PHILADELPHIA -- Tennessee already gave coach Pat Summitt the record for career wins in this tournament. On Tuesday night, the Lady Vols gave her something even more meaningful -- a trip to the Final Four.
Shanna Zolman broke out of a slump with a couple of big baskets down the stretch, Nicky Anosike scored 14 points and the top-seeded Lady Vols beat No. 3 seed Rutgers 59-49 in the Philadelphia Regional final.
Tennessee will play Michigan State (32-3) in the national semifinals in Indianapolis on Sunday night. The top-seeded Spartans beat Stanford 76-69 in the Kansas City Regional final on Tuesday night.
The Lady Vols (30-4) are in the Final Four for the fourth straight year, fifth time this decade and 16th time overall, all under Summitt. She extended her NCAA record with her 882nd career win.
Tennessee survived a long scoring drought, woeful shooting and a fine performance by Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter in avenging a December loss to the Scarlet Knights (28-7).
For the first time in the tournament, Tennessee's win didn't come easy.
Pondexter scored 25 points and made nine of the Scarlet Knights' 18 baskets, but she had little help until it was too late. The Scarlet Knights' physical defense kept them in it until the end.
Rutgers seemed poised to pull within three on Matee Ajavon's shot from the left side, until it was reviewed by officials who determined it was a 2-point basket. That made it 49-45. Then Essence Carson had a steal for Rutgers and was fouled by Loree Moore.
Carson calmly sank the free throws -- her first two points of the game -- pulling Rutgers to 49-47 with 1:08 left.
Tennessee, though, sank its last 12 free throws and that was just the cushion the Lady Vols needed to win their 12th straight game. The Lady Vols made 29 of 35 free throws; Rutgers was just 8-for-13.
Tennessee's free throws compensated for only 31 percent shooting from the floor.
The Lady Vols went over 12 minutes without a basket bridging the first and second half. They were rushed into bad shots, missed a couple of easy attempts under the basket and committed seven turnovers in the first 8 minutes of the second half.
Rutgers used a 9-0 run and grabbed the lead for the first time since scoring the first two baskets of the game. The lead was short lived.
The Lady Vols went ahead on a couple of free throws and Zolman's fast-break layup pushed the lead to 43-39. Zolman, who missed seven of her first 10 shots, buried a 3-pointer for a 46-41 lead.
Tennessee reached its 15th 30-wins season and first since 1997-98 -- the last of its three straight national championships.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Old friends Summitt, Stringer face off
When Tennessee and Rutgers meet tonight in the Philadelphia Regional final of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, it will be business as usual for Pat Summitt.
Summitt, who has an NCAA-record 881 victories, has coached Tennessee to six national championships. Her Vols are 29-4 and seeded No. 1 in the regional.
It will be a much tougher business for Tennessee, however, against C. Vivian Stringer's Rutgers squad. Stringer, who has 723 career wins, has rebuilt her Scarlet Knights from the ashes of a 9-20 season in 2002. This year's team is 28-6 and seeded third.
The coaches are longtime friends. But a berth in the Final Four is at stake in this game, scheduled for 9 p.m. at Temple University's Liacouras Center.
The Scarlet Knights made their first Final Four appearance five years ago at the Wachovia Center against Tennessee, which eliminated Stringer's team in the semifinals.
If Rutgers is to make its second Final Four trip, it will have to prevail with its speed and tenacious defense against Tennessee with its inside strength.
"They've always had strong, physical posts," Stringer said of the Vols.
During yesterday's news conferences, the coaches discussed their long history with each other, which includes stops for Stringer at Cheyney and Iowa before moving to Rutgers in summer 1995.
"I don't particularly like to shop with her," Summitt said with a smile. "I like to run in a store, look around, and go, 'I want this, this and this.' And, of course, Vivian takes her time.
"If we are trying on shoes, she would try on 12 pair, I would try on two. She has incredible patience; I have none," Summitt said. "We go way back... . She is one of my dearest friends in the profession."
Stringer recalled meeting Summitt at a USA Basketball tryout camp more than two decades ago and talked about competing against Tennessee with different programs since then.
"It was a long time ago. A looong time ago," Stringer said of her first encounter with Summitt.
"We've had many battles over the years. She and I are, personally, very good friends as well," Stringer said. "I like that, because I think we probably embody what it means to be great competitors - go after one another but be respectful and care about each other's families and want to do things together."
In 1993, Stringer led Iowa to a 72-56 win at home over Tennessee in the Midwest Regional final to reach a Final Four for the second time.
In 1982, she coached Cheyney to the first Final Four in NCAA history; her Wolves lost to Louisiana Tech in the title game.
In December, after Rutgers shocked then-No. 8 Tennessee, 65-51, at home in Piscataway, N.J., Summitt called friends, gushing over how athletic and physical the Scarlet Knights had become.
"It was like we were standing," Summitt told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "The wheels came off."
Stringer's team then beat two more top-10 teams, including then-No. 1 Louisiana State, to complete an eight-day trifecta that propelled Rutgers from the bottom of the Associated Press rankings into the top five.
Vols senior point guard Loree Moore came back a week later, after missing the Rutgers game because of a tonsillectomy, and Tennessee has become more of its old powerful self since then.
The last Tennessee-Rutgers game also marked the return of Scarlet Knights all-American point guard Cappie Pondexter, who missed the early part of the season for undisclosed personal reasons.
"The team actually benefited from Cappie's absence, because they could not look to the bench," Stringer said of the Knights' play without their star performer.
The instant impact of freshmen Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson also helped turn the team into a national-title contender.
The seniors, particularly Chelsea Newton, have taken pride in Rutgers' resurgence from that 9-20 season in 2001-02, when they were newcomers. Injuries also helped bring that team down.
With the Scarlet Knights back in the national limelight, Stringer thinks that her team's confidence is the key to victory.
"I always believed if we believed in ourselves that we could do far more damage than what most people realized," Stringer said. "Perhaps this team understands that our greatest fear is ourselves, our own minds, what we're thinking.
"Fortunately for us, we've played the toughest teams in the country; we know it's just a matter of technically executing."
Summitt, who has an NCAA-record 881 victories, has coached Tennessee to six national championships. Her Vols are 29-4 and seeded No. 1 in the regional.
It will be a much tougher business for Tennessee, however, against C. Vivian Stringer's Rutgers squad. Stringer, who has 723 career wins, has rebuilt her Scarlet Knights from the ashes of a 9-20 season in 2002. This year's team is 28-6 and seeded third.
The coaches are longtime friends. But a berth in the Final Four is at stake in this game, scheduled for 9 p.m. at Temple University's Liacouras Center.
The Scarlet Knights made their first Final Four appearance five years ago at the Wachovia Center against Tennessee, which eliminated Stringer's team in the semifinals.
If Rutgers is to make its second Final Four trip, it will have to prevail with its speed and tenacious defense against Tennessee with its inside strength.
"They've always had strong, physical posts," Stringer said of the Vols.
During yesterday's news conferences, the coaches discussed their long history with each other, which includes stops for Stringer at Cheyney and Iowa before moving to Rutgers in summer 1995.
"I don't particularly like to shop with her," Summitt said with a smile. "I like to run in a store, look around, and go, 'I want this, this and this.' And, of course, Vivian takes her time.
"If we are trying on shoes, she would try on 12 pair, I would try on two. She has incredible patience; I have none," Summitt said. "We go way back... . She is one of my dearest friends in the profession."
Stringer recalled meeting Summitt at a USA Basketball tryout camp more than two decades ago and talked about competing against Tennessee with different programs since then.
"It was a long time ago. A looong time ago," Stringer said of her first encounter with Summitt.
"We've had many battles over the years. She and I are, personally, very good friends as well," Stringer said. "I like that, because I think we probably embody what it means to be great competitors - go after one another but be respectful and care about each other's families and want to do things together."
In 1993, Stringer led Iowa to a 72-56 win at home over Tennessee in the Midwest Regional final to reach a Final Four for the second time.
In 1982, she coached Cheyney to the first Final Four in NCAA history; her Wolves lost to Louisiana Tech in the title game.
In December, after Rutgers shocked then-No. 8 Tennessee, 65-51, at home in Piscataway, N.J., Summitt called friends, gushing over how athletic and physical the Scarlet Knights had become.
"It was like we were standing," Summitt told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "The wheels came off."
Stringer's team then beat two more top-10 teams, including then-No. 1 Louisiana State, to complete an eight-day trifecta that propelled Rutgers from the bottom of the Associated Press rankings into the top five.
Vols senior point guard Loree Moore came back a week later, after missing the Rutgers game because of a tonsillectomy, and Tennessee has become more of its old powerful self since then.
The last Tennessee-Rutgers game also marked the return of Scarlet Knights all-American point guard Cappie Pondexter, who missed the early part of the season for undisclosed personal reasons.
"The team actually benefited from Cappie's absence, because they could not look to the bench," Stringer said of the Knights' play without their star performer.
The instant impact of freshmen Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson also helped turn the team into a national-title contender.
The seniors, particularly Chelsea Newton, have taken pride in Rutgers' resurgence from that 9-20 season in 2001-02, when they were newcomers. Injuries also helped bring that team down.
With the Scarlet Knights back in the national limelight, Stringer thinks that her team's confidence is the key to victory.
"I always believed if we believed in ourselves that we could do far more damage than what most people realized," Stringer said. "Perhaps this team understands that our greatest fear is ourselves, our own minds, what we're thinking.
"Fortunately for us, we've played the toughest teams in the country; we know it's just a matter of technically executing."
Vols and Scarlet Knights ready to let their stars shine
The last time the Tennessee and Rutgers women's basketball teams met, each had an incomplete cast.
When the teams collide tonight at the Liacouras Center in the NCAA Philadelphia Regional final, each will rely on a star unable to make headlines in the first encounter.
The winner tonight advances to the Final Four, to be played Sunday and next Tuesday in Indianapolis. Tonight's tip-off is scheduled for 9 o'clock.
On Dec. 29, when Rutgers defeated Tennessee, 65-51, in Piscataway, N.J., the Scarlet Knights made do without guard Cappie Pondexter, who was not at full strength.
Pondexter, the team's leading scorer, was still rounding into shape after sitting out the early season for personal reasons. She had just one point in that game in 15 minutes, shooting 0 for 5 from the field.
The Vols suffered without defensive standout Loree Moore, who sat out six games following a tonsillectomy.
Act II provides more intrigue and drama.
Yesterday, Tennessee players said they had no problem saying which team would enjoy the bigger boost.
"We definitely have the bigger jolt with Loree," forward Shyra Ely said. "That will create a lot of trouble for them... . I think [her defense] will disrupt them."
Just ask Texas Tech's Erin Grant.
Moore, a 5-foot-9 senior, threw the steady guard off-balance in the regional semifinal Sunday at the Liacouras Center. Moore flustered Grant into a season high of six turnovers while limiting her to five assists.
In Tennessee's 75-59 win, Moore also contributed eight rebounds, nine points and three steals. She has averaged 2.3 steals and 8.3 points through the postseason.
Moore knows what she needs to do tonight: more of the same.
"I'm very excited," she said. "I was hoping we would get the chance to play them." Sitting out "really drove me."
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she noticed Moore's absence in the teams' regular-season meeting.
"Loree Moore is a phenomenal point guard," Stringer said. "Obviously, the team was disoriented."
In Pondexter, the Knights have a player who can make teams dizzy.
The speedy senior is a headache to defend off the dribble; she is averaging 13.9 points per game. Pondexter had 24 points Sunday in a 64-58 semifinal win over Ohio State
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said Rutgers is one of the most athletic teams she has seen all season. It will take big defensive stoppers like Moore and freshman Alexis Hornbuckle to slow down Pondexter and the Knights.
"I think Loree Moore's presence will be vital to our execution," Summitt said.
While Moore takes care of the Vols' defense, Ely - the team's only other starting senior - takes care of the offense.
Ely played shooting guard earlier this season, but Summitt surmised that she would be more effective as a power forward.
That showed against Texas Tech. Ely, taking inside passes and dominating the paint, scored 23 points.
"A lot of teams think I don't like physical games, which is not true," she said.
Rutgers knows Ely is dangerous.
"She's strong and she's athletic," forward Michelle Campbell said.
Rutgers is known for its intense defense, which is a good thing, because beating third-ranked Tennessee twice in a season is no easy task.
Stringer said defeating Tennessee was ninth-ranked Rutgers' defining regular-season moment.
When the teams collide tonight at the Liacouras Center in the NCAA Philadelphia Regional final, each will rely on a star unable to make headlines in the first encounter.
The winner tonight advances to the Final Four, to be played Sunday and next Tuesday in Indianapolis. Tonight's tip-off is scheduled for 9 o'clock.
On Dec. 29, when Rutgers defeated Tennessee, 65-51, in Piscataway, N.J., the Scarlet Knights made do without guard Cappie Pondexter, who was not at full strength.
Pondexter, the team's leading scorer, was still rounding into shape after sitting out the early season for personal reasons. She had just one point in that game in 15 minutes, shooting 0 for 5 from the field.
The Vols suffered without defensive standout Loree Moore, who sat out six games following a tonsillectomy.
Act II provides more intrigue and drama.
Yesterday, Tennessee players said they had no problem saying which team would enjoy the bigger boost.
