The #5/4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (1-0) play its first ranked opponent of the 2006-07 season facing #20/21 UCLA (1-0) in Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. on CSS. This contest marks the first of three consecutive games for the Lady Vols versus ranked Pac-10 foes.
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 914-177 overall record... Collected her 900th coaching win with a 80-68 decision over #19-ranked Vanderbilt on Jan. 19, 2006... She passed Dean Smith (879 wins) for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 victory over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005 ...Her 2005-06 squad advanced to the NCAA Elite...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...
This season, UT returned six letter winners, welcomed a senior manager turned player, two junior college transfers and a pair of rookies...The 2006-07 season marks the Lady Vol debut for former senior manager #10 Elizabeth Curry, JC transfers #00 Shannon Bobbitt and #33 Alberta Auguste...True freshman, #2 Cait McMahan, a 5-4 guard from Maryville, Tenn., and #34 Nicci Moats, a 6-2 forward from Daleville, Va., also see their first action in the Orange and White this season.
THE 4-1-1 ON THE BRUINS
The UCLA Bruins opened their season on Sun., Nov. 12 with an 87-62 win over UC Santa Barbara at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. They were led in scoring by 6-4 junior forward Lindsey Pluimer who tossed in 23 points. After winning the Pac-10 Tournament in 2006, the Bruins received the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Pac-10 Coaches picked UCLA to finish sixth in the league in the annual pre-season poll. Stanford, with nine first-place votes, was the choice to finish first and was followed by Arizona State, USC, California, Washington and then UCLA. The media poll also picked Stanford followed by Arizona State. UCLA was also picked sixth.
UPCOMING OPPONENTS
The #11-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils (3-0) returned to action on Nov. 15 hosting Nicholls State (0-1) at home. The game marked ASU's fourth contest over the past six days as the Sun Devils shaped the perfect 3-0 record registering consecutive victories in the Veterans Day Classic in Tempe. In the Classic, the Sun Devils defeated Nebraska (87-60), New Mexico (67-49) and Florida Atlantic (96-60) to take the championship. ASU senior guard Jill Noe (11.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and guard Briann January (8.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 3.0 spg) were named to the Veterans Day Classic All-Tournament Team while senior forward Emily Westerberg (16.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) was selected as the Most Valuable Player.
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Lady Vols open the season playing three games in the first week of action facing Chattanooga (a 102-72 win) and #20/21 UCLA (Nov. 16) in Knoxville and traveling to #11 Arizona St., Nov. 19.
LADY VOLS ON TV
A record 21 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for television this season. Five more games will be available as streaming video with voice-over from Mickey Dearstone on utladyvols.com.
ON THIS DAY
UT is 4-0 in games played on Nov. 16. The Lady Vols are 3-0 at home, 1-0 on the road and 0-0 on neutral courts. The last time out on Nov. 16, the Lady Vols registered a 95-76 victory over the Premier Players in a 2002 exhibition game.
LOOKING BACK
Last year at this time, the Lady Vols had won both of their exhibition games and were awaiting the season opener on Nov. 20 vs. Stetson.
PLAYING 12 RANKED TEAMS
Tennessee will play 12 teams in 14 games and six of the nation's top 10 teams ranked in the AP and USA TODAY ESPN polls: 2. North Carolina, 4/10. Stanford, 6/5. Duke, 8/7. Connecticut, 9/8. Georgia, 10/9. LSU, 11. Arizona State, 15. Vanderbilt, 20/21 UCLA 21/24. Kentucky, 25/NR Texas and NR/25. George Washington.
FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST
In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols will face eight foes. Three teams hail from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols will face Chattanooga (a 102-72 win), Middle Tennessee (Nov. 26) and Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin (Dec. 5). UT will seem like a member of the Pac-10, eastern division, as the Lady Vols face three ranked Pac-10 schools in consecutive games: #20/21 UCLA (Nov. 16), at #11 Arizona State (Nov. 19) and #4/10 Stanford (Nov. 24). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (Nov. 28) and #2-ranked North Carolina (Dec. 3) round out the first month of the season.
