Coach Summitt's Teleconference
Opening Statement...
"I think our first round game against Drake we did a great job on the defensive end of negating some scoring opportunities. I thought our team was ready to play. The Pittsburgh game, playing on their home floor, I thought we went up another notch in terms of intensity. Pitt played us tough, it was a great battle, but Candace Parker did a great job of scoring and getting us paint points, which is where we wanted to go. Nicky Anosike had great poise and composure offensively and gave us the inside attack that I thought we needed. Our defense stood up against a tough Pittsburgh team that had a couple of strong offensive players. I thought we did a good job overall and I'm excited for this team. I'm excited about going to Dayton and looking forward to getting ready to play Marist. They are very efficient and will be a challenge for our defense because of their spacing and motion game and their ability to score from a number of different positions."
On Marist breaking the press of Middle Tennessee State...
"When we go into the game, we go in as we always do and that's looking for opportunities to extend our defense. We play change up, man and half court and we zone press a lot and we vary our defensive alignment. It was clear to me watching that MTSU-Marist game that Marist had great composure against the press and broke the pressure, but that's not going to keep us for doing what we do and playing to our strengths. If they go through our press like they did MTSU's it will be a situation where we will have to adjust as well."
On meeting Marist coach Brian Giorgis when he was still a high school coach...
"When I saw them play the other night, I thought `I know this guy!'. Dick Patrick mentioned that Coach Giorgis had come through Knoxville years ago when he was a high school coach. That jogged my memory, they were on a family vacation and I happened to be in my office as he was touring the facility. We spent a little time visiting. He's done a great job, his team is so disciplined. With motion offense, you can't predetermine what they will run. They read and they screen and space you very well. He has his team executing motion and taking care of the basketball. They are the most efficient in the country at that. He's done a terrific job."
Does your team this year have the championship caliber that you've grown accustomed to...
"Absolutely. I didn't know that going into the year. I didn't know how our point guard Shannon Bobbitt coming out of junior college and into Division I basketball would handle the schedule that we had in place. I wanted to move Alexis Hornbuckle to the two guard position and I think Bobbitt's maturity and that of fellow junior college transfer Alberta Auguste has enabled us to do that. Alberta has backed Alexis up all season. I think the play of Shannon has been more than I had anticipated and that has put us in a position to be a better basketball team with Hornbuckle at the off guard and freeing her up to be more creative offensively off the dribble and getting to the paint. I think we are a better team because of that. With the play of Candace, that has been tremendous from last year to this year to see Parker develop her skills, composure and toughness. She is much more aggressive on the offensive end."
On Marist coming from a mid-major conference and getting this far...
"It speaks volumes. Coach Giorgis has done a great job of preparing them. Their composure, I'm so impressed with that. They never flinched when they got pressed. They kept their focus and played together. Certainly to be a 13-seed and be in the Sweet 16 speaks in a tremendous way for what this team not only has done but can do."
On mid-majors making more of a dent this season...
"I think we are seeing it for the first time maybe more in the women's bracket than the men's. In previous years, we haven't seen the kind of upsets that we have this year. I think it is good for women's basketball. It certainly has created a lot of buzz, to have Marist do what they have done. To see some of the top seeds going down, it gives everyone a different feel or sense for where we are now in the women's game now."
On Candace Parker and Courtney Paris potentially meeting in Dayton...
"I think that is a match up that folks have wanted to see for a long time. Whether it happens or not still remains to be seen. Certainly you're seeing two of the best and two of the most respected front line players in the game right now. A lot of people make comparisons of the two. They are very different in their style of play but what they do for their respective teams is give them an anchor offensively and they both have very imposing inside games."
Is the Courtney-Candace comparison similar to the Greg Oden and Kevin Durant comparison...
"I can see that. I think with Courtney, she has great hands and great touch. She comes up big. Candace is definitely more of a face up player and she puts it on the floor. She has a combination of guard-forward-center skills. They each bring stability to their team and they are both go-to players. There is no substitute for that when you're going into postseason; you've got to have it."
On Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale...
"Sherri has done a tremendous job. I've watched her career and the success of building the Oklahoma program to where it is today. She's a great teacher and also she has the communication and motivational skills to really inspire her team. She's done a terrific job at Oklahoma. It's been a good fit for her and a great success story."
On potential Oklahoma-Tennessee matchup...
"The thing that impressed me watching them this year is obviously Courtney Paris as a force on the inside. But the development of their guard play and perimeter game and how they can stretch out the defense and knock down threes. They challenge teams in their spacing and their ability to go from inside to outside. They are very, very balanced in that regard."
On Marist guard Alisa Kresge...
"I think as she goes, so goes Marist. She does a great job of pushing tempo. In watching the game against Middle Tennessee and Ohio State, I thought she ran the ball with great purpose and composure. She does a terrific job of getting from end line to end line with the ball. She is that quarterback that you have to have. She doesn't always look to score; she tries to get everyone good shots. She can score if she needs to, but she gives everyone the ball. I'm impressed with not only her ball handling skills but also with her decision making."
On facing Marist this late...
"I don't think we've ever been in this situation, but it speaks to the parity in the game and to this Marist team. They are a fundamentally sound basketball team that executes so well together. We see Marist and think offense, offense, offense. But they are also a very stingy, tough-minded defensive team."
Note: Tennessee has never been knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by lower than a four seed.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Lady Vols' Parker a human highlight reel
PITTSBURGH - When Pittsburgh assistant coach Shea Ralph assembled a scouting tape on Tennessee, head coach Agnus Berenato took one look at it and tossed it away. The tape was nothing but a series of Candace Parker highlights. Turned out the game was, too.
Parker wore out persistent Pittsburgh at both ends of the court with 30 points, 12 rebounds and a series of rally halting plays that carried the Lady Vols to a 68-54 tournament victory over Pitt on Tuesday night and the NCAA round of 16 for a 26th consecutive season.
Sidney Spencer helped Parker slow down Pitt's muscular Marcedes Walker and scored 11 points, and Nicky Anosike and Shannon Bobbitt added 10 points each as Tennessee remained the only team to reach the final 16 in every season of the tournament's 26-year history.
But if it hadn't been for Parker, the best player on the floor all night, that run might have stopped.
"Candace Parker is a special player," Berenato said. "When Shea showed me those clips, I said, `We can't let them see that. We can't let them see how good she is.' "
The game proved that. While the Panthers were a team the top-seeded Vols (30-3) should have beaten — they were playing their 113th game in tournament history to Pitt's second — the six-time champions rarely have played an early round game under such difficult circumstances. Pitt nearly filled its arena with fans for the Dayton Regional game, and the 6-foot-3, 257-pound Walker presented a difficult matchup problem.
To perhaps any player but Parker, the smooth and athletic star who had something to prove after being limited to four points in the Vols' 63-54 loss to LSU in the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 3. And she proved it, missing only three of her 16 shots and adding three assists and four blocks.
"I let my team down, my energy was missing (against LSU)," said the 6-4 Parker, a sophomore who averages nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds. "So whether it was rebounding or blocking shots, I had to have a presence. Whenever they made a run, I knew my team needed me and I had to demand the ball and demand attention, and I feel I did a good job of that."
Parker was everywhere — dropping jumpers from the wings, gliding along the baseline for scoop shots or outworking the Panthers under the basket for putbacks. Every time eighth-seeded Pittsburgh (24-9) tried making a run, led by the physical Walker (19 points, 9 rebounds) and slick guard Shavonte Zellous (18 points), Parker halted it.
"Candace has great composure, and her progress from last year to this year is tremendous," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "Everyone realizes when we need a basket, Candace is a big-game player. We want her to have her hands on the ball because she can make plays under pressure."
The last threat came when Pitt, down by as many as 17, cut it to 54-45 with 8:17 remaining after Walker made three of four free throws on consecutive possessions. Parker immediately answered by scoring three consecutive baskets, halting the rally and pushing the lead back to a comfortable 15 at 60-45.
Pitt, a six-game winner only four seasons ago but surging under Berenato with a school record-best season, got back into the game by starting the second half with an 8-0 that made it 40-32. At that point, the Petersen Events Center was nearly as loud as it would have been for a Pitt men's game.
"When we made those runs and the crowd got behind us, it was electric," Berenato said.
Right about then, Zellous said she was thinking, "We have them on their heels."
But Parker, who Pitt never managed to slow, also halted this comeback by making two free throws and hitting a jump hook from the lane to push the Vols' lead back to 12.
Pitt, with far more fans in the stands than watched its 71-61 late-night victory over James Madison on Sunday in which Walker scored 20 points, made one more push as Zellous hit a jumper ahead of Walker's three free throws that cut the deficit to nine points. The Vols certainly aren't accustomed to such slim leads in first- or second-round games — they are 40-0 in such games in NCAA tournament history and 94-19 under Summitt in tournament games.
Tennessee enjoyed a fast start — something Summitt wanted to neutralize that Pitt home-court advantage — by seizing leads of 7-2, 19-7 and 28-14. Later in the first half, the Vols put together a quick 6-0 run that made it 38-21.
Parker wore out persistent Pittsburgh at both ends of the court with 30 points, 12 rebounds and a series of rally halting plays that carried the Lady Vols to a 68-54 tournament victory over Pitt on Tuesday night and the NCAA round of 16 for a 26th consecutive season.
Sidney Spencer helped Parker slow down Pitt's muscular Marcedes Walker and scored 11 points, and Nicky Anosike and Shannon Bobbitt added 10 points each as Tennessee remained the only team to reach the final 16 in every season of the tournament's 26-year history.
But if it hadn't been for Parker, the best player on the floor all night, that run might have stopped.
"Candace Parker is a special player," Berenato said. "When Shea showed me those clips, I said, `We can't let them see that. We can't let them see how good she is.' "
The game proved that. While the Panthers were a team the top-seeded Vols (30-3) should have beaten — they were playing their 113th game in tournament history to Pitt's second — the six-time champions rarely have played an early round game under such difficult circumstances. Pitt nearly filled its arena with fans for the Dayton Regional game, and the 6-foot-3, 257-pound Walker presented a difficult matchup problem.
To perhaps any player but Parker, the smooth and athletic star who had something to prove after being limited to four points in the Vols' 63-54 loss to LSU in the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 3. And she proved it, missing only three of her 16 shots and adding three assists and four blocks.
"I let my team down, my energy was missing (against LSU)," said the 6-4 Parker, a sophomore who averages nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds. "So whether it was rebounding or blocking shots, I had to have a presence. Whenever they made a run, I knew my team needed me and I had to demand the ball and demand attention, and I feel I did a good job of that."
Parker was everywhere — dropping jumpers from the wings, gliding along the baseline for scoop shots or outworking the Panthers under the basket for putbacks. Every time eighth-seeded Pittsburgh (24-9) tried making a run, led by the physical Walker (19 points, 9 rebounds) and slick guard Shavonte Zellous (18 points), Parker halted it.
"Candace has great composure, and her progress from last year to this year is tremendous," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "Everyone realizes when we need a basket, Candace is a big-game player. We want her to have her hands on the ball because she can make plays under pressure."
The last threat came when Pitt, down by as many as 17, cut it to 54-45 with 8:17 remaining after Walker made three of four free throws on consecutive possessions. Parker immediately answered by scoring three consecutive baskets, halting the rally and pushing the lead back to a comfortable 15 at 60-45.
Pitt, a six-game winner only four seasons ago but surging under Berenato with a school record-best season, got back into the game by starting the second half with an 8-0 that made it 40-32. At that point, the Petersen Events Center was nearly as loud as it would have been for a Pitt men's game.
"When we made those runs and the crowd got behind us, it was electric," Berenato said.
Right about then, Zellous said she was thinking, "We have them on their heels."
But Parker, who Pitt never managed to slow, also halted this comeback by making two free throws and hitting a jump hook from the lane to push the Vols' lead back to 12.
Pitt, with far more fans in the stands than watched its 71-61 late-night victory over James Madison on Sunday in which Walker scored 20 points, made one more push as Zellous hit a jumper ahead of Walker's three free throws that cut the deficit to nine points. The Vols certainly aren't accustomed to such slim leads in first- or second-round games — they are 40-0 in such games in NCAA tournament history and 94-19 under Summitt in tournament games.
Tennessee enjoyed a fast start — something Summitt wanted to neutralize that Pitt home-court advantage — by seizing leads of 7-2, 19-7 and 28-14. Later in the first half, the Vols put together a quick 6-0 run that made it 38-21.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tennessee's reward for top seed -- NCAA game on Pitt's home court
PITTSBURGH -- Twenty-six NCAA women's basketball tournaments, 26 appearances by Tennessee under coach Pat Summitt in the round of 16. The old adage that nobody's perfect apparently doesn't apply to the Lady Vols come tournament time.
Only this time, the team from the Rocky Top state may find the road to next weekend's regional in Dayton slightly more hazardous and less predictable than those in past seasons.
The Vols' reward for a 29-3 record, a No. 3 national ranking and an unrivaled history? A second-round road game Tuesday night at Pitt, an opponent with a punishing 257-pound center, Marcedes Walker, who rarely gets pushed around even by the best of teams.
This would never happen in the NCAA men's tournament, a top-seeded team being forced to play an eighth-seeded team like Pittsburgh (24-8) on its home court. But the women's tournament is expanding to venues never previously visited, and the Panthers were rewarded for building a $110 million-plus basketball palace that is one of the best in the sport.
No doubt Summitt wishes that prize for Pitt hadn't been a showcase game in the Petersen Events Center against her team.
"In 112 NCAA games, this is only the third time, prior to a Final Four, that we have played on an opponent's home court," Summitt said Monday. "But I do think our basketball team has been terrific on the road and has played a lot of tough competition. Life on the road is where you had better pack your defense and your board play."
The men's tournament also wouldn't send two top-seeded teams to the same early round venue, yet both Tennessee and North Carolina must win Tuesday night in Pittsburgh to move on. The Tar Heels (31-3) play another Big East team, Notre Dame (20-11), in a Dallas regional game.
It's also unusual to have a doubleheader so early in the tournament with all four teams coming from power conferences, yet that also will occur. That's why Summitt and North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell might be more nervous than usual only one game into the tournament.
Pitt can't match Tennessee in size, experience or ability, yet Walker presents a difficult matchup problem for any team. Walker proved way too much for James Madison to handle as she had 20 points and 15 rebounds in Pitt's 71-61 victory Sunday.
Nicky Anosike, a strong inside defender who owns a one-inch height advantage over Walker, is al but certain to draw the one player Tennessee must control to advance. The Vols are 12-1 on the road this season.
"I'm ready to do it," said Anosike, an excellent rebounder and shot blocker who had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in a 76-37 first-round rout of Drake. "I'm just going to have to take one for the team."
While Pitt coach Agnus Berenato is all but pleading for a sellout crowd -- something that never occurred all season for her team at home -- the Vols are confident their traditionally large traveling party will negate any home-court advantage. There appeared to be more Vols rooters than Pitt supporters in the stands Sunday.
"We're going into the game with no fear, and we're looking to attack," Berenato said. "Tennessee is a big-time program and that's what we're looking to be. So let's see where we stand at the end of the game."
Pitt has exactly one NCAA tournament victory in its history to Tennessee's 93, yet Walker said she's not intimidated going against one of the sport's marquee programs.
"We have no fear of them," she said. "It's going to be a big challenge going against Tennessee, knowing they have a history. Pittsburgh doesn't really have a history, so I take it as we have nothing to lose but have so much to gain."
Notre Dame (20-11) does have a history -- the Fighting Irish won the 2001 national title. But this youthful team is only ninth-seeded in the Dallas region, and probably isn't ready yet to take on a team as quick, athletic and as uptempo as North Carolina (31-3).
Irish coach Muffet McGraw, displaying more candor than a NCAA men's coach would in the same circumstance, all but said her team must play a nearly perfect game to have a chance to win.
"I would have said we were an uptempo team but, after watching tape of North Carolina, I don't think we're quite as uptempo as they are," said McGraw, whose team is loaded with freshmen and lost earlier this season at Pitt. "They play really fast. I think we are a team that likes to get up and down the floor, but certainly not the way North Carolina does."
Carolina has an excellent point guard in Ivory Latta, a strong inside game and a deep bench -- all 11 players scored against Prairie View in a 95-38 rout Sunday. But it may be the Tar Heels' speed that separates it from most women's teams.
"I think 6-on-5 would certainly be good if we could get an extra player out there," McGraw said. "I don't think you can slow them down. They're quicker than we are, especially in the post, so it's going to be a major challenge."
Only this time, the team from the Rocky Top state may find the road to next weekend's regional in Dayton slightly more hazardous and less predictable than those in past seasons.
The Vols' reward for a 29-3 record, a No. 3 national ranking and an unrivaled history? A second-round road game Tuesday night at Pitt, an opponent with a punishing 257-pound center, Marcedes Walker, who rarely gets pushed around even by the best of teams.
This would never happen in the NCAA men's tournament, a top-seeded team being forced to play an eighth-seeded team like Pittsburgh (24-8) on its home court. But the women's tournament is expanding to venues never previously visited, and the Panthers were rewarded for building a $110 million-plus basketball palace that is one of the best in the sport.
No doubt Summitt wishes that prize for Pitt hadn't been a showcase game in the Petersen Events Center against her team.
"In 112 NCAA games, this is only the third time, prior to a Final Four, that we have played on an opponent's home court," Summitt said Monday. "But I do think our basketball team has been terrific on the road and has played a lot of tough competition. Life on the road is where you had better pack your defense and your board play."
The men's tournament also wouldn't send two top-seeded teams to the same early round venue, yet both Tennessee and North Carolina must win Tuesday night in Pittsburgh to move on. The Tar Heels (31-3) play another Big East team, Notre Dame (20-11), in a Dallas regional game.
It's also unusual to have a doubleheader so early in the tournament with all four teams coming from power conferences, yet that also will occur. That's why Summitt and North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell might be more nervous than usual only one game into the tournament.
Pitt can't match Tennessee in size, experience or ability, yet Walker presents a difficult matchup problem for any team. Walker proved way too much for James Madison to handle as she had 20 points and 15 rebounds in Pitt's 71-61 victory Sunday.
Nicky Anosike, a strong inside defender who owns a one-inch height advantage over Walker, is al but certain to draw the one player Tennessee must control to advance. The Vols are 12-1 on the road this season.
"I'm ready to do it," said Anosike, an excellent rebounder and shot blocker who had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in a 76-37 first-round rout of Drake. "I'm just going to have to take one for the team."
While Pitt coach Agnus Berenato is all but pleading for a sellout crowd -- something that never occurred all season for her team at home -- the Vols are confident their traditionally large traveling party will negate any home-court advantage. There appeared to be more Vols rooters than Pitt supporters in the stands Sunday.