"We definitely have the bigger jolt with Loree," forward Shyra Ely said. "That will create a lot of trouble for them... . I think [her defense] will disrupt them."
Just ask Texas Tech's Erin Grant.
Moore, a 5-foot-9 senior, threw the steady guard off-balance in the regional semifinal Sunday at the Liacouras Center. Moore flustered Grant into a season high of six turnovers while limiting her to five assists.
In Tennessee's 75-59 win, Moore also contributed eight rebounds, nine points and three steals. She has averaged 2.3 steals and 8.3 points through the postseason.
Moore knows what she needs to do tonight: more of the same.
"I'm very excited," she said. "I was hoping we would get the chance to play them." Sitting out "really drove me."
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she noticed Moore's absence in the teams' regular-season meeting.
"Loree Moore is a phenomenal point guard," Stringer said. "Obviously, the team was disoriented."
In Pondexter, the Knights have a player who can make teams dizzy.
The speedy senior is a headache to defend off the dribble; she is averaging 13.9 points per game. Pondexter had 24 points Sunday in a 64-58 semifinal win over Ohio State
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said Rutgers is one of the most athletic teams she has seen all season. It will take big defensive stoppers like Moore and freshman Alexis Hornbuckle to slow down Pondexter and the Knights.
"I think Loree Moore's presence will be vital to our execution," Summitt said.
While Moore takes care of the Vols' defense, Ely - the team's only other starting senior - takes care of the offense.
Ely played shooting guard earlier this season, but Summitt surmised that she would be more effective as a power forward.
That showed against Texas Tech. Ely, taking inside passes and dominating the paint, scored 23 points.
"A lot of teams think I don't like physical games, which is not true," she said.
Rutgers knows Ely is dangerous.
"She's strong and she's athletic," forward Michelle Campbell said.
Rutgers is known for its intense defense, which is a good thing, because beating third-ranked Tennessee twice in a season is no easy task.
Stringer said defeating Tennessee was ninth-ranked Rutgers' defining regular-season moment.
Lady Vols try to ignore earlier loss to Rutgers
PHILADELPHIA — Shanna Zolman barely acknowledges that the game happened.
Tennessee's junior guard never watched the film, and she was praying she wouldn't have to watch it yesterday. She has blocked the game out of her mind, and so have most of her teammates.
It hasn't been erased from the schedule though. It still reads Rutgers 65, Tennessee 51 on Dec. 29.
''I don't even want to see the film for scouting purposes,'' Zolman said. ''I don't even really remember it, because I probably don't want to remember it.''
The Lady Vols (29-4) get a chance at a game they want to remember, when they meet the Scarlet Knights (28-6) at 8 tonight at the Liacouras Center. The winner moves on to Indianapolis and the Final Four.
''Of course they're going to want to come back at us,'' Rutgers freshman Matee Ajavon said. ''We're a better team. They're a better team. We're just going to feed off that.''
Zolman and senior forward Shyra Ely — the two Lady Vols who hope to get back to their home state of Indiana for the Final Four — couldn't help themselves yesterday on the bus ride over to the arena.
They had to talk about the first meeting.
They talked about Tennessee's 27.8 percent shooting from the floor. They talked about Ely committing five turnovers. They talked about Zolman taking just four shots and only making one of them.
''I look at the stat sheet from that game, and it's unbelievable,'' Ely said. ''There's no reason why Shanna should be shooting four shots, just little stuff like that I know would make a difference in the game.''
Tonight's game will have a much different feel to it though in the form of two senior point guards.
In that December meeting, Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter was playing in her first game of the season, and she scored just one point in 15 minutes. She missed the first eight games of the season for undisclosed reasons.
Lady Vol Loree Moore was out after she had a tonsillectomy earlier in the month.
''It was very frustrating,'' Moore said. ''I was very mad at how we were playing, because I knew that we could match their guards and we can play just as well as they do. It seemed like we didn't come to play.''
Pondexter has returned to All-American form since that first game. She is averaging 23.7 points a game in the NCAA Tournament, and she had a game-high 24 against Ohio State on Sunday to lift the Scarlet Knights into tonight's game.
She is also shooting 56.5 percent from the floor in the tournament, and has committed only five turnovers in three games.
Despite all that, Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer said she expects better.
''Cappie has a lot more in her than what you've seen,'' Stringer said. ''Even at 65 percent, I think that she's been spectacular.''
After beating then No. 8-Tennessee, Rutgers went on to beat then No. 4-Texas and then-No. 1 LSU all in a span of eight days.
''When we went on that eight-day stretch, it gave us the confidence to know that we are an elite team,'' Pondexter said. ''And now we're in a position to really display that.''
Tennessee is in a position to simply maintain its elite status with a fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four on the line, but it won't happen if it's the team that showed up on Dec. 29.
''If we put that team on the floor, we probably would have lost in the first round (of the NCAA Tournament),'' Zolman said. ''That's how far we've come.''
Tennessee's junior guard never watched the film, and she was praying she wouldn't have to watch it yesterday. She has blocked the game out of her mind, and so have most of her teammates.
It hasn't been erased from the schedule though. It still reads Rutgers 65, Tennessee 51 on Dec. 29.
''I don't even want to see the film for scouting purposes,'' Zolman said. ''I don't even really remember it, because I probably don't want to remember it.''
The Lady Vols (29-4) get a chance at a game they want to remember, when they meet the Scarlet Knights (28-6) at 8 tonight at the Liacouras Center. The winner moves on to Indianapolis and the Final Four.
''Of course they're going to want to come back at us,'' Rutgers freshman Matee Ajavon said. ''We're a better team. They're a better team. We're just going to feed off that.''
Zolman and senior forward Shyra Ely — the two Lady Vols who hope to get back to their home state of Indiana for the Final Four — couldn't help themselves yesterday on the bus ride over to the arena.
They had to talk about the first meeting.
They talked about Tennessee's 27.8 percent shooting from the floor. They talked about Ely committing five turnovers. They talked about Zolman taking just four shots and only making one of them.
''I look at the stat sheet from that game, and it's unbelievable,'' Ely said. ''There's no reason why Shanna should be shooting four shots, just little stuff like that I know would make a difference in the game.''
Tonight's game will have a much different feel to it though in the form of two senior point guards.
In that December meeting, Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter was playing in her first game of the season, and she scored just one point in 15 minutes. She missed the first eight games of the season for undisclosed reasons.
Lady Vol Loree Moore was out after she had a tonsillectomy earlier in the month.
''It was very frustrating,'' Moore said. ''I was very mad at how we were playing, because I knew that we could match their guards and we can play just as well as they do. It seemed like we didn't come to play.''
Pondexter has returned to All-American form since that first game. She is averaging 23.7 points a game in the NCAA Tournament, and she had a game-high 24 against Ohio State on Sunday to lift the Scarlet Knights into tonight's game.
She is also shooting 56.5 percent from the floor in the tournament, and has committed only five turnovers in three games.
Despite all that, Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer said she expects better.
''Cappie has a lot more in her than what you've seen,'' Stringer said. ''Even at 65 percent, I think that she's been spectacular.''
After beating then No. 8-Tennessee, Rutgers went on to beat then No. 4-Texas and then-No. 1 LSU all in a span of eight days.
''When we went on that eight-day stretch, it gave us the confidence to know that we are an elite team,'' Pondexter said. ''And now we're in a position to really display that.''
Tennessee is in a position to simply maintain its elite status with a fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four on the line, but it won't happen if it's the team that showed up on Dec. 29.
''If we put that team on the floor, we probably would have lost in the first round (of the NCAA Tournament),'' Zolman said. ''That's how far we've come.''
Perretta, Summitt maintain close friendship
PHILADELPHIA -- It was almost three years ago when Tennessee coach Pat Summitt called Villanova coach Harry Perretta and asked if she and her staff could come to the Main Line and learn the intricacies of the spread offense.
To say Perretta was nervous about meeting Summitt would be an understatement.
"I was a history major," Perretta said. "In history, you learn to never make eye contact with the queen."
Summitt quickly put Perretta at ease and what developed was a quick and easy friendship between the two legendary coaches.
"I’ve learned a lot of basketball from him," Summitt said as her Vols got ready to take on Rutgers tonight at the Liacouras Center with a trip to the Final Four at stake. "I like to talk basketball and anyone who knows Harry knows he loves to talk. I’ve just really enjoyed our friendship. For me, it’s been great. That’s what this profession should be about."
That year Villanova had its dream season, snapping UConn’s 70-game winning streak in the Big East Finals and reaching the Elite Eight, where the Wildcats lost to the Vols and Summitt.
This season Perretta won his 500th game, but it was that summer meeting with Summitt that put him on the national stage.
"It’s meant a lot to me," Perretta said. "It’s somebody to talk to about coaching. It legitimized me nationally as a coach."
Perretta has kept tabs on the Vols this season as they have put together another outstanding season, despite relying on several freshmen and suffering a myriad of injuries.
In a season in which Summitt passed Dean Smith to become the career leader in Division I coaching victories, she may be having one of her best seasons on the bench.
"Sometimes a person is a victim of their own success," Perretta said. "Because she wins so much and recruits the best players people think it’s easy. It’s not as easy as people think it is to coach great players. I tell people all the time, I’m not sure I could coach a team like that. It takes a unique person to motivate people like that. It takes a unique person to blend them together. That’s her strength."
l l l
While Tennessee and Rutgers get ready for the regional final, Connecticut is never far from the minds of the coaches, who have both had run-ins over the years with Huskie coach Geno Auriemma.
The Huskies’ loss to Stanford Sunday night eliminated the three-time defending champions, leaving Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer with mixed emotions.
"People want to believe the Big East is not the beast it’s been in the past," Stringer said. "But for the sake of women’s basketball it’s good to have new blood."
Stringer and Summitt have no mixed feelings about tonight’s matchup. They both expressed their admiration for each other.
"We go back to her days at Cheyney State," Summitt said. "We’ve played her every place she’s been. It’s really special when you have the type of competitive games we’ve had and still maintain a friendship."
Summitt is also a fan of the way Rutgers plays.
"They’re just relentless," Summitt said. "I’m a defensive-minded coach and I admire and respect the level of defensive intensity they bring on every possession."
l l l
Although Rutgers got the better of Tennessee in the matchup at the RAC in December, both teams have significant players back for the rematch.
Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter played just 15 minutes in the 65-51 Scarlet Knights victory in her first game back, while Tennessee guard Loree Moore missed the game entirely. Moore will draw the assignment of keeping Pondexter, the tournament’s leading scorer, in check.
Moore will also be charged with trying to deal with the Rutgers defense, something the Vols couldn’t handle in December.
"Without Loree Moore it would be very difficult," Summitt said. "When we played them (earlier) we couldn’t run an offense. I don’t think our freshmen were at all ready for what they saw. Hopefully we’ll be better prepared."
To say Perretta was nervous about meeting Summitt would be an understatement.
"I was a history major," Perretta said. "In history, you learn to never make eye contact with the queen."
Summitt quickly put Perretta at ease and what developed was a quick and easy friendship between the two legendary coaches.
"I’ve learned a lot of basketball from him," Summitt said as her Vols got ready to take on Rutgers tonight at the Liacouras Center with a trip to the Final Four at stake. "I like to talk basketball and anyone who knows Harry knows he loves to talk. I’ve just really enjoyed our friendship. For me, it’s been great. That’s what this profession should be about."
That year Villanova had its dream season, snapping UConn’s 70-game winning streak in the Big East Finals and reaching the Elite Eight, where the Wildcats lost to the Vols and Summitt.
This season Perretta won his 500th game, but it was that summer meeting with Summitt that put him on the national stage.
"It’s meant a lot to me," Perretta said. "It’s somebody to talk to about coaching. It legitimized me nationally as a coach."
Perretta has kept tabs on the Vols this season as they have put together another outstanding season, despite relying on several freshmen and suffering a myriad of injuries.
In a season in which Summitt passed Dean Smith to become the career leader in Division I coaching victories, she may be having one of her best seasons on the bench.
"Sometimes a person is a victim of their own success," Perretta said. "Because she wins so much and recruits the best players people think it’s easy. It’s not as easy as people think it is to coach great players. I tell people all the time, I’m not sure I could coach a team like that. It takes a unique person to motivate people like that. It takes a unique person to blend them together. That’s her strength."
l l l
While Tennessee and Rutgers get ready for the regional final, Connecticut is never far from the minds of the coaches, who have both had run-ins over the years with Huskie coach Geno Auriemma.
The Huskies’ loss to Stanford Sunday night eliminated the three-time defending champions, leaving Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer with mixed emotions.
"People want to believe the Big East is not the beast it’s been in the past," Stringer said. "But for the sake of women’s basketball it’s good to have new blood."
Stringer and Summitt have no mixed feelings about tonight’s matchup. They both expressed their admiration for each other.
"We go back to her days at Cheyney State," Summitt said. "We’ve played her every place she’s been. It’s really special when you have the type of competitive games we’ve had and still maintain a friendship."
Summitt is also a fan of the way Rutgers plays.
"They’re just relentless," Summitt said. "I’m a defensive-minded coach and I admire and respect the level of defensive intensity they bring on every possession."
l l l
Although Rutgers got the better of Tennessee in the matchup at the RAC in December, both teams have significant players back for the rematch.
Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter played just 15 minutes in the 65-51 Scarlet Knights victory in her first game back, while Tennessee guard Loree Moore missed the game entirely. Moore will draw the assignment of keeping Pondexter, the tournament’s leading scorer, in check.
Moore will also be charged with trying to deal with the Rutgers defense, something the Vols couldn’t handle in December.
"Without Loree Moore it would be very difficult," Summitt said. "When we played them (earlier) we couldn’t run an offense. I don’t think our freshmen were at all ready for what they saw. Hopefully we’ll be better prepared."
Vols' merchandise remains among nation's top 10
KNOXVILLE — Want a little something to remember Pat Summitt's record 880th career coaching victory? Thanks to the University of Tennessee and more than 600 businesses, Lady Vols' fans can pick and choose from a poster and six different T-shirts.
It's all part of the business side of college sports that keeps the university ranked among the top 10 in the country in merchandise sales.
Tennessee currently is running sixth behind Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and North Carolina for the fiscal year 2005 with $1.95 million in royalties so far.
Companies like Bacon & Co. shipped out items celebrating Summitt's 880th victory hours after her Lady Vols beat Purdue 75-54 last week, adding to the officially licensed memorabilia that ranges from infant clothing to coffins — all with the UT logo.
''Our fans will buy almost anything,'' said Chris Fuller, UT's assistant athletic director for sales and marketing. ''And I say that in a very complimentary way.''
The university's royalty rate is 8.5 percent of an item's wholesale amount, and UT has collected more than $18.8 million worth of royalties since 1998, and $18.5 million of that comes from UT-Knoxville. The royalty rate equates to more than $200 million worth of sales.
That makes the university one of the country's biggest sellers, according to The Collegiate Licensing Co., which represents nearly 200 universities and colleges, bowl games, conferences and the NCAA.
Tennessee ranked third behind North Carolina and Michigan in 2002 and 2003 before dipping to eighth in 2004 just behind Georgia and ahead of Florida. UT led the country in 1999 after winning the 1998 national championship in football.
''They actually had the largest royalty success for a national championship,'' said Derek Eiler, CLC's chief operating officer.
CLC operates as a middleman for schools by licensing products to companies, and licensing allows universities to control how their logos are used and the quality of those goods produced.
''Our obligation is to keep looking at what we are offering,'' Fuller said. ''You are always balancing a contemporary look with a traditional look.''
Currently, UT officials are trying to freshen up some of the school's trademarks, symbols and designs. That includes an image of a growling Smokey mascot that is more streamlined and colorful than the current one without straying too far from tradition.
''It's really important that you don't get carried away,'' Fuller said.
UT splits the money made off its licensing fees between athletics and academics with most used for scholarships. That includes the more than $100,000 made off EA Sports' NCAA Football last year.
Not all items sell, for example the dog food CLC was asked to license. Some items never hit the market and are destroyed as in 2001 when Tennessee lost to LSU in the Southeastern Conference football championship game.
''We've had a good string of wins, and we've also had a few losses,'' said Jed Dance, an executive in the Knoxville-based Bacon & Co.
It's all part of the business side of college sports that keeps the university ranked among the top 10 in the country in merchandise sales.
Tennessee currently is running sixth behind Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and North Carolina for the fiscal year 2005 with $1.95 million in royalties so far.
Companies like Bacon & Co. shipped out items celebrating Summitt's 880th victory hours after her Lady Vols beat Purdue 75-54 last week, adding to the officially licensed memorabilia that ranges from infant clothing to coffins — all with the UT logo.
''Our fans will buy almost anything,'' said Chris Fuller, UT's assistant athletic director for sales and marketing. ''And I say that in a very complimentary way.''
The university's royalty rate is 8.5 percent of an item's wholesale amount, and UT has collected more than $18.8 million worth of royalties since 1998, and $18.5 million of that comes from UT-Knoxville. The royalty rate equates to more than $200 million worth of sales.
That makes the university one of the country's biggest sellers, according to The Collegiate Licensing Co., which represents nearly 200 universities and colleges, bowl games, conferences and the NCAA.
Tennessee ranked third behind North Carolina and Michigan in 2002 and 2003 before dipping to eighth in 2004 just behind Georgia and ahead of Florida. UT led the country in 1999 after winning the 1998 national championship in football.
''They actually had the largest royalty success for a national championship,'' said Derek Eiler, CLC's chief operating officer.
CLC operates as a middleman for schools by licensing products to companies, and licensing allows universities to control how their logos are used and the quality of those goods produced.
''Our obligation is to keep looking at what we are offering,'' Fuller said. ''You are always balancing a contemporary look with a traditional look.''
Currently, UT officials are trying to freshen up some of the school's trademarks, symbols and designs. That includes an image of a growling Smokey mascot that is more streamlined and colorful than the current one without straying too far from tradition.
''It's really important that you don't get carried away,'' Fuller said.
UT splits the money made off its licensing fees between athletics and academics with most used for scholarships. That includes the more than $100,000 made off EA Sports' NCAA Football last year.
Not all items sell, for example the dog food CLC was asked to license. Some items never hit the market and are destroyed as in 2001 when Tennessee lost to LSU in the Southeastern Conference football championship game.
''We've had a good string of wins, and we've also had a few losses,'' said Jed Dance, an executive in the Knoxville-based Bacon & Co.
Summitt, Stringer have different shopping styles
PHILADELPHIA — Pat Summitt considers C. Vivian Stringer to be a close friend, but she would almost rather lose to her than spend an hour at the shopping mall with her.
The Tennessee and Rutgers coaches will meet for the fifth time in March tonight at the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus with a spot in the Final Four at stake.
''I don't particularly care to shop with her,'' Summitt said as if it was the most painful experience imaginable. ''I like to run in a store, look around and go, 'I want this, this and this.' And, of course, Vivian takes her time.
''If we're trying on shoes, she would try on 12 pair, I would try on two. She has incredible patience. I have none.''
Stringer is 2-7 against Summitt in her career. The first win came when she was at Iowa, and it earned her team a place in the 1993 Final Four. The second win came earlier this season.
''I like that, because I think that we probably embody what it means to be great competitors, to go after one another, but be respectful and care about each other's families,'' Stringer said.
Stringer, who has 723 career wins, joins Summitt as one of four women's coaches with more than 700 wins. Summitt is the NCAA's all-time leader — men's or women's — with 881 and passed Dean Smith earlier in the tournament for that distinction.
Retired LSU Coach Sue Gunter and Texas Coach Jody Conradt are the other two with more than 700.
Turn it around: Nine wins, 20 losses.
Rutgers seniors Cappie Pondexter and Chelsea Newton were freshmen for that season in 2001-2002 — a low point in 33 seasons of coaching for Stringer.
The Scarlet Knights had been to the Elite Eight in 1999 and the Final Four in 2000, and the class with Pondexter and Newton was supposed to be the next wave of great Rutgers players.
''There were a lot of expectations,'' Stringer said. ''Everybody tried to kill us.''
On 20 separate occasions, teams did.
''As soon as we would come into games, people would say we were overrated,'' Stringer said. ''(The freshmen) couldn't handle it psychologically, because they are sweethearts. … They took a lot of bashing from a lot of people.''
Since that season, Rutgers has won 20 or more games every year.
''This is the most important time for me, for them and for all the people who doubted,'' Stringer said. ''This is a special group. So anything and everything they get will be magnified times a hundred.''
Not the first: The hype around Rick Pitino being the first coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament is actually limited to only the men's game.
Stringer was the first coach to do it by taking Cheyney State (1982), Iowa (1993) and Rutgers (2000). Pitino's Louisville team just earned a spot in the men's Final Four in St. Louis.
The Tennessee and Rutgers coaches will meet for the fifth time in March tonight at the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus with a spot in the Final Four at stake.
''I don't particularly care to shop with her,'' Summitt said as if it was the most painful experience imaginable. ''I like to run in a store, look around and go, 'I want this, this and this.' And, of course, Vivian takes her time.
''If we're trying on shoes, she would try on 12 pair, I would try on two. She has incredible patience. I have none.''
Stringer is 2-7 against Summitt in her career. The first win came when she was at Iowa, and it earned her team a place in the 1993 Final Four. The second win came earlier this season.
''I like that, because I think that we probably embody what it means to be great competitors, to go after one another, but be respectful and care about each other's families,'' Stringer said.
Stringer, who has 723 career wins, joins Summitt as one of four women's coaches with more than 700 wins. Summitt is the NCAA's all-time leader — men's or women's — with 881 and passed Dean Smith earlier in the tournament for that distinction.
Retired LSU Coach Sue Gunter and Texas Coach Jody Conradt are the other two with more than 700.
Turn it around: Nine wins, 20 losses.
Rutgers seniors Cappie Pondexter and Chelsea Newton were freshmen for that season in 2001-2002 — a low point in 33 seasons of coaching for Stringer.
The Scarlet Knights had been to the Elite Eight in 1999 and the Final Four in 2000, and the class with Pondexter and Newton was supposed to be the next wave of great Rutgers players.
''There were a lot of expectations,'' Stringer said. ''Everybody tried to kill us.''
On 20 separate occasions, teams did.
''As soon as we would come into games, people would say we were overrated,'' Stringer said. ''(The freshmen) couldn't handle it psychologically, because they are sweethearts. … They took a lot of bashing from a lot of people.''
Since that season, Rutgers has won 20 or more games every year.
''This is the most important time for me, for them and for all the people who doubted,'' Stringer said. ''This is a special group. So anything and everything they get will be magnified times a hundred.''
Not the first: The hype around Rick Pitino being the first coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament is actually limited to only the men's game.
Stringer was the first coach to do it by taking Cheyney State (1982), Iowa (1993) and Rutgers (2000). Pitino's Louisville team just earned a spot in the men's Final Four in St. Louis.
Rutgers, Tennessee ready for rematch with Final Four at stake
PHILADELPHIA -- Rutgers had nearly three months to boast about its bold-print victory against Tennessee. After all, few teams beat the Lady Vols, much less blow them out.
Now comes the hard part for the Scarlet Knights -- trying to repeat the feat when it matters most.
The rematch comes Tuesday night in the Philadelphia Regional for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
``There's definitely an incentive because we know how we felt after we lost that game,'' Tennessee's Nicky Anosike said Monday. ``It was just a horrible feeling and we don't ever want to feel it again.''
The Scarlet Knights not only won that game 65-51 on Dec. 29, they embarrassed top-seeded Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and their 16 first-half points were two points shy of Tennessee's record low.
Rutgers (28-6) hasn't forgotten that euphoric feeling. It started a run of three straight wins against top-10 teams and propelled the third-seeded Scarlet Knights into the national spotlight. Stringer called the win a ``defining moment.''
``We're at least going into that game knowing we can win and we don't have to guess about what we have to do,'' Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said.
Maybe, but Rutgers' preparation is a bit more complicated than just watching game film. Tennessee's lineup was overhauled after the loss, which was the third one in eight games for the Lady Vols. Now the Lady Vols are riding an 11-game winning streak into their 20th regional final.
``We did beat Tennessee rather handily, but this is not the same Tennessee team,'' Stringer said. ``But we did win, so we know we are capable.''
In the first game, the Lady Vols played without start point Loree Moore, who missed six games in December and early January after undergoing a tonsillectomy.
``It was kind of hoping we'd get the chance to play them,'' Moore said with a smile.
Forward Sidney Spencer was a starter until her season ended with a torn knee ligament. Anosike was just a reserve and Tye Fluker was the starting center. Now the roles are reversed.
Shyra Ely also shifted from small forward to power forward and Tennessee's offense started clicking. Injuries that also derailed the seasons of two players in Tennessee's heralded freshman class left the Lady Vols with only eight or nine true contributing players.
``I think it really brought our team together,'' said coach Pat Summitt, who has 881 career wins. ``I think that adversity hit at a time that they had to make a decision as a basketball team and with their leadership as to how they were going to handle it. It made them much more determined and focused.''
Rutgers -- just 9-20 two years ago -- also hopes for an offensive jolt this time around from All-American honorable mention Cappie Pondexter.
Pondexter, the team's leading scorer the last two years, made her season debut against the Lady Vols after missing the season's first eight games for personal reasons. She made little impact, scoring one point in 15 minutes.
Pondexter's role has grown and now she leads the Scarlet Knights with 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament.
``I think they embraced me and it was a real easy flow,'' Pondexter said. ``It was kind of like I was here all along. They worked with me because I wasn't really in great shape and I'm still not to this day.''
Stringer said it would have been easy for the Scarlet Knights to stand around and wait for Pondexter to take over. Instead, they stuck with the same team ball they played before Pondexter's return.
``She's still not 100 percent of the player I know she is,'' Stringer said, getting giggles from her players. ``I guess I would think she's about 65 percent. Cappie has far more in her than what we've seen.''
Rutgers, the only No. 3 seed still playing in the tournament, already beat Temple and Ohio State -- teams they lost to during the regular season. Now, the Scarlet Knights are the ones facing a team looking for a little revenge.
``Hopefully, we'll be better prepared, but they're stingy,'' Summitt said. ``They're tough.''