A FIRST-THREE 100 POINT GAMES
In the two preseason exhibition tilts and in the first game of the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols registered at least 100 points in all three contests. It marks the first time in program history that a Lady Vol team had tallied triple digits in back-to-back-to-back contests. Tennessee dropped in 102 points against Chattanooga in the season opener and recorded games of 104 points versus Carson-Newman and 101 points against the Houston Jaguars in a pair of exhibition match-ups.
TWO FORMER LADY VOLS TO BE INDUCTED
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame announced its ninth group of inductees, the Class of 2007, on Nov. 12, 2006, and former Lady Vol Olympians and All-Americans Bridgette Gordon and Daedra Charles-Furlow were named as two of the six members to be inducted. Joining Gordon and Charles-Furlow are players Andrea Lloyd Curry (University of Texas) and Pam Kelly Flowers (Louisiana Tech); coach Andy Landers (University of Georgia) and sportswriter Mel Greenberg (Philadelphia Inquirer).
DAEDRA CHARLES-FURLOW - The Tennessee great was a two-time National Champion (1989, 1991), two-time Kodak All-American and became the first player from the Southeastern Conference to win the Wade Trophy in 1991; Olympic bronze medalist in 1992.
BRIDGETTE GORDON - A Tennessee standout helped to lead the Lady Vols to four NCAA Final Four appearances, winning two national championships (1987 and 1989) and earning the Women's Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor in 1989; one of two collegiate members on the gold-medal winning USA Olympic Team in 1988.
Charles-Furlow and Gordon join Coach Pat Summitt (1999), Cindy Noble and Patricia Roberts (2000), Holly Warlick (2001) and Cindy Brogdon (2002) as Tennessee Lady Vol members of the WBHOF. The six individuals in the Class of 2007 will be formally inducted as members of the Hall of Fame during a weekend of induction festivities to be held Friday and Saturday, June 8-9, 2007, in Knoxville, Tenn.
UCLA NOTEBOOK
The 2006-07 edition of the UCLA women's basketball team tipped things off on Nov. 12, 2006 with an 87-62 win over UC Santa Barbara in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins were led by junior forward Lindsey Pluimer, who tossed in a career-best 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. UCLA broke open a close game in the last five minutes of the first half when it went on a 12-2 run to stretch a 27-25 advantage at the 4:41 mark to a 39-27 margin with 1:23 remaining in the half. A pair of baskets by senior guard Noelle Quinn in the last 27 seconds of the half sent the Bruins into the locker room with a 43-31 advantage. After UCSB had cut the Bruin lead to 47-36 with 18:55 to play, UCLA responded with an 11-1 run which put the Bruins up by 21 points with 16:26 on the clock. The visiting Gauchos never got closer than 19 points the rest of the ballgame. UCLA won the battle of the boards, 57-35, including a total of 30 at the offensive end, and limited the guests to 32.8% shooting from the field. Quinn finished with 13 points and a team-high six assists for UCLA. Also in double figures for the Bruins were senior forward Amanda Livingston with 12 and sophomore center Chinyere Ibekwe, who finished with 11 points. Sophomore guard Tierra Henderson added career-highs in points (9), rebounds (6) and assists (3) in her first-ever starting assignment.
ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGS
DATE RANK SITE W/L SCORE
1/5/79 5/4 H W 88-74
3/25/79 3/6 N25 W 104-86
12/13/79 3/11 A W 80-77
1/3/81 7/8 H L 62-65
12/13/81 14/17 A W 71-66
12/10/83 7/nr A W 73-70
1/6/85 H W 72-57
12/15/85 13/nr A W 68-64
12/20/86 1/nr H W 81-58
12/13/87 1/nr A W 89-63
12/20/88 1/nr H W 82-50
12/17/89 2/nr A W 77-55
12/16/90 10/nr H W 113-86
12/21/98 2/8 H W 100-77
11/28/99 5/4 A W 88-77
THE SERIES
UT leads the series with UCLA, 14-1. The series between the two teams began with a 1979 meeting in Knoxville and continued every season (except 1982-83) until the 1990-91 season. The Bruins have recorded one victory in the series, a 65-62 win over the Lady Vols in Stokely Athletics Center on Jan. 3, 1981. Both teams have been ranked in seven of the meetings and UT leads ranked game wins, 6-1.
