GAME 34: TENNESSEE vs. LSU NCAA FINAL FOUR SEMIFINALS LADY VOLS (30-3, 14-0 SEC) vs. LADY TIGERS (27-7, 10-4 SEC) Apr. 4, 2004 6:00 p.m. CT New Orleans Arena 18,000 New Orleans, LA TONIGHT S GAME REPORT THE RANKINGS: UT is 2nd AP & 3rd USA TODAY/ESPN/WBCA LSU is 19th AP & USA TODAY/ESPN/WBCA RECENT RESULTS: MIDWEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP 3-30-04 #2/3 UT def. #10/8 Stanford, 62-60 WEST REGION CHAMPIONSHIP 3-29-04 #19 LSU def. #16/15 Georgia, 62-60 UPCOMING GAME: 4-6 2004 NCAA Final Four Championship vs. UConn/Minnesota winner UT in NCAA Final Four (16-8) In Knoxville: UT is 0-0 Away: UT is 0-0 Neutral: UT is 16-8 Overtime: UT is 2-0 FINAL FOUR SEMIS/NCAA 2003: 4-6-03 #4 UT def. #2/1 Duke, 66-56 MEDIA COVERAGE RADIO WNOX-AM/FM and the Lady Vol Radio Network INTERNET: utladyvols.com TELEVISION ESPN LADY VOL MEDIA RELATIONS ASSOCIATE AD FOR MEDIA RELATIONS Basketball Contact: Debby Jennings OFFICE PHONE: (865) 974-4275 FAX: (865) 974-8875 CELL: (865) 806-5671 E-MAIL: djennings@utk.edu ASST. MEDIA RELATIONS BASKETBALL Asst. Basketball Contact: Rob Turner OFFICE PHONE: (865) 974-4275 FAX: (865) 974-8875 CELL: (865) 806-0677 E-MAIL: rturner5@utk.edu LADY VOL HOTLINE: (865) 974-8700 WEBSITE: utladyvols.com PROBABLE UT STARTERS 4- LATOYA DAVIS, F, 6-0, Sr., 5.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg 43- SHYRA ELY, F, 6-2, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg 33- ASHLEY ROBINSON, C, 6-5, Sr., 8.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg 3- TASHA BUTTS, G, 5-11, Sr., 10.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg 5- SHANNA ZOLMAN, G, 5-10, So., 12.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg OFF THE BENCH 1- SIDNEY SPENCER, F-C, 6-3, Fr., 5.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg 13- DOMINIQUE REDDING, F, 6-1, Fr., 2.0 ppg, 0.9 rpg 25- BRITTANY JACKSON, F, 6-0, Jr., 7.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg 50- TYE SHA FLUKER, C, 6-5, So., 5.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg INJURED 21- LOREE MOORE, G, 5-9, Jr., 7.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.6 apg ACL injury to left knee suffered on 1-24-04; lost for season TONIGHT S GAME The top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (30-3) advance to the Final Four for an incredible 15th time in the NCAA Tournament taking on #19-ranked LSU (27-7) in one NCAA Final Four semifinal game on April 4. The winner from the UT-LSU game will advance to the Final Four title game and face the winner of the contest between UConn and Minnesota on Tues., April 6 at the 2004 Final Four in New Orleans. IN OUR LAST GAME For the second consecutive game, senior Tasha Butts connected on the gamewinning bucket in the waning seconds of regulation, and the top-seeded and #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols advanced to their record-setting 15th NCAA Final Four with a 62-60 victory over sixth-seeded Stanford in the NCAA Midwest Region final in Norman, OK, on Mar. 30, 2004. The triumph was UT's second against the Cardinal this season, as UT prevailed in overtime, 70-66, at Stanford on Dec. 14. Early in the contest, both teams were in rhythm at the offensive end as the Big Orange hit four of its first seven shots and Stanford opened with 5-of-6 shooting. However, SU was able to capitalize more often and took an eight-point lead, 26-18, with 8:26 remaining in the half. Coach Pat Summitt's club responded, though, and held the Cardinal scoreless for nearly six minutes en route to an 11-0 run to take a 29-26 advantage. SU closed the opening stanza with a 5-0 spurt of its own and took a 31-29 lead into the locker room. In the first frame, the Lady Vols shot just 38 percent while SU connected on 48 percent of its tries. However, the Orange and White held a narrow edge on the boards, 19-18. While the Cardinal struck first in the second half with a 3- pointer by Nicole Powell, Tennessee answered by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to take its biggest lead of the game, 41-36, with 14:41 showing. Additionally, UT connected on seven of its first nine shots to open the second stanza. However, Stanford hung on and reclaimed the lead, 56-55, following another 3-pointer by Powell with 3:22 remaining. Still leading by one point minutes later, Butts drained a long ball to give the Lady Vols a two-point lead with just more than a minute remaining. After a game-tying bucket by Powell with 44 seconds left, Butts connected on a scoop layup from the left side with 1.7 seconds on the clock to send Tennessee to its third straight Final Four. UT was led by Butts, junior Shyra Ely and senior LaToya Davis, who recorded, 14, 12 and 10 points, respectively. All three were named to the Midwest All- Regional Team. Freshman Sidney Spencer just missed double figures with nine points. On the night, Tennessee shot 47 percent (25-53) while Stanford connected on 49 percent (28-57) of its attempts. Despite being out-shot, the Lady Vols held the edge on the boards, 30-29, and committed just 11 turnovers.
2003-04 SCHEDULE & RESULTS NOV. 9 WEST COAST ALL-STARS 86-57 18 ATHLETES IN ACTION 88-64 23 CHATTANOOGA 83-52 30 #17 NOTRE DAME 83-59 DEC. 7 #10/11 LOUISIANA TECH 85-65 11 #25 RUTGERS 59-49 14 at #6/5 Stanford (FOX) OT 70-66 17 at DePaul OT 96-89 21 at #13/15 Oklahoma (ESPN2)71-55 28 #5 TEXAS 60-70 30 at George Washington 65-51 JAN. 2 at #19 TCU 74-66 4 OLD DOMINION 66-42 8 ARKANSAS 83-44 11 at Mississippi State 61-53 15 at South Carolina 86-58 18 ALABAMA 72-51 22 VANDERBILT (FOX) 79-54 24 #1/1 Duke (ESPN2) 72-69 29 at Kentucky (CSS) 81-72 FEB. 1 #22/25 AUBURN OT 68-61 5 #4/3 UCONN (ESPN2) 67-81 8 SOUTH CAROLINA (CSS) 72-58 12 at #19/17 Georgia (FOX) 70-67 15 at Vanderbilt (CSS) 94-88 19 FLORIDA 88-79 22 at Mississippi 85-69 26 at Arkansas (CSS) 93-71 29 #15/17 LSU (FOX) 85-62 MAR. SEC Tournament Nashville, TN 5 vs. Miss. State (FOX) 67-57 6 vs. #20/16 Georgia(FOX) OT66-68 NCAA 1st Round, Tallahassee, FL 20 Colgate (ESPN) 77-54 NCAA Second Round 22 NR/#25 DePaul (ESPN) 79-59 NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL 28 #15/17 Baylor (ESPN2) 71-69 30 #10/8 Stanford (ESPN) 62-60 APRIL FINAL FOUR New Orleans, LA 4 vs. #19 LSU (ESPN) NEXT OPPONENT If UT is successful with a win over #19 LSU, they would advance to play the winner between UConn and Minnesota in the NCAA Final Four title game. LADY VOLS ON TV Eighteen Lady Vol games have been on television this year with UT sporting a 16-2 record. ON THIS DAY The Lady Vols have never played on April 4. LOOKING BACK Last year at this time, UT was 32-4, and had just defeated Villanova, 73-49, to advance to the 2003 Final Four in Atlanta, Ga. 8-5-1, ALREADY Seems like it was just yesterday, well, Jan. 14, 2003, that we were celebrating Coach Pat Summitt s 800th collegiate victory. The win over Stanford in the 2004 NCAA Tournament was victory number 851 for Summitt. 