Now comes the hard part for the Scarlet Knights -- trying to repeat the feat when it matters most.
The rematch comes Tuesday night in the Philadelphia Regional for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
``There's definitely an incentive because we know how we felt after we lost that game,'' Tennessee's Nicky Anosike said Monday. ``It was just a horrible feeling and we don't ever want to feel it again.''
The Scarlet Knights not only won that game 65-51 on Dec. 29, they embarrassed top-seeded Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and their 16 first-half points were two points shy of Tennessee's record low.
Rutgers (28-6) hasn't forgotten that euphoric feeling. It started a run of three straight wins against top-10 teams and propelled the third-seeded Scarlet Knights into the national spotlight. Stringer called the win a ``defining moment.''
``We're at least going into that game knowing we can win and we don't have to guess about what we have to do,'' Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said.
Maybe, but Rutgers' preparation is a bit more complicated than just watching game film. Tennessee's lineup was overhauled after the loss, which was the third one in eight games for the Lady Vols. Now the Lady Vols are riding an 11-game winning streak into their 20th regional final.
``We did beat Tennessee rather handily, but this is not the same Tennessee team,'' Stringer said. ``But we did win, so we know we are capable.''
In the first game, the Lady Vols played without start point Loree Moore, who missed six games in December and early January after undergoing a tonsillectomy.
``It was kind of hoping we'd get the chance to play them,'' Moore said with a smile.
Forward Sidney Spencer was a starter until her season ended with a torn knee ligament. Anosike was just a reserve and Tye Fluker was the starting center. Now the roles are reversed.
Shyra Ely also shifted from small forward to power forward and Tennessee's offense started clicking. Injuries that also derailed the seasons of two players in Tennessee's heralded freshman class left the Lady Vols with only eight or nine true contributing players.
``I think it really brought our team together,'' said coach Pat Summitt, who has 881 career wins. ``I think that adversity hit at a time that they had to make a decision as a basketball team and with their leadership as to how they were going to handle it. It made them much more determined and focused.''
Rutgers -- just 9-20 two years ago -- also hopes for an offensive jolt this time around from All-American honorable mention Cappie Pondexter.
Pondexter, the team's leading scorer the last two years, made her season debut against the Lady Vols after missing the season's first eight games for personal reasons. She made little impact, scoring one point in 15 minutes.
Pondexter's role has grown and now she leads the Scarlet Knights with 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament.
``I think they embraced me and it was a real easy flow,'' Pondexter said. ``It was kind of like I was here all along. They worked with me because I wasn't really in great shape and I'm still not to this day.''
Stringer said it would have been easy for the Scarlet Knights to stand around and wait for Pondexter to take over. Instead, they stuck with the same team ball they played before Pondexter's return.
``She's still not 100 percent of the player I know she is,'' Stringer said, getting giggles from her players. ``I guess I would think she's about 65 percent. Cappie has far more in her than what we've seen.''
Rutgers, the only No. 3 seed still playing in the tournament, already beat Temple and Ohio State -- teams they lost to during the regular season. Now, the Scarlet Knights are the ones facing a team looking for a little revenge.
``Hopefully, we'll be better prepared, but they're stingy,'' Summitt said. ``They're tough.''
Summitt making her peak performance
PHILADELPHIA -- On Jan. 10, 1975, a 22-year-old recent college graduate with no coaching experience walked onto a basketball court in Knoxville, Tenn.
She pulled her players from campus dorms, with many wearing jean shorts to her first practices. She had no recruiting budget, no assistant coaches and no road uniforms. She drove the van on trips. She sold doughnuts to raise money.
Fifty-three people came that day and watched Pat Summitt coach Tennessee to a 69-32 victory against Middle Tennessee State. The game received seven paragraphs in the local newspaper. The rookie head coach was not mentioned.
It was victory No. 1.
Three decades later, Summitt will attempt to notch No. 882 against Rutgers tonight, with thousands in the Liacouras Center and millions on national TV watching. The game will receive much more than seven paragraphs in hundreds of newspapers, and all will mention the Tennessee coach.
Summit is the winningest college basketball coach -- in the men's or women's game -- in NCAA history after passing retired North Carolina coach Dean Smith last week. She is just 52, so there is a chance she will establish a record that will never be broken.
Already, she has reached 15 Final Fours, winning six national titles and seven national Coach of the Year awards. There is no sign her competitive drive -- one that kept her on a recruiting trip just days before giving birth to her son -- will let her stop anytime soon.
"A lot of people come to the tournament and the Final Four to see her and see her team," said Mickie DeMoss, Kentucky women's basketball coach and a Summitt assistant for 18 years. "People who don't watch women's basketball, there is one name they're going to know -- Pat Summitt."
STARTING IN THE HOLE
To understand her place in the game today, you have to understand the sport in the mid-'70s, when Tennessee recruited the Tennessee-Martin graduate and Olympian to coach its team.
She was 22. Nobody that age would even be considered for a prominent college coaching job today, and Summitt said it happened then by chance.
"They had contacted me for being the assistant coach. And I said, 'I'd love to be an assistant,'" she said yesterday. "I was still training, trying to make the Olympic team, and I thought I'd have facilities for me and it would be great.
"In about two weeks they called me back to tell me (head coach) Margaret Hudson had taken a sabbatical, and we want to offer you the head job. And I really contemplated it, because when you've never even run a practice or made out a practice plan, I was absolutely overwhelmed and scared to death.
"But I said yes, and I'm glad I said yes."
This was women's athletics in its infancy, just two years after Title IX forced colleges to give female students equal opportunities. Summitt earned a salary of $8,900 a year (she makes $825,000 a year now), and had to hang fliers in the campus dorms to find players. Recruiting was prohibited, not that she had the money to leave campus.
When the female students arrived, few even had gym shorts to wear, so they used the "Daisy Dukes" jean shorts that were in style then. Suzanne Singleton, one of the freshmen who tried out that first year, said Summitt worked the women so hard, many sneaked out of the building and never came back.
Summitt had to teach them the fundamentals. Most high schools still used a six-player version of the sport for girls, in which half the players for each team stayed on one side of the half-court line.
"You couldn't cross the half-court line," said Singleton, who, like many of her teammates, became a high school coach. "It was a crazy game. When you scored, they would bring the ball to the center court circle and give it to the offensive team.
"I look back on that now, and I teach physical education, and every time I bring that up my students say, 'What?'"
Singleton had never seen a five-on-five basketball game, much less played in one, when she took the court for the first time under Summitt. The "Volettes," as they were called -- which sounds more like a Chevy muscle car than a basketball team -- lost to Mercer in her first game as coach.
"Pat kind of started out in the hole," Singleton said, "and a lot of people don't know about that."
She finished that first season 16-8, starting a string of 31 consecutive seasons without a losing record. Summitt still talks to her players on that first team regularly, and loves to reminisce about chugging Diet Coke to stay awake behind the wheel on the crowded van trips.
"I remember when we got to go to Rock Hill, S.C.," Summitt said, "and we thought we were headed for New York."
"We would stop at a McDonald's," Singleton said, "and she would give us two one-dollar bills. That was it. That was all the money we would get.
"And look at it now."
NO LOOKING BACK
Tennessee went 28-5 under Summitt in her third season, and the school finally gave her scholarships. Soon, women's basketball came under the NCAA umbrella, and she could recruit. The school added assistant coaches, and then a trainer, and then Summitt no longer had to drive the van on road trips.
"You could see the strides she made in just three years," said Sue Thomas, a 5-8 forward on her first team. "And really, she never looked back."
DeMoss, her former assistant, knew equality was finally arriving when Tennessee starting building the 24,000-seat Thompson-Boling Arena in the mid 1980s.
"They suggested we stay in the (old) gym, and we said, 'No way,'" DeMoss said. "We said, 'We're going to Thompson-Boling, and we'll eventually fill the thing up.'"
In 1998-99, the team averaged 16,500 fans at its home games, regularly outdrawing the downtrodden men's team, which recently hired Bruce Pearl as its sixth coach in the past 16 seasons. The women, meanwhile, keep rolling along.
But even Summitt would acknowledge that her program is due to return to the top. The last of her six NCAA titles came in 1998, and Connecticut has taken over as the dominant program.
"I think at this stage of the game, it's kind of a love-hate feeling," Summitt said. "I love what I've seen, but I hate the fact that there's no easy games now. It's tough and there's a lot of people out there that can knock you out of the postseason.
"Having been in the game, and starting 31 years ago, you've got to understand... people didn't charge admission, we didn't have scholarships, we couldn't go out and recruit, except on campus, in the dorms. That was how women's basketball was viewed in terms of our sport -- just a notch above the intramural level. And look at it today. What a great game."
If Summitt stayed at Tennessee until she turned 60 and won 28 games a season, she would finish with about 1,100 career victories -- an untouchable mark, in a sport she helped build from the ground up.
"She's been a pioneer, a legacy, a legend -- all of those adjectives," said Kellie Harper, a point guard on Tennessee's three consecutive title teams from 1996-98 and the coach of Western Carolina. "And now, her tying Dean Smith allows her legacy to move over to basketball, just not women's basketball."
And to think: Only 53 people can say the were there when the ride started.
She pulled her players from campus dorms, with many wearing jean shorts to her first practices. She had no recruiting budget, no assistant coaches and no road uniforms. She drove the van on trips. She sold doughnuts to raise money.
Fifty-three people came that day and watched Pat Summitt coach Tennessee to a 69-32 victory against Middle Tennessee State. The game received seven paragraphs in the local newspaper. The rookie head coach was not mentioned.
It was victory No. 1.
Three decades later, Summitt will attempt to notch No. 882 against Rutgers tonight, with thousands in the Liacouras Center and millions on national TV watching. The game will receive much more than seven paragraphs in hundreds of newspapers, and all will mention the Tennessee coach.
Summit is the winningest college basketball coach -- in the men's or women's game -- in NCAA history after passing retired North Carolina coach Dean Smith last week. She is just 52, so there is a chance she will establish a record that will never be broken.
Already, she has reached 15 Final Fours, winning six national titles and seven national Coach of the Year awards. There is no sign her competitive drive -- one that kept her on a recruiting trip just days before giving birth to her son -- will let her stop anytime soon.
"A lot of people come to the tournament and the Final Four to see her and see her team," said Mickie DeMoss, Kentucky women's basketball coach and a Summitt assistant for 18 years. "People who don't watch women's basketball, there is one name they're going to know -- Pat Summitt."
STARTING IN THE HOLE
To understand her place in the game today, you have to understand the sport in the mid-'70s, when Tennessee recruited the Tennessee-Martin graduate and Olympian to coach its team.
She was 22. Nobody that age would even be considered for a prominent college coaching job today, and Summitt said it happened then by chance.
"They had contacted me for being the assistant coach. And I said, 'I'd love to be an assistant,'" she said yesterday. "I was still training, trying to make the Olympic team, and I thought I'd have facilities for me and it would be great.
"In about two weeks they called me back to tell me (head coach) Margaret Hudson had taken a sabbatical, and we want to offer you the head job. And I really contemplated it, because when you've never even run a practice or made out a practice plan, I was absolutely overwhelmed and scared to death.
"But I said yes, and I'm glad I said yes."
This was women's athletics in its infancy, just two years after Title IX forced colleges to give female students equal opportunities. Summitt earned a salary of $8,900 a year (she makes $825,000 a year now), and had to hang fliers in the campus dorms to find players. Recruiting was prohibited, not that she had the money to leave campus.
When the female students arrived, few even had gym shorts to wear, so they used the "Daisy Dukes" jean shorts that were in style then. Suzanne Singleton, one of the freshmen who tried out that first year, said Summitt worked the women so hard, many sneaked out of the building and never came back.
Summitt had to teach them the fundamentals. Most high schools still used a six-player version of the sport for girls, in which half the players for each team stayed on one side of the half-court line.
"You couldn't cross the half-court line," said Singleton, who, like many of her teammates, became a high school coach. "It was a crazy game. When you scored, they would bring the ball to the center court circle and give it to the offensive team.
"I look back on that now, and I teach physical education, and every time I bring that up my students say, 'What?'"
Singleton had never seen a five-on-five basketball game, much less played in one, when she took the court for the first time under Summitt. The "Volettes," as they were called -- which sounds more like a Chevy muscle car than a basketball team -- lost to Mercer in her first game as coach.
"Pat kind of started out in the hole," Singleton said, "and a lot of people don't know about that."
She finished that first season 16-8, starting a string of 31 consecutive seasons without a losing record. Summitt still talks to her players on that first team regularly, and loves to reminisce about chugging Diet Coke to stay awake behind the wheel on the crowded van trips.
"I remember when we got to go to Rock Hill, S.C.," Summitt said, "and we thought we were headed for New York."
"We would stop at a McDonald's," Singleton said, "and she would give us two one-dollar bills. That was it. That was all the money we would get.
"And look at it now."
NO LOOKING BACK
Tennessee went 28-5 under Summitt in her third season, and the school finally gave her scholarships. Soon, women's basketball came under the NCAA umbrella, and she could recruit. The school added assistant coaches, and then a trainer, and then Summitt no longer had to drive the van on road trips.
"You could see the strides she made in just three years," said Sue Thomas, a 5-8 forward on her first team. "And really, she never looked back."