AVERAGE SCORE
The average score of a UT-UCLA game in the three most recent meetings finds the Lady Vols leading the Bruins in a high scoring affair -- 97.6 to 80.0.
VERSUS THE PAC-10
Tennessee has taken on nine teams from the Pacific 10 all-time and sports a 49-12 record. Only three teams have claimed victories over UT - Southern California (seven times), Stanford (four) and UCLA (once). The Lady Vols have not lost to a team that currently competes in the Pac-10 since Dec. 15, 1996, when Stanford came away from Knoxville with an 82-65 win over UT. Tennessee's last meeting with a Pac-10 opponent came on Dec. 4, 2005, against Stanford in Palo Alto. The Lady Vols pulled out a 74-67 win. In NCAA postseason play, the last meeting with a Pac 10 opponent was also the Cardinal on Mar. 30, 2004, in Norman, OK. The #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols advanced to their then-record-setting 15th NCAA Final Four with a 62-60 victory over sixth-seeded Stanford in the NCAA Midwest Region final. Tennessee has played nine of the 10 basketball playing schools in the Pac-10. UT has yet to face California.
UCLA NOTEBOOK
The 2006-07 edition of the UCLA women's basketball team tipped things off on Nov. 12, 2006 with an 87-62 win over UC Santa Barbara in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins were led by junior forward Lindsey Pluimer, who tossed in a career-best 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. UCLA broke open a close game in the last five minutes of the first half when it went on a 12-2 run to stretch a 27-25 advantage at the 4:41 mark to a 39-27 margin with 1:23 remaining in the half. A pair of baskets by senior guard Noelle Quinn in the last 27 seconds of the half sent the Bruins into the locker room with a 43-31 advantage. After UCSB had cut the Bruin lead to 47-36 with 18:55 to play, UCLA responded with an 11-1 run which put the Bruins up by 21 points with 16:26 on the clock. The visiting Gauchos never got closer than 19 points the rest of the ballgame. UCLA won the battle of the boards, 57-35, including a total of 30 at the offensive end, and limited the guests to 32.8% shooting from the field. Quinn finished with 13 points and a team-high six assists for UCLA. Also in double figures for the Bruins were senior forward Amanda Livingston with 12 and sophomore center Chinyere Ibekwe, who finished with 11 points. Sophomore guard Tierra Henderson added career-highs in points (9), rebounds (6) and assists (3) in her first-ever starting assignment.
LADY VOLS VS. BRUINS STAT COMPARISON
TENNESSEE UCLA
OVERALL RECORD 1-0 1-0
SCORING 102.0 87.0
SCORING DEFENSE 72.0 62.0
POINT MARGIN +30.0 +25.0
REBOUNDS 27.0 57.0
OPP. REBOUNDS 37.0 35.0
REBOUND MARGIN -10.0 +22.0
FG% .579 .425
OPPONENT FG% .431 .328
THREE POINT FG% .450 .375
OPPONENT 3FG% .419 .300
FT% .818 .733
OPPONENT FT% .563 .857
ASSISTS 15.0 17.0
BLOCKS AVERAGE 5.0 3.0
STEALS AVERAGE 17.0 7.0
TURNOVER AVERAGE 10.0 22.0
OUR LAST MEETING
The #5 ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers completed a sweep of Pac 10 foes upsetting #4 UCLA, 88-77, on Nov. 28, 1999 in Los Angeles, Calif. It marked UT's seventh consecutive victory over the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion. The Lady Vols quickly jumped out to an early 11-point lead, 20-9, with 12:59 showing in the first half. In this game, coach Pat Summitt called on her bench early and often as 10 UT players saw action in the opening stanza. As the Lady Vols came at the Bruins in waves, they maintained a comfortable lead (11 points, 36-25 with 5:03 to go in the first half). UCLA closed the gap to 40-31 at the break. Tamika Catchings and Kristen "Ace" Clement were UT's first half work horses tossing in 15 and 10 points, respectively. In the second stanza, UCLA quickly chipped away at the Lady Vols' lead and cut it to just one point three times. With 13:53 to go, the Bruins trailed 50-49 and had grabbed the games' momentum but a key trey by UT rookie forward Tasheika Morris gave the Lady Vols a comfortable four point margin and the Bruins never got closer again. UT extended its lead by as many as 13 points, 81-68, with 1:41 to go. Four Tennessee players reached double-figures led by Catchings' 23 points and game high 13 rebounds. Also in extra digits were Kara Lawson with 19 points, Semeka Randall with 11 points and Clement with 10 points. UT outrebounded the Bruins 45-33 and shot 51.5% for the game.
