Adams: Title contenders are breathing easier without UConn around

When Stanford defeated Connecticut, every other team still alive in the NCAA women's basketball tournament had cause for celebration.

Never mind UConn's current talent level or its No. 3 seeding in the tournament. It had won three consecutive national championships and four of the last five.

And if it had made it to Indianapolis for the Final Four, it should have been favored to win a fourth.

UConn's 2002 national championship team was the most talented women's team ever assembled. But neither of its last two championship teams had an overwhelming talent advantage in the Final Four.

The Huskies had the game's premier player in Diana Taurasi, but their overall confidence was just as big a factor in their Final Four success. Once they advanced that far, they didn't believe they could lose.

The Lady Vols understand that as well as anyone. They won three consecutive national championships from 1996 through 1998. If they hadn't been upset by Duke in a 1999 regional final, the Lady Vols likely would have won four in a row.

And if UConn hadn't got in their way, they might have won eight or nine national championships instead of six.

From 2000 through 2004, UT lost to UConn in the national championship game three times. If the teams had won their regionals, they would have met again in the national semifinals next week.

Thanks to Stanford, that's no longer a UT concern. UT assistant coach Holly Warlick was happy to say so.

"I was glad to see Stanford win," Warlick said. "Do I have respect (for UConn's program)? Absolutely.

"They're tough. They have been our nemesis for an awful long time.

"I'm sure people would be thrilled if we got beat as well. That's just the nature of being on top."

With UConn having been toppled, the top spot is wide open, but the Final Four edge goes to UT if it can beat Rutgers in tonight's Philadelphia Regional championship game.

In fact, this game might be as big a challenge as any UT would face in the Final Four.

Rutgers is a quick, athletic team that plays suffocating defense. It's also capable of matching UT in intensity and motivation. And not only did it beat UT during the regular season, it has been hardened by a schedule almost as demanding as the Lady Vols'.

The Scarlet Knights also should be buoyed by UConn's elimination. They lost two of three games to UConn this season and are 2-18 against the Huskies all-time.

"We obviously will have to play great to beat Rutgers," Warlick said. "But since we've been (to the Final Four), I do think that would give us an edge (if they make it back).

"There's a lot going on. You focus on one game at a time. If you've been there, you realize how important that is."

Warlick remembers how confident UT's 1997 team was once it made the Final Four.

"We had 10 losses (during the regular season)," Warlick said. "But once we got there (to the Final Four), our kids believed they were going to win."

If this Tennessee team beats Rutgers, it should believe the same thing.

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