DeMoss, her former assistant, knew equality was finally arriving when Tennessee starting building the 24,000-seat Thompson-Boling Arena in the mid 1980s.
"They suggested we stay in the (old) gym, and we said, 'No way,'" DeMoss said. "We said, 'We're going to Thompson-Boling, and we'll eventually fill the thing up.'"
In 1998-99, the team averaged 16,500 fans at its home games, regularly outdrawing the downtrodden men's team, which recently hired Bruce Pearl as its sixth coach in the past 16 seasons. The women, meanwhile, keep rolling along.
But even Summitt would acknowledge that her program is due to return to the top. The last of her six NCAA titles came in 1998, and Connecticut has taken over as the dominant program.
"I think at this stage of the game, it's kind of a love-hate feeling," Summitt said. "I love what I've seen, but I hate the fact that there's no easy games now. It's tough and there's a lot of people out there that can knock you out of the postseason.
"Having been in the game, and starting 31 years ago, you've got to understand... people didn't charge admission, we didn't have scholarships, we couldn't go out and recruit, except on campus, in the dorms. That was how women's basketball was viewed in terms of our sport -- just a notch above the intramural level. And look at it today. What a great game."
If Summitt stayed at Tennessee until she turned 60 and won 28 games a season, she would finish with about 1,100 career victories -- an untouchable mark, in a sport she helped build from the ground up.
"She's been a pioneer, a legacy, a legend -- all of those adjectives," said Kellie Harper, a point guard on Tennessee's three consecutive title teams from 1996-98 and the coach of Western Carolina. "And now, her tying Dean Smith allows her legacy to move over to basketball, just not women's basketball."
And to think: Only 53 people can say the were there when the ride started.
Tennessee at the Summitt of winning basketball
PHILADELPHIA - When Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt passed former North Carolina men's coach Dean Smith on Tuesday night for the most career victories in the NCAA at 880, it was not the first time the two Hall of Famers had been linked.
Despite Summitt's success in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, she was known back then as the Dean Smith of her sport for one reason - the inability to win the big one.
The Tar Heels had suffered six futile Final Four appearances before Smith claimed his first NCAA title in 1982. The seventh attempt was also the lucky one for the Vols, who beat Louisiana Tech for the title in 1987.
"Obviously, to be in the company with Coach Smith, to think about all the people that were a part of these wins, I never thought I'd live this long," Summitt said on the court after she broke Smith's mark.
"When I saw my mother, she cried, and then I started crying. When your mother cries, you cry. The longer that I'm in this profession, I see a lot of my mother in me. That's a good thing because it means I've mellowed."
She may have mellowed, but she hasn't slowed down. The struggle for that first NCAA crown is about the only thing close to a blemish in a career with a multitude of accomplishments for Summitt, whose Volunteers defeated Texas Tech, 75-59, on Sunday afternoon for victory No. 881.
Summitt's program has claimed six NCAA titles and is almost annually in championship contention. The Vols have resided in the upper portion of the Associated Press polls for three decades. Summitt's rosters have been loaded with blue-chip talent, including such all-American superstars as Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings.
Summitt led the U.S. Olympic women's squad to the 1984 gold medal - America's first in the sport. She has nurtured young coaches and become involved in rivalries with others who have sought to match her achievements.
Even the often quotable Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, who has tossed more than a few barbs Summitt's way as part of their intense national rivalry, acknowledged last week: "She's not as bad as I make her out to be."
Tennessee officials honored Summitt after her historic victory Tuesday night by announcing that the court in the 24,535-seat Thompson-Boling Arena would be renamed The Summitt.
"It really touches me," she told reporters then. "I never even thought about anything like that ever. I don't think there could have been a better gift in terms of the feeling that I had and how much I love this university."
During the years, Summitt has been cast in the image of a steely-eyed firebrand, but those she has befriended in the profession know her softer side.
Summitt, 52, is married to banker R.B. Summitt, and they have a 14-year-old son, Ross Tyler. Two weeks ago, she hosted her annual barbecue for local reporters, friends, players and almost everyone else in Knoxville, Tenn., to kick off the tournament.
"This is a big part of who we are," Summitt told ESPN.com. "On the court, it's serious. It's intense. That's our time to work.
"But I don't want them to see me just as a coach. I want them to see me as someone they can sit with, relax with, and just be at home with."
Summitt's 175-48 record in the AIAW era is included as part of her overall record. The all-time victory mark for college basketball is held by McKendree (Ill.) men's coach Harry Statham, who is 896-342 in 39 seasons at that NAIA school.
One particular tournament torment for Summitt was a loss to Louisiana Tech in the 1994 regional semifinals after the Vols finished first in the Associated Press poll and were the favorites to win the crown.
The Techsters, who were led for 18 years by coach Leon Barmore, had preceded Connecticut as a major thorn in the side of Summitt's teams, beating them 11 times.
Barmore remembered last week what a delight that win was in 1994.
"It was the biggest of all of the wins I was able to get against her," Barmore said. "Look, anytime you can beat Pat Summitt, you've done something."
That's because Summitt has done more than something.
Connecticut's recent prominence notwithstanding, the Tennessee basketball program for three decades has been the standard by which other teams in the Division I women's game measure themselves.
Understanding the importance of being an ambassador for the game, Summitt has taken the Vols across the nation to meet rugged competition to prepare for March Madness, and to meet not-so-rugged competition to give those opponents an idea of just what it takes at the next level.
Dean Smith isn't the only coach with whom Summitt has been compared from the men's game. Behind-the-scenes documentaries, specifically one several years ago from HBO, have drawn a likeness to the fiery Bobby Knight, now at Texas Tech.
"It's funny," said Debbie Jennings, the team's longtime media spokeswoman. "Now that a lot of media people have had to deal with her because of the win record, they've commented, `She's really nice. I didn't know she was that nice.'
"Of course she is - at least away from practice."
In addition to coaching the Vols, Summitt is a player consultant to the WNBA's Washington Mystics, a job that was approved by both her school and the NCAA, although leaders of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association are taking exception to her dual role.
Summitt also gives motivational speeches to top-level management in government and business. A month after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Summitt gave a pep talk at the Central Intelligence Agency.
"It was something that was scheduled before the attacks," Jennings said at the time. "Afterward, they still wanted her to appear."
Mike Flynn, who runs the nationally prominent and locally based Blue Star program in Amateur Athletic Union competition, which has had a few players go to Tennessee, put Summitt's record in perspective.
"No one is ever going to break that record," Flynn said. "One reason is you don't see schools hiring 21- or 22-year-olds to coach their teams as was the situation in the early 1970s.
"Then, every two times she's won 30 games in a season, she's gained a year (on distant challengers)," Flynn added.
"Let's say someone gets a job at age 25 and they win about 20 games or so each season for 40 years. That means that at age 65 they'll have 800 wins, and they'll still be way behind her."
Despite Summitt's success in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, she was known back then as the Dean Smith of her sport for one reason - the inability to win the big one.
The Tar Heels had suffered six futile Final Four appearances before Smith claimed his first NCAA title in 1982. The seventh attempt was also the lucky one for the Vols, who beat Louisiana Tech for the title in 1987.
"Obviously, to be in the company with Coach Smith, to think about all the people that were a part of these wins, I never thought I'd live this long," Summitt said on the court after she broke Smith's mark.
"When I saw my mother, she cried, and then I started crying. When your mother cries, you cry. The longer that I'm in this profession, I see a lot of my mother in me. That's a good thing because it means I've mellowed."
She may have mellowed, but she hasn't slowed down. The struggle for that first NCAA crown is about the only thing close to a blemish in a career with a multitude of accomplishments for Summitt, whose Volunteers defeated Texas Tech, 75-59, on Sunday afternoon for victory No. 881.
Summitt's program has claimed six NCAA titles and is almost annually in championship contention. The Vols have resided in the upper portion of the Associated Press polls for three decades. Summitt's rosters have been loaded with blue-chip talent, including such all-American superstars as Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings.
Summitt led the U.S. Olympic women's squad to the 1984 gold medal - America's first in the sport. She has nurtured young coaches and become involved in rivalries with others who have sought to match her achievements.
Even the often quotable Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, who has tossed more than a few barbs Summitt's way as part of their intense national rivalry, acknowledged last week: "She's not as bad as I make her out to be."
Tennessee officials honored Summitt after her historic victory Tuesday night by announcing that the court in the 24,535-seat Thompson-Boling Arena would be renamed The Summitt.
"It really touches me," she told reporters then. "I never even thought about anything like that ever. I don't think there could have been a better gift in terms of the feeling that I had and how much I love this university."
During the years, Summitt has been cast in the image of a steely-eyed firebrand, but those she has befriended in the profession know her softer side.
Summitt, 52, is married to banker R.B. Summitt, and they have a 14-year-old son, Ross Tyler. Two weeks ago, she hosted her annual barbecue for local reporters, friends, players and almost everyone else in Knoxville, Tenn., to kick off the tournament.
"This is a big part of who we are," Summitt told ESPN.com. "On the court, it's serious. It's intense. That's our time to work.
"But I don't want them to see me just as a coach. I want them to see me as someone they can sit with, relax with, and just be at home with."
Summitt's 175-48 record in the AIAW era is included as part of her overall record. The all-time victory mark for college basketball is held by McKendree (Ill.) men's coach Harry Statham, who is 896-342 in 39 seasons at that NAIA school.
One particular tournament torment for Summitt was a loss to Louisiana Tech in the 1994 regional semifinals after the Vols finished first in the Associated Press poll and were the favorites to win the crown.
The Techsters, who were led for 18 years by coach Leon Barmore, had preceded Connecticut as a major thorn in the side of Summitt's teams, beating them 11 times.
Barmore remembered last week what a delight that win was in 1994.
"It was the biggest of all of the wins I was able to get against her," Barmore said. "Look, anytime you can beat Pat Summitt, you've done something."
That's because Summitt has done more than something.
Connecticut's recent prominence notwithstanding, the Tennessee basketball program for three decades has been the standard by which other teams in the Division I women's game measure themselves.
Understanding the importance of being an ambassador for the game, Summitt has taken the Vols across the nation to meet rugged competition to prepare for March Madness, and to meet not-so-rugged competition to give those opponents an idea of just what it takes at the next level.
Dean Smith isn't the only coach with whom Summitt has been compared from the men's game. Behind-the-scenes documentaries, specifically one several years ago from HBO, have drawn a likeness to the fiery Bobby Knight, now at Texas Tech.
"It's funny," said Debbie Jennings, the team's longtime media spokeswoman. "Now that a lot of media people have had to deal with her because of the win record, they've commented, `She's really nice. I didn't know she was that nice.'
"Of course she is - at least away from practice."
In addition to coaching the Vols, Summitt is a player consultant to the WNBA's Washington Mystics, a job that was approved by both her school and the NCAA, although leaders of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association are taking exception to her dual role.
Summitt also gives motivational speeches to top-level management in government and business. A month after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Summitt gave a pep talk at the Central Intelligence Agency.
"It was something that was scheduled before the attacks," Jennings said at the time. "Afterward, they still wanted her to appear."
Mike Flynn, who runs the nationally prominent and locally based Blue Star program in Amateur Athletic Union competition, which has had a few players go to Tennessee, put Summitt's record in perspective.
"No one is ever going to break that record," Flynn said. "One reason is you don't see schools hiring 21- or 22-year-olds to coach their teams as was the situation in the early 1970s.
"Then, every two times she's won 30 games in a season, she's gained a year (on distant challengers)," Flynn added.
"Let's say someone gets a job at age 25 and they win about 20 games or so each season for 40 years. That means that at age 65 they'll have 800 wins, and they'll still be way behind her."
Rutgers, Tennessee playing with different lineups from first meeting
PHILADELPHIA -- Rutgers has something few teams that have played Tennessee in the postseason have been able to brag about: a regular-season blowout win against the Lady Vols.
Now comes the hard part for the Scarlet Knights -- trying to repeat the feat when it matters most. The rematch comes Tuesday night in the Philadelphia Regional for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
``We're at least going into that game knowing we can win and we don't have to guess about what we have to do,'' Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said Monday.
The Scarlet Knights not only won that Dec. 29 game 65-51, they embarrassed top-seeded Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and their 16 first-half points were two points shy of Tennessee's record low.
Rutgers (28-6) hasn't forgotten that euphoric feeling. It started a run of three straight wins against top 10 teams and propelled the third-seeded Scarlet Knights into the national spotlight. Stringer called the win a ``defining moment.''
But this isn't December and both lineups have been overhauled.
``We did beat Tennessee rather handily, but this is not the same Tennessee team,'' Stringer said. ``But we did win so we know we are capable.''
The Rutgers' loss was the third in eight games for the Lady Vols, which probably seemed like a five-game losing streak for most teams. The Lady Vols were reeling from a heralded freshman class that was going down, one season-ending knee injury at a time.
Candace Parker and Alex Fuller never played and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood had her season shortened because of tendinitis in the knee. Sophomore Sidney Spencer also saw her season end with a torn knee ligament.
The biggest blow was losing Parker, the first woman to win the dunk contest at the McDonald's High School All-American game. Coach Pat Summitt wanted to run a triple-post offense around Parker, and held out hope she would return sometime in December.
