LSU shares Lady Vols' struggles

Van Chancellor's sense of humor and his folksy manner haven't suffered terribly during this women's basketball season.

It's his sense of optimism that's absorbed the blows.

"It has been one of the greatest challenges I've ever had, to stay positive and patient with this young team,'' LSU's coach said.

Chancellor's stories sound like those of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and for good reason. The Lady Tigers are every bit as youthful as UT with seven freshmen on their roster and have endured similar struggles.

There was an echo in their words in advance of tonight's game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. (Tipoff: 9 p.m., TV: FSS). Both coaches have been challenged by getting their young players to understand how hard they have to play.

"I know everything she's going through,'' Chancellor said. "I've been going through it."

The two teams who have jousted for the SEC regular-season championship the past two seasons meet with fourth place in the conference standings and a first-round bye in the SEC tournament on the line.

Those are relatively meager rewards, considering these teams played in the national semifinals last season. But that seems like ages ago when you note how No. 18 Tennessee (19-8, 8-4 SEC) has slipped to its lowest ranking in 24 years or you listen to Chancellor fret about the Lady Tigers' NCAA tournament status.

Although LSU (15-9, 8-4) has won three consecutive games - including a 66-47 thrashing of then-No. 9 Florida on Feb. 15 - and has an RPI of 29, Chancellor doesn't feel totally secure. His concern is compounded by LSU being a host site for first- and second-round games.

"My whole thinking is you better play ball at this time of year,'' he said. "You better play and not leave anything to chance."

Playing consistently has been the goal for both teams throughout the season. Summitt received some heartfelt motivational help Wednesday from former Lady Vol Melissa McCray Dukes, who spoke to the team before practice.

"I just wanted to remind them of who we are and what the program means,'' she said. ". . . to remind them to fight because it's who we are and what we do."

McCray Dukes personalized her message by sharing with the team that she again is battling cancer.

"It's my reality to fight,'' she said. "I know it has to be theirs."

In addition to being poignant, McCray Dukes' assist was timely. Summitt has almost run out of ploys after booting the team from its locker room last week. Chancellor has taken note of Summitt's methods but hasn't taken a cue from them.

"I haven't done any of that,'' Chancellor said. "I think that's worked for Pat over the years. I don't know if mine could handle it."

The greatest similarity between the two teams has been their myriad of starting lineups. While the Lady Vols are on their 11th, the Lady Tigers have used 10 different combinations. Four games ago, Chancellor settled on Allison Hightower, LaSondra Barrett, Kristen Morris, Katherine Graham and Latear Eason and said he was sticking with them "sink or swim."

"We've been as inconsistent as any team I've coached within the game,'' said Chancellor, who's in his second season at LSU but has 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels. "At one time, we were the best 23-minute team I've seen."

That said, the Lady Tigers' defense doesn't look much different than years past. They are first in the league, allowing 52.3 points per game on average and 35.5 percent field goal shooting.

LSU's defense could be the difference tonight, unless UT counters by limiting its turnovers and doing what it does best: rebound.

The Lady Vols lead the SEC in rebounding (43.8 per game) and rebound margin (plus-7.5). Overall, they've been more consistent than the past two UT teams, which won national championships.

"I think the battle of the boards is always, always a big challenge when Tennessee and LSU play,'' Summitt said. "It's a war on the boards, and we've got to battle."