"We're going into the game with no fear, and we're looking to attack," Berenato said. "Tennessee is a big-time program and that's what we're looking to be. So let's see where we stand at the end of the game."
Pitt has exactly one NCAA tournament victory in its history to Tennessee's 93, yet Walker said she's not intimidated going against one of the sport's marquee programs.
"We have no fear of them," she said. "It's going to be a big challenge going against Tennessee, knowing they have a history. Pittsburgh doesn't really have a history, so I take it as we have nothing to lose but have so much to gain."
Notre Dame (20-11) does have a history -- the Fighting Irish won the 2001 national title. But this youthful team is only ninth-seeded in the Dallas region, and probably isn't ready yet to take on a team as quick, athletic and as uptempo as North Carolina (31-3).
Irish coach Muffet McGraw, displaying more candor than a NCAA men's coach would in the same circumstance, all but said her team must play a nearly perfect game to have a chance to win.
"I would have said we were an uptempo team but, after watching tape of North Carolina, I don't think we're quite as uptempo as they are," said McGraw, whose team is loaded with freshmen and lost earlier this season at Pitt. "They play really fast. I think we are a team that likes to get up and down the floor, but certainly not the way North Carolina does."
Carolina has an excellent point guard in Ivory Latta, a strong inside game and a deep bench -- all 11 players scored against Prairie View in a 95-38 rout Sunday. But it may be the Tar Heels' speed that separates it from most women's teams.
"I think 6-on-5 would certainly be good if we could get an extra player out there," McGraw said. "I don't think you can slow them down. They're quicker than we are, especially in the post, so it's going to be a major challenge."
Monday, March 19, 2007
Lady Vols post 'hardest-easiest' victory
PITTSBURGH - Longtime women's basketball power Tennessee may never have had a 39-point victory that required so much work, effort and emotion. Tennessee limited Drake to two points in the opening 10 minutes of each half and Alexis Hornbuckle led a late surge in the first half that broke open a tight game, carrying the Lady Vols to a 76-37 victory Sunday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Vols (29-3), the top seed in the Dayton Regional, wasn't supposed to have any trouble with the 16th-seeded Bulldogs (14-19) but got exactly that for most of the first half — leading only 13-9 nearly 12 minutes into the game and 21-14 with 2:21 remaining before halftime.
Tennessee then went on a remarkable 34-0 run that lasted nearly 13 minutes and didn't end until midway through the second half, time enough for the Vols to push their lead to 55-14 before Drake's Monique Jones made two free throws with 10:36 remaining.
"The sleeping giant awoke at halftime," Drake coach Amy Stephens said.
Hornbuckle scored 14 points, Candace Parker added 13 points and six rebounds, Shannon Bobbitt scored 11 and Dominique Redding finished with 10. No Drake player reached double figures as the Bulldogs shot 21.4 percent (12-of-56), with their starters a combined 9-of-49.
Vols coach Pat Summitt probably couldn't choose between being pleased with her team's shutdown defense or being exasperated with the long delay it took to generate any offense. Tennessee, No. 3 in the final Associated Press regular-season poll, hadn't played since a 63-54 loss to LSU in the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 3.
"Having been off for a while caused us to come out anxious," Parker said. "We settled down in the second half and ran our offensive sets and ran them right."
Tennessee knows that once the competition starts getting better, perhaps as early as Tuesday, it can't afford to wait nearly as long.
"At the half, someone said, `What's the deal? What's wrong?'" Summitt said. "It's postseason play. They came out and matched our intensity. ... At least we executed well in the second half."
Earlier Sunday in the same arena, North Carolina — the top seed in its region — needed fewer than 5 minutes to seize a 24-4 lead over another No. 16 seed, Prairie View A&M, in winning 95-38. By contrast, Tennessee didn't reach double figures until well past the midway point of the first half and was visibly struggling against the smaller and less athletic Bulldogs until Hornbuckle and Parker took over late in the first half.
Parker scored on a spin-move layup with her left hand to make it 23-14, and Hornbuckle finished off the half with a fast-break layup, a shot off the glass and a 3-pointer as the Vols took a 30-14 halftime lead.
"Our goal was to hang around and we were able to do that for a long time," Drake's Lindsay Whorton said. "Then they made us play at a pace we're not used to playing and they wanted to play."
With Drake's shooting percentage hovering in the 14 percent range until late in the game, the Vols scored the first 25 points of the second half against a tiring opponent that was 10-18 until winning four games in four days on its home court to take the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
"We were playing the best of the best in Tennessee and we were excited to be here at first," Lauren Dybing said. "We were nervous."
Parker scored the first two baskets of the half before Bobbitt, 0-of-4 in the first half, got going with a pair of 3-pointers, a driving layup and a basket following a steal.
"I didn't settle down in the first half," Bobbitt said. "I was too anxious and didn't run the team well. My job is to get the game up-tempo in a hurry."
Tennessee, a six-time national champion looking for its first title since 1998, is the top seed in its region for the 18th time. The Vols will face eighth-seeded Pittsburgh — a 71-61 winner over James Madison — on Tuesday night on the Panthers' home court.
The Vols (29-3), the top seed in the Dayton Regional, wasn't supposed to have any trouble with the 16th-seeded Bulldogs (14-19) but got exactly that for most of the first half — leading only 13-9 nearly 12 minutes into the game and 21-14 with 2:21 remaining before halftime.
Tennessee then went on a remarkable 34-0 run that lasted nearly 13 minutes and didn't end until midway through the second half, time enough for the Vols to push their lead to 55-14 before Drake's Monique Jones made two free throws with 10:36 remaining.
"The sleeping giant awoke at halftime," Drake coach Amy Stephens said.
Hornbuckle scored 14 points, Candace Parker added 13 points and six rebounds, Shannon Bobbitt scored 11 and Dominique Redding finished with 10. No Drake player reached double figures as the Bulldogs shot 21.4 percent (12-of-56), with their starters a combined 9-of-49.
Vols coach Pat Summitt probably couldn't choose between being pleased with her team's shutdown defense or being exasperated with the long delay it took to generate any offense. Tennessee, No. 3 in the final Associated Press regular-season poll, hadn't played since a 63-54 loss to LSU in the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 3.
"Having been off for a while caused us to come out anxious," Parker said. "We settled down in the second half and ran our offensive sets and ran them right."
Tennessee knows that once the competition starts getting better, perhaps as early as Tuesday, it can't afford to wait nearly as long.
"At the half, someone said, `What's the deal? What's wrong?'" Summitt said. "It's postseason play. They came out and matched our intensity. ... At least we executed well in the second half."
Earlier Sunday in the same arena, North Carolina — the top seed in its region — needed fewer than 5 minutes to seize a 24-4 lead over another No. 16 seed, Prairie View A&M, in winning 95-38. By contrast, Tennessee didn't reach double figures until well past the midway point of the first half and was visibly struggling against the smaller and less athletic Bulldogs until Hornbuckle and Parker took over late in the first half.
Parker scored on a spin-move layup with her left hand to make it 23-14, and Hornbuckle finished off the half with a fast-break layup, a shot off the glass and a 3-pointer as the Vols took a 30-14 halftime lead.
"Our goal was to hang around and we were able to do that for a long time," Drake's Lindsay Whorton said. "Then they made us play at a pace we're not used to playing and they wanted to play."
With Drake's shooting percentage hovering in the 14 percent range until late in the game, the Vols scored the first 25 points of the second half against a tiring opponent that was 10-18 until winning four games in four days on its home court to take the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
"We were playing the best of the best in Tennessee and we were excited to be here at first," Lauren Dybing said. "We were nervous."
Parker scored the first two baskets of the half before Bobbitt, 0-of-4 in the first half, got going with a pair of 3-pointers, a driving layup and a basket following a steal.
"I didn't settle down in the first half," Bobbitt said. "I was too anxious and didn't run the team well. My job is to get the game up-tempo in a hurry."
Tennessee, a six-time national champion looking for its first title since 1998, is the top seed in its region for the 18th time. The Vols will face eighth-seeded Pittsburgh — a 71-61 winner over James Madison — on Tuesday night on the Panthers' home court.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Summitt increases intensity for NCAAs
PITTSBURGH — Pat Summitt displays intensity any time that her Lady Vols take the floor, but she somehow finds a higher gear at tournament time.
"We always used to joke as players, but never in front of her of course, that you can always tell when it's tournament time because she definitely ratchets it up a little bit," said Kara Lawson, a former Lady Vol who is working the tournament as an ESPN analyst. "It's just more intense focus. It's just her desire to win."
The focus is evident in the practices between the SEC Tournament and the start of the NCAA Tournament.
"She has a very short level of patience during those practices. At that point in the season, if you're still repeating mistakes, she has little tolerance for it," Lawson said.
Summitt broke up a casual shooting session during Saturday's practice and had her front line run a half-court sprint to get it to concentrate on drills.
A slam-dunk memory: Tennessee's Candace Parker said there was no pre-meditation in planning her two dunks in last year's Army game, and she's not thinking about individual feats this year either.
"My focus is on winning the national championship," Parker said. "Just get through one game at a time. We tell ourselves that we have a six-game season in front of us. (Dunking) is not on my mind right now. That's last year. I proved that I could do it."
Prodding Parker: At Saturday's practice, fans braved a snowstorm that covered southwestern Pennsylvania to watch the workouts.
With many of them wearing orange, they prodded Parker to show off her stuff, chanting "Dunk it! Dunk it!" She smiled and acknowledged the fans, but she left the court without a slam.
By the numbers: The Lady Vols are the only program in the country to have appeared in all 26 of the NCAA women's tournaments. This is the 18th time they've been seeded No. 1, eight more than runners-up Louisiana Tech and Connecticut.
The Lady Vols have won 92 of their 111 NCAA Tournament games, more than any other women's or men's program. Second on the all-time women's tournament win list is Connecticut with 58.
Remembering Dixon: A series of circumstances came full circle for Candace Parker regarding the late Maggie Dixon, who coached Army last season and whose brother, Jamie, is the men's coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dixon recruited Parker when she was at DePaul but lost her to Tennessee. Last year, Parker became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game when she did it twice against Dixon's Army team. And this year's first and second rounds are at the Petersen Events Center, where Jamie Dixon has helped build a basketball power.
"Coming here is a bit ironic. It has really had me thinking about her a lot," Parker said. "She went out on top. We're blessed to have known her. She was a great coach and even a better person."
"We always used to joke as players, but never in front of her of course, that you can always tell when it's tournament time because she definitely ratchets it up a little bit," said Kara Lawson, a former Lady Vol who is working the tournament as an ESPN analyst. "It's just more intense focus. It's just her desire to win."
The focus is evident in the practices between the SEC Tournament and the start of the NCAA Tournament.
"She has a very short level of patience during those practices. At that point in the season, if you're still repeating mistakes, she has little tolerance for it," Lawson said.
Summitt broke up a casual shooting session during Saturday's practice and had her front line run a half-court sprint to get it to concentrate on drills.
A slam-dunk memory: Tennessee's Candace Parker said there was no pre-meditation in planning her two dunks in last year's Army game, and she's not thinking about individual feats this year either.
"My focus is on winning the national championship," Parker said. "Just get through one game at a time. We tell ourselves that we have a six-game season in front of us. (Dunking) is not on my mind right now. That's last year. I proved that I could do it."
Prodding Parker: At Saturday's practice, fans braved a snowstorm that covered southwestern Pennsylvania to watch the workouts.
With many of them wearing orange, they prodded Parker to show off her stuff, chanting "Dunk it! Dunk it!" She smiled and acknowledged the fans, but she left the court without a slam.
By the numbers: The Lady Vols are the only program in the country to have appeared in all 26 of the NCAA women's tournaments. This is the 18th time they've been seeded No. 1, eight more than runners-up Louisiana Tech and Connecticut.
The Lady Vols have won 92 of their 111 NCAA Tournament games, more than any other women's or men's program. Second on the all-time women's tournament win list is Connecticut with 58.
Remembering Dixon: A series of circumstances came full circle for Candace Parker regarding the late Maggie Dixon, who coached Army last season and whose brother, Jamie, is the men's coach at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dixon recruited Parker when she was at DePaul but lost her to Tennessee. Last year, Parker became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game when she did it twice against Dixon's Army team. And this year's first and second rounds are at the Petersen Events Center, where Jamie Dixon has helped build a basketball power.
"Coming here is a bit ironic. It has really had me thinking about her a lot," Parker said. "She went out on top. We're blessed to have known her. She was a great coach and even a better person."
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Drake Bulldogs/Tennessee Lady Volunteers Preview
(16) Drake (14-18) vs. (1) Tennessee (28-3)
Game Info: 7:00 pm EDT Sun Mar 18, 2007
Dayton Region - Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
It's hard to believe it's been nine years since six-time champion Tennessee has won a national title.
The top-seeded Lady Vols will have plenty of challenges ahead of them if they want to end that drought, although Sunday's Dayton Regional first-round matchup against Drake at Pittsburgh isn't expected to be among them.
Tennessee (28-3) has its NCAA-record 18th top seed, but the road to its first championship since 1998 won't be an easy one. The Lady Vols could face a second-round matchup against eighth-seeded Pittsburgh in front of a partisan crowd, and defending national champion Maryland and Big Ten regular-season champion Ohio State are also lurking in the bracket.
"This region is very, very stacked, but am I surprised? Absolutely not," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "I'd have been surprised if it hadn't been. There's a lot of great teams obviously in our bracket, and yet there's no easy bracket in women's basketball these days."
How far the Lady Vols go depends partly on the play of sophomore superstar Candace Parker, who is averaging a team-high 19.7 points this season. Parker, the SEC player of the year, was held to a season-low four points in Tennessee's 63-54 loss to LSU in the conference tournament semifinals on March 3.
"Let's face it," Summitt said. "She's obviously been there night in and night out. She just didn't have the type of game we hoped she'd have and didn't seem to be able to get herself out of that."
The loss ended Tennessee's second 11-game winning streak of the season and caused Summitt to hold difficult practices in preparation for the tournament.
The coach emphasized that the Lady Vols need to play faster in order to advance. They have never failed to reach the round of 16.
"Our team understands that it's going to be important for us to establish our tempo," Summitt said. "We are a team that likes to press and run, and that's not going to change and dictate our tempo. I think that we will prepare for it and look to play our style of basketball."
Drake (14-18), which is one of two teams in the field with a losing record, isn't expected to pose a threat Sunday. The Bulldogs entered the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with 10 wins as the No. 8 seed, but won four games in four days with just eight healthy players.
"We've all heard about what it takes to overcome obstacles, and how through great adversity comes triumph, and it's all true. We believe that the greater the difficulty the more glorious the triumph," Drake coach Amy Stephens said. "We're living proof that it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get back up."
The Bulldogs lost preseason MVC player of the year Jill Martin after five games due to a back injury, and also lost guards Jordann Plummer and Lauren Dybing, and forward Brandy Dahir through the course of the season. They dropped 12 of 13 in one stretch.
Drake is making its first tournament appearance since 2002.
Game Info: 7:00 pm EDT Sun Mar 18, 2007
Dayton Region - Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh, PA)
It's hard to believe it's been nine years since six-time champion Tennessee has won a national title.
The top-seeded Lady Vols will have plenty of challenges ahead of them if they want to end that drought, although Sunday's Dayton Regional first-round matchup against Drake at Pittsburgh isn't expected to be among them.
Tennessee (28-3) has its NCAA-record 18th top seed, but the road to its first championship since 1998 won't be an easy one. The Lady Vols could face a second-round matchup against eighth-seeded Pittsburgh in front of a partisan crowd, and defending national champion Maryland and Big Ten regular-season champion Ohio State are also lurking in the bracket.
"This region is very, very stacked, but am I surprised? Absolutely not," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. "I'd have been surprised if it hadn't been. There's a lot of great teams obviously in our bracket, and yet there's no easy bracket in women's basketball these days."
How far the Lady Vols go depends partly on the play of sophomore superstar Candace Parker, who is averaging a team-high 19.7 points this season. Parker, the SEC player of the year, was held to a season-low four points in Tennessee's 63-54 loss to LSU in the conference tournament semifinals on March 3.
"Let's face it," Summitt said. "She's obviously been there night in and night out. She just didn't have the type of game we hoped she'd have and didn't seem to be able to get herself out of that."
The loss ended Tennessee's second 11-game winning streak of the season and caused Summitt to hold difficult practices in preparation for the tournament.
The coach emphasized that the Lady Vols need to play faster in order to advance. They have never failed to reach the round of 16.
"Our team understands that it's going to be important for us to establish our tempo," Summitt said. "We are a team that likes to press and run, and that's not going to change and dictate our tempo. I think that we will prepare for it and look to play our style of basketball."
Drake (14-18), which is one of two teams in the field with a losing record, isn't expected to pose a threat Sunday. The Bulldogs entered the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with 10 wins as the No. 8 seed, but won four games in four days with just eight healthy players.
"We've all heard about what it takes to overcome obstacles, and how through great adversity comes triumph, and it's all true. We believe that the greater the difficulty the more glorious the triumph," Drake coach Amy Stephens said. "We're living proof that it's not how many times you get knocked down, it's how many times you get back up."
The Bulldogs lost preseason MVC player of the year Jill Martin after five games due to a back injury, and also lost guards Jordann Plummer and Lauren Dybing, and forward Brandy Dahir through the course of the season. They dropped 12 of 13 in one stretch.
Drake is making its first tournament appearance since 2002.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Spencer finally taking best shot
Lady Vols senior reduces passes to increase points
KNOXVILLE — Sidney Spencer spent her first three years on the Tennessee women's basketball team frustrating Coach Pat Summitt by passing up too many open shots.
At least she had a reason.
"I didn't think my role at that point was to take 30 shots," Spencer said. "Back when I was a freshman or sophomore, there were other players like Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman that were our scorers."
Spencer, now a senior, has changed with the times.
The sharp-shooting forward doesn't waste many opportunities these days. She's the second-leading scorer for the Lady Vols and perhaps the biggest key to UT's chances for a fifth Final Four berth in six years and a seventh national title.
Top-seeded Tennessee (28-3) opens play in the NCAA Tournament at 6 Sunday night against No. 16 seed Drake (14-18) at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.
Shaky shooting
In many cases, Tennessee's success this season can be tied directly to Spencer's shooting.
Spencer shot 45.4 percent from the field in the Lady Vols' 28 victories and hovered around 50 percent as they won 17 of their first 18 games. In their losses to North Carolina, Duke and LSU, she connected on just 18.9 percent (7-of-37) of her shots.
"I haven't really been consistent," Spencer said.
