SOMERSET, N.J. — Tennessee already had plenty to worry about with a motivated opponent and a hostile environment looming.
The Lady Vols didn’t need a sudden health concern.
At least a left knee injury suffered by starting forward Vicki Baugh during a Thursday afternoon practice at Rutgers Prep School apparently isn’t as serious as it first appeared.
X-rays taken were negative. The initial prognosis by Jenny Moshak, the Lady Vols associate athletic director for sports medicine, is that Baugh suffered a sprain of the lateral collateral ligament. Indications are that Baugh’s surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament is OK.
Baugh’s official status is listed as day to day Her availability for Saturday’s game against Rutgers is, at best, uncertain.
“We’re not going to rush anything,’’ UT coach Pat Summitt said. “But (Moshak) is not ready to rule her out.”
Baugh’s ACL injury, suffered during the national championship game last spring, likely was on her mind after she came down hard on the leg Thursday. She tumbled to the court and reacted in a strong, spontaneous fashion.
“She’s relieved,’’ Summitt said.
Baugh’s injury adds to the UT subplot surrounding Saturday’s game. The Lady Vols already were bracing for a hostile reception after last season’s game-clock controversy, which helped them escape with a 59-58 victory over the Scarlet Knights in Knoxville.
“I tell them every time they hear boos they will be for me,’’ Summitt said. “Every time they hear whatever they hear, you know.”
The majority of Tennessee’s youthful squad didn’t play in last season’s game, which was won by two free throws by former Lady Vol Nicky Anosike after the game clock appeared to freeze with two-tenths of a second left.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was incensed by the turn of events and launched into a lengthy tirade afterward.
“The clock froze,’’ she said that February night. “I’ll remember that.”
Eleven months later, the Rutgers fans likely haven’t forgotten either and will have their say.
“Trust me,’’ Summitt said. “My concern is not what I’m hearing from the stands, it’s what I’m going to see on the court.”
Tennessee has won just once on the Louis Brown Athletics Center court and that was on Dec. 30, 1988. To put the time lapse in perspective, only two current Lady Vols — Alex Fuller and Cait McMahan — had been born before that win.
“I’ll remind (the players) we’re 1-3 on this court,’’ Summitt said. “We have a lot to get us focused. Am I going to deal with the clock issue? No, I’m through talking about that.”
Before UT’s last visit, Stringer was using the holiday break to whip her team into better shape and it showed in a 65-51 thrashing of Tennessee on Dec. 29, 2004.
After blowout losses at Cal and Stanford last month, the same methods are at work with this Rutgers team, which has won six in a row.
“There are things that hours of practice will tell,’’ Stringer said after Monday’s 57-47 win over George Washington. “That’s why for the Scarlet Knights it’s always extremely important that we get real solid practice time. We’ll practice seven or eight hours in a day when we are on break. So we’ll have two sessions where we are learning, we are explaining and we are taking our time. It pays off, it always pays off for us.”
Notebook: Former UT guard Shannon Bobbitt, who is home on a holiday break from playing professionally in Turkey, visited the team’s hotel Thursday.
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Comments » 17
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
beggers can't be choosey. The beggers from Rutgers were frozen on that call. The reason they are still mad is because all of the bi ting about it in the world, isn't going to change it. And today , the unfairness of it all, is just too much to get over. The clock cannot get up on stage and apologize for what it did. Jesus has called us all a generation of adulterers and adulteru, whatever, you know what I mean, and Vivian missed a chance to witness for Christ when the overpaid talk show host showed his ignorance. She could have said that we all need Christ and have sinned, and not to take things personally. Well, it's just a game and I am glad I care about it, and the outcome. I think that if we play well, we will beat these girls, clock preview of not.
rizwranII writes:
It's obvious from the facts (per the shot clock manufacturers statements about who and how the clock can be controlled) that your clock manager pulled a fast one. What other explanation can there be. Be big enough to admit you lost. And the whole nation, including the fair minded people of Tenn. loss a lot of respect for Pat Summit for not having the strength of character to state the obvious...that Tenn won? a tainted game that should have been a W in Rutgers column.
tenn32rebel writes:
rizwranII writes:
It's obvious from the facts (per the shot clock manufacturers statements about who and how the clock can be controlled) that your clock manager pulled a fast one. What other explanation can there be. Be big enough to admit you lost. And the whole nation, including the fair minded people of Tenn. loss a lot of respect for Pat Summit for not having the strength of character to state the obvious...that Tenn won? a tainted game that should have been a W in Rutgers column.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
rizwranII -- First, messy stuff happens in life so you better get used to dealing with it.
Second, the refs are responsible for the game clock. There is no "clock manager" for ANYONE TO BLAME.
Third, Pat does not need to apologize for something out of her control.
Fourth, if the shoe had been on the other foot, Pat would have walked away from the discussion after initially presenting her thoughts. She did that will Geno & UCAN'T when we dropped them from the schedule.
Fifth, don't come on a Lady Vol article, stomp on how beloved coach and expect to get away unscathed. If you stay in the North and be quiet, we'll be good neighbors.
GO BABY LADY VOLS---OUR FUTURE CHAMPIONS!!!
ncvol writes:
I don't think the clock thing will ever go away...but you are right tenn32rebel that the refs are responsible for the game clock. It was out of Pat's hands.
