas we are losing with Jordan."

Dye got back on track in terms of grabbing rebounds against South Carolina, recording 11 boards, her first double-digit rebound outing since early January against Arkansas. With limited post depth, Dye's presence on the glass is desperately needed to help out Tamari Key, especially if the star junior finds herself in foul trouble.

The Alabama native in Dye has shown how physical she can be in the paint, grabbing boards and getting tough buckets. But since SEC play began, Dye has only four games with ten or more points after accomplishing that feat seven times in the non-conference play.

"For her, just playing this size and speed every single night sometimes is very challenging," Harper said regarding Dye's first season in the SEC. "But I think she continues to fight. She is out on the court working right now. It is good to see her still trying to grow and make plays. She wants to be good; she really does. She wants to find success and help this team in any way she can. I think right now, she feels really confident that she can do that."

Burrell's potential as a basketball player is as good as any other Lady Vol, but the early-season injury has marred her season in which she was poised to put together a career year. And Dye, the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, has had to adjust in her first season in the SEC.

But now, without Horston, the Lady Vols must have Burrell and Dye step up on the offense to go with Tamari Key's elite defensive presence. There have been plenty of glimpses, including in their most recent game against South Carolina.

But the time is now. Tennessee is tied for third in the SEC and only one game ahead of fifth-place team Ole Miss with two games left on the schedule.

Mississippi State and LSU remain. Then, it is SEC tournament time for Kellie Harper's Lady Vols.

Tennessee hosts Mississippi State on Thursday night in Thompson-Boling Arena at 6:30 p.m. ET to avoid suffering three consecutive losses. No. 8 LSU is the Lady Vols' final game of the season at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday in Knoxville.

Photo Credit: Tennessee Athletics

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