2003-04 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE LADY VOL BASKETBALL ROSTER NO. NAME POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 1 SIDNEY SPENCER F-C 6-3 FR HOOVER, AL/HOOVER 3 TASHA BUTTS G 5-11 SR MILLEDGEVILLE, GA/BALDWIN CO. 4 LATOYA DAVIS F 6-0 SR FORSYTH, GA/MARY PERSONS 5 SHANNA ZOLMAN G 5-10 SO SYRACUSE, IN/WAWASSE 13 DOMINIQUE REDDING C-F 6-1 FR CLEARWATER, FL/CLEARWATER 21 LOREE MOORE G 5-9 JR LAKEWOOD, CA/NARBONNE 25 BRITTANY JACKSON G-F 6-0 JR CLEVELAND, TN/BRADLEY CENTRAL 33 ASHLEY ROBINSON C 6-5 SR GRAND PRAIRIE, TX/S.GRAND PRAIRIE 43 SHYRA ELY F 6-2 JR INDIANAPOLIS, IN/BEN DAVIS 50 TYE SHA FLUKER C 6-5 SO PASADENA, CA/JOHN MUIR HEAD COACH: PAT SUMMITT (851-166 in 30 years) ASSISTANTS: HOLLY WARLICK, NIKKI CALDWELL, GREG BROWN DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS: DANIELLE DONEHEW ADMINISTRATIVE GRADUATE ASSISTANTS: KATHY ALLEN AND DAVID HEAD LADY VOL WEEKLY GAMES, RECORD,POLLS WEEK OF/GAMES PLAYED RECORD AP/USA TODAY NOV. 3/WEST COAST ALL-STARS (EX.) 0-0 4TH /4TH NOV. 10/NO GAMES 0-0 4TH /4TH NOV. 17/ATHLETES IN ACTION (EX), CHATTANOOGA 1-0 3RD /3RD NOV. 24/#17/20 NOTRE DAME 2-0 3RD /3RD DEC. 1/#10/11 LOUISIANA TECH 3-0 3RD /3RD DEC. 8/#25 RUTGERS, #6/5 STANFORD 5-0 2ND /2ND DEC. 15/ DEPAUL, #13/16 OKLAHOMA 7-0 2ND /2ND DEC. 22/ #5 TEXAS 7-1 2ND /2ND DEC. 29/ GEORGE WASHINGTON, #19 TCU, ODU 10-1 5TH /5TH JAN. 5/ ARKANSAS, MISSISSIPPI STATE 12-1 5TH /5TH JAN. 12/ SOUTH CAROLINA, ALABAMA 14-1 5TH /5TH JAN. 19/ VANDERBILT, #1 DUKE 16-1 2ND /2ND JAN. 26/ KENTUCKY, #22/25 AUBURN 18-1 1ST/1ST FEB. 2, / #4/3 CONNECTICUT, SOUTH CAROLINA 19-2 1ST/1ST FEB. 9/ #19/17 GEORGIA, VANDERBILT 21-2 3RD /3RD FEB. 16/ FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI 23-2 3RD /3RD FEB. 23/ ARKANSAS, #15/17 LSU 25-2 2ND/2ND MAR. 1/MISS STATE, #20/16GEORGIA 26-3 1ST/1ST MAR. 8/No GAMES 26-3 5TH /3RD MAR. 15/COLGATE, NR/#25 DEPAUL 28-3 2ND /3RD MAR. 22/#15/17Baylor 29-3 2ND /3RD MAR. 29/#10/8 STANFORD, #19 LSU 30-3 2ND /3RD 2003-04 TENNESSEE LADY VOL LINE-UP COMBINATIONS During the 2003-04 season, Tennessee has used four starting lineups -- Game Record Line-up (F-F-C-G-G) 1-8, 14-17 11-1 Ely, Butts, Robinson, Zolman, Moore 9-13 5-0 Ely, Davis, Robinson, Jackson, Moore 18-20 2-1 Ely, Jackson, Robinson, Zolman, Butts 21-33 12-1 Ely, Davis, Robinson, Zolman, Butts COMMON DENOMINATORS Senior Ashley Robinson and junior Shyra Ely have played and started all 33 games for the Lady Vols this season. 2003-04 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL Wins: +39 (1), +31 (1), +28 (1), +25 (1), +24 (2), +23 (2), +22 (1), +21 (1), +20 (2), +16 (2), +14 (2), +10 (2), +9 (2), +8 (2), +7 (2), +6 (1), +4 (1), +3 (2), +2 (2) Losses: -10 (1), -14 (1), -2 (1) UT S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Arkansas2 (.582), Vandy2 (.576), LSU (.561), So. Carolina1 (.542), Kentucky (.534), DePaul (.534), Arkansas1 (.500), 40%FG: Vandy1 (.492), ODU (.491), TCU (.491), Colgate (.486),Georgia (.483), DePaul2 (.478), UTC (.476), Stanford2 (.472), Miss. St.2 (.458), LaTech (.457), Alabama (.446), Ole Miss (.443), Florida (.441), Notre Dame (.439), Georgia2 (.424), GWU (.421), Rutgers (.418), Baylor (.404), Miss. St. (.400), 30%FG: Stanford (.397), Texas, (.394), Connecticut (.393), Duke (.387), South Carolina2 (.378), Oklahoma (.377), Auburn (.343). DEEE ----- FENSE In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: Texas (.519), 40%FG: Stanford2 (.491), Vandy2 (.483), Ole Miss (.455), DePaul (.448), Kentucky (.446), Florida (.444), South Carolina2 (.439), Auburn (.433), Vandy1 (.435), Baylor (.424), Stanford (.415), Connecticut (.409), Georgia2 (.400), 30%FG: So. Carolina 1 (.396), Notre Dame (.393), GWU (.392), Duke (.358), Alabama (.356), LaTech (.343), Rutgers (.367), LSU (.3764), Oklahoma (.338), TCU and Miss. State (.328), Arkansas2 (.319), Georgia (.317), 20%FG: UTC (.292), Miss. St.2 (.289), DePaul2 (.288), ODU (.281), Colgate (.257), Arkansas1 (.250)
NCAA FINAL FOUR HISTORY 2003 Atlanta, Georgia Defeated Duke (Semifinal) 66-56 Lost to Connecticut (Championship) 68-73 2002 San Antonio, Texas Lost to Connecticut (Semifinal) 56-79 2000 Philadelphia, Penn. Defeated Rutgers (Semifinal) 64-54 Lost to Connecticut (Championship) 52-71 1998 Kansas City, Missouri Defeated Arkansas (Semifinal) 86-58 Defeated La Tech (Championship) 93-75 1997 Cincinnati, Ohio Defeated Notre Dame (Semifinal) 80-66 Defeated ODU (Championship) 68-59 1996 Charlotte, N.C. Defeated Connecticut (Semifinal) (OT) 88-83 Defeated Georgia (Championship) 83-65 1995 Minneapolis, Minn. Defeated Georgia (Semifinal) 73-51 Lost to Connecticut (Championship) 64-70 1991 New Orleans, La. Defeated Stanford (Semifinal) 68-60 Defeated Virginia (Championship) (OT) 70-67 1989 Tacoma, Washington Defeated Maryland (Semifinal) 77-65 Defeated Auburn (Championship) 76-60 1988 Tacoma, Washington Lost to Louisiana Tech (Semifinal) 59-68 1987 Austin, Texas Defeated Long Beach (Semifinal) 74-64 Defeated La Tech (Championship) 67-44 1986 Lexington, Kentucky Lost to Southern Cal (Semifinal) 59-83 1984 Los Angeles, California Defeated Cheyney (Semifinal) 82-73 Lost to Southern Cal (Championship) 61-72 1982 Norfolk, Virginia Lost to Louisiana Tech (Semifinal) 46-69 AIAW FINAL FOUR HISTORY 1981 Eugene, Oregon Defeated Old Dominion (Semifinals) 68-65 Lost to La Tech (Championship) 59-79 1980 Mt. Pleasant, Michigan Defeated South Carolina (Semifinals) 75-72 Lost to Old Dominion (Championship) 53-68 1979 Greensboro, N.C. Lost to Louisiana Tech (Semifinals) 84-102 Defeated UCLA (Conso-Final) 104-86 1977 Minneapolis, Minnesota Lost to Delta State (Semifinals) 58-62 Defeated Immaculata (Conso-Final) 91-62 FINAL FOUR MVP 1997 & 1998-Chamique Holdsclaw 1996-Michelle Marciniak 1989-Bridgette Gordon 1987-Tonya Edwards FINAL FOUR ALL-TOURNAMENT 2003-Gwen Jackson, Kara Lawson 2000-Tamika Catchings 1998- Holdsclaw, Catchings, Kellie Jolly 1997-Holdsclaw, Jolly 1996-Marciniak, Holdsclaw, Tiffani Johnson 1995-Nikki McCray 1991-Dena Head, Daedra Charles 1989-Bridgette Gordon, Sheila Frost 1987-Tonya Edwards, Bridgette Gordon 1984-Mary Ostrowski 2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK GAME REPORT 34 & POSSIBLE GAME REPORT 35 (For extensive UT game notes on LSU, Connecticut or Minnesota, please refer to the additional notes section in the Tennessee postseason supplement). SURVIVED AND ADVANCED HEADING TO THE BIG EASY The six-time NCAA Champion Tennessee Lady Vols have advanced to the Final Four for the 15th time. On Sun., Apr. 4 at 6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN) Tennessee faces #19 LSU in an NCAA Semifinal at the New Orleans Arena. YOU WHO, IT S US... WE RE AT THE FINAL FOUR... AGAIN After attending four consecutive Final Fours (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998) and winning three consecutive titles (1996, 1997 and 1998), the Lady Vols missed the festivities in 1999 and 2001. UT did make an appearance at the 2000 NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia, Penn., and lost to the Connecticut Huskies for the title. Currently, this is the Lady Vols third consecutive Final Four after attending the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio, Texas (losing to Connecticut in the semis) and the 2003 Final Four in Atlanta, Ga. (losing to Connecticut in the title game). The Lady Vols have now advanced to their 15th NCAA Final Four and will be looking to grab an unprecedented seventh title. NO PRESSURE BUT...EVERY LADY VOL HAS PLAYED IN ONE Every Lady Vol hoopster (since 1976) has played in at least one Final Four during her career at Tennessee. Lady Vol seniors Tasha Butts, LaToya Davis and Ashley Robinson have gone to three Final Fours during their careers at UT -- the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, losing to Connecticut in semifinal play, the 2003 Final Four in Atlanta, Ga., (losing to UConn in the Championship game) and this season s festivities in New Orleans. SHE LOVES MARCH AND APRIL, TOO Tennessee Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt loves to kick things up a notch in the months of March and April. Summitt, who has now coached in 1,017 collegiate contests and sports a 851-166 overall record in 30 seasons, has gone into battle 200 times in the months of March and April. She has come out a winner in 159 games losing just 41 basketball games (.805). Her teams are 58-2 at home, 9-1 away and 92-38 at neutral sites in the third and fourth months. TENNESSEE S AVERAGE SCORE IN THE FINAL FOUR In 100 NCAA Tournament games since 1982, Tennessee has averaged 77.6 ppg while holding the opposition to 64.1 ppg. In 13 previous Final Fours, here s how the numbers stack up in all games played. In Final Four semifinal games, the Lady Vols average 70.1 ppg and give up 67.9 ppg to the opposition for a winning differential of just +2.2. In just Lady Vol semifinal wins, Tennessee has a dozen point advantage