Spencer endured her roughest stretch during the last month of the season. After scoring in double figures in 16 of the first 21 games, she was held to fewer than 10 points in seven of the last 10 games.
She also has been a non-factor against some of UT's toughest opponents. She scored just five points against North Carolina, a combined 14 points in two games against Georgia and nine points in two games against LSU.
"She has been in a little bit of a slump," Summitt said. "But I want her to shoot every time that she's open."
Potentially hot hand
For every off night Spencer has had this year, she's had an equally dominating performance.
She scored 22 points in UT's first-round SEC Tournament victory over South Carolina, giving her four games this season with 20 points or more.
Spencer's best — and timeliest — performance came in a 67-57 win over Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym on Jan. 25, when she scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting as UT rallied to win in the final minutes.
"It's unique to have someone at (small forward) with her shooting range," Summitt said.
"She has exceptional range, and when she's in a zone, you want her to have the ball."
KNOXVILLE — Sidney Spencer spent her first three years on the Tennessee women's basketball team frustrating Coach Pat Summitt by passing up too many open shots.
At least she had a reason.
"I didn't think my role at that point was to take 30 shots," Spencer said. "Back when I was a freshman or sophomore, there were other players like Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman that were our scorers."
Spencer, now a senior, has changed with the times.
The sharp-shooting forward doesn't waste many opportunities these days. She's the second-leading scorer for the Lady Vols and perhaps the biggest key to UT's chances for a fifth Final Four berth in six years and a seventh national title.
Top-seeded Tennessee (28-3) opens play in the NCAA Tournament at 6 Sunday night against No. 16 seed Drake (14-18) at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.
Shaky shooting
In many cases, Tennessee's success this season can be tied directly to Spencer's shooting.
Spencer shot 45.4 percent from the field in the Lady Vols' 28 victories and hovered around 50 percent as they won 17 of their first 18 games. In their losses to North Carolina, Duke and LSU, she connected on just 18.9 percent (7-of-37) of her shots.
"I haven't really been consistent," Spencer said.
Spencer endured her roughest stretch during the last month of the season. After scoring in double figures in 16 of the first 21 games, she was held to fewer than 10 points in seven of the last 10 games.
She also has been a non-factor against some of UT's toughest opponents. She scored just five points against North Carolina, a combined 14 points in two games against Georgia and nine points in two games against LSU.
"She has been in a little bit of a slump," Summitt said. "But I want her to shoot every time that she's open."
Potentially hot hand
For every off night Spencer has had this year, she's had an equally dominating performance.
She scored 22 points in UT's first-round SEC Tournament victory over South Carolina, giving her four games this season with 20 points or more.
Spencer's best — and timeliest — performance came in a 67-57 win over Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym on Jan. 25, when she scored a career-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting as UT rallied to win in the final minutes.
"It's unique to have someone at (small forward) with her shooting range," Summitt said.
"She has exceptional range, and when she's in a zone, you want her to have the ball."
For first time, Tennessee hosts no NCAA women's games
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- For the first time in NCAA women's tournament history, no games will be played in Tennessee this year.
The Volunteer State is sending five teams to the tournament, including No. 1 seed Tennessee. In the previous 25 years, at least one city in the state has hosted an NCAA game, but recent rule changes in tournament site bids have altered that.
"When it's our turn again, we'd love to host. We always look forward to hosting," Tennessee women's athletic director Joan Cronan said.
"Tennessee is such a hotbed of basketball. I think it's a shame we don't bring some of the elite teams to Tennessee. I think Nashville, Knoxville or Memphis need to work on hosting."
Vanderbilt played last year in Nashville for the first two rounds. Memphis (2000) and Chattanooga (2004, 2005) also have hosted.
The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee voted in 2002 to have eight predetermined sites in the first two rounds of the tournament, starting in 2003. Before that season, the subregionals were played on the campuses of the teams with the top 16 seeds.
The change aims to make the sites more neutral and draw more fans to fewer sites.
The Lady Vols, who will travel to face 16th-seeded Drake in Pittsburgh on Sunday, hosted at least one game a year from the first tournament in 1982 to 2003.
Tennessee hosted the first and second round in 2005, but will not host again until 2010. The games at home obviously helped the Lady Vols win their six national championships, as they went 46-0 in the NCAA tournament in Knoxville.
"It's always great to play at home and play in your home state, but clearly we've enjoyed many, many opportunities of playing on our homecourt," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
"I think that's just the situation now in women's basketball, that teams are going to have to travel and face opponents on their home floor."
Belmont, Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt are the other teams in the NCAAs from Tennessee.
This year probably would not have been a good time to have the NCAA tournament in Knoxville. Workers have already started ripping out the seats in Thompson-Boling Arena for renovations the school hopes to complete by next season.
The Lady Vols are one of only two teams in this year's tournament to have a chance to play a lower seed on its homecourt.
Tennessee could play eighth-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round.
Fourth-seeded Rutgers will be playing the first and second rounds in East Lansing, Mich., where Michigan State is the No. 5 seed playing at home. They could meet in the second round.
"We are bound on the principles and procedures that if a team gets in a tournament and they are hosting a first- and second-round site, then that team must play at their home site," selection committee chairwoman Judy Southard said.
"We had lengthy discussions about this situation as it relates specifically to Rutgers, and we tried every possible way we could think to keep that from happening, and as you know, it happens in another region, also."
Tennessee has had the advantage of playing its first four games in the state, something No. 1 seed Duke could have this year. The Blue Devils start in Raleigh, N.C., and could advance to the regional in Greensboro.
The Lady Vols won a national title in 1998 after first playing at home and then in Nashville for the regional.
The same happened in 2000, first in Knoxville and then in Memphis for the regional. The Lady Vols hosted both the first and seconds rounds and regional in Knoxville in 2003. Those two years did not lead to national championships.
"We've had the advantage so many times because of our fan support and the amount of times we've hosted," Summitt said. "Certainly I can't complain about playing on somebody's homecourt."
The Volunteer State is sending five teams to the tournament, including No. 1 seed Tennessee. In the previous 25 years, at least one city in the state has hosted an NCAA game, but recent rule changes in tournament site bids have altered that.
"When it's our turn again, we'd love to host. We always look forward to hosting," Tennessee women's athletic director Joan Cronan said.
"Tennessee is such a hotbed of basketball. I think it's a shame we don't bring some of the elite teams to Tennessee. I think Nashville, Knoxville or Memphis need to work on hosting."
Vanderbilt played last year in Nashville for the first two rounds. Memphis (2000) and Chattanooga (2004, 2005) also have hosted.
The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee voted in 2002 to have eight predetermined sites in the first two rounds of the tournament, starting in 2003. Before that season, the subregionals were played on the campuses of the teams with the top 16 seeds.
The change aims to make the sites more neutral and draw more fans to fewer sites.
The Lady Vols, who will travel to face 16th-seeded Drake in Pittsburgh on Sunday, hosted at least one game a year from the first tournament in 1982 to 2003.
Tennessee hosted the first and second round in 2005, but will not host again until 2010. The games at home obviously helped the Lady Vols win their six national championships, as they went 46-0 in the NCAA tournament in Knoxville.
"It's always great to play at home and play in your home state, but clearly we've enjoyed many, many opportunities of playing on our homecourt," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
"I think that's just the situation now in women's basketball, that teams are going to have to travel and face opponents on their home floor."
Belmont, Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt are the other teams in the NCAAs from Tennessee.
This year probably would not have been a good time to have the NCAA tournament in Knoxville. Workers have already started ripping out the seats in Thompson-Boling Arena for renovations the school hopes to complete by next season.
The Lady Vols are one of only two teams in this year's tournament to have a chance to play a lower seed on its homecourt.
Tennessee could play eighth-seeded Pittsburgh in the second round.
Fourth-seeded Rutgers will be playing the first and second rounds in East Lansing, Mich., where Michigan State is the No. 5 seed playing at home. They could meet in the second round.
"We are bound on the principles and procedures that if a team gets in a tournament and they are hosting a first- and second-round site, then that team must play at their home site," selection committee chairwoman Judy Southard said.
"We had lengthy discussions about this situation as it relates specifically to Rutgers, and we tried every possible way we could think to keep that from happening, and as you know, it happens in another region, also."
Tennessee has had the advantage of playing its first four games in the state, something No. 1 seed Duke could have this year. The Blue Devils start in Raleigh, N.C., and could advance to the regional in Greensboro.
The Lady Vols won a national title in 1998 after first playing at home and then in Nashville for the regional.
The same happened in 2000, first in Knoxville and then in Memphis for the regional. The Lady Vols hosted both the first and seconds rounds and regional in Knoxville in 2003. Those two years did not lead to national championships.
"We've had the advantage so many times because of our fan support and the amount of times we've hosted," Summitt said. "Certainly I can't complain about playing on somebody's homecourt."
Candace Parker shows she's a versatile Volunteer
Candace Parker, that rare guard-forward-center as officially listed, is sufficiently pressure-proof that Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt doesn't shy from placing the burden of winning on the 6-4 redshirt sophomore as the NCAA tournament starts this weekend.
"She understands if she doesn't play well, we may not win," Summitt says of the only collegian to make the eventual bronze-winning U.S. team at September's world championships.
But even Parker, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year as voted by the coaches and a finalist for every major national women's player of the year award, has her limits. When her older brother, Toronto Raptors 6-6 guard-forward Anthony, wanted to attend a Tennessee game during the NBA All-Star break and see his sister play in-person for the first time since before her high school days, everyone knew to keep it a secret from her.
"I probably wouldn't have been able to throw the ball in the ocean if I had known my brother was there," she says.
He stayed undercover as his sister got 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in an 81-69 win against Mississippi. "It was great to finally see her play," he says.
"I was saying, 'Hey, Candace, look over here,' " he says. "I think she thought I was a fan yelling at her, so she ignored me. So I had to send a derogatory comment to get her attention."
The comment — "Hey, Parker, you have no left hand" — did get her attention, although it bears no truth.
Her left hand is so deft that Parker uses it around the basket as well as for mid-range jumpers.
"Her left hand is way better than mine, and I'll be the first to say that," says her brother, averaging 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 32.7 minutes a game for the first-place Raptors.
Parker, whose No. 1-seeded Lady Volunteers (28-3) open the tournament Sunday against Drake in Pittsburgh, has a game shaped by her family.
"Basketball has always been kind of a family activity, something we've done together and we all share in common," she says. "Our father (Larry) was very instrumental. My mom (Sara), too. My brothers have been instrumental in working out and being great role models."
Her dad, who played at Iowa, made sure his children — Anthony, 31, who became a first-round NBA draft pick out of Bradley; Marcus, 28, who went to Washington University, played intramurals so he could focus on pre-med studies and is a resident radiologist at Johns Hopkins and Candace, 20 — learned fundamentals at an early age.
Just because they were taller than average, he didn't want them only playing the post and not learning to dribble and shoot from outside.
"We always played point guard and that kind of thing," Anthony says. "Candace was always taller than everybody. We have old films of her running the point.
"Most people at her size would be stuck down under the basket and never develop the things she's able to do. All along she was more advanced than the boys of her age, let alone the girls."
She also watched tape of her games and her brothers' game with her father growing up in Naperville, Ill., 30 miles west of Chicago.
"When you watch as much basketball as she has over the years, you can't help but learn," says her father, a Chicago-area insurance underwriter divorced from Sara.
"We'd look at games. 'You gotta make this cut. You made this pass, but you were looking down at the ball.' A lot of that helped her become versatile.
"She's certainly gifted physically, but the mental part of it, some players may not have necessarily gotten as they grew up," Parker's father adds. "She certainly had that when she was young."
Versatility rules
Parker, the only two-time USA TODAY national high school girls player of the year (2003-04), might be the most versatile player in the game, college or pro.
During the NCAA tournament, she's likely to play every position and do everything from slamming a dunk to hitting a three-pointer. She has six career dunks, the most by a women's college player, including four in five tries this season.
"When coaches prepare and scout Candace Parker, no one's thinking about the 'Candace Revolution' or her impact on the game or what her legacy will be," Mississippi coach Carol Ross says. "We're just thinking about our game and how the heck we're going to guard her. Posts can't defend her on the perimeter, and guards can't defend her in the paint.
"She's the toughest matchup in the game. On many nights, she's the best guard on the floor, the best post on the floor, the best rebounder on the floor, the best passer on the floor and, let's not forget, the best scorer on the floor. She's got the strut of a competitor and the stuff of a champion."
According to Tennessee, in her 30 games this season, Parker has drawn 186 fouls — almost one-third of the 573 fouls opponents have committed.
The really bad news for opposing coaches is that Parker plans to play more at Tennessee, after sitting out her first year (2004-05) because of two knee surgeries to repair torn meniscus and cartilage.
A strong student (second-team academic All-American, 3.65 grade-point average in the fall, 3.29 overall) and sports management major, Parker is on course to graduate in December. She could have opted to declare for April's WNBA draft, but she enjoys college life.
"Everywhere we go, there's orange," says Parker, referring to the school's primary color. "I feel like the Lady Vols are America's team to some extent.
"The support and attention on our program, I really enjoy. That's something you don't find everywhere. It's a different game at this level than at any other level."
Passion dominates
Parker has been getting national attention since she was in seventh grade and playing on an AAU team her father coached.
"We went to nationals, and she was phenomenal, above everything I asked," he says. "She'd go against some girls that were very good, and coaches would walk up and tell you, 'She is extra special.' "
The Parkers didn't raise their children just to excel in basketball. "We tried to get them to do whatever they felt they were good at and then supported them," Larry says. "We wanted them to try their best. We're a competitive family.
"We played everything from Risk to bowling to everything. Candace has always been passionate about doing well at whatever she did. She's that way about grades. I wish I could be as passionate as she is about some things. Maybe I'd be running the company instead of working for it."
The desire to improve still exists. Parker impressed teammates and coaches with her attitude during national team practices leading to the world championships. She didn't start any of the nine games but ended as the team's third-leading scorer (12.8 points per game), second-leading rebounder (6.1) and leader in blocked shots (14, a U.S. record for the tournament) and field goal percentage (.583).
"Her basketball IQ is pretty high," says Mike Thibault, a national team assistant and head coach of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun. "She studies the game. She listens. One of the things that was fun about being around her is that besides listening, she asks questions. She wants to learn more."
As Summitt noted after Tennessee lost its last game 63-54 to LSU in the SEC semifinals, "Parker is human." Parker shot 2-for-11, scored a career-low four points and had zero free throw attempts for only the second time this season.
"I told her, 'We can't win with you playing that way,' " Summitt says. " 'You've got to go at people. You've got to create contact at times.' Bottom line, she knows it and took ownership of her play.
"I have absolute confidence in her. I don't ever shy away from going to Candace. The one thing I'll tell you is, she wants it. I don't care the time, the score, whatever, she's expecting us to go to her. And we will."
"She understands if she doesn't play well, we may not win," Summitt says of the only collegian to make the eventual bronze-winning U.S. team at September's world championships.
But even Parker, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year as voted by the coaches and a finalist for every major national women's player of the year award, has her limits. When her older brother, Toronto Raptors 6-6 guard-forward Anthony, wanted to attend a Tennessee game during the NBA All-Star break and see his sister play in-person for the first time since before her high school days, everyone knew to keep it a secret from her.
"I probably wouldn't have been able to throw the ball in the ocean if I had known my brother was there," she says.
He stayed undercover as his sister got 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in an 81-69 win against Mississippi. "It was great to finally see her play," he says.
"I was saying, 'Hey, Candace, look over here,' " he says. "I think she thought I was a fan yelling at her, so she ignored me. So I had to send a derogatory comment to get her attention."
The comment — "Hey, Parker, you have no left hand" — did get her attention, although it bears no truth.
Her left hand is so deft that Parker uses it around the basket as well as for mid-range jumpers.
"Her left hand is way better than mine, and I'll be the first to say that," says her brother, averaging 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 32.7 minutes a game for the first-place Raptors.
Parker, whose No. 1-seeded Lady Volunteers (28-3) open the tournament Sunday against Drake in Pittsburgh, has a game shaped by her family.
"Basketball has always been kind of a family activity, something we've done together and we all share in common," she says. "Our father (Larry) was very instrumental. My mom (Sara), too. My brothers have been instrumental in working out and being great role models."
Her dad, who played at Iowa, made sure his children — Anthony, 31, who became a first-round NBA draft pick out of Bradley; Marcus, 28, who went to Washington University, played intramurals so he could focus on pre-med studies and is a resident radiologist at Johns Hopkins and Candace, 20 — learned fundamentals at an early age.
Just because they were taller than average, he didn't want them only playing the post and not learning to dribble and shoot from outside.
"We always played point guard and that kind of thing," Anthony says. "Candace was always taller than everybody. We have old films of her running the point.
"Most people at her size would be stuck down under the basket and never develop the things she's able to do. All along she was more advanced than the boys of her age, let alone the girls."
She also watched tape of her games and her brothers' game with her father growing up in Naperville, Ill., 30 miles west of Chicago.
"When you watch as much basketball as she has over the years, you can't help but learn," says her father, a Chicago-area insurance underwriter divorced from Sara.
"We'd look at games. 'You gotta make this cut. You made this pass, but you were looking down at the ball.' A lot of that helped her become versatile.
"She's certainly gifted physically, but the mental part of it, some players may not have necessarily gotten as they grew up," Parker's father adds. "She certainly had that when she was young."
Versatility rules
Parker, the only two-time USA TODAY national high school girls player of the year (2003-04), might be the most versatile player in the game, college or pro.
During the NCAA tournament, she's likely to play every position and do everything from slamming a dunk to hitting a three-pointer. She has six career dunks, the most by a women's college player, including four in five tries this season.
"When coaches prepare and scout Candace Parker, no one's thinking about the 'Candace Revolution' or her impact on the game or what her legacy will be," Mississippi coach Carol Ross says. "We're just thinking about our game and how the heck we're going to guard her. Posts can't defend her on the perimeter, and guards can't defend her in the paint.
"She's the toughest matchup in the game. On many nights, she's the best guard on the floor, the best post on the floor, the best rebounder on the floor, the best passer on the floor and, let's not forget, the best scorer on the floor. She's got the strut of a competitor and the stuff of a champion."
According to Tennessee, in her 30 games this season, Parker has drawn 186 fouls — almost one-third of the 573 fouls opponents have committed.
The really bad news for opposing coaches is that Parker plans to play more at Tennessee, after sitting out her first year (2004-05) because of two knee surgeries to repair torn meniscus and cartilage.
A strong student (second-team academic All-American, 3.65 grade-point average in the fall, 3.29 overall) and sports management major, Parker is on course to graduate in December. She could have opted to declare for April's WNBA draft, but she enjoys college life.