Instead, Parker never made it back and the Vols -- who had three losses before January for the first time since the 1996-97 season -- were forced to realize they had to win with only eight or nine players.
``I think it really brought our team together,'' said Summitt, who has 881 career wins. ``I think that adversity hit at a time that they had to make a decision as a basketball team and with their leadership as to how they were going to handle it. It made them much more determined and focused.''
Summitt also realized she had to make some lineup changes. Most notably, Shyra Ely shifted from small forward to power forward and Tennessee's offense started clicking.
``I feel really natural and comfortable there,'' Ely said. ``I've always played the post. I really don't regret playing the three because it made me a better player all around. But the four is my bread and butter.''
The Lady Vols also got back Loree Moore, their star point guard who missed six games in December and early January after undergoing a tonsillectomy. One of those games was against Rutgers.
``It was kind of hoping we'd get the chance to play them,'' Moore said, smiling.
So was Rutgers' All-American honorable mention Cappie Pondexter. Pondexter, the team's leading scorer the last two years, made her season debut against the Lady Vols after missing the season's first eight games for personal reasons. She made little impact, scoring one point in 15 minutes.
Pondexter's role has grown and she leads the Scarlet Knights with 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament.
``She made it very easy for me and us as coaches to bring her in the fold,'' Stringer said.
Stringer said it would have been easy for the Scarlet Knights to stand around and wait for Pondexter to take over. Instead, they stuck with the same team ball they played before Pondexter's return.
``She's still not 100 percent of the player I know she is,'' Stringer said, getting giggles from her players. ``I guess I would think she's about 65 percent. Cappie has far more in her than what we've seen.''
Rutgers, the only three seed still playing in the tournament, already beat Temple and Ohio State -- two teams they lost to during the regular season. Now, the Scarlet Knights are facing a team looking for a little revenge.
``There's definitely an incentive because we know how we felt after we lost that game,'' said Tennessee's Nicky Anosike. ``It was just a horrible feeling and we don't ever want to feel it again.''
Now comes the hard part for the Scarlet Knights -- trying to repeat the feat when it matters most. The rematch comes Tuesday night in the Philadelphia Regional for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
``We're at least going into that game knowing we can win and we don't have to guess about what we have to do,'' Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said Monday.
The Scarlet Knights not only won that Dec. 29 game 65-51, they embarrassed top-seeded Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and their 16 first-half points were two points shy of Tennessee's record low.
Rutgers (28-6) hasn't forgotten that euphoric feeling. It started a run of three straight wins against top 10 teams and propelled the third-seeded Scarlet Knights into the national spotlight. Stringer called the win a ``defining moment.''
But this isn't December and both lineups have been overhauled.
``We did beat Tennessee rather handily, but this is not the same Tennessee team,'' Stringer said. ``But we did win so we know we are capable.''
The Rutgers' loss was the third in eight games for the Lady Vols, which probably seemed like a five-game losing streak for most teams. The Lady Vols were reeling from a heralded freshman class that was going down, one season-ending knee injury at a time.
Candace Parker and Alex Fuller never played and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood had her season shortened because of tendinitis in the knee. Sophomore Sidney Spencer also saw her season end with a torn knee ligament.
The biggest blow was losing Parker, the first woman to win the dunk contest at the McDonald's High School All-American game. Coach Pat Summitt wanted to run a triple-post offense around Parker, and held out hope she would return sometime in December.
Instead, Parker never made it back and the Vols -- who had three losses before January for the first time since the 1996-97 season -- were forced to realize they had to win with only eight or nine players.
``I think it really brought our team together,'' said Summitt, who has 881 career wins. ``I think that adversity hit at a time that they had to make a decision as a basketball team and with their leadership as to how they were going to handle it. It made them much more determined and focused.''
Summitt also realized she had to make some lineup changes. Most notably, Shyra Ely shifted from small forward to power forward and Tennessee's offense started clicking.
``I feel really natural and comfortable there,'' Ely said. ``I've always played the post. I really don't regret playing the three because it made me a better player all around. But the four is my bread and butter.''
The Lady Vols also got back Loree Moore, their star point guard who missed six games in December and early January after undergoing a tonsillectomy. One of those games was against Rutgers.
``It was kind of hoping we'd get the chance to play them,'' Moore said, smiling.
So was Rutgers' All-American honorable mention Cappie Pondexter. Pondexter, the team's leading scorer the last two years, made her season debut against the Lady Vols after missing the season's first eight games for personal reasons. She made little impact, scoring one point in 15 minutes.
Pondexter's role has grown and she leads the Scarlet Knights with 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament.
``She made it very easy for me and us as coaches to bring her in the fold,'' Stringer said.
Stringer said it would have been easy for the Scarlet Knights to stand around and wait for Pondexter to take over. Instead, they stuck with the same team ball they played before Pondexter's return.
``She's still not 100 percent of the player I know she is,'' Stringer said, getting giggles from her players. ``I guess I would think she's about 65 percent. Cappie has far more in her than what we've seen.''
Rutgers, the only three seed still playing in the tournament, already beat Temple and Ohio State -- two teams they lost to during the regular season. Now, the Scarlet Knights are facing a team looking for a little revenge.
``There's definitely an incentive because we know how we felt after we lost that game,'' said Tennessee's Nicky Anosike. ``It was just a horrible feeling and we don't ever want to feel it again.''
Rutgers-Tennessee Preview
(3) Rutgers (28-6) vs. (1) Tennessee (29-4)
Game Info: 9:00 pm EST Tue Mar 29, 2005
Philadelphia Region - Liacouras Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Rutgers will try to duplicate a dominant performance against the most successful program in women's college basketball to gain the second Final Four berth in school history.
The third-seeded Scarlet Knights face top-seeded Tennessee in the rematch of a lopsided regular-season meeting with much more at stake in the Philadelphia Regional final.
Rutgers played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, beating Tennessee, Texas and LSU in an eight-day stretch earlier this season. The Scarlet Knights started that run with what may have been their best effort of the season, a 65-51 victory over the Lady Vols on Dec. 29 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
Freshman Matee Ajavon scored 20 points and Essence Carson added 14 as Rutgers built a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back. Tennessee shot just under 28 percent from the field.
``Even though we beat Tennessee, they are a great team and playing a lot better,'' Rutgers senior Chelsea Newton said. ``They are not the same team that came to the RAC.''
The 51 points matched the second-fewest ever scored by the Lady Vols, and the 16 first-half points were two shy of the their record low set in 1996.
It also marked Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer's first win in six tries over Tennessee since taking over the Scarlet Knights in 1995.
``We were never in that game, so I certainly respect her team,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said of her Hall of Fame counterpart.
Rutgers was able to prevail three months ago despite a poor effort from Cappie Pondexter, who was making her season debut after missing eight games due to personal reasons. Pondexter missed all five shots and scored one point in 15 minutes off the bench.
The 5-foot-9 senior is playing at a different level now. Pondexter is averaging 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament, including a 24-point performance in Sunday's 64-58 win over second-seeded Ohio State.
``Words really can't describe how I feel,'' Pondexter said. ``Believe me, I'm definitely happy, but we have to play Tennessee next. We're focused.''
Rutgers' only Final Four appearance ended with a national semifinal loss to Tennessee in 2000. The Knights are 0-3 against the Lady Vols in NCAA tournament play.
Tennessee enters on an 11-game winning streak as it seeks its fourth straight Final Four berth and 16th overall. The Lady Vols have not won the title since 1998, losing to Connecticut in the championship game each of the last two seasons.
With the three-time defending champion Huskies eliminated, the Lady Vols believe they can return to the top.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Tennessee senior forward Shyra Ely is one game away from fulfilling a dream. The Indianapolis native, who is averaging a team-high 14.7 points, is hoping to end her career by playing in the Final Four in her hometown.
``Playing in the Final Four would be awesome, and just to be in Indianapolis makes it that much better,'' Ely said.
Ely scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting as Tennessee advanced with a 75-59 win over Texas Tech on Sunday. She is averaging 17 points in three NCAA games.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Rutgers - F Carson (6.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg), F Michelle Campbell (11.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), G Newton (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G Ajavon (12.4 ppg, 3.4 apg), G Pondexter (14.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Tennessee - F Ely (14.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg), F Alexis Hornbuckle (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), C Nicky Anosike (6.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Shanna Zolman (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), G Loree Moore (5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Rutgers - At-large berth, Big East; beat No. 14 Hartford 62-37, first round; beat No. 6 Temple 61-54, second round; beat No. 2 Ohio State 64-58, regional semifinals. Tennessee - Automatic bid, Southeastern Conference tournament champion; beat No. 16 Western Carolina 94-43, first round; beat No. 9 Purdue 75-54, second round; beat No. 4 Texas Tech 75-59, regional semifinals.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Rutgers - 22-15, 16 years. Tennessee - 88-17, 24 years.
Game Info: 9:00 pm EST Tue Mar 29, 2005
Philadelphia Region - Liacouras Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Rutgers will try to duplicate a dominant performance against the most successful program in women's college basketball to gain the second Final Four berth in school history.
The third-seeded Scarlet Knights face top-seeded Tennessee in the rematch of a lopsided regular-season meeting with much more at stake in the Philadelphia Regional final.
Rutgers played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, beating Tennessee, Texas and LSU in an eight-day stretch earlier this season. The Scarlet Knights started that run with what may have been their best effort of the season, a 65-51 victory over the Lady Vols on Dec. 29 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
Freshman Matee Ajavon scored 20 points and Essence Carson added 14 as Rutgers built a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back. Tennessee shot just under 28 percent from the field.
``Even though we beat Tennessee, they are a great team and playing a lot better,'' Rutgers senior Chelsea Newton said. ``They are not the same team that came to the RAC.''
The 51 points matched the second-fewest ever scored by the Lady Vols, and the 16 first-half points were two shy of the their record low set in 1996.
It also marked Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer's first win in six tries over Tennessee since taking over the Scarlet Knights in 1995.
``We were never in that game, so I certainly respect her team,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said of her Hall of Fame counterpart.
Rutgers was able to prevail three months ago despite a poor effort from Cappie Pondexter, who was making her season debut after missing eight games due to personal reasons. Pondexter missed all five shots and scored one point in 15 minutes off the bench.
The 5-foot-9 senior is playing at a different level now. Pondexter is averaging 23.7 points in the NCAA tournament, including a 24-point performance in Sunday's 64-58 win over second-seeded Ohio State.
``Words really can't describe how I feel,'' Pondexter said. ``Believe me, I'm definitely happy, but we have to play Tennessee next. We're focused.''
Rutgers' only Final Four appearance ended with a national semifinal loss to Tennessee in 2000. The Knights are 0-3 against the Lady Vols in NCAA tournament play.
Tennessee enters on an 11-game winning streak as it seeks its fourth straight Final Four berth and 16th overall. The Lady Vols have not won the title since 1998, losing to Connecticut in the championship game each of the last two seasons.
With the three-time defending champion Huskies eliminated, the Lady Vols believe they can return to the top.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Tennessee senior forward Shyra Ely is one game away from fulfilling a dream. The Indianapolis native, who is averaging a team-high 14.7 points, is hoping to end her career by playing in the Final Four in her hometown.
``Playing in the Final Four would be awesome, and just to be in Indianapolis makes it that much better,'' Ely said.
Ely scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting as Tennessee advanced with a 75-59 win over Texas Tech on Sunday. She is averaging 17 points in three NCAA games.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Rutgers - F Carson (6.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg), F Michelle Campbell (11.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), G Newton (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G Ajavon (12.4 ppg, 3.4 apg), G Pondexter (14.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Tennessee - F Ely (14.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg), F Alexis Hornbuckle (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), C Nicky Anosike (6.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), G Shanna Zolman (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), G Loree Moore (5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.4 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Rutgers - At-large berth, Big East; beat No. 14 Hartford 62-37, first round; beat No. 6 Temple 61-54, second round; beat No. 2 Ohio State 64-58, regional semifinals. Tennessee - Automatic bid, Southeastern Conference tournament champion; beat No. 16 Western Carolina 94-43, first round; beat No. 9 Purdue 75-54, second round; beat No. 4 Texas Tech 75-59, regional semifinals.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Rutgers - 22-15, 16 years. Tennessee - 88-17, 24 years.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Pat Pic
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt smiles during a news conference in Philadelphia Monday, March 28, 2005. Tennessee continued to cruise through the NCAA tournament, this time with a 75-59 win over fourth-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday to move into its 20th regional final. Standing in the way is Rutgers, which used a bruising defense to post a 64-58 victory over Ohio State in the other regional semifinal game.
Tennessee ready for Rutgers in rematch of 2000 Final Four
PHILADELPHIA -- Tennessee's Shyra Ely plans on going home next week to play for a national championship. She even has her goal scrawled on the back of her sneakers: Homeward Bound.
Rutgers is looking to deny her the chance of a happy homecoming.
Five years after Rutgers and Tennessee played in the Final Four in Philadelphia, the teams are playing in the same city for the right to advance to the national semifinals in Indianapolis.
``Playing in the Final Four would be awesome, and just to be in Indianapolis makes it that much better,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High.
With the way the top-seeded Lady Vols are playing, Ely might get her wish.
Tennessee continued to cruise through the NCAA tournament, this time with a 75-59 win over fourth-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday to move into its 20th regional final.
