SEC women's basketball coaches generally support the expanded 16-game conference schedule this season but they don't agree on the specifics.
The round-robin format, which has grown to home-and-home games with five opponents - four on a two-year cycle - has created dueling opinions.
Georgia arguably has suffered more than any team from the vagaries of this format since it first began in 1996-97 with a home-and-home with a traditional opponent. Yet Lady Bulldogs coach Andy Landers is a staunch supporter.
"It think it's an attempt to keep the competitive playing field as level as you can keep it and that's what's important,'' he said at SEC Media Day Thursday.
LSU coach Van Chancellor, on the other hand, thinks the standard divisional format used by the other sports, "would create a ton more interest."
"I'd rather have two chances to win a championship than one,'' he said.
Chancellor can imagine how his perspective will be perceived.
"Everyone is going to say I'm bothered because I catch Tennessee twice (the next two seasons),'' he said. "Two years from now I won't catch Tennessee twice."
Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said: "I think divisions would definitely be easier for our fan base to understand."
While there was more uniformity on adding the two conference games, Auburn coach Nell Fortner wondered whether the added wear and tear might impact teams' postseason fortunes.
Tennessee and Kentucky should be the most concerned since they are the only two schools that didn't leave an open date. But Kentucky's Mitchell and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt are fine with the extra conference games.
Workaholic: Fortner described her team as "the hardest working, hungriest team I've had since I've been at Auburn."
One of the prime examples is a freshman: guard Morgan Toles. She's the daughter of former Tennessee linebacker Alvin Toles. She's worked out regularly with members of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream.
"You can't work this kid hard enough,'' Fortner said.
Injury Report: Vanderbilt will be without top freshman Stephanie Holzer for the next three to four months. The 6-foot-4 center underwent ankle surgery.
"We thought the cavalry was coming,'' said Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb in reference to Holzer. "We're going to have to wait one more year for the cavalry maybe."
Georgia already has lost guard Christy Marshall to a season-ending knee injury. Landers was worried freshman guard Jasmine James had suffered the same fate a few days after Marshall, but James' knee injury turned out to be a bone bruise.
Orange Incentive: At a low point last season, LSU's Chancellor combined Tennessee and the Lady Tigers hosting opening-round NCAA tournament games into one motivational ploy.
He sat his players in the stands and announced UT's starting lineup, Coach Summitt included. He was laying out a worst-case scenario.
"If we don't get to playing better,'' Chancellor told his players, "when the NCAA playoffs come, we're going to be out here watching Tennessee play on our own court."
The Lady Tigers ended up as tournament participants, not spectators.
Straight Shooters: Kentucky's 38 percent field goal shooting was 11th in the SEC last season. The Wildcats' three-point percentage (29.6) was 10th. Both numbers ought to be boosted by sharpshooters Keyla Snowden and Rebecca Gray. The transfers from Akron and North Carolina respectively are eligible this season and have been burning the nets in practice.
"When Rebecca Gray misses a 3-point shot, I'm kind of surprised,'' Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell said.
What's In A Name: Mississippi State's coach now goes by Sharon Fanning-Otis.
The former UT graduate assistant married Larry Otis last year. She met the retired mayor of Tupelo, Miss., who was a widower at the time, at an appreciation day for Tupelo native and former Lady Bulldog guard Tan White.
"Tan gets another assist,'' Fanning-Otis said.
Watch Out: Judging by Thursday's chatter the most underrated conference team is Mississippi State, which was picked fifth by the media in the preseason poll.
"Blew my mind,'' Balcomb said of the State pick. "That's the first thing I noticed."
Chancellor predicted South Carolina, which finished 11th last season, to be the surprise team in the league, and he described Arkansas and Ole Miss as being "dangerous."
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Softball: Tennessee 2, Georgia 1
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 41
CTOWNICON writes:
The sec is going to be real interesting this year. I think most of the teams are going to be good this year. Most of them return their same roster from last year and that usually means improvement for most teams. I think the top three will be UT, Miss. State and LSU.
KeithfromSweden writes:
Why doesn't Tennessee want to play the University of Connecticut anymore? I realize it's non conference but it seems like all of us basketball fans are missing out because of someone's ego getting in the way. I sure hope it's not a case of "yellow fever" having infected one side of my favorite sports rivalry.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
That is an enduring mystery to many of us. It has the flavor of a deep personal grudge by Pat against Geno that goes beyond competition on the court or in recruiting, but anybody who knows the details isn't talking, as far as I know.