LAST TIME UCLA CAME TO TBA
The last time the Lady Vols played UCLA in Thompson-Boling it was Dec. 21, 1998, and 19,722 fans jammed the Arena. Tennessee prevailed 100-77 as former Lady Vol All-American Chamique Holdsclaw went over 2,500 career points and 1,100 career rebounds in the contest.
NEW UNIFORM PATCH
This year, University of Tennessee student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in the classroom have a "VS" patch on their uniform. The "VS" stands for Vol Scholar. Every Lady Vol basketball player (except for the newcomers -- rookies Cait McMahan and Nicci Moats and junior college transfers Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt) are proudly displaying the patch on their uniform jerseys this season.
CANDACE JAMS
Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker gave Lady Vols fans the dunk they had been waiting to see at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 12, 2006, with UT leading Chattanooga, 75-43, Parker stole the ball from the Lady Mocs' Brooke Hand near the sideline. The 6-4 forward took off for the other end of the court and slammed the rock in with her right hand with 16:02 left in the game as cheers shook the Arena. Parker elected to finger roll a couple of shots last year but never dunked at home. She finally dunked twice as a rookie in the NCAA First Round game versus Army last season. Prior to Parker's dunking exploits, Michelle Snow dunked three times as a Lady Vol. Unfortunately, the dunks occurred on the road at Maui, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. In Snow's final game at Thompson-Boling Arena, she went in to dunk against Notre Dame in the waning seconds of UT's NCAA Second Round victory over the Irish, but she was fouled instead and the dunk never went down. Parker's dunk against Chattanooga ties Snow for the Lady Vol records for "dunks in a career" with three.
FIRST GAME IMPRESSIONS
The 102-72 win over Chattanooga improves Tennessee to 68-3 in 100-point games...Tennessee made its first six shots of the game from the field and its first 11 free throws...In the first half, the Lady Vols shot a sizzling 60 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 10 attempts...Every Lady Vols saw playing time in the first half... Chattanooga broke the opponent record for three-pointers in a game with 13...The previous opponent record was 12, by Stanford in Knoxville on Dec. 21, 1992...The Lady Vols reached the century scoring mark when rookie Cait McMahan drove the length of the floor for a lay up with just over five minutes remaining in the game...This was the first 100+ point season-opening game for the Lady Vols since a 112-39 victory over Stetson on Nov. 26, 1989...Shannon Bobbitt was the first of six Lady Vols to reach double-figure scoring...Alex Fuller tied a career high in blocks (2) in the first half and scored a career-high nine points...Cait McMahan's first bucket in a Lady Vol uniform came when she snuck around the defense for her first career lay-up...Alexis Hornbuckle extended her streak of games to 37 with at least one steal and she shattered her own career-best mark with seven steals against UTC...Candace Parker scored in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game dating back to last season and dunked for the first time at home in her 37-game career -- It was the first recorded dunk by a woman in a game in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
MTSU TIP-OFF CHANGED
The tip-off time has changed for Tennessee's game versus Middle Tennessee on Nov. 26 in Knoxville. To accommodate television, the tip-off has moved to 4:00 p.m.
EXHIBIONISTS I TELL YOU
In two 2006-07 preseason exhibition tilts against Carson-Newman and the Houston Jaguars, the Lady Vols averaged 102.5 ppg while giving up 50.0 ppg. UT connected on 49.7 percent from the field and cashed in on 70.2 percent from the line. Tennessee's defense forced 35.5 turnovers per game and came away with 22.0 steals per outing.