Standing in the way is Rutgers, which used a bruising defense to post a 64-58 victory over Ohio State in the other regional semifinal game.
``Words really can't describe how I feel,'' Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter said. ``Believe me, I'm definitely happy, but we have to play Tennessee next. We're focused.''
And the third-seeded Scarlet Knights should also be confident going into Tuesday's regional final.
While the Lady Vols are 10-2 against the Scarlet Knights -- including a 64-54 win in a national semifinal game in Philadelphia in 2000 -- Rutgers was a 65-51 winner on Dec. 29 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
Rutgers not only won, it embarrassed Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and the 16 first-half points was two points shy of the Lady Vols' record low set in 1996.
That was the start of three straight wins over Top 10 teams for C. Vivian Stringer's team.
``We were never in that game, so I certainly respect her team,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
A whole lot has changed for the Lady Vols since. They've won 11 straight and again looked like championship contenders, without even a scare through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Summitt would love to add three more wins to her career record victory total this season. She considers her Tennessee team good enough to get those wins -- and a national title.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' said Summitt, who has 881 career victories.
Ely scored 23 points, Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.
Ely got the Lady Vols going midway through the first half, scoring six straight points to help build a 15-point lead. When Ely scored another easy inside basket late in the half, the couple hundred orange-clad fans who made the nearly 625-mile trip erupted in cheers.
Ely already told her parents they can dole out tickets only to fans who have been to a Tennessee game this year -- not a bandwagon jumper. Those on the fence might want to rush to Philly.
``I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' she said. ``It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.''
The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8). Texas Tech entered with four players scoring in double figures, but never got any offensive rhythm.
The Lady Raiders missed their first eight shots and made only nine baskets on 30 attempts in the first half. LaToya Davis had 12 points and Judith Smith added 10.
Tough defense seemed to be the theme.
Rutgers got physical on defense, bumping and shoving Ohio State All-American Jessica Davenport and the rest of the Buckeyes. While Davenport still scored 22 points, the Scarlet Knights still shut down the second-seeded Buckeyes and moved a win from their first Final Four appearance in five years.
``It was physical and there was a lot of bumping for 40 minutes,'' said Davenport, 6-for-11 from the field.
Pondexter scored 24 points, Matee Ajavon added 14, and Rutgers turned 15 Ohio State turnovers into 22 points.
Brandie Hoskins scored 12 points for Ohio State (30-5).
In reaching the regional final, Rutgers has avenged regular-season losses to Temple and Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat the Scarlet Knights 52-50 on Jan. 16.
Now comes the hard part -- trying to beat the Lady Vols for a second time.
``Even though we beat Tennessee, they are a great team and playing a lot better,'' said Rutgers senior Chelsea Newton, who scored 13 points. ``They are not the same team that came to the RAC.''
Summitt and Stringer are longtime friends who have seen women's basketball evolve from the days when coaches drove the vans and recruited players from the dorms.
Now they're trying to deny each other a shot at the title -- one that was blown wide open when three-time defending champ Connecticut lost 76-59 to Stanford on Sunday night.
``If I needed someone in this profession, she's on the very short list of someone I would call,'' Summitt said of Stringer. ``I admire what she's done on and off the court.''
Rutgers is looking to deny her the chance of a happy homecoming.
Five years after Rutgers and Tennessee played in the Final Four in Philadelphia, the teams are playing in the same city for the right to advance to the national semifinals in Indianapolis.
``Playing in the Final Four would be awesome, and just to be in Indianapolis makes it that much better,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High.
With the way the top-seeded Lady Vols are playing, Ely might get her wish.
Tennessee continued to cruise through the NCAA tournament, this time with a 75-59 win over fourth-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday to move into its 20th regional final.
Standing in the way is Rutgers, which used a bruising defense to post a 64-58 victory over Ohio State in the other regional semifinal game.
``Words really can't describe how I feel,'' Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter said. ``Believe me, I'm definitely happy, but we have to play Tennessee next. We're focused.''
And the third-seeded Scarlet Knights should also be confident going into Tuesday's regional final.
While the Lady Vols are 10-2 against the Scarlet Knights -- including a 64-54 win in a national semifinal game in Philadelphia in 2000 -- Rutgers was a 65-51 winner on Dec. 29 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
Rutgers not only won, it embarrassed Tennessee (29-4). The 51 points tied for the second-fewest scored by the Lady Vols in a game, and the 16 first-half points was two points shy of the Lady Vols' record low set in 1996.
That was the start of three straight wins over Top 10 teams for C. Vivian Stringer's team.
``We were never in that game, so I certainly respect her team,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
A whole lot has changed for the Lady Vols since. They've won 11 straight and again looked like championship contenders, without even a scare through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Summitt would love to add three more wins to her career record victory total this season. She considers her Tennessee team good enough to get those wins -- and a national title.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' said Summitt, who has 881 career victories.
Ely scored 23 points, Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.
Ely got the Lady Vols going midway through the first half, scoring six straight points to help build a 15-point lead. When Ely scored another easy inside basket late in the half, the couple hundred orange-clad fans who made the nearly 625-mile trip erupted in cheers.
Ely already told her parents they can dole out tickets only to fans who have been to a Tennessee game this year -- not a bandwagon jumper. Those on the fence might want to rush to Philly.
``I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' she said. ``It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.''
The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8). Texas Tech entered with four players scoring in double figures, but never got any offensive rhythm.
The Lady Raiders missed their first eight shots and made only nine baskets on 30 attempts in the first half. LaToya Davis had 12 points and Judith Smith added 10.
Tough defense seemed to be the theme.
Rutgers got physical on defense, bumping and shoving Ohio State All-American Jessica Davenport and the rest of the Buckeyes. While Davenport still scored 22 points, the Scarlet Knights still shut down the second-seeded Buckeyes and moved a win from their first Final Four appearance in five years.
``It was physical and there was a lot of bumping for 40 minutes,'' said Davenport, 6-for-11 from the field.
Pondexter scored 24 points, Matee Ajavon added 14, and Rutgers turned 15 Ohio State turnovers into 22 points.
Brandie Hoskins scored 12 points for Ohio State (30-5).
In reaching the regional final, Rutgers has avenged regular-season losses to Temple and Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat the Scarlet Knights 52-50 on Jan. 16.
Now comes the hard part -- trying to beat the Lady Vols for a second time.
``Even though we beat Tennessee, they are a great team and playing a lot better,'' said Rutgers senior Chelsea Newton, who scored 13 points. ``They are not the same team that came to the RAC.''
Summitt and Stringer are longtime friends who have seen women's basketball evolve from the days when coaches drove the vans and recruited players from the dorms.
Now they're trying to deny each other a shot at the title -- one that was blown wide open when three-time defending champ Connecticut lost 76-59 to Stanford on Sunday night.
``If I needed someone in this profession, she's on the very short list of someone I would call,'' Summitt said of Stringer. ``I admire what she's done on and off the court.''
Lady Vols trounce Texas Tech
PHILADELPHIA — Shyra Ely and Loree Moore are beginning to sense the ends of their college careers, and it's bringing out the best in both of them.
Ely took care of the offense, and Moore served as the catalyst on defense as top-seeded Tennessee moved on to the Elite Eight yesterday with a 75-59 win over No. 4 seed Texas Tech at the Liacouras Center.
The seniors are now a win against Rutgers tomorrow night away from advancing to the Final Four in Ely's hometown of Indianapolis.
''They're doing a great job of pushing tempo and trying to be the leaders and take over in March,'' UT freshman Alexis Hornbuckle said. ''They know. They've been to the Final Four. They've been to championships.''
Ely led Tennessee (29-4) yesterday with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and also pulled down seven rebounds. She scored six consecutive points during a first-half stretch that put Tennessee up 29-14, and the Lady Raiders (24-8) never got within single digits after that.
''I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High. ''It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.
''When we need a bucket or something needs to change as far as defensively or offensively, I wanted to do that so they could count on me. When things are rough, I'm going to come through and lead the team.''
The Lady Vols advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive year. It will mark UT's 20th regional final overall.
''I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Texas Tech, shooting better than 46 percent on the season, shot just 32.8 percent from the floor yesterday, and point guard Erin Grant appeared flustered by Moore's defense from the opening tip.
Moore had nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. Early in the first half, Moore got a steal and fed Shanna Zolman, who touched it back to Moore for a layup and a 15-6 lead.
''(Moore) doesn't get the credit she deserves,'' UT Coach Pat Summitt said after her 881st career victory. ''As a coach, you always look at both sides of the ball. Today, she was terrific on both sides of the ball.''
Tennessee's lead grew to as big as 48-28 in the second half after Ely again scored six consecutive points. On one play, she took the pass off an inbounds and made a running hook shot in the lane with two hands in her face.
''She cannot possibly see the basket,'' Hornbuckle remembered thinking. ''I figured she would miss and get a rebound, but it went in. I was like, 'this is Shyra's day.' ''
The Lady Raiders then went on a final run, closing the gap to 52-41 with a basket by Darrice Griffin.
But Tennessee came right back. A slashing layup by Hornbuckle gave the Lady Vols a 60-43 advantage with 6:29 left.
Hornbuckle had 14 points and seven rebounds. UT freshman center Nicky Anosike had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
LaToya Davis led Texas Tech with 12 points. Tech's best shooter Alesha Robertson went just 2-of-10 from the floor.
''We got great looks but just couldn't knock the shots down, and they were the same shots that we made last week,'' Texas Tech Coach Marsha Sharp said. ''I think it shook our confidence and our ability to get it done.''
The Lady Vols did not make a 3-pointer until Hornbuckle made one in the final minute of the game, but their ability to score with ease inside countered that. Tennessee had 28 points in the paint in the first half, and Ely had 12 points at halftime.
''Shyra knows it's coming down to crunch time,'' Moore said. ''Shyra's really focused on getting to Indianapolis.''
Ely took care of the offense, and Moore served as the catalyst on defense as top-seeded Tennessee moved on to the Elite Eight yesterday with a 75-59 win over No. 4 seed Texas Tech at the Liacouras Center.
The seniors are now a win against Rutgers tomorrow night away from advancing to the Final Four in Ely's hometown of Indianapolis.
''They're doing a great job of pushing tempo and trying to be the leaders and take over in March,'' UT freshman Alexis Hornbuckle said. ''They know. They've been to the Final Four. They've been to championships.''
Ely led Tennessee (29-4) yesterday with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and also pulled down seven rebounds. She scored six consecutive points during a first-half stretch that put Tennessee up 29-14, and the Lady Raiders (24-8) never got within single digits after that.
''I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High. ''It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.
''When we need a bucket or something needs to change as far as defensively or offensively, I wanted to do that so they could count on me. When things are rough, I'm going to come through and lead the team.''
The Lady Vols advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive year. It will mark UT's 20th regional final overall.
''I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Texas Tech, shooting better than 46 percent on the season, shot just 32.8 percent from the floor yesterday, and point guard Erin Grant appeared flustered by Moore's defense from the opening tip.
Moore had nine points, eight rebounds and three steals. Early in the first half, Moore got a steal and fed Shanna Zolman, who touched it back to Moore for a layup and a 15-6 lead.
''(Moore) doesn't get the credit she deserves,'' UT Coach Pat Summitt said after her 881st career victory. ''As a coach, you always look at both sides of the ball. Today, she was terrific on both sides of the ball.''
Tennessee's lead grew to as big as 48-28 in the second half after Ely again scored six consecutive points. On one play, she took the pass off an inbounds and made a running hook shot in the lane with two hands in her face.
''She cannot possibly see the basket,'' Hornbuckle remembered thinking. ''I figured she would miss and get a rebound, but it went in. I was like, 'this is Shyra's day.' ''
The Lady Raiders then went on a final run, closing the gap to 52-41 with a basket by Darrice Griffin.
But Tennessee came right back. A slashing layup by Hornbuckle gave the Lady Vols a 60-43 advantage with 6:29 left.
Hornbuckle had 14 points and seven rebounds. UT freshman center Nicky Anosike had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
LaToya Davis led Texas Tech with 12 points. Tech's best shooter Alesha Robertson went just 2-of-10 from the floor.
''We got great looks but just couldn't knock the shots down, and they were the same shots that we made last week,'' Texas Tech Coach Marsha Sharp said. ''I think it shook our confidence and our ability to get it done.''
The Lady Vols did not make a 3-pointer until Hornbuckle made one in the final minute of the game, but their ability to score with ease inside countered that. Tennessee had 28 points in the paint in the first half, and Ely had 12 points at halftime.
''Shyra knows it's coming down to crunch time,'' Moore said. ''Shyra's really focused on getting to Indianapolis.''
Defense baffles Tech PG
PHILADELPHIA — Erin Grant fussed at the refs. She fussed at her teammates. She even fussed at Loree Moore.
No matter whom she yelled at, the Texas Tech point guard found no rhythm, no help and certainly no sympathy from a Tennessee defense that limited her like few teams have this season.
The Lady Vols forced six turnovers on her and allowed her only five assists in a 75-59 UT victory yesterday at the Liacouras Center.
''I didn't really pick up on it in the first half, but I really picked up on it in the second half,'' said Moore, who guarded her for most of the game.
