Despite the absence of heavyweight Connecticut, Tennessee’s women’s basketball schedule for 2007-08 isn’t lacking the usual marquee value or degree of difficulty.

The Lady Vols will replay last season’s Final Four at remodeled Thompson-Boling Arena, hosting North Carolina (Dec. 2), Rutgers (Feb. 11) and LSU (Feb. 14).

These games will be three of 17 against NCAA tournament teams of last season. The latter two are part of a rough seven-day stretch that will conclude with a road game at SEC/instate rival Vanderbilt on Feb. 17.

“I just peeked at that (week),’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said.

Summitt again offered no comment on why Connecticut is not on Tennessee’s schedule for the first time since the series began in the 1994-95 season. The reasons are believed to revolve around recruiting and the prickly relationship between Summitt and Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.

“I don’t want to take away from the schedule we have,’’ Summitt said. “I’m really excited about this schedule.”

Summitt said that no specific game was added to replace UConn. She said that discussions with Oklahoma and Rutgers began before the decision to discontinue the series with the Huskies.

“It’s not like we highlighted one in particular,” she said.

While playing Rutgers will recreate last season’s national championship game, the Oklahoma game Nov. 15 at the site of this season’s Final Four in Tampa, Fla., will feature Sooners star Courtney Paris and UT’s Candace Parker.

“There’s been a lot of comparisons,’’ Summitt said. “Both have had great impacts on their respective teams. I think there’s a lot of interest in them going head to head.”

As for other scheduling highlights:

Tennessee’s first exhibition game (Nov. 4) will be against the U.S. senior national team.

“That should be great,’’ Summitt said. “You talk about exposing our weaknesses. We’ll know right off.”

UT will play West Virginia on Nov. 21 in Lady Vol Alexis Hornbuckle’s hometown of Charleston, W. Va. The Charleston site was negotiated in the series contract.

North Carolina will make its first visit to Knoxville in 20 years. Summitt credits Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell with reviving the series and hopes that it will continue.

“From my standpoint, I think it’s a great game,’’ Summitt said.

DePaul returns to the schedule after a two-season break, affording Parker a chance to play before family and friends in Chicago. The 6-foot-5 forward is from Naperville, Ill.

Gonzaga (Dec. 16) has been added to the home schedule. The Lady Vols will return the trip, allowing freshman Angie Bjorklund to play in her hometown of Spokane, Wash.

Along with Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State are the SEC foes that UT will play twice during the regular season.

The regular season will end a week later than last season with a March 2 game at Georgia.

Notebook: DePaul’s Doug Bruno, who coached the gold-medal U.S. U-19 team told Summitt that team member Vicki Baugh, a Lady Vols freshman, threw down a two-handed dunk during a team practice. … Fellow freshman Kelley Cain attended both summer sessions, giving her more time in the weight room to enhance her strength.

Dan Fleser covers women’s basketball. He can be reached at 865-342-6288.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.