DAYTON, Ohio - Tennessee will rely on Candace Parker, depth and talent. Mississippi is hoping for chaos. Heading into the Dayton Regional championship game against the Lady Vols on Tuesday night, the Rebels would like nothing more than to create bedlam on the court, disrupting coach Pat Summitt's plans and plays and then grabbing the game in all the confusion.
"They want to create a helter-skelter game," Tennessee guard Alexis Hornbuckle said.
The two Southeastern Conference rivals have met before this season, with the Lady Vols winning 81-69 at home on Feb. 15. In that game, Ole Miss star Armintie Price picked up two fouls early and was limited to 13 points — she's averaging more than double that in NCAA play — in 25 minutes.
"I got my fouls in the first 3 minutes of the game, I sat down and Candace Parker kind of took over like she usually does," Price recalled. "I came back in the second half and they went zone and we kind of froze up. And we lost."
Parker, a smooth and steady 6-foot-4 sophomore, picked up 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Lady Vols (31-3).
The Rebels (24-10) choose to write off the first meeting as an aberration for a team that is playing its best basketball of the season. At the same time, they know they can't just forget about Parker.
"We realize her greatness and we realize the impact she has on the Tennessee team," Ole Miss coach Carol Ross said. "If we play the way we're supposed to play, then our defense should naturally take away some opportunities. We're supposed to be crowding people all the time when they have the ball so when she's got it, there should be a Rebel or two gathered."
After finishing fifth in the SEC five games back of the Lady Vols, Ole Miss has found its footing. Or, more accurately, it has adapted its wild, pressing, fast-breaking style to thoroughly confuse, exhaust and frustrate its NCAA opponents.
"The fact that they've put up an average of 89 points in the last three (NCAA) games, I don't care what you say, that's impressive," Summitt said. "They've done it with intensity on the defensive end."
In Sunday's 90-82 regional semifinal victory over Oklahoma, the Rebels forced 26 turnovers and had 16 steals.
Now they want to unleash their sprinter-fast speed on the Volunteers.
"We're a new team and we've been doing new things and better things and, hopefully, we can keep running and flying around and keep making plays," said guard Ashley Awkward, who scored a career-high 25 points and led the Rebels' suffocating fullcourt pressure.
Price banged in shots in transition, raced past everyone for layups and created havoc on defense while scoring 31 points. With all do respect to the great UNLV men's teams of the 1990s, these truly are the Runnin' Rebels.
Tennessee muscled its way past upset-minded Marist 65-46 in Sunday's other semifinal. The Lady Vols did it the old-fashioned way, playing solid defense, making good decisions and running their offense through Parker, who had 16 points and nine rebounds.
"The difference is going to be taking care of the ball and rebounding — that's going to be key," Parker said of the clash with Ole Miss. "On the defensive end, just taking them out of the things that they like to do."
A fast pace favors the Rebels. Tennessee wants to run plays and remain organized, staying above the fray and letting its deep and versatile roster come into play.
"They like that hectic pace," Summitt said. "It's going to be a battle of wills — which team controls the tempo, controls the boards, takes care of the basketball."
Many teams wilt before the tradition-rich Lady Vols, who are a remarkable 16-5 in regional championship games and have won six NCAA titles.
The Rebels swear they aren't intimidated, even though they haven't beaten Tennessee in over a decade — losing the last 14 meetings.
"We have heard about that and are aware of it," Price said. "We're excited that we do have another chance at Tennessee. We'll try to be prepared tomorrow night and give them the best that we've got."
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