"Everywhere we go, there's orange," says Parker, referring to the school's primary color. "I feel like the Lady Vols are America's team to some extent.
"The support and attention on our program, I really enjoy. That's something you don't find everywhere. It's a different game at this level than at any other level."
Passion dominates
Parker has been getting national attention since she was in seventh grade and playing on an AAU team her father coached.
"We went to nationals, and she was phenomenal, above everything I asked," he says. "She'd go against some girls that were very good, and coaches would walk up and tell you, 'She is extra special.' "
The Parkers didn't raise their children just to excel in basketball. "We tried to get them to do whatever they felt they were good at and then supported them," Larry says. "We wanted them to try their best. We're a competitive family.
"We played everything from Risk to bowling to everything. Candace has always been passionate about doing well at whatever she did. She's that way about grades. I wish I could be as passionate as she is about some things. Maybe I'd be running the company instead of working for it."
The desire to improve still exists. Parker impressed teammates and coaches with her attitude during national team practices leading to the world championships. She didn't start any of the nine games but ended as the team's third-leading scorer (12.8 points per game), second-leading rebounder (6.1) and leader in blocked shots (14, a U.S. record for the tournament) and field goal percentage (.583).
"Her basketball IQ is pretty high," says Mike Thibault, a national team assistant and head coach of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun. "She studies the game. She listens. One of the things that was fun about being around her is that besides listening, she asks questions. She wants to learn more."
As Summitt noted after Tennessee lost its last game 63-54 to LSU in the SEC semifinals, "Parker is human." Parker shot 2-for-11, scored a career-low four points and had zero free throw attempts for only the second time this season.
"I told her, 'We can't win with you playing that way,' " Summitt says. " 'You've got to go at people. You've got to create contact at times.' Bottom line, she knows it and took ownership of her play.
"I have absolute confidence in her. I don't ever shy away from going to Candace. The one thing I'll tell you is, she wants it. I don't care the time, the score, whatever, she's expecting us to go to her. And we will."
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Summitt at the pinnacle of the Tennessee women's game
Tennessee's Pat Summitt is at the peak of her game with the most coaching victories in NCAA men's and women's basketball.
Summitt's orange-and-white clad Lady Vols are the standard by which other women's basketball teams are measured.
In 33 years pacing the sideline, Summitt has won 941 games, 25 Southeastern Conference titles, six national championships and has made 25 consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16 since the NCAA's first Division I basketball tournament in 1982.
Before that, the Lady Vols were a powerhouse in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
"I'm not a person who focuses on numbers, but sometimes when I look at the numbers I shake my head and really think about how consistent we have been," Summitt said. "I never want to take that for granted."
The vaunted Lady Vols (28-3), seeded No. 1 in the Dayton Region, will meet No. 16 Drake (14-18) at 7 p.m. Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's tournament at Petersen Events Center.
The Tennessee-Drake winner will face the Pitt-James Madison winner Tuesday night.
Summitt was asked if she has a problem with possibly playing Pitt on the home court of the Panthers.
"In an ideal basketball world, all the games would be played on a neutral court, but I would be the last person to complain about playing somebody on their home court because we've done it probably more times than most any other team in the NCAA tournament," she said. "I think [the tournament] is moving in the direction of all neutral sites, but not yet. That's still part of where we are in the women's game."
Drake, decimated by injuries throughout the season and one of two teams in the field with a losing record, should provide little more than a good sweat for the talent-laden Lady Vols. The Bulldogs, seeded eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, earned a bid with a 65-64 victory against Creighton in the championship game.
Tennessee's storied program is the headliner in the marquee subregional of the tournament that also includes No. 1 seed North Carolina (30-3) playing No. 16 Prairie View (19-13) at noon Sunday at Petersen Events Center. North Carolina is in the Dallas Region along with No. 8 California (23-8) and No. 9 Notre Dame (19-11), whose game is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Petersen Events Center.
The North Carolina-Prairie View winner will meet the California-Notre Dame winner Tuesday night.
"I don't know if two No. 1 seeds have ever been at the same place in the first two rounds," Summitt said of Tennessee and North Carolina. "I'm looking forward to some big crowds."
The Lady Vols are used to playing in front of a lot of people because they averaged 14,678 for 16 home games this season.
Tennessee is coming off a 64-53 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the SEC tournament.
"Actually, if we hadn't lost and played as poorly as we played and win that game I would be very worried," said Summitt, 55. "That might have given us a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to be. I thought that was one of the best things that could have happened to us.
"I hate losing," she said after a pause. "I don't care if we're playing pool. I don't even know how to play pool, but I hate losing. I guess that's why I don't play pool."
With just 180 losses on her resume, Summitt has won nearly 84 percent of her games.
But the number that gives her the most satisfaction is the 100 percent graduation rate of all the players who completed their eligibility at Tennessee.
"That shows you can be successful on the court with players who are just as successful in the classroom," she said. "We take a lot of pride in that."
The pride of these Lady Vols is 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore Candace Parker, the SEC player of the year and one of 16 finalists for the John Wooden Award presented to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in NCAA Division I. The Wooden winner will be announced March 28.
Parker leads the team in scoring (19.7 ppg), rebounding (9.7 rpg) and shot-blocking (85).
"A year ago, she could post up, face up and take you off the dribble," Summitt said. "Now she is drawing a lot of different defensive schemes and she makes people pay for the double team. She gets her teammates involved."
Parker and Pitt's 6-3 Marcedes Walker represent a new breed of centers in the women's game.
"This is the best we've seen in many years," Summitt said of the proliferation of players with a post presence. "There are more players that are skilled. We're seeing within our game coaches who understand the value of playing inside-out and instead of outside-in the way the women's game used to be."
Summitt's teams, as always, are out front when it comes to the way women play the game of basketball.
Summitt's orange-and-white clad Lady Vols are the standard by which other women's basketball teams are measured.
In 33 years pacing the sideline, Summitt has won 941 games, 25 Southeastern Conference titles, six national championships and has made 25 consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16 since the NCAA's first Division I basketball tournament in 1982.
Before that, the Lady Vols were a powerhouse in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
"I'm not a person who focuses on numbers, but sometimes when I look at the numbers I shake my head and really think about how consistent we have been," Summitt said. "I never want to take that for granted."
The vaunted Lady Vols (28-3), seeded No. 1 in the Dayton Region, will meet No. 16 Drake (14-18) at 7 p.m. Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's tournament at Petersen Events Center.
The Tennessee-Drake winner will face the Pitt-James Madison winner Tuesday night.
Summitt was asked if she has a problem with possibly playing Pitt on the home court of the Panthers.
"In an ideal basketball world, all the games would be played on a neutral court, but I would be the last person to complain about playing somebody on their home court because we've done it probably more times than most any other team in the NCAA tournament," she said. "I think [the tournament] is moving in the direction of all neutral sites, but not yet. That's still part of where we are in the women's game."
Drake, decimated by injuries throughout the season and one of two teams in the field with a losing record, should provide little more than a good sweat for the talent-laden Lady Vols. The Bulldogs, seeded eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, earned a bid with a 65-64 victory against Creighton in the championship game.
Tennessee's storied program is the headliner in the marquee subregional of the tournament that also includes No. 1 seed North Carolina (30-3) playing No. 16 Prairie View (19-13) at noon Sunday at Petersen Events Center. North Carolina is in the Dallas Region along with No. 8 California (23-8) and No. 9 Notre Dame (19-11), whose game is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Petersen Events Center.
The North Carolina-Prairie View winner will meet the California-Notre Dame winner Tuesday night.
"I don't know if two No. 1 seeds have ever been at the same place in the first two rounds," Summitt said of Tennessee and North Carolina. "I'm looking forward to some big crowds."
The Lady Vols are used to playing in front of a lot of people because they averaged 14,678 for 16 home games this season.
Tennessee is coming off a 64-53 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the SEC tournament.
"Actually, if we hadn't lost and played as poorly as we played and win that game I would be very worried," said Summitt, 55. "That might have given us a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to be. I thought that was one of the best things that could have happened to us.
"I hate losing," she said after a pause. "I don't care if we're playing pool. I don't even know how to play pool, but I hate losing. I guess that's why I don't play pool."
With just 180 losses on her resume, Summitt has won nearly 84 percent of her games.
But the number that gives her the most satisfaction is the 100 percent graduation rate of all the players who completed their eligibility at Tennessee.
"That shows you can be successful on the court with players who are just as successful in the classroom," she said. "We take a lot of pride in that."
The pride of these Lady Vols is 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore Candace Parker, the SEC player of the year and one of 16 finalists for the John Wooden Award presented to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player in NCAA Division I. The Wooden winner will be announced March 28.
Parker leads the team in scoring (19.7 ppg), rebounding (9.7 rpg) and shot-blocking (85).
"A year ago, she could post up, face up and take you off the dribble," Summitt said. "Now she is drawing a lot of different defensive schemes and she makes people pay for the double team. She gets her teammates involved."
Parker and Pitt's 6-3 Marcedes Walker represent a new breed of centers in the women's game.
"This is the best we've seen in many years," Summitt said of the proliferation of players with a post presence. "There are more players that are skilled. We're seeing within our game coaches who understand the value of playing inside-out and instead of outside-in the way the women's game used to be."
Summitt's teams, as always, are out front when it comes to the way women play the game of basketball.
Heavyweight bracket helps Lady Vols focus
MTSU, Maryland, Ohio St. possible
KNOXVILLE — Facing the toughest bracket in the NCAA Tournament might not be such a bad thing for Tennessee.
Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt found a silver lining to earning a No. 1 seed in the top-heavy Dayton Region, which includes defending national champion Maryland as a No. 2 seed and arguably the strongest of the tournament's Nos. 3, 4 and 5 seeds.
"This," Summitt said, "will focus (the players)."
Soon after the 64-team field was announced Monday night, Tennessee (28-3) set aside its complaints about the challenging bracket and turned its attention to preparation for a first-round matchup with 16th-seeded Drake (14-18) on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Urgent preparations
The Lady Vols returned to practice Tuesday, though, with perhaps a handful of other teams on their minds.
No, Tennessee isn't exactly looking past the Bulldogs, who piled up four straight victories to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
But the rest of the region, Summitt said, only underscores the necessity of UT improving before the tournament.
"They have done a great job (of preparing) for not even having an opponent in front of them," Summitt said. "Now that they've seen that bracket, I think they know this is business and we've got to really prepare and really have a sense of urgency in all of our preparations."
With wins in the first two rounds, UT could face No. 4 seed Ohio State or No. 5 Middle Tennessee State in the Sweet Sixteen. A potential matchup with Maryland or third-seeded Oklahoma looms in the Elite Eight.
"It's definitely impossible to just focus on the first game," UT junior center Nicky Anosike said. "But we have to come prepared no matter who we're playing."
Room for improvement
The Lady Vols have some of their own issues to resolve.
They played as poorly as they have all year in their last game, a 63-54 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in which SEC player of the tear Candace Parker was held to a career-low four points.
But even that game, Summitt said, could help in the long run.
"Actually, if we hadn't lost and managed to play as poorly as we played and win that game, I would be very worried," she said.
"We might have a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to be.
"I thought that was one of the best things that happened to us."
KNOXVILLE — Facing the toughest bracket in the NCAA Tournament might not be such a bad thing for Tennessee.
Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt found a silver lining to earning a No. 1 seed in the top-heavy Dayton Region, which includes defending national champion Maryland as a No. 2 seed and arguably the strongest of the tournament's Nos. 3, 4 and 5 seeds.
"This," Summitt said, "will focus (the players)."
Soon after the 64-team field was announced Monday night, Tennessee (28-3) set aside its complaints about the challenging bracket and turned its attention to preparation for a first-round matchup with 16th-seeded Drake (14-18) on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Urgent preparations
The Lady Vols returned to practice Tuesday, though, with perhaps a handful of other teams on their minds.
No, Tennessee isn't exactly looking past the Bulldogs, who piled up four straight victories to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
But the rest of the region, Summitt said, only underscores the necessity of UT improving before the tournament.
"They have done a great job (of preparing) for not even having an opponent in front of them," Summitt said. "Now that they've seen that bracket, I think they know this is business and we've got to really prepare and really have a sense of urgency in all of our preparations."
With wins in the first two rounds, UT could face No. 4 seed Ohio State or No. 5 Middle Tennessee State in the Sweet Sixteen. A potential matchup with Maryland or third-seeded Oklahoma looms in the Elite Eight.
"It's definitely impossible to just focus on the first game," UT junior center Nicky Anosike said. "But we have to come prepared no matter who we're playing."
Room for improvement
The Lady Vols have some of their own issues to resolve.
They played as poorly as they have all year in their last game, a 63-54 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in which SEC player of the tear Candace Parker was held to a career-low four points.
But even that game, Summitt said, could help in the long run.
"Actually, if we hadn't lost and managed to play as poorly as we played and win that game, I would be very worried," she said.
"We might have a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to be.
"I thought that was one of the best things that happened to us."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Coach Summitt gives her thoughts on the NCAA Tournament
Coach Summitt Teleconference
Opening statement on the practice schedule after the Southeastern Conference Tournament and the bracket announcement:
"After coming back from the SEC Tournament, we had three days off, went back to practice for another day then took another day off. Then we went to work for three really good, hard practices. Then we had the Monday off before the selection show, trying to keep them fresh, keep their legs fresh and minds fresh. For the most part, I think we've been a very focused basketball team. We had a lot of good practice sessions. One thing you're always waiting to see is who you're going to play. The unknown means you always have to focus on yourself and what you want to get better at. We've been able to put in a few new wrinkles here and there, both offensively and defensively, and are trying to keep our actions sharp.
"It always helps when you see a bracket in terms of having an opponent in front of you that you can start preparing to go against. As with Drake, our staff is watching tape this morning before we have practice in the early afternoon. It's a mentality you have to understand. You see a big bracket. You survive and advance. It's just being able to maintain your focus one game at a time.
"We're working now to learn more about our first opponent and, certainly, Drake is a new opponent for us. And obviously we are looking at our second round bracket, which is Pittsburgh and James Madison. There is the potential for us to face a team on their home court. The good news for us is that it is an unknown at this point. But if it does occur, our basketball team has been on the road and played in a lot of tough environments. You have to be warriors on the road just as you are at home. I think we understand that because our schedule has prepared us for it."
On Drake overcoming adversity to win four games in four days with eight players:
"I think that certainly in our postseason experiences we've faced a lot of hot teams and teams that have been able to get on a roll at the right time of the year. Our team understands that it's going to be important for us to establish our tempo. We are a team that likes to press and run, and that's not going to change and dictate our tempo. I think that we will prepare for it and look to play our style of basketball."
On the maturation of Candace Parker:
"The maturity of Candace Parker from last year to the present has been significant in terms of her composure on the floor and how she handles adversity on the floor. A year ago she could post up, face up and take you off the dribble. Now she's drawing a lot of defensive schemes, a lot of double teams and physical play. I think she's just much more composed and much more in touch with how she has to handle being in big-game situations and getting double teamed and the physicality of the game. That is how she's matured. She makes people pay for the double team. She gets her teammates really involved. She's become a better passer, and her composure has allowed her to be able to identify what she needs to do when she's facing a lot of different defensive schemes."
On Candace's mentality change:
"I think that has been one of the biggest changes. She has worked on her skill. She's a better ball-handler, her face-up game is a lot better, just because she's devoted a lot of time in the gym. She's worked on being able to knock down open shots and shoot threes. I think it's just a matter of repetition and being in the gym. She's very dedicated to improving her basketball skills and being our go-to player."
On the change of the team from last year:
"There are a couple things in particular that have stood out with this team. There is a maturity on this team from a year ago. There has been significant change in our maturity as a basketball team and that leads to much better leadership and better chemistry. You see that when you look at the improvement of Candace and Alexis and, obviously, Sidney is playing a bigger role for us. Nicky Anosike's numbers are not reflecting what she brings to this team. She is key for us. She's a post player who is willing to get out and defend full court or half court, the smallest player on the team or the go-to post player.
I think that having the leadership on this team, and also leadership by example in some cases, has been a difference for us when we've had to play on the road and in some tough environments and answer a lot of runs. Certainly our schedule has prepared us for what I think is the toughest bracket in the tournament."
On Drake head coach Amy Stephens:
"I know who she is, and I know she's done a great job. It's really an unfamiliar opponent to us, and we have the next few days to become familiar with the style of play and understand what we have to do."
On Alexis' offensive play at the SEC Tournament.
"I think Alexis' game has elevated significantly this year. I give her a lot of credit, from the standpoint that I think she's simplified and tightened up her skills offensively. She was a player in the past who maybe tried to do too much. She's playing within herself now and playing on balance and getting other people involved as well. It was good to see her perform the way she did at SECs.
"I do think she can carry it over, based on what I've seen in practice. I'm very pleased. When we look at her play, she's playing the best basketball of her career at Tennessee, and she did a great job for us at SECs. She's providing the example on the defensive end. As she goes defensively, so goes our team. The guards typically set the tempo, both offensively and defensively, and she is that example for us, particularly on the defensive end."
On not playing anywhere in the state of Tennessee:
"It's always great to play at home or in your home state, but clearly we've enjoyed the many opportunities of playing on our home court. A lot of people are accustomed to traveling and have had to do that much sooner than we have. The situation now with women's basketball is teams are going to have to travel and sometimes face opponents on their home floor. I certainly understand have been on the receiving end of hosting a number of events here in the postseason. I don't have a problem, certainly no complaints about having to take to the road."
On only five SEC teams making the NCAA Tournament:
"I thought we might get six in from the SEC, but it doesn't surprise me that we got five. I think those five are very strong teams. I think those five teams are dangerous and can make a lot of noise and stay alive in the NCAA. I would like to see our league a little stronger from top to bottom. Sometimes we beat up on each other. I think this year was not as strong a year for us, particularly in the bottom half of the league."
On the possibility that changes in coaches will increase the level of competition:
"I think there is certainly the potential there for us to see a change. Anytime there is a change in the coaching standpoint, you expect them to come in and have a positive impact on the direction the program is going in. I think we're seeing the salaries increase, and with that come greater expectations. People have to come in and make an impact. So I would say any time you have this many coaching changes in the country, and the SEC, you will see an improved strength in play overall."
On the five teams from state of Tennessee in tournament: "It's a tremendous compliment for the basketball programs that are in and just the strength of teams within this state. There is a lot of great talent throughout the Southeast and a lot of those players are from Tennessee. I think the history and the AAU programs have been a plus for these Tennessee kids and a lot of the programs in our state. I go back and credit the AAU programs and AAU coaches for the impact they have had on the development of girls' basketball in the state."
