Lady Vols know what to expect from Stanford

Tennessee's plan has the familiarity of an old textbook.

The pages devoted to defense are noticeably dog-eared. Makes it easier to turn right to the important strategy for an opponent like Stanford

"We're going to play our typical defense,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said, "both in the full court and the half court.''

The Lady Vols just don't have many experienced players implementing their intentions. There's nothing typical about a Tennessee team with one senior and the youngest starting lineup in program history.

Although UT's roster makeover already has been chronicled by an 8-2 record and a No. 11 national ranking, tonight's visit from the Cardinal (TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m.) punches the refresh button on this storyline.

"I think our scouting report defense and having the discipline to commit to it is going to be very telling," Summitt said.

It was the last time these teams met. The Lady Vols followed the plan to near-perfection, scoring a 64-48 victory in the national championship game in Tampa, Fla. UT's five starters, chastened by a 73-69 overtime loss at Stanford during the regular season, were instrumental in the outcome. All five, including All-American Candace Parker, were seniors.

The banner that they helped raise to the arena rafters faces the Stanford bench. As if the No. 3 Cardinal (8-2) needed any extra incentive. Their memories already sufficed. In an Associated Press preview story in November, center Jayne Appel said: "We can't wait to go back and play Tennessee."

Stanford also has taken a personnel hit, losing four-time All-American Candice Wiggins. But the Cardinal returns Appel and forward Kayla Pedersen, who combined for 28 points in the Dec. 22 win over UT.

Stanford also will introduce its own precocious freshman in forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, who's fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game.

Like Tennessee, Stanford is distinctive in its approach.

"They run the triangle offense probably better than anyone in the country,'' Summitt said. "They're very committed to it. They're well drilled in it. They read defenses. They're a very smart team."

Tennessee's defense, meanwhile, is a plan in progress. Freshman Alyssia Brewer's indoctrination essentially began with watching that championship game last April.

"Your mindset before you go into a game has to be about defense,'' she said. "It's not about how many points you're going to score, anything like that. If you get your defense straight, then your offense will be just fine."

Brewer described the actual learning process as if it's been part of her course work.

"It's just like you go to school, you get new material you have to learn for a test,'' she said. "It's the same with basketball. You get your defenses and you find out where you have to play. You just memorize that and your test is the game."

Based on UT's last game, at Old Dominion on Thursday, the Lady Vols need to study their pressing alignments. The Lady Monarchs weren't troubled by one of UT's signature strategies.

"We weren't closing traps,'' Summitt said. "We gave them too many windows of opportunity to go by us or throw over us. We weren't as good as I thought we should be."

The return of guard Shekinna Stricklen will help. Her athleticism and 6-foot-2 wingspan are ideal for pressure.

Any physical aptitude, though, is dependent upon having the proper attitude, too .

"It's hard work,'' Summitt said. "There's no other way to describe what we want to do in full-court pressure other than to say we want to commit and we really have to work hard to make this happen.

"It only takes one person to be out of position or not sprinting back to break it down. That's why it's such a team game."

And that's why any plan is only as good as the personnel behind it.