SIX IN DOUBLE-FIGS
Another interesting stat from the exhibition contests found six Lady Vols registering double-digits. Leader of the pack was sophomore forward Alex Fuller who tossed in 15.5 ppg while also grabbing a team leading 11.5 rpg. Fuller was followed in the scoring parade by senior Dominique Redding (15.0 ppg), sophomore Candace Parker (15.0 ppg), junior Alexis Hornbuckle (15.0 ppg), junior Nicky Anosike (12.5 ppg) and senior Sidney Spencer (11.5 ppg). Junior College transfers Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta "Bird" Auguste were impressive in their Lady Vol debut. Bobbitt started at point guard and averaged 9.5 ppg, 6.0 apg and 3.5 spg. Auguste averaged 7.5 ppg, grabbed 5.5 rpg and handed out 4.0 apg.
62 INCHES OF DYNAMITE
Lady Vol junior college transfer Shannon Bobbitt is listed at 5'2" and is the shortest player on the roster since Diane Brady donned uniform number 20 for Tennessee during the 1973-75 seasons.
FOUR QUESTIONS WITH NICCI
Rookie Nicci Moats spent a few minutes sharing some answers to these questions:
The separation of the athletic departments, what do you think that does for women's athletic teams at UT? "I think it allows the focus to be on the women's teams more so than if both departments were combined."
How does the fan loyalty and support at UT differ from anywhere else in the country? "I've never seen such a great fan base and such loyal fans in any other women's program. There is support from so many different people."
What do you want to do when you grow up? "I want to be an orthopedic P.A."
If you could play any other sport at UT, which would it be? "Volleyball"
PARKER NAMED TO AP A-A
Lady Vols' Candace Parker was named to yet another preseason All-America team earning the nod from the Associated Press on Nov. 9, 2006. Joining Parker (45 votes) on the team was leading vote getter Courtney Paris of Oklahoma (47 votes out of 50). Also named to the team was North Carolina's Ivory Latta (43), Stanford's Candice Wiggins (35) and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne (28). Parker, the 2006 SEC rookie of the year, is returning for her second season at Tennessee after winning a bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the world championships in Brazil.
WOODEN AWARD NOMINEES
Tennessee Lady Vols Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle were named to the list of 30 preseason candidates for the 2006-07 John R. Wooden Women's Award. Defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Maryland and No. 2-ranked North Carolina placed three athletes each on the list, while Duke, Rutgers and Tennessee each added two players. The 30 candidates are comprised of the top returning players. The award, which is voted on by sports writers and broadcasters, is entering its fourth year.
PARKER UP FOR THE WADE
Lady Vol basketball star Candace Parker has been named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) preseason "Wade Watch" list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year for the 2006-2007 season. The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are members of an NCAA Division I institution and are selected based on the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability. The national awards committee who selects these candidates is comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators.
In 2006, Parker guided the Lady Vols to a 31-5 record, the SEC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight during her rookie season. The Naperville, Ill., native led the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (2.4 bpg) and was named a Kodak/WBCA All-American. Parker became the first female to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and the only woman to dunk twice in the same contest, when she slammed two home against Army in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2006. She was a first team All-SEC selection, the SEC Freshman of the Year and the conference tournament MVP after hitting the game-winning shot to lift Tennessee past LSU, 63-62.
THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA
WELCOME TO "THE SUMMITT"
The playing court in the Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus donned a new look for the 2005-06 season. After Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt passed Dean Smith for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 win over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005, UT named the TBA court, "The Summitt." The floor had a complete overhaul with permanent logos of both the Lady Vols and Vols painted directly in front of the scorer's table; the free throw lanes were painted orange with "SEC" reversed out; the giant jump circle/mid-court TENNESSEE was given a new brighter color scheme, and "The Summitt," Coach Summitt's actual signature adorns the sidelines opposite the team benches.
ON OUR WAY TO 300 WINS
Tennessee recorded its 200th win in Thompson-Boling Arena when the Lady Vols defeated the University of Southern California on Nov. 18, 2001, 106-66. UT has now amassed a 266-16 (.943) record since the Orange and White moved into the Thompson-Boling Arena to start the 1987-88 season 19-years ago. Along the way, the Lady Vols have produced nine flawless home records in 1988-89 (15-0), 1991-92 (14-0), 1992-93 (13-0), 1993-94 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 2000-01 (15-0) and 2002-03 (16-0). UT also registered an NCAA record 69-game home court-winning streak from Feb. 1, 1991 thru Jan. 2, 1996.