On Tennessee being the only team to make all 25 NCAA Tournaments:
"I'm not a person who focuses on numbers, but it is a great source of pride for our Tennessee basketball program what the athletes over the years have been able to do and how they've maintained that high level of success. It certainly is a great source of pride for us. Sometimes when I look at numbers, I shake my head and really think about how consistent we have been able to be in terms of winning games and being successful in postseason play. I never want to take that for granted. We've always had the administrative support. We've had a staff, not just coaching staff, but support staff around us. Jenny Moshak has been an important player. To have Debby Jennings with us and now Heather Mason, it makes me think there are a lot of people that have had an influence on the success of our program besides the immediate coaching family. The student athletes have carried the torch and done the hard work for us on the court. We have the best fans in the women's game. As we look at that number, you think there are so many people that have made this happen from the president right on down to the student-athlete."
On the bracket:
"It is what it is. It is a tough bracket, but there is no easy route to a Final Four or national championship. There are always going to be circumstances, teams and offensive and defensive schemes you may face that are different. There are different challenges every year. You just have to make sure that you are focused on the one game and what you have to do. You have to live in the moment, so to speak. That is a novelty for us to have that narrow focus and that commitment and be able to not look ahead. Like I said last night, we don't have to play everyone in this bracket. Right now our focus is a one-game approach."
Opening statement on the practice schedule after the Southeastern Conference Tournament and the bracket announcement:
"After coming back from the SEC Tournament, we had three days off, went back to practice for another day then took another day off. Then we went to work for three really good, hard practices. Then we had the Monday off before the selection show, trying to keep them fresh, keep their legs fresh and minds fresh. For the most part, I think we've been a very focused basketball team. We had a lot of good practice sessions. One thing you're always waiting to see is who you're going to play. The unknown means you always have to focus on yourself and what you want to get better at. We've been able to put in a few new wrinkles here and there, both offensively and defensively, and are trying to keep our actions sharp.
"It always helps when you see a bracket in terms of having an opponent in front of you that you can start preparing to go against. As with Drake, our staff is watching tape this morning before we have practice in the early afternoon. It's a mentality you have to understand. You see a big bracket. You survive and advance. It's just being able to maintain your focus one game at a time.
"We're working now to learn more about our first opponent and, certainly, Drake is a new opponent for us. And obviously we are looking at our second round bracket, which is Pittsburgh and James Madison. There is the potential for us to face a team on their home court. The good news for us is that it is an unknown at this point. But if it does occur, our basketball team has been on the road and played in a lot of tough environments. You have to be warriors on the road just as you are at home. I think we understand that because our schedule has prepared us for it."
On Drake overcoming adversity to win four games in four days with eight players:
"I think that certainly in our postseason experiences we've faced a lot of hot teams and teams that have been able to get on a roll at the right time of the year. Our team understands that it's going to be important for us to establish our tempo. We are a team that likes to press and run, and that's not going to change and dictate our tempo. I think that we will prepare for it and look to play our style of basketball."
On the maturation of Candace Parker:
"The maturity of Candace Parker from last year to the present has been significant in terms of her composure on the floor and how she handles adversity on the floor. A year ago she could post up, face up and take you off the dribble. Now she's drawing a lot of defensive schemes, a lot of double teams and physical play. I think she's just much more composed and much more in touch with how she has to handle being in big-game situations and getting double teamed and the physicality of the game. That is how she's matured. She makes people pay for the double team. She gets her teammates really involved. She's become a better passer, and her composure has allowed her to be able to identify what she needs to do when she's facing a lot of different defensive schemes."
On Candace's mentality change:
"I think that has been one of the biggest changes. She has worked on her skill. She's a better ball-handler, her face-up game is a lot better, just because she's devoted a lot of time in the gym. She's worked on being able to knock down open shots and shoot threes. I think it's just a matter of repetition and being in the gym. She's very dedicated to improving her basketball skills and being our go-to player."
On the change of the team from last year:
"There are a couple things in particular that have stood out with this team. There is a maturity on this team from a year ago. There has been significant change in our maturity as a basketball team and that leads to much better leadership and better chemistry. You see that when you look at the improvement of Candace and Alexis and, obviously, Sidney is playing a bigger role for us. Nicky Anosike's numbers are not reflecting what she brings to this team. She is key for us. She's a post player who is willing to get out and defend full court or half court, the smallest player on the team or the go-to post player.
I think that having the leadership on this team, and also leadership by example in some cases, has been a difference for us when we've had to play on the road and in some tough environments and answer a lot of runs. Certainly our schedule has prepared us for what I think is the toughest bracket in the tournament."
On Drake head coach Amy Stephens:
"I know who she is, and I know she's done a great job. It's really an unfamiliar opponent to us, and we have the next few days to become familiar with the style of play and understand what we have to do."
On Alexis' offensive play at the SEC Tournament.
"I think Alexis' game has elevated significantly this year. I give her a lot of credit, from the standpoint that I think she's simplified and tightened up her skills offensively. She was a player in the past who maybe tried to do too much. She's playing within herself now and playing on balance and getting other people involved as well. It was good to see her perform the way she did at SECs.
"I do think she can carry it over, based on what I've seen in practice. I'm very pleased. When we look at her play, she's playing the best basketball of her career at Tennessee, and she did a great job for us at SECs. She's providing the example on the defensive end. As she goes defensively, so goes our team. The guards typically set the tempo, both offensively and defensively, and she is that example for us, particularly on the defensive end."
On not playing anywhere in the state of Tennessee:
"It's always great to play at home or in your home state, but clearly we've enjoyed the many opportunities of playing on our home court. A lot of people are accustomed to traveling and have had to do that much sooner than we have. The situation now with women's basketball is teams are going to have to travel and sometimes face opponents on their home floor. I certainly understand have been on the receiving end of hosting a number of events here in the postseason. I don't have a problem, certainly no complaints about having to take to the road."
On only five SEC teams making the NCAA Tournament:
"I thought we might get six in from the SEC, but it doesn't surprise me that we got five. I think those five are very strong teams. I think those five teams are dangerous and can make a lot of noise and stay alive in the NCAA. I would like to see our league a little stronger from top to bottom. Sometimes we beat up on each other. I think this year was not as strong a year for us, particularly in the bottom half of the league."
On the possibility that changes in coaches will increase the level of competition:
"I think there is certainly the potential there for us to see a change. Anytime there is a change in the coaching standpoint, you expect them to come in and have a positive impact on the direction the program is going in. I think we're seeing the salaries increase, and with that come greater expectations. People have to come in and make an impact. So I would say any time you have this many coaching changes in the country, and the SEC, you will see an improved strength in play overall."
On the five teams from state of Tennessee in tournament: "It's a tremendous compliment for the basketball programs that are in and just the strength of teams within this state. There is a lot of great talent throughout the Southeast and a lot of those players are from Tennessee. I think the history and the AAU programs have been a plus for these Tennessee kids and a lot of the programs in our state. I go back and credit the AAU programs and AAU coaches for the impact they have had on the development of girls' basketball in the state."
On Tennessee being the only team to make all 25 NCAA Tournaments:
"I'm not a person who focuses on numbers, but it is a great source of pride for our Tennessee basketball program what the athletes over the years have been able to do and how they've maintained that high level of success. It certainly is a great source of pride for us. Sometimes when I look at numbers, I shake my head and really think about how consistent we have been able to be in terms of winning games and being successful in postseason play. I never want to take that for granted. We've always had the administrative support. We've had a staff, not just coaching staff, but support staff around us. Jenny Moshak has been an important player. To have Debby Jennings with us and now Heather Mason, it makes me think there are a lot of people that have had an influence on the success of our program besides the immediate coaching family. The student athletes have carried the torch and done the hard work for us on the court. We have the best fans in the women's game. As we look at that number, you think there are so many people that have made this happen from the president right on down to the student-athlete."
On the bracket:
"It is what it is. It is a tough bracket, but there is no easy route to a Final Four or national championship. There are always going to be circumstances, teams and offensive and defensive schemes you may face that are different. There are different challenges every year. You just have to make sure that you are focused on the one game and what you have to do. You have to live in the moment, so to speak. That is a novelty for us to have that narrow focus and that commitment and be able to not look ahead. Like I said last night, we don't have to play everyone in this bracket. Right now our focus is a one-game approach."
As Candace Parker goes, so goes top seed Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- At Touty's African Hair Braiding, Candace Parker is entrusted to no one less than Touty herself. For seven hours Monday, the proprietor's nimble fingers danced in and out of Parker's locks, her digits undoing and then painstakingly reknotting a narrow row of braids that parted the middle of Parker's shoulder-length tresses.
It is, after all, the time of year to tighten things up. Later, the bellwether player in women's college basketball—and perhaps beyond—and her Tennessee teammates would learn their NCAA tournament fate: A No. 1 seed in the Dayton regional that begins Sunday.
But it is still hours before that as Parker sits on a back deck of Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's home, talking in a measured pitch as a motorboat buzzes by on the river below.
Her versatility is showing. One moment, she's addressing the importance of a championship to her legacy. The next, she's minding Will, the 3-year-old son of Summitt's nanny, who is running off with an empty can dug out of a recycling bin despite Parker's protests. Effortlessly gliding through it all, interviews or basketball or ad-lib babysitting, none of it so weighty as to anchor her.
Gliding, it would seem, would not be an option in the minefield that is the Dayton regional if Tennessee is to survive. Yet as the three-time Illinois Ms. Basketball from Naperville has ascended to the fore of the women's college game in her second season, she refuses to believe she has taken ownership of one of that game's most storied programs.
"No, this is not my team," Parker says. "I feel like I'm an integral part of this team. As I go, our team goes. If I don't bring energy, we're not going to be successful."
That line of reasoning—as I go, the team goes, but it's still not my team—is about as muddy as the riverbank a few hundred feet away. This is pointed out to Parker.
"Um," she says, clearly trying to locate a good hem or haw. "You know what? To some extent, yes, this is my team. But we have too many other great players for it to be just my team. Too many other people can step up for it just to be my team."
It is a thoughtful if evasive answer. And then Parker pauses. Will is nowhere in sight.
"Did you hear a splash?" she asks.
Intensity on the rise
As soon as Tennessee's season ended short of a Final Four last season, the Lady Vols dispatched in a regional final by North Carolina, the team realistically and officially became Candace Parker's, no matter how much the lady doth protest.
If there was any doubt, it did not make the return trip over the thousands of miles that separate Knoxville from Brazil, where the women's world championships took place last September. Parker was the team's youngest member, and its only collegiate player, and she was the third-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.1 per game) for a bronze-medal team.
"It put her on a different stage," Summitt says. "She comes back here this year and her game is at a whole different intensity level."
Consequently, the attention is as well—"at a level it's never been at," according to Summitt. Parker was the SEC player of the year and is the presumptive favorite for national honors, averaging 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor.
But then there are the dunks. And then there are the howling fans that stuff hotel lobbies, a factor that has Summitt planning to add extra security for the NCAA tournament—the first time she has done that since the likes of Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall at once played for the Lady Vols. Parker, it seems, is a one-for-three trade-in.
"The circus," Summitt says, "is back."
And as such, as perhaps the face of the women's game, she must bear its freight even as she will turn just 21 on April 19.
"There's definitely a responsibility," Parker says. "The game of basketball has given me so much, given me so many opportunities, and I want to give back to the game. I know that it's my responsibility, to give back what players before me have done for me."
WNBA-bound?
It even colors, in a manner, her approach to the untidy aspects of notoriety. Like, for example, the rumors of her possible early entry into the WNBA draft following this season.
By rule, it is possible—she would just have to graduate by the end of this calendar year, and as an academic junior, it would be within reach. But Parker never intended to leave, only publicly shooting down the innuendo recently because it bordered on distraction. Yet the need to address it did not particularly gall her—quite the contrary.
"Whatever gets people interested in women's basketball, I'll say I'm going wherever," Parker says. "I don't care. As long as people are reading and writing about women's basketball, fine."
"Now next year, after she's a junior eligibility-wise and maybe they win something between these two years, I think she may be interested," Larry Parker, her father, said recently. "Because her class will be graduating that year—the class she really is in, because she redshirted one year. So maybe she might be interested in looking at it then."
But that is all conjecture. And what will almost certainly prevent that is anything less than a national title before then.
Parker's standards will not relieve her of that burden; she shot 2-for-11 in a SEC tournament semifinal loss to LSU, scoring in single digits for the first time in her collegiate career, and the next morning she matter-of-factly took responsibility for her miserable night as the Lady Vols watched the film in a hotel suite.
And Parker is strictly clear on this: She will not put herself in the company of all-time greats, even if everyone else does, before she wins a championship.
"That's how it is always in Knoxville," Parker says. "They expect a national championship, and if you don't get one, it's deemed a failure, I guess. But that's why I came here."
'It's all business now'
Five minutes remain before the NCAA women's tournament brackets unfold on the giant screen in Summitt's pool house.
"Did you see the previews for 'Premonition' with Sandra Bullock?" Parker, lounging in a plush corner chair, excitedly asks a teammate. "It looks gooooood."
Halfway through the selection show, a promo featuring Parker plays before a commercial break.
"They told me to act hard," Parker says, and her teammates burst into raucous laughter. "I was rocking back and forth."
As the show draws to a close, ESPN breaks down the top four seeds in each region.
"Ha! Look at ours!" Parker cries with a bit of gallows humor as the graphic appears. Tennessee is joined by Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State in a brutally competitive lineup. Parker slaps the chair arm with her left hand, tossing her head back and laughing.
All of this is the light approach. In that same chair just minutes later, when asked about the road ahead, just a touch of necessary coldness invades Candace Parker's face. She looks in that moment, unmistakably, like the one person who can give Tennessee what it needs.
"We knew this was going to happen," Parker says. "It's funny. But it's all business now. Six games. That's all that's left."
It is, after all, the time of year to tighten things up. Later, the bellwether player in women's college basketball—and perhaps beyond—and her Tennessee teammates would learn their NCAA tournament fate: A No. 1 seed in the Dayton regional that begins Sunday.
But it is still hours before that as Parker sits on a back deck of Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's home, talking in a measured pitch as a motorboat buzzes by on the river below.
Her versatility is showing. One moment, she's addressing the importance of a championship to her legacy. The next, she's minding Will, the 3-year-old son of Summitt's nanny, who is running off with an empty can dug out of a recycling bin despite Parker's protests. Effortlessly gliding through it all, interviews or basketball or ad-lib babysitting, none of it so weighty as to anchor her.
Gliding, it would seem, would not be an option in the minefield that is the Dayton regional if Tennessee is to survive. Yet as the three-time Illinois Ms. Basketball from Naperville has ascended to the fore of the women's college game in her second season, she refuses to believe she has taken ownership of one of that game's most storied programs.
"No, this is not my team," Parker says. "I feel like I'm an integral part of this team. As I go, our team goes. If I don't bring energy, we're not going to be successful."
That line of reasoning—as I go, the team goes, but it's still not my team—is about as muddy as the riverbank a few hundred feet away. This is pointed out to Parker.
"Um," she says, clearly trying to locate a good hem or haw. "You know what? To some extent, yes, this is my team. But we have too many other great players for it to be just my team. Too many other people can step up for it just to be my team."
It is a thoughtful if evasive answer. And then Parker pauses. Will is nowhere in sight.
"Did you hear a splash?" she asks.
Intensity on the rise
As soon as Tennessee's season ended short of a Final Four last season, the Lady Vols dispatched in a regional final by North Carolina, the team realistically and officially became Candace Parker's, no matter how much the lady doth protest.
If there was any doubt, it did not make the return trip over the thousands of miles that separate Knoxville from Brazil, where the women's world championships took place last September. Parker was the team's youngest member, and its only collegiate player, and she was the third-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.1 per game) for a bronze-medal team.
"It put her on a different stage," Summitt says. "She comes back here this year and her game is at a whole different intensity level."
Consequently, the attention is as well—"at a level it's never been at," according to Summitt. Parker was the SEC player of the year and is the presumptive favorite for national honors, averaging 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor.
But then there are the dunks. And then there are the howling fans that stuff hotel lobbies, a factor that has Summitt planning to add extra security for the NCAA tournament—the first time she has done that since the likes of Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall at once played for the Lady Vols. Parker, it seems, is a one-for-three trade-in.
"The circus," Summitt says, "is back."
And as such, as perhaps the face of the women's game, she must bear its freight even as she will turn just 21 on April 19.
"There's definitely a responsibility," Parker says. "The game of basketball has given me so much, given me so many opportunities, and I want to give back to the game. I know that it's my responsibility, to give back what players before me have done for me."
WNBA-bound?
It even colors, in a manner, her approach to the untidy aspects of notoriety. Like, for example, the rumors of her possible early entry into the WNBA draft following this season.
By rule, it is possible—she would just have to graduate by the end of this calendar year, and as an academic junior, it would be within reach. But Parker never intended to leave, only publicly shooting down the innuendo recently because it bordered on distraction. Yet the need to address it did not particularly gall her—quite the contrary.
"Whatever gets people interested in women's basketball, I'll say I'm going wherever," Parker says. "I don't care. As long as people are reading and writing about women's basketball, fine."
"Now next year, after she's a junior eligibility-wise and maybe they win something between these two years, I think she may be interested," Larry Parker, her father, said recently. "Because her class will be graduating that year—the class she really is in, because she redshirted one year. So maybe she might be interested in looking at it then."
But that is all conjecture. And what will almost certainly prevent that is anything less than a national title before then.
Parker's standards will not relieve her of that burden; she shot 2-for-11 in a SEC tournament semifinal loss to LSU, scoring in single digits for the first time in her collegiate career, and the next morning she matter-of-factly took responsibility for her miserable night as the Lady Vols watched the film in a hotel suite.
And Parker is strictly clear on this: She will not put herself in the company of all-time greats, even if everyone else does, before she wins a championship.
"That's how it is always in Knoxville," Parker says. "They expect a national championship, and if you don't get one, it's deemed a failure, I guess. But that's why I came here."
'It's all business now'
Five minutes remain before the NCAA women's tournament brackets unfold on the giant screen in Summitt's pool house.
"Did you see the previews for 'Premonition' with Sandra Bullock?" Parker, lounging in a plush corner chair, excitedly asks a teammate. "It looks gooooood."
Halfway through the selection show, a promo featuring Parker plays before a commercial break.
"They told me to act hard," Parker says, and her teammates burst into raucous laughter. "I was rocking back and forth."
As the show draws to a close, ESPN breaks down the top four seeds in each region.
"Ha! Look at ours!" Parker cries with a bit of gallows humor as the graphic appears. Tennessee is joined by Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State in a brutally competitive lineup. Parker slaps the chair arm with her left hand, tossing her head back and laughing.
All of this is the light approach. In that same chair just minutes later, when asked about the road ahead, just a touch of necessary coldness invades Candace Parker's face. She looks in that moment, unmistakably, like the one person who can give Tennessee what it needs.
