Adams: Consistent effort needed from seniors to spark UT

On almost the same date a year ago, senior guard Tasha Butts scored a career-high 37 points as UT rallied for a 94-88 victory at Vanderbilt. That wasn't just a victory. It was a sign.

In the five games leading up to her 37-point game, Butts had scored 38 points. In the five games after her 37-point game, she scored 75.

UT's strong finish wasn't about a one-player turnaround. It was about three seniors - Butts, Ashley Robinson and LaToya Davis - playing the best basketball of their careers in the last two months of the season.

They led the Lady Vols to the national championship game, which they lost to Connecticut 70-61. No shame in that. In fact, few of coach Pat Summitt's teams have got as much out of their talent as that one.

The current team hasn't come close.

The Lady Vols are 19-4, ranked fifth in the country and are second in the SEC. And after their 72-63 victory over the Commodores on Sunday, their last four regular-season games are all against unranked teams.

Their record will improve. Their ranking might improve.

But if they don't become more consistent, they won't even make the Final Four, much less win it.

This team is more talented and deeper than it's predecessor. But it's not as determined or as competitive on a consistent basis.

Not only did last year's team achieve consistency. It raised its game when it mattered most.

Butts, a graduate assistant on this year's team, and her fellow seniors wanted to make their stretch run with a vengeance. "Don't leave anything on the floor" became their philosophy. With time running out on their careers, they also thought, "We've got nothing to lose." That clicked with Davis more than anyone, who played more relaxed than ever, according to Butts.

Butts doesn't bring up last year's success with this year's team, which includes many of the same players. "I don't want to dwell on it," she said.

She shouldn't have to dwell on it. The three seniors on this team should figure it out for themselves.

Seniors Shyra Ely, Brittany Jackson and Loree Moore have all had a positive impact on UT basketball. But their careers have been marked by ups and downs. For example, Ely, who was an All-American last year, was removed from the starting lineup after a lackluster performance against No. 1-ranked LSU on Thursday.

Nonetheless, these three seniors need to do for this team what Butts, Davis and Robinson did for last season's team. And there's no reason they can't.

It's not about talent. It's about a mindset.

Ely was awful in last year's Final Four, making only five of 21 shots. But it's not as though she is always inadequate against good teams. In UT's 71-69 NCAA tournament win over Baylor last year, Ely had a game-high 19 points and a team-high eight rebounds; she had 27 points against nationally ranked Georgia in last year's SEC tournament.

Moore had one of the most impressive games of her career with 11 points, three assists and two steals in a 72-69 victory against No. 1-ranked Duke last season. She scored one 3-pointer after returning with what was later diagnosed as a season-ending knee injury. She also had 12 points, three assists and hit two clutch 3-pointers in a 68-67 victory over Connecticut last month.

Jackson's shooting has run hot and cold throughout her career, but it's not affected by pressure. Last year, she had 15 points and made all three of her 3-pointers as UT beat nationally ranked Georgia 70-67 on the road. In another road game, against nationally ranked Vanderbilt, Jackson made four of nine 3-pointers and scored 14 points in UT's six-point victory.

These seniors sometimes get lost on a deep roster that fosters a myriad of different lineups. But their potential is certainly comparable to the last three seniors.

They just need to make the same commitment. What have they got to lose?

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.