in victories, 76.8 ppg to 64.8 ppg. When UT has lost in the semis, it s been by almost a 20-point margin, 74.7 ppg to just 55.0 ppg for the Lady Vols. In NCAA title games all-time, the Lady Vols win by almost six points 70.4 to 64.7. In NCAA title game victories, Tennessee typically wins big 76.1 ppg to 61.6 ppg. Conversely, when the Lady Vols lose in a title game, it s usually by an average of a dozen points, 71.0 to 59.0. SUMMITT S NCAA RECORD Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has coached in 1,017 basketball games to date producing an incredible 851-166 (.838) overall record. What s even more amazing is that she has coached in 100 NCAA Tournament games --- her record in the NCAA s, 84-16 (.833) in 100 NCAA contests. Just as an FYI, Dean Smith (North Carolina) leads the men s side of things in the NCAAs recording 65 NCAA wins from 1967-97. Summitt has appeared in all 23 (consecutive) NCAA Tournaments, and has now tied Smith also appeared in 23 consecutive tournaments from 1975-97. THIRTYSOMETHING With the win over Stanford, Tennessee collected its 14th all-time 30-win season in Pat Summitt s 30- years at the helm. The previous 30-win years: Season Wins Losses Finish 1997-98 39 0 NCAA CHAMPS 1988-89 35 2 NCAA CHAMPS 1994-95 34 3 NCAA runner-up 1999-00 33 4 NCAA runner-up 1979-80 33 5 AIAW runner-up 2002-03 33 5 NCAA runner-up 1995-96 32 4 NCAA CHAMPS 2000-01 31 3 3rd Mideast Regionals 1998-99 31 3 2nd East Regionals 1993-94 31 2 3rd Mideast Regionals 1987-88 31 3 3rd NCAA Championships 2003-04 30 3 in progress 1990-91 30 5 NCAA CHAMPS 1978-79 30 9 3rd AIAW Championships
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK LADY VOLS IN ALL-TIME NCAA REGIONALS 2004 (MW) Norman, Oklahoma 2004 Defeated Baylor (Semi) 71-69 Defeated Stanford (Final) 62-60 2003 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 2003--Defeated Penn State (Semi) 86-58 Defeated Villanova (Final) 73-49 2002 (MW) Ames, Iowa 2002--Defeated Brigham Young (Semi) 68-57 Defeated Vanderbilt (Final) 68-63 2001 (ME) Birmingham, Ala. 2001--Lost to Xavier (Semi) 65-80 2000 (ME) Memphis, Tenn. 2000--Defeated Virginia (Semi) 77-56 Defeated Texas Tech (Final) 57-44 1999 (E) Greensboro, N.C. 1999--Defeated Virginia Tech (Semi) 68-52 Lost to Duke (Final) 63-69 1998 (ME) Nashville, Tenn. 1998--Defeated Rutgers (Semi) 92-60 Defeated North Carolina (Final) 76-70 1997 (MW) Iowa City, Iowa 1997--Defeated Colorado (Semi) 75-67 Defeated Connecticut (Final) 91-81 1996 (E) Charlottesville, Va. 1996--Defeated Kansas (Semi) 92-71 Defeated Virginia (Final) 52-46 1995 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 1995--Defeated W. Kentucky (Semi) 87-65 Defeated Texas Tech (Final) 80-59 1994 (ME) Fayetteville, Ark. 1994--Lost to Louisiana Tech (Semi) 68-71 1993 (ME) Iowa City, Iowa 1993--Defeated North Carolina (Semi) 74-54 Lost to Iowa (Final) 56-72 1992 (ME) W.Lafayette, Ind. 1992--Lost to Western Kentucky (Semi) 70-75 1991 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 1991--Defeated W. Kentucky (Semi) 68-61 Defeated Auburn (Final) 69-65 1990 (E) Norfolk, Va. 1990--Defeated Clemson (Semi) 80-62 Lost to Virginia (Final) (OT) 75-79 1989 (E) Bowling Green, Ky. 1989--Defeated Virginia (Semi) 80-47 Defeated Long Beach St. (Final) 94-80 1988 (E) Norfolk, Va. 1988--Defeated James Madison (Semi) 72-52 Defeated Virginia (Final) 84-76 1987 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 1987--Defeated Virginia (Semi) 66-58 Defeated Auburn (Final) 77-61 1986 (ME) Iowa City, Iowa 1986--Defeated Georgia (Semi) 85-82 Defeated LSU (Final) 67-65 1985 (ME) Bowling Green, Ky. 1985--Lost to Mississippi (Semi) 60-63 1984 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 1984--Defeated Alabama (Semi) 65-58 Defeated Georgia (Final) 73-61 1983 (ME) South Bend, Ind. 1983--Defeated Ole Miss (Semi) (3OT) 90-83 Lost to Georgia (Final) 63-67 1982 (ME) Knoxville, Tenn. 1982--Defeated Memphis State (Semi) 78-63 Defeated Southern Cal (Final)(OT)91-90 THE MIDWEST TOURNEY TEAM The Tennessee Lady Vols placed three players on the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional All- Tournament team as seniors Tasha Butts and LaToya Davis were selected along with junior All- American Shyra Ely. They were joined on the team by Most Outstanding Player Nicole Powell (Stanford), Jessica Stratton (Baylor) and Susan Borchardt (Stanford). LAST TWO GAMES, NO BUTTS ABOUT IT Tennessee senior Tasha Butts never envisioned the role she s been playing in her final games for the Lady Vols but she relishes the opportunity. Against Baylor, she hit the game winning free throws with :0.2 ticks on the clock. When I got to the free throw line all I was thinking was every day in practice that s what you shoot free throws for. I wasn t in a panic. In the NCAA Midwest Regional Final, Butts canned a spinning move to the bucket with just 1.7 seconds showing. It s unbelievable. This whole season we ve been put in positions like this and it always seems like I have the ball in my hands. Right now I m very confident that I can make the play for my team. The last second shot coach just told everyone to flatten out and it was up to me to make the play. I just felt like it was now or never. I have always had a scoring mentality. I think as a leader you can t shy away from a challenge. We all have to step up and make big plays. It just happened in the last second the ball was in my hands. It just came down to you re either going to go into overtime or your going to lose and finish out your career. GET SOME BEATLES BUMPER MUSIC LET IT BE Ask Tennessee coach Pat Summitt or the players anything you want but just let what happened at the end of the Baylor go it s done, in the history books, over. The facts: the Lady Vols staged a furious rally in the final six minutes to tie the score in the last minute of play, there was a Baylor foul, there was time left in the game, Tasha Butts hit two free throws, Tennessee wins the game. Would there have been the same controversy if a UT player had been called for the foul and Baylor hit the free throws?? Coach Summitt perhaps summed it up the best, "If such a foul occurs in the first three minutes of a game, do you call it? Yes,'' she said. Case closed. Let it be. SENIOR MAGIC Senior starters Tasha Butts, LaToya Davis and Ashley Robinson are enjoying the best games of their Lady Vol careers. The trio has accounted for one-third of the team s total production in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, The group is connecting on 47% of its field goal tries, 77% of its charity tosses, and 39% of its three-pointers. They contribute about 30 points per game, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and three blocks per game, collectively. FOND MEMORIES OF THE BIG EASY The Tennessee Lady Vols have fond memories of winning an NCAA title in New Orleans the Big Orange pulled off the 1991 NCAA Championship in Lakefront Arena taking a 70-67 overtime win over Virginia. IT ALL STARTED HERE Upstart Connecticut joined NCAA ole-timers Tennessee, Stanford and Virginia at the 1991 NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. The Huskies were dispatched by a Dawn Staley-led Cavalier team while the Lady Vols knocked off the defending NCAA Champion Stanford Cardinal. Tennessee and Virginia then met in the first NCAA overtime title game with the Lady Vols winning 70-67. NIKKI C MADE A BIG IMPACT AS A ROOKIE IN NEW ORLEANS Current Lady Vol assistant coach Nikki Caldwell was a Lady Vol freshman when Tennessee won the 1991 NCAA Championship in New Orleans, La. After producing 10 points and four assists against Stanford in the Final Four semis, Caldwell was a defensive stopper and tallied two points and three rebounds in the title game against Virginia. Caldwell would later become an assistant coach at UVA (1999-02) before returning to Knoxville as an assistant. TODDLER TIDBITS Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt s 13-year old son Tyler attended his first Final Four in New Orleans as a seven-month old. Several of the Lady Vol players notably All-American center Daedra Charles-- kissed his head for good luck at the games. At this Final Four, there is another infant on the UT sidelines. Eleven-month old Cole Brown, son of assistant coach Greg Brown, will be attending his first Final Four in New Orleans. Cole is a well-traveled little boy, he accompanied his dad and mom, Teresa, when the Lady Vols traveled to Italy and Greece last summer as an infant. By the way, this marks Tyler s ninth Final Four. TITLE DROUGHT Since the NCAA began sponsoring championships for women, the Tennessee Lady Vols have never gone longer than five years between basketball titles. UT started play in the NCAA Tournament in 1982 and won its first Championship in 1987. Two more titles followed in 1989 and 1991. It would be five years before the next championship in 1996 but that started a string of three consecutive in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The Lady Vols are due to win a championship in 2004.