JUST 16 LOSSES
The Tennessee Lady Vols rarely lose at home. In fact, since moving to the Thompson-Boling Arena for the 1987-88 campaign, UT has lost two games in one season just six times. UT lost two games in TBA during the inaugural 1987-88 campaign, 1996-97, 1999-00, 2001-02, 2003-04 and the 2005-06 seasons. The 16 all-time losses at Thompson-Boling Arena have come at the hands of just nine teams: Florida (2006), LSU (2006), Duke (2004), Connecticut (2004, 2002, 2000, 1996), Louisiana Tech (1999, 1989), Georgia (1996, 1991), Texas (2003, 2002, 1987), Stanford (1996) and Auburn (1988).
HOME SWEET HOME -- 400th HOME WIN
The victory over Georgia on Jan. 31, 2005, was the Lady Vols 400th home win since Pat Summitt took over as head coach in 1974. Summitt has won 91.4 percent of all home games in 32 years producing a 419-40 overall record. Home losses (in the Summitt era) include: six in Alumni Gym from 1974-76; 18 in Stokely Athletics Center from 1976-87; and 16 in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1987.
217 OF 230 AT HOME
UT has won 217 of their last 230 games in Thompson-Boling Arena dating back to 2-1-91. UT's 13 losses during this time have been to Florida, LSU, Duke, Louisiana Tech, UConn (four times), Stanford, Texas (three times) and Georgia (OT).
500 GAMES VERSUS RANKED
Tennessee's game versus #13 Georgia on Feb. 16, 2006 was the Lady Vols' 500th all-time versus a ranked team since the inception of the polls in 1976. UT is an amazing 369-145 (.703) versus ranked teams. Last year, Tennessee was 13-3 versus ranked teams.
LADY VOL STREAKS
The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against Florida, 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006 -- since then, UT has won one game at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Jan. 26, 2006 at Kentucky, since then, UT has won three road games. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against North Carolina, 75-63, in the NCAA Elite 8 game on Mar. 28, 2006 Since then, UT has not played on a neutral court.
LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM?
Florida became the second unranked team in the 2005-06 season to knock off the Lady Vols, when they won 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006. Exactly one month earlier, unranked Kentucky turned the trick with a 66-63 win over #1/3-ranked Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2006 at Rupp Arena. Previously, it had been four years since an unranked team upset the Lady Vols. So before Florida and Kentucky had their way with UT, when was the last time Tennessee lost to an unranked team? That would have been to LSU on Mar. 2, 2002 at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. LSU had been in and out of the Top 25 polls in late January and February. Prior to that, UT's last loss to an unranked team was five years previous (to the day) losing to Auburn on Mar. 2, 1997 at the SEC Tournament.
100 POINT GAMES
Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 72 times. Last season, UT eclipsed 100 points in two games - Princeton, 107 and #16/18 Texas, 102. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games to lead the NCAA.
IN OVERTIME
The Lady Vols are 24-13 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a year was tied in 2003-04 with four as the Lady Vols went 3-1 in overtime losing to Georgia, 68-66, and defeating Auburn, 68-61, DePaul, 96-89, and Stanford, 70-66. It tied the mark set in 1996-97, when the Lady Vols were 3-1 in overtime contests losing to Georgia, 94-93, and defeating Texas, 68-65, Vanderbilt, 92-79 and LSU, 100-99. UT's 22 points in the OT against Florida (2-3-05), was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime. UT's most recent OT affair was a 95-93 loss to Florida on 2-26-06.
SEC COACHES MADE PICKS
The Southeastern Conference unveiled its third annual women's basketball preseason All-SEC first and second teams on Oct. 24, 2006. Tennessee led all schools with three selections as sophomore All-American Candace Parker was named to the first team, while Lady Vol juniors Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike earned spots on the second team. The preseason All-SEC are voted on by the SEC Head Women's Basketball Coaches.
(#-Unanimous Selection)
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn G 6-4 So.
Sha Brooks, Florida G 5-7 So.
Cori Chambers, Georgia G 5-9 Sr.
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia# F 6-3 Jr.
Sylvia Fowles, LSU# C 6-6 Jr.
Armintie Price, Ole Miss# G 5-9 Sr.
