2007 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (34-3)
(Ranked No. 3 by AP and No. 4 by USA Today/ESPN/WBCA)
Record: 34-3; 14-0, at-large selection; No. 1 seed
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Defeated Drake 76-37; Pittsburgh 68-54; Marist 65-46; Mississippi 98-62; North Carolina, 56-50; Rutgers, 59-46.
TENNESSEE NCAA NOTES
• The 59 points by Tennessee was the second-lowest scoring output by a winning team in NCAA championship game history. The all-time low is 56 points by Louisiana Tech in the 1988 final.
• Tennessee made its 12th appearance in the national title game this evening and is now 7-5 (.583) in the championship game after tonight’s 59-46 victory versus Rutgers.
• The Lady Vols played in their seventh NCAA title game in the month of April this evening. With its win tonight versus Rutgers, Tennessee is 2-5 in those contests.
• In NCAA title games, the Lady Vols are 2-4 when scoring in the 60’s, 4-0 when tallying more than 70 points and 1-1 when scoring less than 60.
• In each of the Lady Vols’ previous title-game victories (6), Tennessee had registered at least 67 points in each.
• Tennessee has found success in the Final Four when the event is hosted by cities beginning with the letter C. The Lady Vols previously earned titles in 1996 and 1997 in Charlotte, N.C. and Cincinnati, Ohio, respectively. Tennessee added to that accomplishment with its victory in Cleveland this evening.
• Tonight marked the 16th all-time meeting between Tennessee and Rutgers, including the sixth in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols are 6-0 in the six tournament showdowns.
• Tennessee has ended the Scarlet Knights run in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, including a 76-69 victory over Rutgers in the Cleveland Regional semifinals (3/26/06).
• In NCAA title games all-time, the Lady Vols win by an average of six points (68.8-62.0). In NCAA title-game victories, Tennessee outscores its opponents by +14.3 (73.7-59.4). When the Lady Vols lose in a title game, it is by an average of 12.0 points (71.0-59.0).
• Pat Summitt is now 11-2 all-time versus Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer. The Lady Vols are 1-0 against Stringer at Cheney, 2-1 at Iowa and 8-1 at Rutgers.
• Tennessee Women’s Final Four Appearances (17): 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007.
• Tennessee National Titles (7): 1987, 1989 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007.
• Five schools have won multiple NCAA titles: Tennessee (7), Connecticut (5), Louisiana Tech (2), USC (2), and Stanford (2). The longest drought between national championships for each: Tennessee – nine years (1998 to 2007); Connecticut – seven years (1996 to 1999); Louisiana Tech – 19 years (last 1988); USC – 23 years (last 1984); Stanford – 15 years (last 1992).
• Tennessee is making its record 17th trip to the Final Four. The Lady Vols have made appearances in six of the last eight years, and 10 in the last 13 years. (Louisiana Tech’s nine Women’s Final Four appearances rank second ahead of Connecticut’s eight.).
• Tennessee is the only team to have participated in all 26 NCAA Tournaments.
• The Lady Vols have been the No. 1 seed is the 17th in the last 20 years.
• Tennessee has made 25 straight Sweet 16 appearances.
• The Lady Vols have never lost in the first or second rounds.
• Tennessee has posted a 45-0 record in the tournament vs. seeds four or below.
• 2007 is the 20th anniversary of head coach Pat Summitt’s first national championship.
• Summitt has the highest winning percentage in NCAA tournament history at 98-19 (.838), and owns the marks for most tournament wins, games coached (117), and tournament appearances (26). In Final Four records, Summitt is first in NCAA titles (7), Women’s Final Four appearances (17), and Women’s Final Four wins (19).
• Tennessee’s Women’s Final Four record is 19-10 for a .655 winning percentage, third all-time.
• Tennessee is 12-5 (.706) in national semifinal games. The Lady Vols are 7-5 (.583) in NCAA championship games.