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK AGAINST THE 2004 TOURNAMENT FIELD Tennessee has faced in 21 teams in 25 games from the 63-team (plus UT) NCAA bracket. Overall, the Lady Vols have turned in an 22-3 record. UT has defeated: Auburn (68-61 OT), Baylor (71-69), Duke (72-69), Rutgers (59-49), Chattanooga (83-52), Oklahoma (71-55), George Washington (65-51), Louisiana Tech (85-65), Stanford (70-66 OT and 62-60), Notre Dame (83-59), Old Dominion (66-42), DePaul (96-89 OT and 79-59), Colgate (77-54), Vanderbilt (79-54 and 94-88), TCU (74-66), Georgia (70-67), Florida (88-79), LSU (85-62) and Mississippi (85-69). The Lady Vols three losses have come against Connecticut (67-81), Texas (60-70) and Georgia (66-68 OT). 2004 NCAA TOURNEY TIME FOR TENNESSEE The Lady Vols are in postseason for the 29th time in coach Pat Summitt s 30-year career at Tennessee. UT traveled for the first time ever in the 23-years of the tournament and attended the NCAA Midwest First and Second Round games at Leon County Arena in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 20 & 22. On March 20, the #2/3-ranked Lady Vols defeated Colgate, 77-54 and then #25-ranked DePaul, 79-59. Tennessee advanced to the Midwest Regional Championship in Norman, Oklahoma, and defeated #15/17 Baylor, 71-69, on Mar. 28 and #10/8 Stanford, 62-60, on Mar. 30. PLANTED SEEDS You can call it longevity. You can call it coaching and performance. You can call it strength of schedule. Whatever you call it, the University of Tennessee has earned 16 number-one seeds all-time in the NCAA Tournament since 1982. Additionally, UT has been seeded number two on three occasions, number three, three times and number four just once. From 1988-96, the Lady Vols had nine consecutive number one seeds. Only 26 schools have ever received number one seeds over the years. 2004 #1 SEEDS The four number one seeds in the 2004 NCAA Tournament have all been there before as UT leads with 16 top rankings in 23 NCAA Tournaments, Texas follows with five, Duke has four consecutive number one seeds, while Penn State has earned three over the years. GARDEN PARTY Teams with the most number one seeds through the years: 1. Tennessee 16 2. Louisiana Tech 10 3. Connecticut 9 4. Stanford 6 5. (tie) Texas, Old Dominion 5 7. (tie) Duke, Georgia, USC 4 IN THE OLD AIAW DAYS The University of Minnesota was the last school to host the old format 16-team AIAW National Championship tournament in 1977. The festivities in Minneapolis marked the first appearance in the AIAW Final Four for Tennessee and LSU. The Lady Vols played Delta State in one semifinal and lost, while LSU faced Immaculata in the other semifinal and advanced to the championship game against the Margaret Wade coached Delta State squad. The Lady Statesmen were too much for the Ben-Gal Tigers and LSU settled for a runner-up spot while the Lady Vols dispatched Immaculata in the consolation finals to finish third in their first national championship appearance. UT was led by All-American center Patricia Roberts and a rookie point guard from Bearden High School, and the Rocky Hill Community in Knoxville, Holly Warlick. OLD HOME WEEK FOR PAT AND SUE Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt and LSU head coach Sue Gunter go way back. Gunter, one of Summitt s mentors, was an assistant coach on the 1976 Olympic Team in which Pat Head (Summitt) was the team captain. Four years later, Head (Summitt) was Gunter s assistant coach for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team which never made it to Moscow due to the United States boycott of the Games. POKEY HAD FUN WITH THE LADY VOLS When LSU defeated Tennessee, 80-75, for the 1991 SEC Championship, interim LSU head coach Pokey Chatman led the Lady Tigers charge in the title win. CRAWFISH CONNECTION A little something will be missing from the Lady Vols sidelines at this Final Four that s been around at the last dozen trips Mickie DeMoss. DeMoss, former Lady Vol associate head coach (1985-2003), who moved into the head coaching position at Kentucky after the Final Four in Atlanta, Ga., last year, was part of UT s six NCAA titles and the Lady Vols resident Cajun. A native of Tallulah, La., DeMoss, along with coach Pat Summitt, were famous for their Krawfish Kookout at the Summitt Family Compound along the banks of the Tennessee River each Spring. The DeMoss Louisiana family members would drive through the night with hundreds of pounds of live crawfish for the weekend boil. I M AN LSU GRAD BUT MY PAYCHECK HAS ORANGE INK UT Women s Athletics Director Joan Cronan was a 1966 graduate of Louisiana State University and a native of Opelousas, La. Cronan has been onboard as the Women s Athletics Director at the University of Tennessee since 1983 and was a 1995 inductee into the LSU s Alumni Hall of Distinction. Cronan is married to Tom Cronan, also an LSU grad, who is an associate professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee. BUT GETTING TO THE ROUND OF 8 SURE IS ELITE The Lady Vols have been fortunate to advance to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time in 23 consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Tennessee has advanced to the Final Four in eight of the last 10 years. ADVANCING FROM THE ROUND OF 16 SURE IS SWEET The Lady Vols have been fortunate to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for 23 consecutive years. Additionally, Tennessee has made it to the regional finals in 19 of the last 23 trips to the Sweet Sixteen. The Lady Vols did not advance to the regional finals in 1985 (losing to Ole Miss, 63-60), in 1992 (losing to Western Kentucky, 75-70), in 1994 (losing to Louisiana Tech, 71-68) and in 2001 after a devastating loss to Xavier, 80-65. FAMILIAR FACES IN THE 2004 ELITE 8 The Tennessee Lady Vols have seen some familiar faces among the seven other teams that remained in the Elite 8 as UT took on five of the these teams in six games this season. UT posted an 4-2 overall record taking wins from then #6/5 Stanford (70-66 OT) A, #19/17 Georgia (70-67) A, #1 Duke (72-69) A, and #15/17 LSU (85-62) H. Tennessee s two losses were to then #4/3 Connecticut (67-81) H and #20/16 Georgia (66-68 OT) N. TENNESSEE S AVERAGE SCORE IN THE ELITE 8 Known as the toughest 40 minutes in collegiate basketball, in 18 all-time games in the Elite 8, the Lady Vols average 72.7 ppg and give up 67.5 ppg to the opposition for a winning differential of just +5.2. The four times Tennessee lost an Elite 8 game, UT averaged just 64.3 ppg while the opponents tallied 71.7 ppg giving the Lady Vols a losing average of 7.4. In six Elite 8 games played in Knoxville, the Lady Vols doubled their overall winning average, outscoring the visitors 78.0 while holding them to 65.2 ppg for a +12.8 winning margin.