Candace Parker, Tennessee# F/C/G 6-4 So.
Dee Davis, Vanderbilt G 5-7 Sr.
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Navonda Moore, Alabama G/F 5-10 Sr.
Sarah Pfeifer, Arkansas F 6-0 Sr.
Samantha Mahoney, Kentucky G 5-10 Jr.
Erica White, LSU G 5-3 Jr.
Melanie Johnson, South Carolina F 6-1 Sr.
Alexis Hornbuckle, Tennessee G 5-11 Jr.
Nicky Anosike, Tennessee F/C 6-4 Jr.
Carla Thomas, Vanderbilt F/C 6-3 Sr.
SEC MEDIA DAY VOTING
Tennessee was selected to finish first in the SEC in a unanimous vote by the media on Oct. 26, 2006, at Media Days in Birmingham, Ala. Sophomore hoopster Candace Parker led the way for the Big Orange with a selection as the unanimous choice for SEC Player of the Year while teammate Alexis Hornbuckle was tabbed for the second team. Six-time SEC Coach of the Year Pat Summitt has guided Big Orange to 13 SEC regular season crowns and 12 SEC Tournament Championships.
*1. TENNESSEE 19 (all first place votes) 2. Georgia (48), 3. LSU (51), 4. Vanderbilt (85), 5. Kentucky (91), 6. Florida (126), 7. Ole Miss (146), 8. Auburn (150), 9. South Carolina (163), 10. Arkansas (182),11. Alabama (203), 12. Mississippi St. (218).
All-SEC First Team (Listed by Vote Total)
*Candace Parker, Tennessee
*Sylvia Fowles, LSU
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia
Armintie Price, Ole Miss
Sha Brooks,
All-SEC Second Team (by Vote Total)
Dee Davis, Vanderbilt
Cori Chambers, Georgia
Carly Ormerod, Kentucky
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Alexis Hornbuckle, Tennessee
Carla Thomas, Vanderbilt
Angel Robinson, Georgia
Player of the Year
*Candace Parker, Tennessee (19)
*denotes unanimous selection
OPENING DAY RECORD
Over the last 33 years on opening day, the Lady Vols have won 30 times and lost just three contests. Coach Pat Summitt lost her very first game as a college head coach -- a heartbreaking one-point decision at home to Mercer, 84-83, on Dec. 7, 1974. The next time UT lost an opening game was in Knoxville on Nov. 21, 1981, to Stephen F. Austin, 80-74. Most recently, UT fell in their first contest of the 1999-2000 campaign dropping a 69-64 decision to Louisiana Tech in Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 14, 1999. Until the loss to the Lady Techsters, the Lady Vols had won 18 consecutive season openers.
FIRST ACTION FOR "CAITY-MAC"
Lady Vol rookie point guard Cait McMahan saw her first career action in an Orange and White uniform against Chattanooga. "Caity-Mac" entered the game midway through the first half to thunderous cheers from the Tennessee crowd. In her debut, she tossed in four points, grabbed three rebounds and dished two assists. A 5-4 point guard, McMahan missed the first two exhibition games of the season. The feisty freshman had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on Oct. 20, 2006 by Dr. Greg Mathien, UT team orthopaedist. She was cleared to return to the practice floor on Nov. 6.
FIVE LADY VOL GAMES TO BE VIDEO STREAMED
The 2006-07 University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team already has a record 21 regular season games scheduled for television and five home games have been added for video streaming on utladyvols.com. Tennessee fans will have the opportunity to watch Lady Vol games versus Stanford (Fri., Nov. 24), UT-Martin (Tues., Dec. 5), George Washington (Thurs., Dec. 7) and West Virginia (Wed., Dec. 20) via the internet. Listeners will be able to hear Mickey Dearstone's radio play-by-play while watching the live action from Thompson-Boling Arena. The Yahoo! Sports University of Tennessee School Pass costs $4.95 per month and features: UT football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and "Vol Calls" radio broadcasts as well as the Pat Summitt TV Show, the Phillip Fulmer TV Show and the Bruce Pearl TV Show during the season. An additional option is the College Pass subscription, which includes broadcasts for more than 100+ schools, and costs $9.95 per month.
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