• Tennessee entered the 2007 NCAA Women’s Final Four having won four-straight NCAA Tournament games. The last time the Lady Vols won the NCAA championship, in 1998, they had won 44 games in a row entering the Final Four, including 37 straight in the 1997-98 season. Their shortest win streak preceding a Final Four is three games (1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991). The last three years they came into the Final Four having won four straight.
• The only time Tennessee had won an NCAA title in the month of April previous to tonight over Rutgers was in 1989. The Lady Vols’ five other titles were won in late March. Tennessee had an opportunity to win five additional titles in April prior to tonight, but came up empty each time (1984, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004).
TENNESSEE TEAM NOTES
• The Lady Vols pulled down 12 offensive rebounds in the first half and converted those caroms into 13 second-chance points. In the game, Tennessee collected 24 offensive rebounds and registered 22 second-chance points.
• Tennessee had as many offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes as Rutgers had total rebounds.
• The Lady Vols’ 29 first-half points matched Tennessee’s scoring output vs. the Scarlet Knights in their last meeting, in the regional semifinal of the 2006 Cleveland Regional. The Lady Vols led the 2006 meeting at the half, 29-27.
• Tennessee connected on two three-pointers in the first-half vs. Rutgers. In the entire game against North Carolina in the national semifinals, the Lady Vols made only two three-pointers.
• After making two of their first three shots, the Lady Vols missed their next 10 attempts before a lay-up by Candace Parker with 11:30 remaining in the first half broke the shooting drought.
• Tennessee held Rutgers to two three-pointers, marking the third time this tournament that the Lady Vols have limited their opponents to two triples.
• Tennessee is 13-1 vs. Rutgers when scoring at least 58 points. The only loss when scoring more than that mark came on Jan. 17, 1994 in an 87-77 Scarlet Knight’s victory.
• Tennessee has matched up vs. a school from the BIG EAST in the title game on four previous occasions, all against Connecticut. The Huskies have gotten the better of the meetings, as they are 4-0 in those games. Connecticut defeated the Lady Vols in 2004 (70-61), 2003 (73-68), 2000 (71-52) and 1995 (70-64). The average scoring margin for Tennessee in those game was –9.7, with the Lady Vols averaging 61.3 points in the games, while allowing 71.0 to Connecticut.
• Tennessee is 5-5 in the Final Four when scoring in the 60’s, 5-0 when scoring in the 70’s, 6-0 when posting 80 or more points and 3-5 when posting less than 60 points.
• Tennessee coach Pat Summitt has guided Tennessee to all 17 of its Women’s Final Four appearances, the most appearances by any coach in the game, men’s or women’s.
• Summitt’s overall coaching record stands at 947-180 in 33 seasons, all at Tennessee. She is the winningest coach, men’s and women’s, in NCAA history having passed UNC’s Dean Smith (880 victories).
• Tennessee is 7-1 on neutral courts this season. The Lady Vols last lost on a neutral court in the semifinals of the 2007 Southeastern Conference Tournament (LSU, 63-54; 3/3/07).
• The last time Tennessee played in Ohio in the Final Four, it defeated Old Dominion 68-59 in the championship game of the 1997 Final Four. The game was played at Riverfront Coliseum on Mar. 30, 1997.
• Tennessee is 18-3 against ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament, including 4-0 in the Final Four (56-50 vs. North Carolina, 4/1/07; 66-56 vs. Duke, 4/6/03; 70-67 (OT) vs. Virginia, 3/31/91; 77-65 vs. Maryland, 3/31/89).
• A BIG EAST team has ended a Lady Vols’ season only five times: Connecticut is the only current member of the BIG EAST to have handed Tennessee its last loss of the season: 1995 (70-64), 2000 (71-52), 2002 (79-56), 2003 (73-68) and 2004 (70-61).
• Three out of the five times Tennessee has carried a double-digit win streak into the Final Four, it has won a championship (1989: 15 games; 1996: 13 games; 1998: 37/44 games). The Lady Vols lost in 1988, riding a 22-game win streak, and in 2000, riding a 19-game win streak.