"We knew this was going to happen," Parker says. "It's funny. But it's all business now. Six games. That's all that's left."
Tennessee Lady Vols #1 Seed In Dayton Region
Knoxville -- Duke, Tennessee, Connecticut and North Carolina were selected Monday as the No. 1 seeds for the women's NCAA tournament.
The Blue Devils, who went 29-0 in the regular season and then lost to N.C. State in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals, will open up against No. 16 Holy Cross on Sunday in Raleigh. With a regional in Greensboro, Duke would stay in North Carolina until the Final Four in Cleveland.
The 64-team tournament begins Saturday.
"We're really excited. We're playing all year long, hoping to get a chance to stay in Raleigh, and stay in Greensboro which is about an hour and 15 minutes down the road," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.
Duke, ranked atop the AP Poll for the final nine weeks, hopes for better results than the last time the Blue Devils finished No. 1 - the 2003-04 final poll. They lost to Minnesota in the regional finals that season.
Others in the Greensboro regional are No. 8 Temple vs. No. 9 Nebraska, No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 12 East Carolina, No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Delaware, No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Brigham Young, No. 3 Arizona State vs. No. 14 UC Riverside, No. 7 Bowling Green vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State, and No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 Delaware State.
In the West, LSU, which saw Pokey Chatman abruptly resign last Wednesday, is seeded No. 3 in the Fresno region.
Former coach Chatman was not allowed to be alone with her players after an assistant reported alleged improper conduct to the university in February, a school official with direct knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.
The university reacted promptly and properly to assistant coach Carla Berry's allegations, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous because it was a personnel matter.
The Tigers will play UNC Asheville on Friday night in Austin, Texas with acting head coach Bob Starkey at the helm.
"The kids have done a wonderful job," Starkey said. "They are a very resilient bunch. They have been through difficult times with Sue Gunter's death and Hurricane Katrina."
The defending champion Maryland Terrapins will face Ivy League champion Harvard on Sunday afternoon in Hartford.
Maryland, which returned all five starters from last season's team, was 0-5 against Duke and North Carolina this season. The Terps are looking to become the first repeat champions since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04.
"The only team that's going into the tournament knowing they can win it is Maryland, cause they've won it, and they've got a lot of the players back from the team that won it," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. "Everybody else is going in with the same mind-set, 'I think we can win it,' and that's how we're going into it."
West No. 1 seed Connecticut (29-3) will play No. 16 UMBC on Sunday in Hartford.
If they advance past the first two rounds, the Huskies then must travel to Fresno, Calif. for the regionals. During its run of five national championships since 1995, Connecticut hasn't been farther West than Kansas City.
The Huskies eventually could face No. 2 Stanford, which opens up at home against No. 15 Idaho State.
The sentimental choice in Fresno might be North Carolina State and coach Kay Yow. The Wolfpack, who have won 11 of the 13 games since Yow returned after breast cancer treatments, are the No. 4 seed in Fresno. They will play Robert Morris on Sunday in the first round in the Raleigh subregional.
Also in the West bracket, it will be: No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Chattanooga, No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 West Virginia, and No. 7 Old Dominion vs. No. 10 Florida State.
North Carolina, which won the ACC conference tournament, earned a No. 1 seed for the third straight season and will open Sunday against Prairie View. The Tar Heels are the top seed in the Dallas region. Other games in the region include No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 5 George Washington vs. No. 12 Boise State, No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Texas-Arlington, No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 11 Washington, No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 14 Belmont, No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 10 DePaul, and No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts.
The Boilermakers won the Big Ten tournament championship.
The Big East placed the most teams in the championship bracket with eight, followed by the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 with six each.
Six-time champion Tennessee is now the only team that has competed in every NCAA tournament after Louisiana Tech didn't make the field this year. The Lady Vols, who are a No. 1 seed for the 17th time in 20 years, will open up Sunday against No. 16 Drake in Pittsburgh. The No. 8 Panthers will host No. 9 James Madison in the other game in that subregional.
Other games in the Dayton regional include: No. 5 Middle Tennessee, which has won 26 straight games, vs. No. 12 Gonzaga; No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Marist; No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette; No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Southeast Missouri State; No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 TCU.
Holy Cross and Drake became the fifth and sixth teams with losing records to make the tournament. The Crusaders won the Patriot League, and the Bulldogs were victorious in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The women's Final Four is April 1-3 in Cleveland.
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH PAT SUMMITT
(on the tough bracket): “I’d be surprised if we didn’t get a tough bracket. Last year we obviously gave them some options. We didn’t run the table in the SEC by any means. I think this year’s different. I thought Oklahoma was a No. 2 seed, I think Maryland’s a No. 2 seed, I think Ohio State’s a No. 3 seed. That’s my opinion, and it really doesn’t matter. I can’t imagine the other teams being very thrilled about it either. If I’m Ohio State, I’m like, a four-seed? Oklahoma, a three-seed? Both of those surprise me.”
(on using the LSU loss as motivation): “Actually if we hadn’t lost and managed to play as poorly as we played and win that game, I would be very worried. We might have a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to me. I thought that was one of the best things that happened to us. I hate losing, I don’t care if we’re playing pool. I don’t even know how to play pool, but I hate losing. I guess that’s why I don’t play pool. I just think that was one of the best thing that happened to us.”
(on the lack of reaction from the players): “I think they’re fine. I think they know we’re Tennessee, and things like this happen. We’ve gone through some tough brackets in the past. And if you look what they did, and I don’t think the “S-curve” is much of a factor in the placement of the teams geographically so they’d have better fan support. That has a lot to do with it, getting people there, keeping people in their region so you don’t spend as much money. And you get better fan support. I think if you look at the men’s bracket, I think they did a lot of the same things. Looking at it last night, I thought our bracket was going to be a lot like their bracket, keeping teams in their region as much as possible.”
Forward Dominique Redding
“It’s a challenging draw, but nothing’s easy when you get to the NCAA (Tournament). You just have to take it one day at the time.”
(On what advice she would share with the four players that have never appeared in the NCAA Tournament):
“Well, let’s just say we hope that the fourth time’s the charm. We’re trying to bring them along one game at the time. (I’d tell them to) keep their focus small. Win six games, but take it one game at a time.”
(On what it would take for the Lady Vols to make the Final Four):
“It’s going to take a lot of hustle. You’re going to have to do all the little things that don’t really come up on the stat sheet. We just have to make sure we play defense and rebound, and all the other things will fall into place.”
Forward Sidney Spencer:
(On the toughness seen in Tennessee’s bracket):
“I think that’s why we play a very tough schedule in the regular season is to prepare for this, so whenever we get our bracket, which as they said on TV seems to be one of the toughest, with the top four seeds who they are, we’ll definitely be prepared for that.”
“I know in postseason every team is fighting for a chance to advance. That’s the difference. Every team will do what it takes to win. We just need to be prepared for that, to be prepared for everyone’s best shot at us when we play night in and night out.”
(On possibly playing in her third Final Four):
“It would be incredible. It’s something that can’t be taken for granted because the parity in women’s basketball right now.”
Guard Elizabeth Curry:
“I’m excited about being a No. 1 seed, getting to go to Dayton, which is close to home. Our bracket has a lot of quality opponents, but it’s something we’re excited for. Now it’s just time to go play and focus on one game at a time and who our opponent is and what we’re going to do and rely on Tennessee basketball to get us through the tournament.”
(On the difference playing this year):
“It will continue on as the regular season was, just a whole different atmosphere. I just get to experience it from a different angle. I’m really excited. You get to be a little bit more emotional on this side of it, where you have to get your game face on, operations side as a manager, and getting all that together. Now you get to experience emotions and the team atmosphere, which is something special.”
On playing Drake in the first round:
“It’s a little special. Drake’s in Des Moines, which is about a half-hour from home. I grew up watching them. They were the closest university to go watch play instead of Iowa State and Iowa. That’s neat.”
FORWARD CANDACE PARKER
“We didn’t ask for the toughest road, but that’s what is in front of us and we will just have to face it. We played the toughest regular season in the country, so I don’t think it affects us as much as it may have other teams.
(On how the team’s tough schedule has prepared it for the NCAA Tournament):
“We played a variety of different teams and our coaches prepared us all season to play different styles.”
(On how this year’s team compares to last year’s):
“This is a different team from last year. I feel like we have all of the right parts and we are playing some of our best basketball right now. If we play the way I know we can play, we will be just fine.”
(On the loss to LSU in the SEC Tournament):
“We put it behind us and we are ready to get the postseason going.”
(On her play in the SEC Tournament and the team’s preparation for the NCAA Tournament):
“I don’t feel like I brought enough energy. We’ve gotten back to practice and have really focused on the things we need to improve on. We have increased our confidence and feel really good about entering the postseason.
GUARD ALEXIS HORNBUCKLE
(on getting a No. 1 seed): “We’re honored to get a No. 1 seed based on our season. I think that we fought hard this season to get to that No. 1, considering that last year we felt like we fell short getting that No. 2 seed, so we worked extra hard this year.”
(on anxiety during the selection show): “I wasn’t really paranoid, just anxious to see what was going to happen. More like Christmas Eve instead of Halloween.”
(on the difficulty of the Dayton regional): “It is a tough bracket, but that’s the NCAA Tournament. Anything can happen, no matter where you are, no matter if you think you have a cakewalk. We just have to prepare every day for every game.”
(on being motivated by the LSU loss): “I think we’re hungry. We’re ready. We’re ready to get on the court again, we’re ready to play and try to just give it our all. We want to send a statement to everybody that we lost, but that’s not going to affect us. It’s a whole new season. We might be on the verge of starving instead of hungry. We want it bad. I think that we’re in a great position and we’re going to have a fight every game. The Final Four is not an easy road for us. So if we get there, or when we get there, it’s going to be for a reason.”
(on different focus for the NCAA Tournament): “We need to put together a 40-minute game every night. We can’t have any possessions off; little to none is what you want every game. We’ve had mental breakdowns throughout the season, we’ve had defensive breakdowns, we’ve had offensive weaknesses where we might not have been scoring, but we also weren’t rebounding. You have to put all the intangibles together when it comes to the postseason.”
(on Tennessee having not won an NCAA title since 1998): “We talk about it, it’s motivation. Obviously you come to a school like Tennessee to win a national championship. It’s very frustrating as a player to not yet accomplish that. But that road is not over yet. It’s motivation every day.”
CENTER NICKY ANOSIKE
(on getting a No. 1 seed): “We’re definitely excited to get a No. 1 seed. Obviously, last year we were expecting one and we didn’t get it. But I think we still have the toughest bracket, just like last year, even though we did get the No. 1 seed.”
(on the tough task of not looking ahead): “It’s definitely impossible to just focus on the first game, especially right now after we just watched the selection show. But we have to come prepared no matter who we’re playing.”
(on practice the last few days): “Practice has definitely been rough, and Coach has been trying to get us prepared. She knew what we had in store and she’s been trying to get us ready for it.”
(on extra motivation after missing the Final Four last year): “We definitely have motivation coming in from last year. I think we have a lot more maturity than last year’s team. I think we learned a lot from last year’s experience.”
GUARD SHANNON BOBBITT
“I am looking forward to playing in some great games. Everybody is saying that we have the toughest bracket, but I am looking forward to playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time. We are just going to take what they give us and make sure we come to play.”
FORWARD ALEX FULLER
“Our bracket is better than last year, but we know that we have a tough road to walk. We feel like, if we pull together, we can make it to the Final Four.
(On Maryland):
“They are basically the same team that we played last year, just with another year of experience. They are a tough team, but we have been preparing hard and will be ready to play.”
GUARD CAIT McMAHAN
“Obviously, we got the hardest bracket, but we expected that. I’m very excited to play in the first round of my first NCAA tournament. This is what you dream of as a little kid. I am very anxious.
(On potential matchups with Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State):
“We ready for anybody. Show us our opponent.”
FORWARD ALBERTA AUGUSTE
(on playing in her first NCAA Tournament): “Pretty much like the SEC Tournament. That was a big step for us, and it was a big step for me, trying to adapt to that and the physical play. It’s postseason, so I pretty much know what to expect. The veterans help us to practice and help us to prepare for it, letting us know how important it is.”
(on gaining motivation from the loss in the SEC Tournament): “It definitely gives us extra motivation. We know we should have won the tournament, but we fell short. Now it’s just a big opportunity for us to take these six games and go all the way.”
The Blue Devils, who went 29-0 in the regular season and then lost to N.C. State in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals, will open up against No. 16 Holy Cross on Sunday in Raleigh. With a regional in Greensboro, Duke would stay in North Carolina until the Final Four in Cleveland.
The 64-team tournament begins Saturday.
"We're really excited. We're playing all year long, hoping to get a chance to stay in Raleigh, and stay in Greensboro which is about an hour and 15 minutes down the road," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.
Duke, ranked atop the AP Poll for the final nine weeks, hopes for better results than the last time the Blue Devils finished No. 1 - the 2003-04 final poll. They lost to Minnesota in the regional finals that season.
Others in the Greensboro regional are No. 8 Temple vs. No. 9 Nebraska, No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 12 East Carolina, No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Delaware, No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Brigham Young, No. 3 Arizona State vs. No. 14 UC Riverside, No. 7 Bowling Green vs. No. 10 Oklahoma State, and No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 Delaware State.
In the West, LSU, which saw Pokey Chatman abruptly resign last Wednesday, is seeded No. 3 in the Fresno region.
Former coach Chatman was not allowed to be alone with her players after an assistant reported alleged improper conduct to the university in February, a school official with direct knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.
The university reacted promptly and properly to assistant coach Carla Berry's allegations, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous because it was a personnel matter.
The Tigers will play UNC Asheville on Friday night in Austin, Texas with acting head coach Bob Starkey at the helm.
"The kids have done a wonderful job," Starkey said. "They are a very resilient bunch. They have been through difficult times with Sue Gunter's death and Hurricane Katrina."
The defending champion Maryland Terrapins will face Ivy League champion Harvard on Sunday afternoon in Hartford.
Maryland, which returned all five starters from last season's team, was 0-5 against Duke and North Carolina this season. The Terps are looking to become the first repeat champions since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04.
"The only team that's going into the tournament knowing they can win it is Maryland, cause they've won it, and they've got a lot of the players back from the team that won it," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. "Everybody else is going in with the same mind-set, 'I think we can win it,' and that's how we're going into it."
West No. 1 seed Connecticut (29-3) will play No. 16 UMBC on Sunday in Hartford.
If they advance past the first two rounds, the Huskies then must travel to Fresno, Calif. for the regionals. During its run of five national championships since 1995, Connecticut hasn't been farther West than Kansas City.
The Huskies eventually could face No. 2 Stanford, which opens up at home against No. 15 Idaho State.
The sentimental choice in Fresno might be North Carolina State and coach Kay Yow. The Wolfpack, who have won 11 of the 13 games since Yow returned after breast cancer treatments, are the No. 4 seed in Fresno. They will play Robert Morris on Sunday in the first round in the Raleigh subregional.
Also in the West bracket, it will be: No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 12 Chattanooga, No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 11 West Virginia, and No. 7 Old Dominion vs. No. 10 Florida State.
North Carolina, which won the ACC conference tournament, earned a No. 1 seed for the third straight season and will open Sunday against Prairie View. The Tar Heels are the top seed in the Dallas region. Other games in the region include No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 5 George Washington vs. No. 12 Boise State, No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Texas-Arlington, No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 11 Washington, No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 14 Belmont, No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 10 DePaul, and No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts.
The Boilermakers won the Big Ten tournament championship.
The Big East placed the most teams in the championship bracket with eight, followed by the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 with six each.
Six-time champion Tennessee is now the only team that has competed in every NCAA tournament after Louisiana Tech didn't make the field this year. The Lady Vols, who are a No. 1 seed for the 17th time in 20 years, will open up Sunday against No. 16 Drake in Pittsburgh. The No. 8 Panthers will host No. 9 James Madison in the other game in that subregional.
Other games in the Dayton regional include: No. 5 Middle Tennessee, which has won 26 straight games, vs. No. 12 Gonzaga; No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Marist; No. 6 Marquette vs. No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette; No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Southeast Missouri State; No. 7 Mississippi vs. No. 10 TCU.
Holy Cross and Drake became the fifth and sixth teams with losing records to make the tournament. The Crusaders won the Patriot League, and the Bulldogs were victorious in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The women's Final Four is April 1-3 in Cleveland.
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH PAT SUMMITT
(on the tough bracket): “I’d be surprised if we didn’t get a tough bracket. Last year we obviously gave them some options. We didn’t run the table in the SEC by any means. I think this year’s different. I thought Oklahoma was a No. 2 seed, I think Maryland’s a No. 2 seed, I think Ohio State’s a No. 3 seed. That’s my opinion, and it really doesn’t matter. I can’t imagine the other teams being very thrilled about it either. If I’m Ohio State, I’m like, a four-seed? Oklahoma, a three-seed? Both of those surprise me.”
(on using the LSU loss as motivation): “Actually if we hadn’t lost and managed to play as poorly as we played and win that game, I would be very worried. We might have a false impression of who we were at that time and who we needed to me. I thought that was one of the best things that happened to us. I hate losing, I don’t care if we’re playing pool. I don’t even know how to play pool, but I hate losing. I guess that’s why I don’t play pool. I just think that was one of the best thing that happened to us.”
(on the lack of reaction from the players): “I think they’re fine. I think they know we’re Tennessee, and things like this happen. We’ve gone through some tough brackets in the past. And if you look what they did, and I don’t think the “S-curve” is much of a factor in the placement of the teams geographically so they’d have better fan support. That has a lot to do with it, getting people there, keeping people in their region so you don’t spend as much money. And you get better fan support. I think if you look at the men’s bracket, I think they did a lot of the same things. Looking at it last night, I thought our bracket was going to be a lot like their bracket, keeping teams in their region as much as possible.”
Forward Dominique Redding
“It’s a challenging draw, but nothing’s easy when you get to the NCAA (Tournament). You just have to take it one day at the time.”
(On what advice she would share with the four players that have never appeared in the NCAA Tournament):
“Well, let’s just say we hope that the fourth time’s the charm. We’re trying to bring them along one game at the time. (I’d tell them to) keep their focus small. Win six games, but take it one game at a time.”
(On what it would take for the Lady Vols to make the Final Four):
“It’s going to take a lot of hustle. You’re going to have to do all the little things that don’t really come up on the stat sheet. We just have to make sure we play defense and rebound, and all the other things will fall into place.”
