Summitt's true focus on 7th title

For Pat Summitt, 900 is just another number. She lets the rest of us keep score.

So while the media and Lady Vols fans got all caught up in the hype of victory No. 900 last night, I suspect Summitt is looking to scale another summit.

The number on her mind is seven — as in national championships.

She's stuck on six. That sticks in her craw like bad defense or poor rebounding position.

The Lady Vols have not won a national title since 1998. That's one thing if you're Phillip Fulmer, but something else if you're Pat Summitt. Considering that she won three in a row in 1996-98, this is quite a drought.

It's like Harrison Ford and his movies. Hey, some of the early stuff was classic, but what have you done for us lately?

For all of her steely-eyed resolve and focus on the moment at hand, Summitt is painfully aware of the time that has passed since her last national title. She got used to those springtime visits to the White House. She'd like to stop and smell the flowers in the Rose Garden again.

Last night was a step in the right direction. The Lady Vols' second-half performance in an 80-68 victory over Vanderbilt is the kind of building block needed to get a team ready for postseason success.

In terms of current events, this evening was all about victory No. 900, even if Summitt has bigger objectives down the line. Eventually, the milestone was going to be achieved. Why not close to home for the favorite daughter of Henrietta, Tenn.?

"That was special. … It was like a home game," she said.

Nor was the moment lost on her players, none of whom can fully appreciate what women's college basketball was like when a 22-year-old kid named Pat Head began this remarkable coaching run in 1975.

"We're the only team ever to be part of a coach winning 900 games," said redshirt freshman Candace Parker, whose overall game is a model for where women's hoops is headed.

Vanderbilt Coach Melanie Balcomb is now a footnote in history. But all things considered, she didn't seem to mind the company she was keeping on this historic night.

"People like her are why you grow up wanting to be a coach," Balcomb said. "I can't imagine coaching 900 games, let alone winning 900."

Vanderbilt put up far more than token resistance. The Commodores hit 7-of-11 3-pointers in the first half, led 37-32 at intermission and were swapping baskets with the Lady Vols midway through the second half.

But the Lady Vols always seem on the verge of making a run. And when the inevitable barrage came, it was all over but the celebrating for Lady Vols fans.

Trailing 50-49, UT outscored the Commodores 19-2 over a 5½-minute stretch to seize control with smooth offensive execution and defensive intensity.

Yes, the beat — and the beatings — go on. At her current pace, Summitt would win No. 1,000 in January '09. Her last 100 victories have come in just three years and one week.

So here she sits — and stands and yells — with 900 victories. She's been around longer than Title IX. There are other numbers of note that speak to her success and longevity. She has outlasted:

2: Home courts.

2: Vols football coaches.

2: UT athletics directors.

5: University presidents.

6: Men's basketball coaches.

Now, if she can just take care of that little matter of National Championship No. 7.