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK ALL-TIME OPPONENTS IN NCAA PLAY OVERALL: 84-16 vs. 60 Opponents from 22 conferences GAMES RECORD TEAM 9 8-1 Virginia 6 2-4 Connecticut 5 4-1 Georgia 5 2-3 Louisiana Tech 4 3-1 W. Kentucky 3 3-0 Auburn 3 3-0 Rutgers 3 1-2 Southern Cal 2 2-0 Clemson 2 1-1 Duke 2 1-1 Iowa 2 2-0 Long Beach St. 2 1-1 Mississippi 2 2-0 North Carolina 2 2-0 Notre Dame 2 2-0 Old Dominion 2 2-0 Texas Tech 1 1-0 Alabama 1 1-0 Alabama State 1 1-0 Appalachian St. 1 1-0 Arizona 1 1-0 Arkansas 1 1-0 Austin Peay 1 1-0 Baylor 1 1-0 Boston College 1 1-0 Brigham Young 1 1-0 Cheyney 1 1-0 Colgate 1 1-0 Colorado 1 1-0 DePaul 1 1-0 Florida A&M 1 1-0 Florida Intl. 1 1-0 Furman 1 1-0 Georgia State 1 1-0 Grambling 1 1-0 Jackson St. 1 1-0 James Madison 1 1-0 Kansas 1 1-0 LaSalle 1 1-0 Liberty 1 1-0 Louisiana St. 1 1-0 Maryland 1 1-0 Memphis St. 1 1-0 Middle Tennessee 1 1-0 North Carolina A&T 1 1-0 Northwestern 1 1-0 Ohio State 1 1-0 Oregon 1 1-0 Penn State 1 1-0 Radford 1 1-0 Saint Mary s 1 1-0 S. Carolina St. 1 1-0 SW Missouri 1 2-0 Stanford 1 1-0 Tennessee Tech 1 1-0 Vanderbilt 1 1-0 Villanova 1 1-0 Virginia Tech 1 1-0 Wake Forest 1 0-1 Xavier ELITE 8 RANDOM NOTES In the 23rd year of the NCAA Women s Basketball Championships, Tennessee Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt coached in her 100th game in tournament play against Stanford. UT s Sweet 16 win over Baylor was Summitt s 99th game in NCAA action and her 83rd victory Her overall record in NCAA play is a phenomenal 84-16. It s sure been awhile. The last time UT defeated a PAC 10 team to go to the Final Four was in 1982 when Tennessee upset Southern Cal, 91-90 in overtime at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville, Tenn. UT s 1982 win over the Women of Troy, who were led by Pamela and Paula McGee in the first NCAA Tournament, also marked the first overtime game in NCAA women s tournament history. UT has advanced to the NCAA Final Four two previous times when placed in the Midwest bracket the Lady Vols shocked undefeated and #1 UConn in the 1997 Midwest Regional Finals in Iowa City, Iowa, toppling the Huskies 91-81. Tennessee went on to win the 1997 NCAA title (on this day) defeating Old Dominion in the title game, 68-59 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2002, UT defeated SEC rival Vanderbilt, 68-63, in Ames, Iowa to advance to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. UT has faced seven different conferences in Elite 8 games: ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 10, SEC and WAC. Of the 18 all-time games, UT is most likely to see a team from the Southeastern Conference six times UT has advanced to the NCAA Final Four five times after defeating an SEC team. Tennessee has faced the ACC the next most times to advance to the Final Four five times. The Lady Vols have earned three Final Four spots after defeating ACC teams. 19th time Tennessee has advanced to the Elite 8 and ninth time out of the last 11 years. 2004 marks the third time the Lady Vols will play in a Midwest Regional Championship game. Last year, the University of Tennessee hosted their sixth NCAA Mideast Regional Tournament since NCAA play began in 1982. Tennessee hosted the 1982, 1984 and 1987 Mideast Regionals in Stokely Athletics Center, the 1990 Final Four, the 1991, 1995 and 2003 Mideast Regionals in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT advanced to every Final Four when hosting a regional Last year in the Mideast Regional Final, Tennessee extended its home floor winning streak in the NCAA Tournament to 44 games. GOING TO THE MIDWEST The Lady Vols were placed in the Midwest bracket of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in 23 trips to the Big Dance. Tennessee advanced to the Final Four from the Midwest in 1997 (claiming the NCAA title in Cincinnati, Ohio), in 2002 where the team lost to UConn in the Final Four semis in San Antonio and now in 2004. Fifteen times previously, the Lady Vols were placed in the Mideast Regional and advanced to the Final Four nine times -- in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2003. Tennessee has been placed in the East Regional bracket five times (1988, 1989, 1990, 1996 and 1999) and advanced to the Final Four on three occasions 1988, 1989 and 1996. TEN IS ENOUGH VS. THE 2004 MIDWEST BRACKET Tennessee has faced 10 of the 15 teams (in 13 games) in the 2004 NCAA Midwest bracket this season and posted a 13-0 record. The Lady Vols defeated #15/17 Baylor (71-69)Chattanooga (83-52), Colgate (77-54), #25-DePaul (96-89 OT and 79-59), Florida (88-79), George Washington (65-51), #13/15 Oklahoma (71-55), #25 Rutgers (59-49), #6/5 Stanford (70-66 OT and #10/8 Stanford), and Vanderbilt (79-54 and 94-88). (rankings at time game was played) BREAKING DOWN THE MIDWEST BRACKET HOW WE VE FARED ALL-TIME Of the other 15 teams in the Midwest bracket, Tennessee has faced 10 schools all-time. Against all teams in the Midwest bracket, UT has a 142-19 (.881) record all-time. In the most recent games against these teams, the Lady Vols posted wins over every team. Team UT Record UT Last Game/Result Colgate 1-0 03-20-04, N, W, 77-54 George Washington 4-0 12-30-03, A, W, 65-51 DePaul 15-0 03-22-04, N, W, 79-59 Rutgers 10-2 12-11-03, H, W, 59-49 Chattanooga 18-6 11-23-03, H, W, 83-52 Vanderbilt 42-6 02-15-04, A, W, 94-88 David Lipscomb never played Oklahoma 2-0 12-21-03, A, W, 71-55 Marist never played Stanford 16-4 03-30-04, N, W, 62-60 Missouri 2-0 12-9-78, A, W, 74-61 Florida 33-1 02-19-04, H, W, 88-79 New Mexico never played Baylor 1-0 03-28-04, N, W, 71-69 Loyola Marymount never played (Bold indicates NCAA Tournament game)