''She was starting to say some things to me, just that I was all up in her. She just got mad at that. I was basically grabbing her, just all in her chest and all in her shirt. She had no room to breathe. She really didn't like that a lot.''
Grant had three turnovers within the first six minutes of the game, and she came out of the game a minute later when she picked up her second foul.
''I think it was critical the way we started the first half,'' Grant said. ''We had shots that we wanted, wide open shots that we should have knocked down and really could have got a lead early.''
Tennessee also used freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle on Grant and even threw 6-foot-4 center Nicky Anosike to guard her on the perimeter a few times.
''I would be surprised if I was a point guard and I had never played against Nicky Anosike,'' Hornbuckle said. ''As a guard, anytime a post comes out on you, you're thinking heaven. Nicky is like a whole new athlete.''
Tennessee's defense has led the Lady Vols to their first three wins of the NCAA Tournament. Opposing teams are shooting just 30.5 percent against UT in the tournament, and they are averaging 52 points a game.
''This team is really fitting together in a way to allow them to be a better team defensively,'' UT Coach Pat Summitt said. ''The team decided they wanted to play together at both ends (yesterday), and when that happens, on offense you're going to move the ball more.
''On defense, you're going to have early help and support that help on the backside.''
No matter whom she yelled at, the Texas Tech point guard found no rhythm, no help and certainly no sympathy from a Tennessee defense that limited her like few teams have this season.
The Lady Vols forced six turnovers on her and allowed her only five assists in a 75-59 UT victory yesterday at the Liacouras Center.
''I didn't really pick up on it in the first half, but I really picked up on it in the second half,'' said Moore, who guarded her for most of the game.
''She was starting to say some things to me, just that I was all up in her. She just got mad at that. I was basically grabbing her, just all in her chest and all in her shirt. She had no room to breathe. She really didn't like that a lot.''
Grant had three turnovers within the first six minutes of the game, and she came out of the game a minute later when she picked up her second foul.
''I think it was critical the way we started the first half,'' Grant said. ''We had shots that we wanted, wide open shots that we should have knocked down and really could have got a lead early.''
Tennessee also used freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle on Grant and even threw 6-foot-4 center Nicky Anosike to guard her on the perimeter a few times.
''I would be surprised if I was a point guard and I had never played against Nicky Anosike,'' Hornbuckle said. ''As a guard, anytime a post comes out on you, you're thinking heaven. Nicky is like a whole new athlete.''
Tennessee's defense has led the Lady Vols to their first three wins of the NCAA Tournament. Opposing teams are shooting just 30.5 percent against UT in the tournament, and they are averaging 52 points a game.
''This team is really fitting together in a way to allow them to be a better team defensively,'' UT Coach Pat Summitt said. ''The team decided they wanted to play together at both ends (yesterday), and when that happens, on offense you're going to move the ball more.
''On defense, you're going to have early help and support that help on the backside.''
Rutgers gets UT rematch
PHILADELPHIA — C. Vivian Stringer knows how special it is to do it once.
Her Rutgers team now gets a chance to do it twice in the same season.
The third-seeded Scarlet Knights (28-6) advanced to the regional final yesterday with a 64-58 win over No. 2 seed Ohio State (30-5), setting up tomorrow night's rematch between Stringer's club and Tennessee at the Liacouras Center.
Rutgers beat the Lady Vols 65-51 on Dec. 29.
''It's not often that many people beat Tennessee,'' Stringer said. ''That's why we still talk about the time we did beat them.''
Tennessee was without senior point guard Loree Moore in that game, and it's not a game that any Lady Vol is proud of.
''That was not us,'' UT junior Shanna Zolman said. ''That was not Tennessee basketball by any means. Revenge obviously would be great.''
That chance at revenge wasn't a sure thing until Rutgers senior guard Cappie Pondexter made a pair of free throws that put the Scarlet Knights up 62-52 with 27 seconds left yesterday.
Pondexter scored 24 points and had four assists to lead the Scarlet Knights past a Buckeye team that beat them earlier in the year.
''I'm excited deep down inside, but at the same time, I know we have another 40 minutes to play,'' Pondexter said.
''We have to play Tennessee next.''
Rutgers took a 22-20 lead over Ohio State on a layup by Essence Carson and didn't trail for the rest of the game.
A jumper by Chelsea Newton ran Rutgers' lead to 39-30, but the Buckeyes closed the gap to 44-42 on two free throws by center Jessica Davenport, who led Ohio State with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
In the first meeting of the year between Tennessee and Rutgers, the Lady Vols shot 27.8 percent from the floor and committed 17 turnovers to only six assists.
''They're playing a lot better,'' Newton said. ''Loree Moore is playing now. This is a totally different team that we're playing, and we know that.''
Her Rutgers team now gets a chance to do it twice in the same season.
The third-seeded Scarlet Knights (28-6) advanced to the regional final yesterday with a 64-58 win over No. 2 seed Ohio State (30-5), setting up tomorrow night's rematch between Stringer's club and Tennessee at the Liacouras Center.
Rutgers beat the Lady Vols 65-51 on Dec. 29.
''It's not often that many people beat Tennessee,'' Stringer said. ''That's why we still talk about the time we did beat them.''
Tennessee was without senior point guard Loree Moore in that game, and it's not a game that any Lady Vol is proud of.
''That was not us,'' UT junior Shanna Zolman said. ''That was not Tennessee basketball by any means. Revenge obviously would be great.''
That chance at revenge wasn't a sure thing until Rutgers senior guard Cappie Pondexter made a pair of free throws that put the Scarlet Knights up 62-52 with 27 seconds left yesterday.
Pondexter scored 24 points and had four assists to lead the Scarlet Knights past a Buckeye team that beat them earlier in the year.
''I'm excited deep down inside, but at the same time, I know we have another 40 minutes to play,'' Pondexter said.
''We have to play Tennessee next.''
Rutgers took a 22-20 lead over Ohio State on a layup by Essence Carson and didn't trail for the rest of the game.
A jumper by Chelsea Newton ran Rutgers' lead to 39-30, but the Buckeyes closed the gap to 44-42 on two free throws by center Jessica Davenport, who led Ohio State with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
In the first meeting of the year between Tennessee and Rutgers, the Lady Vols shot 27.8 percent from the floor and committed 17 turnovers to only six assists.
''They're playing a lot better,'' Newton said. ''Loree Moore is playing now. This is a totally different team that we're playing, and we know that.''
(1) Tennessee 75, (4) Texas Tech 59
PHILADELPHIA (-- Shyra Ely scrawled her goal on the back of her sneakers: Homeward Bound. With the way Tennessee is playing, Ely might get her wish.
Ely scored 23 points and led the top-seeded Lady Vols into their 20th regional final with a 75-59 win over Texas Tech on Sunday. The Lady Vols (29-4) will play Rutgers in the Philadelphia Regional on Tuesday night for a trip to the Final Four in Ely's hometown of Indianapolis.
``I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High. ``It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.''
Ely already told her parents they can dole out tickets only to fans who have been to a Tennessee game this year -- not a bandwagon jumper. Those on the fence might want to rush to Philly.
Ely, averaging 17 points in three tournament games, offered a simple explanation for her sharp shooting.
``It's tournament time. It's March,'' she said.
Certainly, Tennessee knows a thing or two about playing its best in March.
The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8) and help coach Pat Summitt build on her NCAA record with her 881st career victory. She hopes to make it 884 by the end of the tournament.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.
Texas Tech entered with four players scoring in double figures, but never got any offensive rhythm. The Lady Raiders missed their first eight shots and made only nine baskets on 30 attempts in the first half. LaToya Davis had 12 points and Judith Smith added 10.
``We got into a big hole in the first five minutes and never recovered,'' Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp said. ``My job is to get them ready and we didn't handle the first five minutes well. It probably shook our confidence a little.''
The Lady Raiders briefly snapped out of their slump in the second half, and Darrice Griffin's basket in the lane pulled the Lady Raiders to 52-41 with just over 9 minutes left.
But Ely made a couple of free throws and Hornbuckle hit a jumper to push the lead back to 15.
Ely exited to a standing ovation with 1:10 left in the game. Of course, it only seemed appropriate in the city of Rocky, there was ``Rocky Top.'' These Lady Vols, though, were no underdogs.
In what was supposed to be a battle of the point guards, Tennessee's Loree Moore outplayed Erin Grant. Grant said a day earlier she hoped to be the key to the game. Instead, she was pretty much a non-factor, with a season-high six turnovers and only five assists.
On Texas Tech's first possession, Grant had her dribble picked clean by Hornbuckle, who scored the easy layup. Grant entered with 213 assists to only 60 turnovers.
``They just pressured the ball like we knew they would,'' Grant said.
Tennessee, which has won six national championships but none since 1998, cruised to easy wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, and Ely led the way in this one.
She got the Lady Vols going midway through the first half, scoring six straight points to help build a 15-point lead. When Ely scored another easy inside basket late in the half, the couple hundred orange-clad fans who made the nearly 625-mile trip erupted. Tennessee led 40-26 at the break.
Ely finished 8-for-11 from the floor and made eight of 11 free throws.
``Shyra was outstanding at finishing, as was her inside play,'' Summitt said.
The Lady Vols improved to 5-0 against Texas Tech, including a win in the 2000 regional final that sent them to Philadelphia.
Ely scored 23 points and led the top-seeded Lady Vols into their 20th regional final with a 75-59 win over Texas Tech on Sunday. The Lady Vols (29-4) will play Rutgers in the Philadelphia Regional on Tuesday night for a trip to the Final Four in Ely's hometown of Indianapolis.
``I plan on going home next week and playing for a national championship,'' said Ely, the 2001 Indiana Miss Basketball from Ben Davis High. ``It would just be icing on the cake to finish my career where I started and to be in Indianapolis in front of friends and family.''
Ely already told her parents they can dole out tickets only to fans who have been to a Tennessee game this year -- not a bandwagon jumper. Those on the fence might want to rush to Philly.
Ely, averaging 17 points in three tournament games, offered a simple explanation for her sharp shooting.
``It's tournament time. It's March,'' she said.
Certainly, Tennessee knows a thing or two about playing its best in March.
The Lady Vols used a smothering defense to shut down the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders (24-8) and help coach Pat Summitt build on her NCAA record with her 881st career victory. She hopes to make it 884 by the end of the tournament.
``I think we're one of the teams that can win a championship,'' Summitt said.
Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points, and Nicky Anosike added 11 points and 11 rebounds as part of a balanced offense for Tennessee.
Texas Tech entered with four players scoring in double figures, but never got any offensive rhythm. The Lady Raiders missed their first eight shots and made only nine baskets on 30 attempts in the first half. LaToya Davis had 12 points and Judith Smith added 10.
``We got into a big hole in the first five minutes and never recovered,'' Texas Tech coach Marsha Sharp said. ``My job is to get them ready and we didn't handle the first five minutes well. It probably shook our confidence a little.''
The Lady Raiders briefly snapped out of their slump in the second half, and Darrice Griffin's basket in the lane pulled the Lady Raiders to 52-41 with just over 9 minutes left.
But Ely made a couple of free throws and Hornbuckle hit a jumper to push the lead back to 15.
Ely exited to a standing ovation with 1:10 left in the game. Of course, it only seemed appropriate in the city of Rocky, there was ``Rocky Top.'' These Lady Vols, though, were no underdogs.
In what was supposed to be a battle of the point guards, Tennessee's Loree Moore outplayed Erin Grant. Grant said a day earlier she hoped to be the key to the game. Instead, she was pretty much a non-factor, with a season-high six turnovers and only five assists.
On Texas Tech's first possession, Grant had her dribble picked clean by Hornbuckle, who scored the easy layup. Grant entered with 213 assists to only 60 turnovers.
``They just pressured the ball like we knew they would,'' Grant said.
Tennessee, which has won six national championships but none since 1998, cruised to easy wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, and Ely led the way in this one.
She got the Lady Vols going midway through the first half, scoring six straight points to help build a 15-point lead. When Ely scored another easy inside basket late in the half, the couple hundred orange-clad fans who made the nearly 625-mile trip erupted. Tennessee led 40-26 at the break.
Ely finished 8-for-11 from the floor and made eight of 11 free throws.
``Shyra was outstanding at finishing, as was her inside play,'' Summitt said.
The Lady Vols improved to 5-0 against Texas Tech, including a win in the 2000 regional final that sent them to Philadelphia.
Pat Pix
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt directs her team against Texas Tech in the first half of their NCAA semifianal game in Philadelphia Sunday, March 27, 2005.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt shouts directions to her players in the second half against Texas Tech in the NCAA women's regional semifinal action in Philadelphia, March 27, 2005. Tennessee won 72-59 to advance to the regional final.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt shouts directions to her players in the second half against Texas Tech in the NCAA women's regional semifinal action in Philadelphia, March 27, 2005. Tennessee won 72-59 to advance to the regional final.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt directs her team against Texas Tech in the second half of their NCAA semifianal game in Philadelphia, Sunday, March 27, 2005. Tennessee won, 75-59.
Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle, right, get a word from coach Pat Summitt playing Texas Tech in the second half of their NCAA semifianal game in Philadelphia Sunday, March 27, 2005. Hornbuckle had 14 points as Tennessee won, 75-59.
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