CTOWNICON writes:
Well in an interview she had last year and when she was asked that question she just said that she would not play any program that did not follow the rules. She really didn't elaborate on it, being the classy woman that she is, but she just said that UT will play Stanford and Uconn can play Stanford. It's not a case of yellow fever, never that from Pat! All you have to do is look at the tough schedule UT plays year after year. I wish they would play again as well but I respect Pat's decision and I agree with her regardless of my own selfish interest to see the two teams battle on the court. So for now they just have to meet tournament time!
KeithfromSweden writes:
So what you are saying is that Pat Summit refuses to schedule any games against Connecticut because she feels they cheat? The coach of the USA national team is a cheater? WOW!
KeithfromSweden writes:
I just read the article "UT reports secondary violation after Summitt's meeting with recruit publicized with photo in newspaper". Does Tennessee cheat too? I'm all confused!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
The picture was taken by a local newspaper photographer in Texas. Pat did not arrange to have it taken and did not have any control over where, when, or whether it was published. When UT became aware that the photo was published, they self-reported a secondary violation. Secondary violations are the NCAA equivalent of parking tickets.
KeithfromSweden writes:
Tack så mycket (thank you)johnlg & C TOWNICON for your insights. I did a check on NCAA violations by the Connecticut Womens program and couldn't find anything other than the same type of "secondary cheating" that Tennessee has committed. So that leaves ego and "yellow fever". I've checked the last few years schedule and Tennessee does play a tough schedule even if the SEC has fallen a bit as far as US national conference statistics are concerned. But they don't play the top team in the USA when almost all of the other top ranked teams do. I was always taught that to be the best you have to play and beat the best. Someone should just tell Ms Summit to just "Git-R-Done" so that we can all enjoy the competition.
Biggie writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
KeithfromSweden writes:
Nothing surprises me anymore in the world of today but from what I've read he seems to be quite a dedicated family father and husband.
As far as UT pulling UCONN into the limelight, isn't it true that womens collegian basketball prior to the UCONN/UT rivalry was played more under dim streetlights then limelights. You see, that's the beauty of all the great rivalry's, everyone wins!! Especially all of us who love the game.
KeithfromSweden writes:
How tragic is it going to be twenty/thirty years from today when all the great players that have been a part of UT and UCONN womens basketball get together at some function, maybe at the Olympics or The Hall of Fame or someplace like that, and they start talking about the great games associated with the greatest rivalry in womens basketball, only to notice a group of sad faced women quietly listening with nothing to add to the conversation. They were not allowed to play.
KeithfromSweden writes:
By the way, great article and quotes Dan, thanks for the research and depth. It really helps us non SEC'ers (USA'ers) get hyped for your conference schedule.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
All of us casual fans are just nuts if we think we know everything that goes on behind the scenes in big-time college sports. We don't know what the coaches and other insiders know. All I can say is that Pat has a life-long record of playing anybody, anytime. For her to change that would require something completely outside the normal give-and-take of recruiting and competition. People who are inclined to trust Pat will accept her decision even if they don't understand it. Those who are not so inclined will draw their own conclusions. It seems you have already drawn yours, so just live with it.
KeithfromSweden writes:
I'm sorry. Live with what?
KeithfromSweden writes:
I'm sorry. I haven't drawn any conclusions, for that matter who am I, all I seek is another scheduled game between the the University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut before one of the two teams becomes less significant and destroys the rivalry.
KeithfromSweden writes:
"All of us casual fans" 442 posts are not classified as casual fan in Sweden.
KeithfromSweden writes:
Boy john I just checked some of your football(American College) postings and I'm glad I'm not from Alabama! But I will challenge you to a hockey shootout if your up to it! My rink!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Well, after I gave you all the reasons I knew and discounted the idea that Pat's ego was too big--or maybe too weak; I'm not sure how you meant it--or was afraid of UConn--which I assume is what you meant by "yellow fever", you still came back with those two "reasons", hence my conclusion that you had already drawn yours. Also, I assume the 442 figure you included in one of your posts was the number of posts I have made on Lady Vol articles--I surely never kept count. I'm pretty sure it isn't yours, unless you have used other screen names. I am an AVID fan, but I don't claim to have knowledge unavailable to anyone else who watches the games and follows the media, hence my inclusion of myself in the category of "casual fan". You asked the question and I gave you my answer, admitting that I don't KNOW the answer, just that from what I know of Pat it was no mere whim on her part.