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK RANKED TEAMS -- MIDWEST In the AP and USA TODAY/ESPN polls, six teams from the 2004 NCAA Midwest Regional are ranked led by second/third-ranked Tennessee. The next highest ranked team is Stanford (#10/8), and is followed by Oklahoma (#11/13), Vanderbilt (#13/14), Baylor (#15/17) and DePaul (#NR/25). THE TOP 25 POLLS ASSOCIATED PRESS (Mar. 14) 1. Duke 2. TENNESSEE 3. Purdue 4. Texas 5. Penn State 6. Connecticut 7. Louisiana Tech 8. Kansas State 9. Houston 10. Stanford 11. Oklahoma 12. North Carolina 13. Vanderbilt 14. Texas Tech 15. Baylor 16. Georgia 17. Colorado 18. Boston College 19. LSU 20. TCU 21. Ohio State 22. Auburn 23. Michigan State 24. Minnesota 25. Villanova ESPN/USA TODAY/WBCA (Mar. 14) 1. Duke 2. Purdue 3. TENNESSEE 4. Texas 5. Louisiana Tech 6. Connecticut 7. Penn State 8. Stanford 9. Kansas State 10. Houston 11. North Carolina 12. Texas Tech 13. Oklahoma 14. Vanderbilt 15. Georgia 16. Colorado 17. Baylor 18. Boston College 19. LSU 20. TCU 21. Auburn 22. Minnesota 23. Miami 24. Michigan State 25. DePaul YOU D THINK AFTER 30 YEARS... After last season, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt declared, we need to lighten our schedule. Except, she has said that each and every year she has coached the Big Orange. So this season s lightened schedule included opening the season with 11 consecutive games (Nov. 23 through Jan. 4) against teams who are playing in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. OUTTA KNOXVILLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MARCH For the first time in 25 years, the Tennessee Lady Vols didn t play a post-season play-off game in Knoxville. Tennessee had won 44 consecutive NCAA play-off games at home since 1982 (32-0 in NCAA First/Second Rounds and 12-0 in six NCAA Mideast Regionals hosted in Knoxville. When you add in the AIAW years, Tennessee has won 50 consecutive (since Mar. 15, 1980) post-season AIAW/NCAA games at home. Overall, UT has won 52 out of 53 games in Knoxville since Mar. 10, 1979. UT s only loss in post-season play at home was a 74-72 AIAW Region II defeat to Old Dominion on Mar. 10, 1979. That year, the winner of the Region II Tournament was given the higher seed in the AIAW Regional Championship Tournament (Sweet 16) while the loser was sent to a tougher regional bracket. As the Region II winner, Old Dominion traveled to Tennessee Tech for the AIAW South Regional while Tennessee earned a trip to the Bronx, N.Y. (Fordham Univ.) for the East Regional. Both ODU and Tennessee advanced to the AIAW Final Four in Greensboro, N.C. that year. AP POLL NOTES The Associated Press women s Top 25 basketball poll released on Jan. 1, 2001, marked the 400th appearance by the Lady Vols. Since the poll was started in 1976, UT has failed to appear in just 14 polls through the years. Currently, UT has been ranked in 339 consecutive polls and since the 1986-87 season and the Lady Vols have been in the top 10 for all but one poll. UT is the only team to have been ranked every year for the last 28 years of the poll. UT has appeared at least once per season over the poll's history. RANKING OUR OPPONENTS IN 2003-04 The #2/3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols have faced 16 (13-3 overall) ranked teams in 33 games (48% of its opponents). TENNESSEE vs. ranked #17/17 Notre Dame, W, 83-59, H #10/11 Louisiana Tech, W, 85-65, H #25 Rutgers, W, 59-49, H #6/5 Stanford, W, 70-66 OT, A #13/15 Oklahoma, W, 71-55, A #5 Texas, L, 60-70, H #19 TCU, W, 74-66, A #1/1 Duke, W, 72-69, A #22/25 Auburn, W, 68-61 OT, H #4/3 Connecticut, L, 67-81, H #19/17 Georgia, W, 70-67, A #15/17 LSU, W, 85-62, H #20/16 Georgia, L, 66-68 OT, N NR/#25 DePaul, W, 79-59, N #15/17 Baylor, W, 71-69, N #10/8 Stanford, W, 62-60, N PLAYED A FEW RANKED The Tennessee senior class of Ashley Robinson, Tasha Butts, and LaToya Davis have faced 73 ranked teams out of 138 career games 53% of their collegiate contests have been spent playing against the best in women s basketball. Following the game with #10/8 Stanford, the senior class has compiled a 59-14 record against ranked teams winning 80% of the time. Overall, this senior class is 122-16 in all games (.884) for their Tennessee tenure. THE NATION S STRONGEST SCHEDULE AND RPI The 2003-04 WBCA/Summerville final overall Rating Percentage Index (RPI) (3-14-04) had the Lady Vols on top with a score of.714. The top five included: 1. UT.714, 2. Duke.677, 3. Penn State.675, 4. Purdue.674, 5. Texas.669. The Summerville/WBCA RPI also looked at each school s strength of schedule. The Lady Vols were also on top with an index of.687. Following UT: 2. Penn State.646, 3. Florida.644, 4. Texas A&M.620, and 5. Duke.620. DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS Besides Louisiana Tech, with 17 wins over UT, only three other teams have recorded double-digit victories against the Lady Vols during the Pat Summitt era of Lady Vol basketball. Georgia has claimed 14 wins in 46 meetings, Connecticut has registered 12 wins in 18 meetings, and Texas 10 wins in 25 meetings with the Lady Vols. LADY VOL STREAKS The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against Connecticut, 67-81, on Feb. 5, 2004. -- since then the team has won three games at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Jan. 4, 2003, at Connecticut, 62-63, since then the team has won 20 road games. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against Georgia, 66-68 OT, in the SEC semifinals on Mar. 6, 2004. Since then, UT has won four games on a neutral court.
