OKLAHOMA CITY - Tennessee is traveling light as it settles in at another stop along the NCAA women's basketball tournament trail.

Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt has a particular tone in mind as the Lady Vols reach the semifinal round of the Midwest Regional and it's anything but heavy-handed.

"It's a feel-good time," she said. "It's feel good. Everyone needs to feel good about who they are, what they bring to our team."

Sounds more like Dr. Phil than a basketball coach. Summitt has her reasons and they revolve around facing Notre Dame at 9:30 tonight (TV: ESPN2) at the Ford Center.

The game follows Texas A&M versus Duke at 7. The winners play Tuesday for a trip to the Women's Final Four in Tampa, Fla.

The top-seeded Lady Vols (32-2) have reached the point where the opposition is more dangerous. No. 5 Notre Dame (25-8) is fresh off a 79-75 overtime upset of No. 4 Oklahoma last Tuesday and looks more seasoned that the team UT dispatched 87-63 on Jan. 5 in South Bend, Ind.

Furthermore, the Lady Vols' aspirations are more relevant. They couldn't be higher, considering UT is the defending national champion and loaded with seniors.

"When you get to this point, there's a chance some players might put pressure on themselves," Summitt said. "You have to keep them loose in terms of just playing the game and not focusing on the score."

In steering her squad through a narrower tournament bend, Summitt tries to keep it right down the middle between a worthy performance and a suitable tenor.

"It doesn't mean expectations aren't going to be high and if we're not happy, we're not going to point it out," she said. "But they want it. They want it. We just have to help them at times. It may be just to encourage them, inspire. Whatever we have to do."

An example was the about-face Summitt did on possibly yanking Alberta Auguste from the starting lineup. She was grousing about Auguste's five turnovers against Purdue on Tuesday. The next day, Summitt was admonishing herself for being "impatient" with the senior guard and telling her so.

Summitt thought through the situation and likely put it in a postseason context to reach her conclusion.

"In the postseason one thing that sends me over the edge is turnovers," Summitt said. "She has to cut down on turnovers.

"I think part of it might be feeling like she has to make something happen at the beginning (of a game) and she doesn't. She just has to get into the flow of the game."

After their talk, Auguste said that she and Summitt planned to watch film together Saturday.

"She's giving that trust to me,'' Auguste said. "She's more comfortable putting me out there with the rest of the veterans. For me, it's a great feeling to be out there. And for her to be confident in me will help my game a whole lot."

Some of Auguste's teammates definitely took a light-hearted approach to Saturday's media session. A chance to reflect on playing here four years ago in the McDonald's High School All-Star game gave Alexis Hornbuckle and Nicky Anosike a chance to tease Candace Parker for their 91-66 victory as members of the East squad. Parker played for the West.

"Hopefully we can keep our winning streak alive on this court and she can get one, you know, because it's on her," Hornbuckle said.

"You think that's funny?" Parker countered.

When asked about Parker's evolution since then, Anosike got in another shot at UT's star player.

"Candace has definitely gotten her hair done since then," Anosike said. "And now she's fabulous."

Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw sounded like she was favoring the same approach while talking about the Fighting Irish being winless in 19 tries against Tennessee.

"I feel like it's printed on my forehead '0-for-Tennessee,' " she said. "But I think I'm getting Pat at a good time. She's coming off the shoulder injury. She's got bad knees. I think this year if we get her in a running game, I got her."

Think again. When it was her turn, Summitt was quick with a comeback. And it was appropriately light.

"She's going to have to take those high heels off to catch me," she said.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.