Bjorklund hopes shot returns to beat Notre Dame again

OKLAHOMA CITY - Angie Bjorklund put both hands in front of her face and made a gesture signifying a blinking neon sign.

Just imagine the word on the sign saying "slump."

The Tennessee freshman isn't bashful about telling the world her shooting touch has been hit-or-miss the past few weeks.

"Oh, it's no big secret," she said as the Lady Vols (32-2) prepared for tonight's Sweet 16 matchup in the NCAA tournament against Notre Dame (25-8). "It's obvious."

Maybe it's obvious to a perfectionist like Bjorklund, but Fighting Irish coach Muffet McGraw has a different vision of the neon sign surrounding UT's top 3-point threat - "Danger."

Bjorklund torched Notre Dame for 21 points, all from long range, in Tennessee's 87-63 regular-season romp Jan. 5 in South Bend.

"I have fond memories of her," McGraw joked as she shook her head. "We were trying to guard her.

"She's somebody that is a huge concern to defend. She's just an outstanding player, and we might put somebody on the bench with her just so we're ready for her when she comes in."

Bjorklund laughed off the thought of Notre Dame being so concerned about a repeat performance.

"It's a new game," she said. "They're going to watch that game film and play me a lot differently.

"It would be great if they keep doubling off me and going onto Candace (Parker). I just have to expect to be face guarded, hunt for my shot and get the ball to Candace if they're not double teaming her."

Three times this season, Bjorklund has tied a school record with seven 3's in a game.

Going into UT's NCAA tournament opener against Oral Roberts, she was 1-for-11 in her previous four games. She hit 4-of-10 against Oral Roberts, but was 0-for-3 in a second-round game against Purdue.

"The past couple of days I've got in a couple extra shots, looked over film and adjusted things with getting my feet set," she said. "I just have to come in confident. I want to do whatever I can do to help my team win."

Big Presence: Notre Dame is one of five schools from the Big East that reached the Sweet 16. The total, a conference record, was two more than the SEC, which was tied with the Atlantic Coast Conference with the next largest presence (three).

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma extolled the Big East's virtues this season, after the Huskies nearly were upset at DePaul. He got in a dig at some other power conferences as well.

"Just because you're the No. 1 team in the country, that doesn't mean you can go into another building in your conference and name the score,'' he said. "If we did, we wouldn't be the Big East. We'd be the Big Ten or the Pac-10 or the SEC."

Trying To Help: Notre Dame bounced a potential home team for this regional site by eliminating Oklahoma in the second round, 79-75.

No matter, McGraw isn't wrestling with any sense of guilt.

"No, we're combing the state for Catholics right now," she said. "I'm hoping to fill up the arena and get all the Catholic school kids out here today. We were practicing over at the Fighting Irish gym at Bishop McGuiness. I'm hoping the people come out. I plan on wearing (Sooner) red and hope the people will cheer for us."

Nod To Brown: Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said one the biggest differences in Duke under first-year coach Joanne P. McCallie is Blue Devils assistant coach Al Brown, the former Lady Vols assistant.

"I've known him since the Tennessee days," said Blair, a former coach at Arkansas. "Great tactician of the game, he's like having a (pro assistant) Tex Winter on the bench to help you out as the head coach."

Notebook: Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of UT's 93-75 national championship victory over Louisiana Tech, which capped the Lady Vols undefeated season. … UT and Notre Dame last met in the tournament in 2002 with the Lady Vols winning 89-50 in Knoxville. … UT and Notre Dame are each averaging about 12 steals per game. … Tennessee has lost just four times in 26 Sweet 16 games.