CTOWNICON writes:
Don't pay attention to statistics! The sec had just as many teams in the NCAA tournament as the Big East! If you want that rivalry to start again maybe you should contact the NCAA and ask for harsher punishments for those who violate the rules of recruitment. Even though Pat cancelled the series you cannot blame her for that. She felt one sided and so she reacted the best way possible. She can't force the NCAA's hand but she can control who she plays and Uconn got away with a slap on the wrist and I assume she just did not feel it was right and it wasn't. You have to ask yourself how can all that was rumored to have taken place why the investigation only warranted Uconn such a light punishment! You compare someone snapping a picture of Pat to arranging an ESPN tour for a recruit and her mother. There is no comparison! Who knows who influenced her decision when she was on ESPN tour or what they promised her and her mother. Since you have no way of knowing, it should not be allowed! So don't blame Pat for this you go and point the finger at Geno and the NCAA people.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I don't play hockey; the cold makes my nose run. That's why I chose to play basketball. I'll take a nice, warm gym over a cold hockey rink any day. After all, I AM a southerner(;-D)!
Oh, and to put UT and Alabama into perspective for you, think Finland and Russia, minus the guns and tanks--so far(;-P)!
KeithfromSweden writes:
no john....sweden / finland in hockey! like cats and dogs!
YankeeVol writes:
Wow, based on the volume and intensity of his/her postings, I think our blogger from Sweden is having a manic episode. There are some fabulous medications on the market to help with that...
KeithfromSweden writes:
By the way John, even if you don't play hockey, your team did stop #1 from staying #1.
KeithfromSweden writes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee
YankeeVol writes:
A brilliant cultural synopsis... but those of us from Boston cannot stand the New York reference.
The_Truth_and_nothing_but_the_Truth writes:
Why was the series stopped..........perhaps recruiting. When Tennessee loses some big games to UCONN what happens to recruiting. The Maya's, Diana's, and crew stop looking at Tennessee. Tennessee is being picked 2nd in the SEC and UCONN is being picked to win it all again. I wouldn't want to play UCONN either.
CTOWNICON writes:
Statistics don't mean anything! The season still has to take place and the games still have to be played! If I were any program I would love to play Uconn because like UT they are the measuring stick in the womens game. No one is scared to play Uconn if they level the playing field and follow recruitment rules. Let every program have a fair chance at a recruit without the bribes. Lets not leave that fact out! Everybody wants to blame Pat because the series stopped, where is Geno's part in this and ESPN! Pat was right in all of this and yet she is being blamed for Geno and ESPN doing wrong. She had the guts to stick up for what is right!
The_Truth_and_nothing_but_the_Truth writes:
If Geno is the devil incarnate, he has horns underneath that wavy Italian hair why has the basketball world made him the 2012 Woman's Basketball Olympic Coach. I would like to point out to the cerebral writer above me that typically you have to not only be a great coach but be morally and ethically correct. Furthermore the Tennessee players trying out for the team reportedly have a high degree of respect for Geno.
98reax writes:
OK, johnlg, you have done your best to deal with the querulous sweedOne who is doing a dubious job of stirring up a stale matter. Perhaps the sweedie has been abroad for a few years; but even those in foreign nations know Pat Summit is a woman of integrity.
One does not question her word. She will not give in to the whining accusations of such nutcases who think they know and understand what goes on in the recruiting process. Even a novice fan should know that being captured by some photographer who may or may not know the rules of NCAA recruiting is certainly not the same violation as a blatant attempt to lure a recruit by showering tours and gifts upon the recruit and her family members, which IS NOT a secondary violation.
I don't know what Pat Summit knows. I have not been in contact with geno (I am so thankful for that), but I have heard him and seen him traduce her and make his louche remarks toward her and her program. All the while she has refused to be sucked into his puling. I admire her for that and for taking a very bold step to remove herself and her team from a degrading relationship.
What's best for the fan is not always what's best for a team. Just as you implied, johnlg, there are things we do not know, but if and when geno's program is exposed for the truth of the matter, why take the chance of dragging her program into an ugly media mess?
Pat is the one who was willing to take the heat, the name-calling, the ridiculous accusations of 'yellow-fever' to maintain the integrity of her program. One does not become the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history by backing down from bully coaches. She need only rest on her program's record and leave the mockery to the idiots and the sweedOnes.
It takes a sui generis character to go against the grain the way she has to stand up for what is right. How many of us could do it? Could you, sweedOne?
If a man slaps you silly against your will, that man has assaulted a human being. Now, in a court of law, that offense may be ruled any number of things, BUT you are slapped silly, nevertheless. Offenses are ruled by who you are and what you are allowed to get away with. A violation is a violation no matter how it is ruled by the NCAA. Only the heart knows what is wrong and what is right.
KeithfromSweden writes:
I guess I've changed my name "the sweedOne" If I could swap the d for a t I might just use that. Thank you.
You present very passionate points which I wholly respect and I admire your love for your team and coach. I've heard it said that "love is blind" Don't let it blind you. First you (collective UT'ers) say that nobody knows the reasons for Ms Summits decisions and then you keep circling back to some ESPN incident. Didn't the NCAA investigate that incident? What did they find out? They just made the coach of that program the big chief of your national team!