• The Lady Vols are 12-1 all-time in games played in the state of Ohio. The only loss occurred versus North Carolina (75-63) in the Cleveland Regional Final on March 28, 2006. Against teams from the Buckeye State, Tennessee has posted a 14-5 overall mark. The only teams from Ohio to hold winning series records versus the Lady Vols are Xavier, who registered an 80-65 triumph in Sweet 16, on March 24, 2001, and Cincinnati, who has three wins over Tennessee.
• Tennessee’s 27.0 percent shooting mark against North Carolina was the lowest by a winning team in women’s basketball Final Four history.
• Tennessee’s second-half comeback vs. the Tar Heels was the eighth-largest margin (12 points) overcome in the Final Four, semifinals or championship game.
• This is the seventh season in Pat Summitt’s career that the Lady Vols have won 33+ wins.
• The Lady Vols are 2-0 all-time, respectively vs. teams from the BIG EAST in Quicken Loans Arena.
• Tennessee has had four players from Ohio play for the Lady Vols. The list includes; Michelle Munoz (Mason), Shalon Pillow (Addyston), Semeka Randall (Cleveland) and Vonda Ward (Northfield). Both Randall and Ward were members of national championship teams at Tennessee.
TENNESSEE INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Candace Parker was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in two games in the 2007 Final Four.
• Shannon Bobbitt’s four three-pointers represent her top effort beyond the arc in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The four triples also represent the most by a Tennessee player in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
• Alberta Auguste surpassed her point total from the Lady Vols’ semifinal victory over North Carolina after she scored eight first-half points for Tennessee vs. Rutgers, including four straight at one point. Her five first-half rebounds were two shy of equaling her career high set vs. Ole Miss in the Dayton Regional Final. She finished the game with 10 points for her seventh double-figure game of the season.
• Nicky Anosike pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in the game, including 10 on the offensive glass. The 16 rebounds tied for the third-most in NCAA championship-game history. She is tied with La’Keshia Frett of Georgia, who pulled down 16 in 1996 vs. Tennessee.
• Sidney Spencer led all scorers with nine points in the first half. She posted only seven points in the entire game against North Carolina. She finished with 11 points for her 50th career double-figure scoring game, including 23 this season.
• Candace Parker registered her 34th double-figure scoring game of the season and 67th of her career with her team-high 17 points vs. Rutgers, including 10 points in the second half.
• For the second consecutive game in the 2007 Final Four, Candace Parker notched her first points on the game at the charity stripe. She made both her attempts against North Carolina, while splitting her shots versus Rutgers.
• Candace Parker became only the fourth underclassmen ever to win the State Farm Wade Trophy when she was chosen as the 2007 winner. She joins Nancy Lieberman (Old Dominion – 1979), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut – 2003) and Seimone Augustus (LSU – 2005) on this prestigious list. Presented annually to the best women's basketball player in NCAA Division I, the Wade Trophy, named after the late, legendary three-time national champion, Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball.
• Parker joins Daedra Charles (1991) as the only two Tennessee players to be named as the winner of the Wade Trophy.
• Semeka Randall and Kellie Jolly-Harper, members of Tennessee’s last NCAA Championship team in 1998 were in attendance in the Lady Vols’ tilt against Rutgers.
• As of 2007, Tennessee had a nation-high 93 players compete in the Women’s Final Four on 17 teams. Cait McMahan, Elizabeth Curry are two additional players who could increase that number. Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste joined the list in the first half vs. North Carolina. Every Lady Vol since 1976 (includes NCAA Tournament and AIAW Tournaments) has competed in at least one Final Four.
• Lady Vol assistant coach Nikki Caldwell won an NCAA title as a Tennessee freshman in 1991.
• Former Lady Vol All-American Semeka Randall (1997-2001) is an assistant coach for Michigan State, a Cleveland native and played in Tennessee’s first-ever appearance in Quicken Loans Arena (formerly Gund Arena), a 83-63 victory over North Carolina State on Jan. 29, 2000. Randall was a member of two championship teams at Tennessee (1997, 1998).
• Candace Parker’s brother Anthony is a 6-6 forward for the Toronto Raptors.
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