Forward Sidney Spencer:
(On the toughness seen in Tennessee’s bracket):
“I think that’s why we play a very tough schedule in the regular season is to prepare for this, so whenever we get our bracket, which as they said on TV seems to be one of the toughest, with the top four seeds who they are, we’ll definitely be prepared for that.”
“I know in postseason every team is fighting for a chance to advance. That’s the difference. Every team will do what it takes to win. We just need to be prepared for that, to be prepared for everyone’s best shot at us when we play night in and night out.”
(On possibly playing in her third Final Four):
“It would be incredible. It’s something that can’t be taken for granted because the parity in women’s basketball right now.”
Guard Elizabeth Curry:
“I’m excited about being a No. 1 seed, getting to go to Dayton, which is close to home. Our bracket has a lot of quality opponents, but it’s something we’re excited for. Now it’s just time to go play and focus on one game at a time and who our opponent is and what we’re going to do and rely on Tennessee basketball to get us through the tournament.”
(On the difference playing this year):
“It will continue on as the regular season was, just a whole different atmosphere. I just get to experience it from a different angle. I’m really excited. You get to be a little bit more emotional on this side of it, where you have to get your game face on, operations side as a manager, and getting all that together. Now you get to experience emotions and the team atmosphere, which is something special.”
On playing Drake in the first round:
“It’s a little special. Drake’s in Des Moines, which is about a half-hour from home. I grew up watching them. They were the closest university to go watch play instead of Iowa State and Iowa. That’s neat.”
FORWARD CANDACE PARKER
“We didn’t ask for the toughest road, but that’s what is in front of us and we will just have to face it. We played the toughest regular season in the country, so I don’t think it affects us as much as it may have other teams.
(On how the team’s tough schedule has prepared it for the NCAA Tournament):
“We played a variety of different teams and our coaches prepared us all season to play different styles.”
(On how this year’s team compares to last year’s):
“This is a different team from last year. I feel like we have all of the right parts and we are playing some of our best basketball right now. If we play the way I know we can play, we will be just fine.”
(On the loss to LSU in the SEC Tournament):
“We put it behind us and we are ready to get the postseason going.”
(On her play in the SEC Tournament and the team’s preparation for the NCAA Tournament):
“I don’t feel like I brought enough energy. We’ve gotten back to practice and have really focused on the things we need to improve on. We have increased our confidence and feel really good about entering the postseason.
GUARD ALEXIS HORNBUCKLE
(on getting a No. 1 seed): “We’re honored to get a No. 1 seed based on our season. I think that we fought hard this season to get to that No. 1, considering that last year we felt like we fell short getting that No. 2 seed, so we worked extra hard this year.”
(on anxiety during the selection show): “I wasn’t really paranoid, just anxious to see what was going to happen. More like Christmas Eve instead of Halloween.”
(on the difficulty of the Dayton regional): “It is a tough bracket, but that’s the NCAA Tournament. Anything can happen, no matter where you are, no matter if you think you have a cakewalk. We just have to prepare every day for every game.”
(on being motivated by the LSU loss): “I think we’re hungry. We’re ready. We’re ready to get on the court again, we’re ready to play and try to just give it our all. We want to send a statement to everybody that we lost, but that’s not going to affect us. It’s a whole new season. We might be on the verge of starving instead of hungry. We want it bad. I think that we’re in a great position and we’re going to have a fight every game. The Final Four is not an easy road for us. So if we get there, or when we get there, it’s going to be for a reason.”
(on different focus for the NCAA Tournament): “We need to put together a 40-minute game every night. We can’t have any possessions off; little to none is what you want every game. We’ve had mental breakdowns throughout the season, we’ve had defensive breakdowns, we’ve had offensive weaknesses where we might not have been scoring, but we also weren’t rebounding. You have to put all the intangibles together when it comes to the postseason.”
(on Tennessee having not won an NCAA title since 1998): “We talk about it, it’s motivation. Obviously you come to a school like Tennessee to win a national championship. It’s very frustrating as a player to not yet accomplish that. But that road is not over yet. It’s motivation every day.”
CENTER NICKY ANOSIKE
(on getting a No. 1 seed): “We’re definitely excited to get a No. 1 seed. Obviously, last year we were expecting one and we didn’t get it. But I think we still have the toughest bracket, just like last year, even though we did get the No. 1 seed.”
(on the tough task of not looking ahead): “It’s definitely impossible to just focus on the first game, especially right now after we just watched the selection show. But we have to come prepared no matter who we’re playing.”
(on practice the last few days): “Practice has definitely been rough, and Coach has been trying to get us prepared. She knew what we had in store and she’s been trying to get us ready for it.”
(on extra motivation after missing the Final Four last year): “We definitely have motivation coming in from last year. I think we have a lot more maturity than last year’s team. I think we learned a lot from last year’s experience.”
GUARD SHANNON BOBBITT
“I am looking forward to playing in some great games. Everybody is saying that we have the toughest bracket, but I am looking forward to playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time. We are just going to take what they give us and make sure we come to play.”
FORWARD ALEX FULLER
“Our bracket is better than last year, but we know that we have a tough road to walk. We feel like, if we pull together, we can make it to the Final Four.
(On Maryland):
“They are basically the same team that we played last year, just with another year of experience. They are a tough team, but we have been preparing hard and will be ready to play.”
GUARD CAIT McMAHAN
“Obviously, we got the hardest bracket, but we expected that. I’m very excited to play in the first round of my first NCAA tournament. This is what you dream of as a little kid. I am very anxious.
(On potential matchups with Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State):
“We ready for anybody. Show us our opponent.”
FORWARD ALBERTA AUGUSTE
(on playing in her first NCAA Tournament): “Pretty much like the SEC Tournament. That was a big step for us, and it was a big step for me, trying to adapt to that and the physical play. It’s postseason, so I pretty much know what to expect. The veterans help us to practice and help us to prepare for it, letting us know how important it is.”
(on gaining motivation from the loss in the SEC Tournament): “It definitely gives us extra motivation. We know we should have won the tournament, but we fell short. Now it’s just a big opportunity for us to take these six games and go all the way.”
Conradt resigns as Texas women's coach
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas women's basketball coach Jody Conradt resigned Monday after her team failed to reach the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. The 65-year-old Conradt is the second on the Division I college basketball victory list, behind only Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt.
"The easiest thing to change is the leadership," Conradt said as she addressed the media with her team immediately after the NCAA tournament selections were announced.
Conradt had the nation's top recruiting class this season, but injuries, inexperience and immaturity hurt the Longhorns. Texas (18-14) entered the Big 12 tournament having lost six of its last seven conference games. The Longhorns won their first tournament game but then lost to No. 9 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
"It's a winning business. Losing is not acceptable," she said.
Conradt, who led Texas to a 34-0 record and its lone NCAA title in 1985-86, fought back tears several times during the emotional news conference. Her players stood off to the side, many of them sobbing and hugging.
"What she's done for the game is so important. She's a legend, a pioneer," player Tiffany Jackson said. "I don't think anyone saw it coming."
Brittainey Raven said Conradt told the team before the NCAA selections were announced. "I wasn't expecting that at all. Everybody's faces just dropped," Raven said.
Conradt said she started thinking about retiring earlier in the season.
"I'm not going to take another coaching job," she said.
Conradt picked up her 900th win Tuesday in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament in Oklahoma City.
"As I told her, we all appreciate what she's done for this game," Summitt said." She's been a great friend of mine, a mentor, and we're going to miss her. But she's left her footprints all over the game and all over a lot of us coaches."
Conradt is 900-306 in 38 seasons — four at Sam Houston State, three at Texas-Arlington and 31 at Texas.
"She's an icon in women's basketball," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Nine hundred wins is mind boggling. As great a coach as she is, she's an even better person. I've admired her and the job she's done. I'm happy for her she's retiring and moving on, but our game will miss her. I only have the ultimate respect and admiration for her. It has to be hard. She's from my era a little bit. You think of coaches around my age retiring — whoa."
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma also praised Conradt.
"I think they established something that every other coach in America wanted to build," Auriemma said. "I'm sure she'll be involved somehow in the basketball community. She's just too valuable a resource to just let her walk away."
"The easiest thing to change is the leadership," Conradt said as she addressed the media with her team immediately after the NCAA tournament selections were announced.
Conradt had the nation's top recruiting class this season, but injuries, inexperience and immaturity hurt the Longhorns. Texas (18-14) entered the Big 12 tournament having lost six of its last seven conference games. The Longhorns won their first tournament game but then lost to No. 9 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
"It's a winning business. Losing is not acceptable," she said.
Conradt, who led Texas to a 34-0 record and its lone NCAA title in 1985-86, fought back tears several times during the emotional news conference. Her players stood off to the side, many of them sobbing and hugging.
"What she's done for the game is so important. She's a legend, a pioneer," player Tiffany Jackson said. "I don't think anyone saw it coming."
Brittainey Raven said Conradt told the team before the NCAA selections were announced. "I wasn't expecting that at all. Everybody's faces just dropped," Raven said.
Conradt said she started thinking about retiring earlier in the season.
"I'm not going to take another coaching job," she said.
Conradt picked up her 900th win Tuesday in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament in Oklahoma City.
"As I told her, we all appreciate what she's done for this game," Summitt said." She's been a great friend of mine, a mentor, and we're going to miss her. But she's left her footprints all over the game and all over a lot of us coaches."
Conradt is 900-306 in 38 seasons — four at Sam Houston State, three at Texas-Arlington and 31 at Texas.
"She's an icon in women's basketball," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Nine hundred wins is mind boggling. As great a coach as she is, she's an even better person. I've admired her and the job she's done. I'm happy for her she's retiring and moving on, but our game will miss her. I only have the ultimate respect and admiration for her. It has to be hard. She's from my era a little bit. You think of coaches around my age retiring — whoa."
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma also praised Conradt.
"I think they established something that every other coach in America wanted to build," Auriemma said. "I'm sure she'll be involved somehow in the basketball community. She's just too valuable a resource to just let her walk away."
Monday, March 12, 2007
Women's teams want no surprises
Lady Vols, Vandy, MTSU expecting top three seeds
Unlike last year, Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt isn't expecting any surprises on Selection Monday.
Neither is Vanderbilt Coach Melanie Balcomb.
Middle Tennessee State's Rick Insell isn't about surprises or not — he believes the Lady Raiders deserve a No. 3 seed.
Meanwhile, Belmont women's coach Tony Cross doesn't know what to expect.
The only sure thing is that all four local coaches will see the names of their schools on the television screen tonight at 7 when the field for the NCAA Tournament is set on ESPN.
The fourth-ranked Lady Vols (28-3) are expected to receive one of the four No. 1 seeds.
Then again, they were in almost the same position last year and slipped to a No. 2 seed. Top overall seed North Carolina was placed in the same region and eventually eliminated UT in the Elite Eight.
A 63-54 semifinal loss last week to LSU in the SEC Tournament didn't help Tennessee's case for a top seed. But Summitt is confident that a top RPI ranking and the toughest schedule in the country will be enough.
"There's no doubt in my mind," Summitt said. "But my mind is not the one that's going to make the decision. It's up to the committee. You've got to look at our schedule and RPI and look at our record and think it's not too bad."
Expecting a two
While Summitt complained last year about receiving a No. 2 seed, Balcomb will be happy if the No. 9 Commodores (27-5) get a two seed. Vanderbilt received an automatic berth by winning the SEC Tournament,
Balcomb will be disappointed if they end up with anything less.
"In 2004, when these seniors were freshman, we ran the table (in the SEC Tournament) like we did this year and we received a two seed," Balcomb said. "I expect the same thing this year. We played a tough schedule and we didn't have any bad losses. I will be disappointed if we get a three seed."
It could be close for the Commodores. Their RPI is seventh, but their strong performance in the SEC Tournament, which included a 51-45 win over LSU in the finals, should work in their favor.
Cross has Belmont (25-6) in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Bruins stepped up from the NAIA level to NCAA Division I in 1997. Belmont got in by beating East Tennessee State Saturday 69-57 for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship.
Unlike Summitt and Balcomb, Cross said he and his players will simply be satisfied when they see "Belmont" show up on ESPN. The seed and the opponent won't matter.
"If I was a one or two seed, I can't say how I would be," Cross said. "But with this being our first time in, whoever we play, wherever we play, and what time doesn't matter one bit."
Insell's big expectations
As for MTSU, "We're excited to see where we are and where we're going," Insell said. "By all the criteria laid out by the NCAA, I think we deserve a three seed.
"Our RPI has been around 10 most of the year, our strength of schedule is in the top 20, we beat Georgia at Georgia, Minnesota at Minnesota, and we beat Old Dominion. We've won 26 straight games and we went undefeated in our conference. I think that deserves a three seed, but we're probably going to get a four or five."
ESPN analyst Debbie Leonard, who worked the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals and championship, said the Lady Raiders will likely be a four or five seed.
"I think they have made a could case for a three, but knowing the committee the way I do, they'll probably be a four or five," she said. "But I don't see any way how they could be given a six. They're the real deal and they've have an outstanding season."
UT, Vandy, Belmont and MTSU aren't the only teams from Tennessee that will be in the NCAA Tournament.
Chattanooga's women won the Southern Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year, which earned them an automatic berth.
Unlike last year, Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt isn't expecting any surprises on Selection Monday.
Neither is Vanderbilt Coach Melanie Balcomb.
Middle Tennessee State's Rick Insell isn't about surprises or not — he believes the Lady Raiders deserve a No. 3 seed.
Meanwhile, Belmont women's coach Tony Cross doesn't know what to expect.
The only sure thing is that all four local coaches will see the names of their schools on the television screen tonight at 7 when the field for the NCAA Tournament is set on ESPN.
The fourth-ranked Lady Vols (28-3) are expected to receive one of the four No. 1 seeds.
Then again, they were in almost the same position last year and slipped to a No. 2 seed. Top overall seed North Carolina was placed in the same region and eventually eliminated UT in the Elite Eight.
A 63-54 semifinal loss last week to LSU in the SEC Tournament didn't help Tennessee's case for a top seed. But Summitt is confident that a top RPI ranking and the toughest schedule in the country will be enough.
"There's no doubt in my mind," Summitt said. "But my mind is not the one that's going to make the decision. It's up to the committee. You've got to look at our schedule and RPI and look at our record and think it's not too bad."
Expecting a two
While Summitt complained last year about receiving a No. 2 seed, Balcomb will be happy if the No. 9 Commodores (27-5) get a two seed. Vanderbilt received an automatic berth by winning the SEC Tournament,
Balcomb will be disappointed if they end up with anything less.
"In 2004, when these seniors were freshman, we ran the table (in the SEC Tournament) like we did this year and we received a two seed," Balcomb said. "I expect the same thing this year. We played a tough schedule and we didn't have any bad losses. I will be disappointed if we get a three seed."
It could be close for the Commodores. Their RPI is seventh, but their strong performance in the SEC Tournament, which included a 51-45 win over LSU in the finals, should work in their favor.
Cross has Belmont (25-6) in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Bruins stepped up from the NAIA level to NCAA Division I in 1997. Belmont got in by beating East Tennessee State Saturday 69-57 for the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament championship.
Unlike Summitt and Balcomb, Cross said he and his players will simply be satisfied when they see "Belmont" show up on ESPN. The seed and the opponent won't matter.
"If I was a one or two seed, I can't say how I would be," Cross said. "But with this being our first time in, whoever we play, wherever we play, and what time doesn't matter one bit."
Insell's big expectations
As for MTSU, "We're excited to see where we are and where we're going," Insell said. "By all the criteria laid out by the NCAA, I think we deserve a three seed.
"Our RPI has been around 10 most of the year, our strength of schedule is in the top 20, we beat Georgia at Georgia, Minnesota at Minnesota, and we beat Old Dominion. We've won 26 straight games and we went undefeated in our conference. I think that deserves a three seed, but we're probably going to get a four or five."
ESPN analyst Debbie Leonard, who worked the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals and championship, said the Lady Raiders will likely be a four or five seed.
"I think they have made a could case for a three, but knowing the committee the way I do, they'll probably be a four or five," she said. "But I don't see any way how they could be given a six. They're the real deal and they've have an outstanding season."
UT, Vandy, Belmont and MTSU aren't the only teams from Tennessee that will be in the NCAA Tournament.
Chattanooga's women won the Southern Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year, which earned them an automatic berth.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Lady Vols dismiss WNBA speculation on Parker
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee star Candace Parker is not eligible for the WNBA draft this season and never had plans to leave college early, a Lady Vols spokeswoman said Friday.
"She has always planned to play next year," Tennessee spokeswoman Debby Jennings said.
The university discussed Parker's status in response to recent speculation on fan Web sites that the 20-year-old dunking sensation and Southeastern Conference player of the year would enter the WNBA draft in April.
Although she has two more years of NCAA eligibility, Parker is academically a junior and on track to graduate in December 2007. Jennings expects Parker will finish out the 2007-08 season as a graduate student.
WNBA rules prohibit players from entering the draft until their classes complete their senior year -- and Parker's classmates, juniors Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike, won't graduate until May 2008.
"I envision her playing as a junior and then making a decision about what she does following (the 2008) Olympics," Jennings said.
"She has always planned to play next year," Tennessee spokeswoman Debby Jennings said.
The university discussed Parker's status in response to recent speculation on fan Web sites that the 20-year-old dunking sensation and Southeastern Conference player of the year would enter the WNBA draft in April.
Although she has two more years of NCAA eligibility, Parker is academically a junior and on track to graduate in December 2007. Jennings expects Parker will finish out the 2007-08 season as a graduate student.
WNBA rules prohibit players from entering the draft until their classes complete their senior year -- and Parker's classmates, juniors Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike, won't graduate until May 2008.
"I envision her playing as a junior and then making a decision about what she does following (the 2008) Olympics," Jennings said.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Lady Vols get 'gut check' in practice after SEC loss
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - All the fourth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols can do now is wait to see who their opponent is in the NCAA tournament and try to endure coach Pat Summitt's practices.
Summitt believes Tennessee (28-3) is destined for a No. 1 seed when the brackets are announced March 12, but she wasn't giving the players any favors Wednesday in their first day back on the court since losing in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Saturday.
``I wanted this to be a little bit of a gut check,'' Summitt said of the practice. ``We are getting ready now for the Big Dance.''
The team watched tape on Sunday but had Monday and Tuesday off.
The players finished their drills on Wednesday by sprinting down the length of the court each time one of them missed a free throw.
Despite the latest loss, Summitt is firm in her opinion the Lady Vols will not slide to a No. 2 seed as they did last year.
``There's no doubt in my mind, but my mind is not the one to make the decision. It's up to the committee. You have to look at our schedule and our RPI and look at our record and think it's not too bad,'' she said.
The Lady Vols have the top RPI and toughest strength of schedule.