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK FINAL SEC STANDINGS (Overall won-lost record current) SCHOOL SEC W-L. Tennessee 14-0 30-3 LSU 10-4 27-7 Auburn 9-5 22-9 Florida 8-6 19-11 Georgia 8-6 25-10 Vanderbilt 8-6 26-8 Ole Miss 7-7 17-14 Mississippi St. 7-7 14-15 Arkansas 5-9 16-12 Alabama 4-10 12-16 Kentucky 3-11 11-17 South Carolina 1-13 10-18 SEC IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT EAST REGION Hartford, Conn. Sun., March 21 Bridgeport, Conn. #4 Auburn def. #10 N.C. State, 79-59 Tues., March 23 Bridgeport, Conn. UConn def. Auburn, 79-53 MIDWEST REGION Norman, Okla. Sat., March 20 Tallahassee, Fla. #1 Tennessee def. #16 Colgate, 77-54 Sat., March 20 Albuquerque, N.M. #5 Florida def. #12 N. Mexico, 68-56 Sat., March 20 Chattanooga, Tenn. #2 Vandy Def. #15 Lipscomb, 76-45 Mon., March 22 Tallahassee, Fla. Tennessee def. DePaul, 79-59 Mon., March 22 Chattanooga, Tenn. Vandy def. Chattanooga, 66-46 Mon., March 22 Albuquerque, N.M. Baylor def. Florida, 91-76 WEST REGION Seattle, Wash. Sat., March 20 Philadelphia, Penn. #3 Georgia def. #14 Liberty, 78-53 Sun., March 21 Ames, Iowa #7 Villanova def. #10 Ole Miss, 66-63 Sun., March 21 Baton Rouge, La. #4 LSU def. #13 Austin Peay, 83-6 Mon., March 22 Philadelphia, Penn. Georgia def. TCU, 85-71 Tues., March 23 Baton Rouge, La. LSU def. Maryland, 76-61 WEST REGION Seattle, Wash. Sat., March 27 LSU def. Texas, 71-55 Georgia def. Purdue, 66-64 Mon., March 29 LSU def. Georgia, 62-60 MIDWEST REGION Norman, Okla. Sun., March 28 Tennessee def. Baylor, 71-69 Stanford def. Vanderbilt, 57-55 Tues., March 30 Tennessee def. Stanford, 62-60 FINAL FOUR New Orleans Sun. April 4 Tennessee vs. LSU, 7 p.m. Connecticut vs. Minnesota, 9:30 p.m. Tues., April 6 National Championship [ESPN] 8:30 p.m. 232 WINS IN LAST 255 GAMES The Lady Vols have won an amazing 232 games in their last 255 basketball contests (.909) spanning eight seasons (starting with NCAA Tournament play in 1997). UT was 6-0 in the 1997 NCAA Tourney, ran the table with a 39-0 record in 1997-98, turned in a 31-3 worksheet in 1998-99, a 33-4 mark in 1999-2000, a 31-3 overall record in 2000-01, 29-5 in 2001-02, 33-5 in 2002-03 and 30-3 in 2003-04. KNOXVILLE S NOT FRIENDLY TO THE OPPOSITION The average score of an NCAA First/Second round game against the Lady Vols in Knoxville typically does not bode well for the opposition. The Lady Vols defeat its NCAA Tournament opponents in Knoxville by a score of 89.5-52.1 or an average victory margin of 37.8 ppg. UT GETS THE POINT The Lady Vols turned in their highest point total ever in the NCAA Tournament scoring 113 versus Appalachian State in First Round action on Mar. 13, 1999. Previously, Tennessee had scored 111 points against North Carolina A&T on Mar.16, 1994 in NCAA opening round play. UT s 113 points against ASU was the fifth most ever scored in NCAA First/Second Round action. THESE SEEDS GREW Tennessee has played in an incredible 98 games in the NCAA Tournament since 1982. Six times the Lady Vols have brought home NCAA titles to Knoxville. On the 16 occasions when UT lost in the tournament, the following seeds bounced the Lady Vols out. #1 seed 1982, 1984, 1986, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 #2 seed 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993 #3 seed 1999 #4 seed 1992, 1994, 2001 UT S NCAA OT GAMES UT has played in five overtime games in the NCAA Tournament producing a 4-1 record including two overtime wins in the Final Four. UT defeated Southern Cal, 91-90, in the first overtime game in NCAA tourney history. UT advanced to the NCAA s first Final Four in 1982 from that overtime affair. The Lady Vols played in the first triple OT in NCAA history when UT defeated Ole Miss, 90-83, in 1983. In UT s most heartbreaking loss in the program s history, Virginia defeated UT, 79-75 in OT, for the 1990 NCAA East Regional title. That loss kept the Lady Vols from playing in the 1990 Final Four on its home court Thompson-Boling Arena. In 1991, the Lady Vols returned the overtime favor to Virginia and defeated the Cavaliers in the first overtime NCAA title game, 70-67. Tennessee s last extra stanza game in the NCAA Tournament came at the 1996 Final Four with a dramatic, 88-83, victory over Connecticut in the Final Four Semi game. OUR GANG IN TALLAHASSEE The University of Tennessee women s basketball team traveled to Tallahassee, Fla., for the first time since the 1984-85 season. While the Lady Vols had no playing history with their first round opponent, Colgate, Tennessee had faced off against a Patriot League team in the last year. UT defeated Army, 96-44, on Nov. 30, 2002 in Puerto Rico. Colgate split with Army this season losing 79-76 on the road and winning at home, 69-56. However, the Lady Vols are very familiar with DePaul and George Washington. Doug Bruno s DePaul squad almost claimed its first win ever over the Lady Vols on Dec. 17, 2003 but lost a heartbreaker in overtime, 96-89 in Chicago. Tennessee s record against the Blue Demons now stands at 15-0 dating back to 1991. UT and George Washington have met four times with the Lady Vols claiming all four wins. Most recently, the two teams met on Dec. 30, 2003, in Washington, D.C., where the Lady Vols took a 65-51 victory. SEVEN SEC TEAMS DANCE The Southeastern Conference had seven teams to start dancing in March. In the Mideast Regional, the SEC s natural regional site, there were no teams represented. The West Regional featured Georgia and LSU (Ole Miss lost to Villanova), Auburn traveled to the East Regional and lost to UConn, while Tennessee and Vanderbilt went the Midwest Regional (Florida bowed to Baylor). LSU and Tennessee are still alive in the Final Four and will assure representation of one SEC team in the NCAA title game. UT S LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM? When is the last time Tennessee lost to an unranked team? That would have been to LSU on Mar. 2, 2002 at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. LSU had been in and out of the Top 25 polls in late January and February. Prior to that, UT s last loss to an unranked team was five years previous (to the day) losing to Auburn on Mar. 2, 1997 at the SEC Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn. ALL TIMES EASTERN
2004 NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK At The Half SEC teams own a 182-34 (.843) record when leading at the half. Here's a look at how each team has fared when leading, tied or trailing at the half. Lead Tied Trailing Alabama 9-4 1-0 2-12 Arkansas 10-2 0-2 6-8 Auburn 20-3 0-1 2-5 Florida 16-4 1-1 2-6 Georgia 23-4 1-0 1-6 Kentucky 9-3 0-1 2-13 LSU 23-0 0-0 4-7 Ole Miss 14-7 0-1 3-6 Mississippi State 10-3 1-1 3-11 South Carolina 8-2 0-1 2-15 Tennessee 20-1 1-0 9-2 Vanderbilt 20-1 2-0 4-6 TOTALS 182-34 7-8 40-98 It's All About Rebounds SEC teams have a 160-48 (.769) record when outrebounding their opponents. Here's a look at how teams have fared when they won, lost or tied in their rebounding battle. Won Tie Lost Alabama 9-9 1-0 2-7 Arkansas 8-3 1-1 7-8 Auburn 22-4 1-1 0-3 Florida 14-6 2-0 3-5 Georgia 19-1 0-0 6-9 Kentucky 5-3 2-2 4-12 LSU 19-2 1-0 7-5 Ole Miss 10-5 1-0 6-9 Mississippi State 6-10 1-0 7-5 South Carolina 6-1 1-2 3-15 Tennessee 24-1 1-0 5-2 Vanderbilt 19-2 4-1 3-5 TOTALS 160-48 16-6 53-85 WOW--11 SEASONS OF 10 SEC VICTORIES In the win over LSU in the regular season, Tennessee claimed its 14th SEC victory of the year. The Lady Vols have now registered double-digit victories in conference play an incredible 11 times. Since the 1991-92 season when SEC play expanded, the Lady Vols have won at least 10 games in the following years: 1992-10 games, 1993-11 games, 1994-11 games, 1995-11 games, 1998-14 games, 1999-13 games, 2000-13 games, 2001-14 games, 2002-13 games, 2003-14 games and 2004-14 games. 34 CONSECUTIVE SEC REGULAR SEASON WINS With the victory over LSU on 2-29-04, the Lady Vols have now won 34 consecutive regular season SEC games dating back to a loss at Vanderbilt on Feb. 2, 2002. Two years ago, the Commodores wrapped up the Lady Vols going away with a 76-59 victory in Nashville to deal Tennessee its only SEC loss of the season. 54 CONSECUTIVE SEC HOME WINS With the victory over LSU on 2-29-04, the Lady Vols have now won 54 consecutive SEC home games. The last SEC loss at home was to Georgia on Dec. 8, 1996, 94-93 (OT). PECK S THE ONLY ONE The roll call goes like this: Sylvia Hatchell, Sharon Fanning, Jane Albright, Lea Henry, Nancy Darsch, Trish Roberts, and now Mickie DeMoss. etc., UT coach Pat Summitt has faced many former players and assistant coaches in a variety of games thru the years but Carolyn Peck is the only one to record a victory over her former boss. While at Purdue, Peck handed Summitt a 78-68 loss on Nov.15, 1998 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in West Lafayette, Ind. The defeat snapped UT s 46-game consecutive winning streak (that was second only to Louisiana Tech s all-time 54-game winning streak). 100 POINT GAMES Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 69 times. Noteworthy: Tennessee went over 100 points in an NCAA playoff game for the first time ever in 1993-94 with the win over North Carolina A&T, 111-37. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games leading the NCAA. THIS IS AMAZING From 1980-1997, the Lady Vols claimed a total of six SEC regular season titles in 17 years. Since 1998, Tennessee has captured the last seven consecutive SEC regular season crowns producing an amazing 85-3 record. UT s only league losses have been to Vandy, Georgia and LSU during this stretch. SEC LEAGUE PLAY UT owns a league best record of 214-29 against all SEC teams dating back to 1983. SEC PLAY 2004 This season, the Lady Vols played home-and-home games with Arkansas and South Carolina and traditional rival, Vanderbilt. Last season, the Lady Vols played home-andhome games with Auburn from the West and Florida from the Eastern Division of the SEC. Shoot 'Em Up SEC teams have a 135-16 (.894) record when shooting 45 percent or better from the field. Here's a look at how each team has fared when they shoot above or below 45 percent. Over 45% Under 45% Alabama 6-2 6-14 Arkansas 5-3 11-9 Auburn 17-1 6-7 Florida 10-1 9-10 Georgia 18-0 7-10 Kentucky 6-3 5-14 LSU 19-0 8-7 Ole Miss 6-3 11-11 Miss. State 7-0 7-14 So Carolina 9-1 1-17 Tennessee 17-0 13-3 Vanderbilt 15-2 11-6 TOTALS 135-16 95-122