Now, we will face the same team on their court and hopefully we can play lights out and bring home a win.
GO Vols!
98reax writes:
Surely we won't continue to dig up dead issues. tenn32, said it right about the shoe being on the other foot. For instance, the Texas game could very easily have been a whole different ballgame if indeed the officials had not taken over the game from the jump. If you disagree with that remark go back and look at the game. TN could not pass gas without a whistle. Stripes sent Glory Johnson to the bench in the first 2 minutes of that game and they've had their eye on her ever since. Warning: The first person who jumps on this comment with their ignorant 'thug theory' will be baring their rear end for the cold north wind.
As for you rizwad, no intelligent fair-minded people will see Pat Summitt as anyone who would condone cheating of any kind. If you know squat, you know Pat is respected by the Nation. She is and will be remembered as one of the greatest coach/mentor/persons of all time. If she had an inkling of ANY wrongdoing effecting the outcome of a game, she would be the first to scratch that game from the record books.
Can you tell me how my computer jumped a day plus eleven hours a few days ago for no reason? I can tell you it was simply a glitch. I did nothing to cause it nor fix it. It just happened. With technology, things just happen. Who's to blame?
SomeGuy writes:
Rutgers fans and anti-UT fans continue to repeat the Big Lie that the clock stopped improperly. The clock is controlled by the officials' whistles. The fact is that an official blew a whistle to indicate a foul by Rutgers which stopped the clock. The clock stopped when it did because it was supposed to be stopped at that point. Had Rutgers not fouled our player then the clock wouldn't have stopped.
98reax writes:
Hey SomeGuy, I like that 'splanation. Let's go with that one.
98reax writes:
I hope they don't tie into Glory. I'm pretty sure she would wipe out the entire team if she was on the receiving end of a Rutgers cheap shot. I hope nothing like that happens. I would certainly hope our Lady Vol would neither jeopardize her own career, nor obfuscate the integrity of the women's program by engaging in rancorous malfeasance. The most difficult thing to do is the bravest and most intelligent which is to walk away and leave all the eggnog on the face of those who instigate such behavior.
Thanks for your support, Mikey. If you go to the game be ready to duck and run. Happy New Year.
chatteastbrainerd writes:
Mike from Connecticut, since you are gracing us with your presence, what are your feelings about Pat's electing not to play Connecticut? I, for one, miss this annual match-up of arguably the two best programs in women's basketball, including the WNBA. It was always THE game that received national attention. Tennessee's schedule is now lacking a team that rivals the emotion associated with playing the Lady Huskies.
I have never heard anything about the "thug" atmostphere at Rutgers. I know that Pat and Vivian are (perhaps were) very good friends, as the media pointed out when the LV play the SK in the national championship game in 2007. BTW, do you have a link to any site that documents Moore's abuse last year at the hands of the SK?
chatteastbrainerd writes:
Thanks, Mike, for the link. I will give it a look. It's rare that we get a visitor to this site who writes so eloquently about the most storied rivalry in women's sports. I have no doubt that the LV and LH will meet again at some point in March or April, but it probably won't happen with our freshmen-laden team this year. As for Rutgers, I had no idea until I read this article that the LV had won in that gym only once in four tries. The LH have had their share of problems in that gym as well. The info you've shared will make watching the game even more interesting. Thanks for the insight.
mississippi writes:
Mike thank you for being cordial, but I hope you are wrong about Rutgers playing a dirty game.
rooski1 writes:
Mike, your overall tone and general intelligent posts today are great. Keep up the good work. It is much more fun to talk to someone who doesn't just bad mouth all the time. I am sure that LV's and LH's will meet again over the next many years. But both programs need to keep an eye on several other programs that are creeping up behind us. Speaking of those programs, which schools(other than UT) do you consider to be your biggest rivals? WE have Stanford,LSU,Texas,Duke and Vanderbilt trying their best every year to be our rivals.Pat also commits to every LV player that she will schedule a game against the closest major school to that player's home. Does Geno try to do that also?
mississippi writes:
i agree whole heartedly with tenn32rebel . GO LADY VOLS
mad_poly_uct writes:
I've been to 1 game in the RAC. Never again. Most foul mouthed fans I've ever witnessed.I feel like I'm in a bit of a weird place regarding tomorrows game. I'd normally root for any BE team against TN, but the thought of rooting for Rutgers is making me already feel....dirty.....Rooting for TN? Just plain weird! Good luck LV's. Should be fun game to watch.
mad_poly_uct writes:
Funny how the whining Rutgers fans forget that if they had just pulled down the the rebound they had about 3 shots at doing,the game would have been over.
Hey rebel. Have fun watching tomorrow.
ladyvolsbballluver writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
tenn32rebel writes:
ladyvolsbballluver,
Your comments need HEAVY editing before the public should be allowed to read them.
Maya Moore DID NOT DESERVE THAT TYPE OF CHEAP SHOT!!!
Lady Vol fans witnessed too much of THAT TYPE S#%T against Candace Parker!!! Hurting someone is NOT the way to beat a team.
Yes, I don't like Geno either but name-calling is also not appropriate because you make ALL LADY VOLS FANS LOOK BAD. Stop it now!
Man, I can't believe I'm taking up for UCAN'T. However, some things are always wrong!!!
GO BABY LADY VOLS---OUR FUTURE CHAMPIONS!!!
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