Tennessee breezed through the SEC regular-season at 14-0 to win the league title, but the Lady Vols were challenged in the league tournament.
They beat South Carolina and then struggled against LSU before losing 63-54. SEC Player of the Year Candace Parker was held to a career-low four points.
``It's in the past. There are things we can learn from it. We couldn't match LSU's intensity and how inspired they were. It clearly wasn't a priority across the board,'' Summitt said. ``We had some players play well. We had some not show up. You can't beat a team like LSU unless the whole team is inspired.''
Summitt said she's looking for a ``constant commitment'' from the players on defense, a staple of her program over 33 seasons. Offensively, she would like to see better use of screens.
``We can't let our defense falter when we're not playing well offensively because that's where we've been able to stay in games and win games, even when we weren't shooting the basketball very well,'' she said.
Summitt didn't seem too concerned about Parker's lack of scoring against LSU. She attributed most of that to the defense of LSU's center Sylvia Fowles.
``She took ownership. Candace is not one to shy away from responsibility. She knows that her performance was costly for us,'' Summitt said. ``Let's face it. She's obviously been there night in and night out. She just didn't have the type of game we hoped she'd have and didn't seem to be able to get herself out of that.''
The good news for the Lady Vols is they get Thursday off, and then it's back to practice.
ARENA RENOVATION: After practice, workers began dismantling the court and carting off the sections to get it ready for renovations in Thompson-Boling Arena that include new luxury boxes and a scoreboard. The men's and women's basketball teams will not practice in the gym anymore this spring. The coaches had until the end of the week to move their stuff to another room, where they will have makeshift offices during the construction phase.
Summitt believes Tennessee (28-3) is destined for a No. 1 seed when the brackets are announced March 12, but she wasn't giving the players any favors Wednesday in their first day back on the court since losing in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Saturday.
``I wanted this to be a little bit of a gut check,'' Summitt said of the practice. ``We are getting ready now for the Big Dance.''
The team watched tape on Sunday but had Monday and Tuesday off.
The players finished their drills on Wednesday by sprinting down the length of the court each time one of them missed a free throw.
Despite the latest loss, Summitt is firm in her opinion the Lady Vols will not slide to a No. 2 seed as they did last year.
``There's no doubt in my mind, but my mind is not the one to make the decision. It's up to the committee. You have to look at our schedule and our RPI and look at our record and think it's not too bad,'' she said.
The Lady Vols have the top RPI and toughest strength of schedule.
Tennessee breezed through the SEC regular-season at 14-0 to win the league title, but the Lady Vols were challenged in the league tournament.
They beat South Carolina and then struggled against LSU before losing 63-54. SEC Player of the Year Candace Parker was held to a career-low four points.
``It's in the past. There are things we can learn from it. We couldn't match LSU's intensity and how inspired they were. It clearly wasn't a priority across the board,'' Summitt said. ``We had some players play well. We had some not show up. You can't beat a team like LSU unless the whole team is inspired.''
Summitt said she's looking for a ``constant commitment'' from the players on defense, a staple of her program over 33 seasons. Offensively, she would like to see better use of screens.
``We can't let our defense falter when we're not playing well offensively because that's where we've been able to stay in games and win games, even when we weren't shooting the basketball very well,'' she said.
Summitt didn't seem too concerned about Parker's lack of scoring against LSU. She attributed most of that to the defense of LSU's center Sylvia Fowles.
``She took ownership. Candace is not one to shy away from responsibility. She knows that her performance was costly for us,'' Summitt said. ``Let's face it. She's obviously been there night in and night out. She just didn't have the type of game we hoped she'd have and didn't seem to be able to get herself out of that.''
The good news for the Lady Vols is they get Thursday off, and then it's back to practice.
ARENA RENOVATION: After practice, workers began dismantling the court and carting off the sections to get it ready for renovations in Thompson-Boling Arena that include new luxury boxes and a scoreboard. The men's and women's basketball teams will not practice in the gym anymore this spring. The coaches had until the end of the week to move their stuff to another room, where they will have makeshift offices during the construction phase.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
(11) LSU 63, (2) Tennessee 54
DULUTH, Ga. -- There's more than one championship-caliber team in the Southeastern Conference. And Sylvia Fowles is showing the league has more than one star.
Fowles scored 19 points with 20 rebounds and No. 11 LSU held No. 2 Tennessee's Candace Parker to a career-low four points Saturday night in the Lady Tigers' 63-54 victory in an SEC tournament semifinal.
Fowles has been overshadowed by Parker most of the year, but the LSU junior took the SEC tournament spotlight with her 19th consecutive double-double.
"She never wavered," LSU coach Pokey Chatman said of Fowles, who played the full 40 minutes, going 8-for-18 from the field and blocking three shots.
"She was just strong in there for them," Tennessee center Nicky Anosike said. "I tried to guard her the best I can. She was strong."
Anosike had nine points and four rebounds. Parker added six rebounds, but was 2-for-11 from the field. LSU kept Parker well below her 20.3 point average by denying passes to her inside.
"We got whipped right down the middle," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said, noting "the great presence that Fowles had."
"We didn't have a post game consistently," Summitt said.
Tennessee won the regular-season SEC title with a 14-0 mark and was favored in the conference tournament.
LSU avenged a 56-51 home loss to Tennessee on Feb. 19.
"When we played them at our home and lost, we had time to sit down and review and think about things we didn't do well," Fowles said. "We just brought it tonight."
Erica White added 17 points and Allison Hightower 12 for LSU (26-6), which advances to the championship Sunday night against the winner of the Georgia-Vanderbilt semifinal late Saturday.
LSU held the Lady Vols to 37.5 percent shooting.
Tennessee's Sidney Spencer also was 2-for-11 while scoring seven points.
Was this LSU's best game of the season?
"For this time of the year, you'd have to say yes," Chatman said.
Alexis Hornbuckle led Tennessee (28-3) with a career-high 29 points and nine rebounds.
Summitt said the game again proved it is difficult to sweep the regular-season and conference titles.
"The one concern I had coming in was what this is going to mean for our team," Summitt said. "It's happened in the past. When we were able to win the regular season, it's been far more difficult to win the tournament."
LSU took a 51-41 lead on a basket by Fowles with 6:43 left. Hornbuckle sank a long 3-pointer with 1:15 left to cut the margin to 55-50, but White and RaShonta LeBlanc each made two free throws to give the Lady Tigers some breathing room.
The loss snapped Tennessee's second 11-game winning streak of the season. The Lady Vols lost their first conference game since falling to Florida on Feb. 26, 2006.
Tennessee beat LSU in the 2005 and 2006 SEC tournament finals by a combined total of three points. With most seats taken in the 10,309-seat Gwinnett Arena, this semifinal had the feel of a championship.
Predictably, Tennessee claimed a big edge in fans, but LSU supporters were heard as the Lady Tigers took the lead late in the first half and held it the rest of the game.
Hornbuckle scored 10 points in the first half, including a basket that gave Tennessee a 15-4 lead about 6 minutes into the game. Fowles and the Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Vols 29-14 the rest of the half to lead 34-29 at halftime.
Hornbuckle's 3-pointer with 4:05 left in the half gave Tennessee a 29-28 lead. The Lady Vols were held scoreless the rest of the half as Fowles scored three straight baskets.
Fowles had 14 points and nine rebounds in the half.
Fowles scored 19 points with 20 rebounds and No. 11 LSU held No. 2 Tennessee's Candace Parker to a career-low four points Saturday night in the Lady Tigers' 63-54 victory in an SEC tournament semifinal.
Fowles has been overshadowed by Parker most of the year, but the LSU junior took the SEC tournament spotlight with her 19th consecutive double-double.
"She never wavered," LSU coach Pokey Chatman said of Fowles, who played the full 40 minutes, going 8-for-18 from the field and blocking three shots.
"She was just strong in there for them," Tennessee center Nicky Anosike said. "I tried to guard her the best I can. She was strong."
Anosike had nine points and four rebounds. Parker added six rebounds, but was 2-for-11 from the field. LSU kept Parker well below her 20.3 point average by denying passes to her inside.
"We got whipped right down the middle," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said, noting "the great presence that Fowles had."
"We didn't have a post game consistently," Summitt said.
Tennessee won the regular-season SEC title with a 14-0 mark and was favored in the conference tournament.
LSU avenged a 56-51 home loss to Tennessee on Feb. 19.
"When we played them at our home and lost, we had time to sit down and review and think about things we didn't do well," Fowles said. "We just brought it tonight."
Erica White added 17 points and Allison Hightower 12 for LSU (26-6), which advances to the championship Sunday night against the winner of the Georgia-Vanderbilt semifinal late Saturday.
LSU held the Lady Vols to 37.5 percent shooting.
Tennessee's Sidney Spencer also was 2-for-11 while scoring seven points.
Was this LSU's best game of the season?
"For this time of the year, you'd have to say yes," Chatman said.
Alexis Hornbuckle led Tennessee (28-3) with a career-high 29 points and nine rebounds.
Summitt said the game again proved it is difficult to sweep the regular-season and conference titles.
"The one concern I had coming in was what this is going to mean for our team," Summitt said. "It's happened in the past. When we were able to win the regular season, it's been far more difficult to win the tournament."
LSU took a 51-41 lead on a basket by Fowles with 6:43 left. Hornbuckle sank a long 3-pointer with 1:15 left to cut the margin to 55-50, but White and RaShonta LeBlanc each made two free throws to give the Lady Tigers some breathing room.
The loss snapped Tennessee's second 11-game winning streak of the season. The Lady Vols lost their first conference game since falling to Florida on Feb. 26, 2006.
Tennessee beat LSU in the 2005 and 2006 SEC tournament finals by a combined total of three points. With most seats taken in the 10,309-seat Gwinnett Arena, this semifinal had the feel of a championship.
Predictably, Tennessee claimed a big edge in fans, but LSU supporters were heard as the Lady Tigers took the lead late in the first half and held it the rest of the game.
Hornbuckle scored 10 points in the first half, including a basket that gave Tennessee a 15-4 lead about 6 minutes into the game. Fowles and the Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Vols 29-14 the rest of the half to lead 34-29 at halftime.
Hornbuckle's 3-pointer with 4:05 left in the half gave Tennessee a 29-28 lead. The Lady Vols were held scoreless the rest of the half as Fowles scored three straight baskets.
Fowles had 14 points and nine rebounds in the half.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Tenn. Tops S.C. 81-63 in Women's SEC
DULUTH, Ga. - Tennessee showed it doesn't have to rely on star Candace Parker in the SEC tournament opener. With impressive balance, the No. 2 Lady Vols began their pursuit of a sixth sweep of the Southeastern Conference's regular-season and tournament titles by beating South Carolina 81-63 on Friday.
Sidney Spencer scored 22 points and Alexis Hornbuckle added 17 for Tennessee, which won its 34th consecutive matchup against the Gamecocks since 1980. Parker added 10 points and 11 rebounds while sitting out much of the second half. Alex Fuller and Nicky Anosike each had eight points.
Tennessee advances to Saturday's semifinal round where it will play the winner of Friday night's Mississippi-LSU game.
Tennessee (28-2) finished 14-0 in the league and won its 14th regular-season title. It has taken both the regular-season and tournament championships five times, most recently in 2000.
The only other time the Lady Vols won both titles without a loss in the regular season was 1998, when they won the last of coach Pat Summitt's six national championships.
Lakesha Tolliver led South Carolina (17-14) with 13 points. Melanie Johnson added 11, all in the first half.
The Gamecocks trailed 40-28 at halftime and the deficit grew to 23 points in the first five minutes of the second half.
Parker was mostly quiet before she was involved in a brief skirmish with Tolliver about 6 minutes into the second half. The two were briefly entangled following a foul by Parker and were quickly separated by the officials.
On the next trip down the floor, Parker blocked a shot by Tolliver and then scored over Tolliver, drawing a foul. After making the basket, Parker glared at Tolliver and then sank the free throw.
Parker soon was back on the bench.
Tennessee needed only one pass and 4 seconds to take a 3-0 lead on Spencer's basket and free throw. Five Lady Vols' players scored in the first five minutes.
South Carolina cut down on their season-high 34 turnovers in the regular-season loss to the Vols. The Gamecocks committed only 11 turnovers in the first half, but a buzzer-beating shot by Spencer gave the Lady Vols a 40-28 halftime lead.
Parker, who attempted only three shots, had five points at the break.
Sidney Spencer scored 22 points and Alexis Hornbuckle added 17 for Tennessee, which won its 34th consecutive matchup against the Gamecocks since 1980. Parker added 10 points and 11 rebounds while sitting out much of the second half. Alex Fuller and Nicky Anosike each had eight points.
Tennessee advances to Saturday's semifinal round where it will play the winner of Friday night's Mississippi-LSU game.
Tennessee (28-2) finished 14-0 in the league and won its 14th regular-season title. It has taken both the regular-season and tournament championships five times, most recently in 2000.
The only other time the Lady Vols won both titles without a loss in the regular season was 1998, when they won the last of coach Pat Summitt's six national championships.
Lakesha Tolliver led South Carolina (17-14) with 13 points. Melanie Johnson added 11, all in the first half.
The Gamecocks trailed 40-28 at halftime and the deficit grew to 23 points in the first five minutes of the second half.
Parker was mostly quiet before she was involved in a brief skirmish with Tolliver about 6 minutes into the second half. The two were briefly entangled following a foul by Parker and were quickly separated by the officials.
On the next trip down the floor, Parker blocked a shot by Tolliver and then scored over Tolliver, drawing a foul. After making the basket, Parker glared at Tolliver and then sank the free throw.
Parker soon was back on the bench.
Tennessee needed only one pass and 4 seconds to take a 3-0 lead on Spencer's basket and free throw. Five Lady Vols' players scored in the first five minutes.
South Carolina cut down on their season-high 34 turnovers in the regular-season loss to the Vols. The Gamecocks committed only 11 turnovers in the first half, but a buzzer-beating shot by Spencer gave the Lady Vols a 40-28 halftime lead.
Parker, who attempted only three shots, had five points at the break.
Lady Vols To Face S. Carolina During Round Two at Women's SEC Basketball Tournament, 1:00 P.M. Friday On FSN
DULUTH, GA -- The number one-seeded and #2-nationally ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (27-2, 14-0 SEC) open play in the 2007 SEC Tournament facing #8-seeded South Carolina Friday at 1 p.m.
Join WVLT Volunteer TV Sports Overtime for highlights and post-game reaction at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Friday night.
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 940-179 overall record... Is just 60 wins away from a remarkable 1,000 career victories...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 8...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...
Tennessee's win over LSU on Feb. 19 clinched the 2007 SEC Championship. It marked the 14th time that the Lady Vols have won the SEC regular season title and the first time since 2004. In the regular season SEC finale victory over Vanderbilt, the Lady Vols kept their SEC record at a perfect 14-0. UT has now turned in eight all-time undefeated league seasons in SEC play. The last time UT ran the table during the SEC regular season with a perfect record and won the SEC Tournament was in 1997-98 when the Lady Vols finished 39-0. There have been five other times when UT won the regular season SEC title and went on to win the tournament championship: 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The 2007 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament starts this week at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, in Duluth, Ga., Mar. 1-4. The winner of the 11-game tournament will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2007 SEC Tournament will be covered by FOX Sports Net South, televising all first/second rounds, as well as both semifinal games. The championship game will be televised on ESPN2.
2007 SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 1
#9 Auburn vs. #8 South Carolina [FSN] 1 pm
#10 Arkansas vs. #7 Kentucky [FSN] 3:30 pm
#12 Alabama vs. #5 Ole Miss [FSN] 7 pm
#11 Florida vs. #6 Mississippi St. [FSN] 9:30 pm
SECOND ROUND
Friday, March 2
Game 1 winner vs. #1 Tennessee [FSN] 1 pm
Game 2 winner vs. #2 Georgia [FSN] 3:30 pm
Game 3 winner vs. #4 LSU [FSN] 7 pm
Game 4 winner vs. #3 Vanderbilt [FSN] 9:30 pm
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 3
Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner [FSN] 6:45 pm
Game 6 winner vs. Game 8 winner [FSN] 9:15 pm
FINALS
Sunday, March 4
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner [ESPN2] 7:30 p.m.
REMEMBER THE SEC MEDIA DAY PREDICTION?
The Tennessee Lady Vols were predicted to win the Southeastern Conference Basketball Regular Season Championship, according to a preseason vote of media attending the Tip-off 2007, the SEC Basketball Media Day on Oct. 26, 2006.
Join WVLT Volunteer TV Sports Overtime for highlights and post-game reaction at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Friday night.
This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 940-179 overall record... Is just 60 wins away from a remarkable 1,000 career victories...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 8...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...
Tennessee's win over LSU on Feb. 19 clinched the 2007 SEC Championship. It marked the 14th time that the Lady Vols have won the SEC regular season title and the first time since 2004. In the regular season SEC finale victory over Vanderbilt, the Lady Vols kept their SEC record at a perfect 14-0. UT has now turned in eight all-time undefeated league seasons in SEC play. The last time UT ran the table during the SEC regular season with a perfect record and won the SEC Tournament was in 1997-98 when the Lady Vols finished 39-0. There have been five other times when UT won the regular season SEC title and went on to win the tournament championship: 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
The 2007 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament starts this week at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, in Duluth, Ga., Mar. 1-4. The winner of the 11-game tournament will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2007 SEC Tournament will be covered by FOX Sports Net South, televising all first/second rounds, as well as both semifinal games. The championship game will be televised on ESPN2.
2007 SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 1
#9 Auburn vs. #8 South Carolina [FSN] 1 pm
#10 Arkansas vs. #7 Kentucky [FSN] 3:30 pm
#12 Alabama vs. #5 Ole Miss [FSN] 7 pm
#11 Florida vs. #6 Mississippi St. [FSN] 9:30 pm
SECOND ROUND
Friday, March 2
Game 1 winner vs. #1 Tennessee [FSN] 1 pm
Game 2 winner vs. #2 Georgia [FSN] 3:30 pm
Game 3 winner vs. #4 LSU [FSN] 7 pm
Game 4 winner vs. #3 Vanderbilt [FSN] 9:30 pm
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 3
Game 5 winner vs. Game 7 winner [FSN] 6:45 pm
Game 6 winner vs. Game 8 winner [FSN] 9:15 pm
FINALS
Sunday, March 4
Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner [ESPN2] 7:30 p.m.
REMEMBER THE SEC MEDIA DAY PREDICTION?
The Tennessee Lady Vols were predicted to win the Southeastern Conference Basketball Regular Season Championship, according to a preseason vote of media attending the Tip-off 2007, the SEC Basketball Media Day on Oct. 26, 2006.
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