2003 NCAA TOURNAMENT RECAP 2003 NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUND GAMES Tennessee played host to Alabama State, Illinois and Virginia in the first two rounds of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. While Alabama State had no playing history with Tennessee, the Lady Vols were very familiar with Illinois and Virginia. In fact, Tennessee has seen the Cavaliers in postseason play more than any other team in the tournament with nine meetings all-time. NOTES GOING INTO ATLANTA BACK TO THE FINAL FOUR After attending four consecutive Final Fours (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998) and winning three consecutive titles (1996, 1997 and 1998), the Lady Vols missed the festivities in 1999 and 2001. UT did make an appearance at the 2000 NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia, Penn., and lost to the Connecticut Huskies for the title. UConn turned the same trick at the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, rocking the Lady Vols in the semis, 79-56. Last year in Atlanta, Tennessee advanced to the 2003 NCAA title game before dropping a 73-68 decision. Alltime, the Lady Vols have advanced to 14 NCAA Final Fours and grabbed an unprecedented six titles. 14 FOR SUMMITT Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has passed legendary John Wooden of UCLA in a number of NCAA Tournament categories. Most significantly, Summitt has passed Wooden for most trips to the Final Four with 14 to Wooden s 12. CHECK OUT THAT NCAA RECORD IN THE 90s The Lady Vols put together a 38-6 (.863) winning record in the NCAA Tournament in the 1990s while winning four NCAA titles in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998. UT IN NCAA TITLE GAMES Tennessee has appeared in 10 NCAA title games (6-4 overall) since 1982 and won six championships. The Lady Vols have a 16-8 record in Final Four play. In the old AIAW days, UT made two title game appearances (1980 and 1981). EVERY LADY VOL PLAYED Every Lady Vol hoopster (since 1976) has played in at least one Final Four during her career at Tennessee. MOST PARTICIPANTS EVER All-time, a total of 77 Lady Vol team members have participated/played in the Final Four. That ranks first among all schools. Louisiana Tech is second with 65 participants all time. NCAA FIRST ROUND: ALABAMA STATE The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols opened the 2003 NCAA Tournament with a dominating 95-43 rout of 16-seed and Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alabama State at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Mar. 22, 2003. With the victory, UT moved its overall record to 29-4, while ASU s season ended at 20-11. Tennessee is now 41-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play on its home floor and a perfect 22-0 in NCAA Opening Round matchups. With the win the Lady Vols advance to the NCAA Second Round to face the eighth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers on, March 24 in Knoxville. Sophomore Shyra Ely led all scorers with 17 points, and tied Loree Moore for the team-lead in rebounds with eight caroms. Brittany Jackson hit four three-pointers in totaling 16 points, while Courtney McDaniel with 12 tallies and Gwen Jackson with 11 points rounded out the Lady Vols reaching double-figures. UT outscored the Lady Hornets 26-6 at the charity stripe and held ASU to only 24.3 % shooting, while hitting at a 50.8% clip. The Lady Vols also controlled the boards 49-38, and the Tennessee bench outscored its ASU counterparts 40-9. All 11 Tennessee players saw at least 10 minutes of time on the hardwood, and 10 of them totaled at least two points. UT controlled the game from the start racing to a 12-0 lead at the 17:33 mark, keyed by two buckets by Ely, who posted 13 first-half tallies. Alabama State showed why it won its conference title, as the Lady Hornets provided a little sting in rallying back to trail only 17-11, behind six points from center Crystal Kitt. ASU found themselves down just 24-18, with 10:24 to go in the first half, after another Kitt bucket. However, UT went on a 14-4 spurt, completed by a Brittany Jackson trey, for a more comfortable 38-24 lead. Another Brittany Jackson three-pointer and a Tasha Butts lay-in made it 47-27, and a Butts long-range bomb with two seconds remaining sent the teams to the locker room with UT leading 52-28. ASU got within 59-35 coming out of the locker room, but Tennessee had too much on both sides of the ball as threes by Shanna Zolman and Butts kick-started a 36-8 run over the final 14:37 that helped UT to the 52-point victory. In the second stanza the Lady Vols outscored ASU 43-15. NCAA SECOND ROUND: VIRGINIA Top-seeded Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd consecutive season with a convincing 81-51 rout of the eighth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in second round action at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Mar. 24, 2003. With the win, UT (30-4 overall) posted 30 wins in a single season for the 13th time in Lady Vol history and now advances to face the fourth-seeded Penn State Lady Lions in the Mideast Regional semifinals to be held in Knoxville on Sat., March 29. UT was led in scoring for the second straight tournament contest by sophomore Shyra Ely who had a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds. Gwen Jackson and Loree Moore each totaled 13 points, while Kara Lawson hit for 11 tallies and freshman Shanna Zolman rang up 10. In both NCAA Tournament games, UT has held its opponent under 28% shooting as the Lady Vols allowed the Cavaliers to hit at a 27.4% clip on 17-of-62 from the floor. Tennessee forced 23 UVA turnovers, nabbed 11 steals, dished 14 assists and won the second half 48-27, despite being outrebounded for the game 42-41. For the second straight contest UT came out with a lot of energy as Ely provided a spark in scoring nine of UT s first 14 points as the Lady Vols roared to a quick 14-3 advantage. A Liz Sahin three drew UVA back within six, but another Ely bucket and a Zolman 17-footer extended UT s lead to 19-8 with 10:02 to play. Virginia showed it was here to battle, as a 14-6 spurt by UVA closed the deficit to only three points at 25-22. However, four free throws and buckets from Tasha Butts and Brittany Jackson highlighted an 8-0 spurt as Tennessee went to the break up 33-24. The Cavaliers stayed close early in the second half at 50-38 with 10:45 remaining, but a 22-5 run sparked by two threes from Zolman and a trey from Brittany Jackson helped UT to a commanding 72-43 lead with only 4:41 to play. From there it was free throws down the stretch as Tennessee closed out the 30-point win and its 42nd-consecutive NCAA Tournament victory in Knoxville. NCAA MIDEAST REGIONAL SEMIS: PENN STATE The Elite Eight is top-seeded Tennessee s next destination on the road to Atlanta and the NCAA Final Four, as UT put on a dazzling display in all facets of the game to rout fourth-seeded Penn State (26-9) 86-58 in the Mideast Regional Semifinals on March 29, 2003 at the Thompson- Boling Arena. The crowd of 10,507 were treated to a show, as three Lady Vols reached doublefigures and all 11 UT players saw time on the hardwood, with 10 reaching the scoring column. Gwen Jackson led the team in both scoring and rebounding by posting a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds in a performance dedicated to her grandmother who passed away earlier in the week. Shyra Ely totaled a 14-point, nine-rebound afternoon, while senior Kara Lawson was responsible for 14 points, eight boards and five assists. Tennessee had been challenged by its coach to attack the boards and did so against Penn State with impunity as UT dominated the Lady Lions 54-24 on the glass. On the afternoon, Lawson put on a stifling defensive performance by holding PSU superstar Kelly Mazzante, the nation s fourth-leading scorer, to only 12 points,