I also think that "one does not question her word" can be a very dangerous viewpoint. I'm sure that Ms Summit has not surrounded herself with "yes sayers". Everyone makes mistakes and the best associates and friends are the one's who can point out other paths of action when they see a valued freind going down a wrong path. Happy trails!
KeithfromSweden writes:
YankeeVol...have had a chance to read some of your postings....you crack me up man....living in MA do any of your buddy's know that you use the "Yankee" reference?
Keep your sense of humor and keep blogging....by the way the manic highs I suffer from are better than cocktails at the Agassi's.
98reax writes:
sweedOne, I'm not circling back to ESPN with my post. I know that many allegations made by geno toward Pat date back more than a decade, long before the Maya Moore tour and/or Mother Moore's couturier.
The major offenses to which I refer mean very little to the recruiting regulations but cut to the heart of the matter regarding Pat's decision to opt out of the TN vs UConn rivalry. Those, IMHO, are the ones which shed a brighter light on the ethical quandary our distinguished Coach Summitt had to wrestle with. She explained her decision openly, quite eloquently in an interview last season. You can find it on GVX, if you care to search for it. Or, you may go on with your misguided thinking that she incorporates "yellow-fever philosophy" into her coaching technique.
You can beat the life out of a team on the court, or you can match them play for play. You can be defeated by that team year after year. That is the history of the UConn vs TN rivalry, but the future of that rivalry will be determined in the NCAA Tournament just as many other exciting Women's College basketball rivalries have. Why don't we just leave it at that and stop digging up bones and throwing stones, OK?
KeithfromSweden writes:
Or should I say sweeTOne. Sorry I don't know what IMHO means. Sorry. Yesterday I looked at the most eloquent interview you refer to and agree with you that there are some personal issues at the root of this problem that I sure hope they(as in plural!) can resolve so that we can see this great rivalry again. Wikipedia, hardly an expert yet very unbiased http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UConn%E2... tells it well....
KeithfromSweden writes:
Hey Yankee Vol the kite's still rising.
I'm at Time's Square with my family returning from a two week holiday in the Caribbean in early Jan 07. We have a day and a half before we go back to icy Sweden so we figure we can get some sightseeing and shopping done. My youngest son comes up to me and asks me why that lady is dressed in all orange. Don't know I tell him but I'll ask.
She tells me that her girls did this and her girls did that, and after they did that the first time they did this then they did it again, and she said that she had never experienced anything even close to like wow. The goal for the the season was accomplished. Everything else was just icing on the cake.
While we were both waiting in line she told me that she was treated very well by the Connecticut fans and looked forward to UT kicking some blue .....ok ok...let's just say she expressed an interest in seeing the rivalry continue.
I told my son that it was nothing to worry about and there were plenty of other "very strange people" to look at so try not to focus on any particular person or group.
CTOWNICON writes:
The Tennessee players are not Pat Summitt and they have nothing to do with what has taken place with Geno and Pat. Of course they are going to play that is what they do regardless of who is coaching and it is their jobs so that observation was pointless. Thats USA basketball that they are playing for and Geno is the coach. And I am sure Pat is happy that they are playing and so am I. I don't know if he is the devil but I do know that he violated with the recruitment process of Maya so you can sugarcoat it how you like, but you eat it, don't try to feed it to me! It is your opinion he is ethical and of course you are judging with a biased mind but I don't think so and I am entitled. Good coach, maybe, but nothing ethical about that man.
The_Truth_and_nothing_but_the_Truth writes:
Your analysis of my comments (which were meant to be neutral) are funny.
You might notice that I did not say one thing negative about the Vols or Pat. I do think Tennessess has a long, successful and proud program.
Your response is like a Pavlov dog. Soon as you see something about UCONN or Geno your response is automatic.
You should let the rest of us have access to your crystal ball or perhaps you should stop kneeling at the altar of "Pat" and stop drinking that "Orange Juice".
BigRMan writes:
Why do I get the feeling KeithfromSweeden is really Mike from Connecticut posing under cover trying to pull everyone's chain? Just a thought!
CTOWNICON writes:
BigRMan I thought the exact same thing! The more you read the posts it sounds just like him.
CTOWNICON writes:
Yes, my response is automatic about Uconn mess on this board so I will wear the title of Pavlov dog well! This happens to be a lady vol site and you don't need a crystal ball, try reading sometimes. Information is out there just waiting to be read. As long as you get on your knees for Geno, I will defend Pat and drink plenty of orange juice!
KeithfromSweden writes:
Boy you guys are paranoid. How come? Jag borde posta mina kommentarer på Svenska istälett!? Good luck chasing shadows.
CTOWNICON writes:
Back to you! Whatever you said but ten times worse!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.