DULUTH, Ga. — Despite the out-of-character moments, Tennessee has played the part of Tennessee very well this season.
A 27-2 record, No. 4 national ranking and a top seed for the SEC women’s basketball tournament are typical trappings for this program.
Now comes the tricky part: the postseason.
It starts with what’s become a vexing challenge. The Lady Vols haven’t won both the conference regular-season and tournament championships in the same season since 2000. They take another crack at the difficult double, beginning with No. 9 seed Ole Miss (17-13) on Friday (TV: FSS, noon) at Gwinnett Arena.
The Rebels survived a close call against South Carolina in Thursday’s first round, winning 64-63 on 5-foot-4 Shantell Black’s rebound basket and free throw with 16 seconds left.
Listening to Pat Summitt this week, UT’s quest became more daunting with each day. On Tuesday, the Lady Vols coach talked about maintaining No. 1 seed worthiness for the upcoming NCAA tournament. She also issued a warning about the dangers of a desperate opponent, one like Ole Miss, which has six seniors.
“You’ve got to understand for some of the teams there it’s survive and advance or go home and so they have a different sense of commitment and urgency,’’ she said.
By Wednesday, it sounded as if Summitt was leading a platoon into suburban Atlanta, not a team.
“We’re going into a war zone, I don’t know a better word,’’ she said. “We’ve beaten everyone but Georgia.”
UT beat Ole Miss twice but neither outcome was convincing, particularly a 61-58 victory in Oxford, Miss., on Feb. 11 that was decided by Angie Bjorklund’s last-second 3-pointer. The Lady Vols won in Knoxville last Sunday, 75-63.
“We have a lot of respect for their program,’’ Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner said Thursday. “We’re going to give it our best shot.”
At least the Lady Vols seem excited about their tournament quest, no matter how difficult it might be.
“A lot of teams, they might be drained out by this time of year,’’ Bjorklund said. “This team? No. We’re ready to play. We’re really excited about coming in a one seed.”
Bjorklund is one of two active players on the roster who played a part in an SEC tournament championship. She was a freshman on the 2007-08 team that won in Nashville and remembers a distinctive mindset.
“Dominate,’’ she said. “They didn’t even leave any room for a team to come in and (win). I think we just have to have that competitive, we’re-going-to-dominate-teams type of attitude in order to take this.”
Tennessee’s post game best approximates that attitude. The Lady Vols’ overwhelming size was directly responsible for their 15-1 conference record. Small wonder then that Summitt went to 6-6 center Kelley Cain during the past month and told the eventual All-SEC first-team honoree: “We go as you go.”
“It’s like no pressure,’’ said Cain, who added. “I don’t mind being that type of person.”
With the post game in mind, Summitt this week has preached the importance of ball security in order to get Cain and Co. the basketball.
Toward that end, point guard Shekinna Stricklen is fresh off winning SEC player of the week honors.
“She’s our point guard,’’ Bjorklund said. “She pushes the ball so well and when she’s attacking right from the get-go that helps create everything else, from the inside to shots for myself.”
Stricklen, who has struggled at times this season, seems to have a better grasp of both her role this weekend and her team’s
“We really want to win this,” she said. “We really want to get through this tournament and prove we deserve a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and that we’re Tennessee, that’s back on track.”
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Comments » 24
SummittsCourt writes:
Sounds like the Lady Vols are ready, I know I am. Lets go Lady Vols!
bmaples writes:
In case any of the current Lady Vols are reading this, I'm going to post a quote from the 2007 tournament run:
Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and stops wins championships.
Learn to get stops when you have to have them, LVs, and you can go all the way. GLV!
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
I think they are ready! From reading this article, they know what is at stake. Follow Pat's lead and get that ball into the paint to Kelly and Company. Lets go lady vols!
mparrott5904#651590 writes:
You go Bernie, tell them LV'S what they can do.
98reax writes:
I don't recall a first round day being this evenly contested, ever. Even lowly Bama came very close to sending the dawgs home. Scared the fleas off them dawgs.
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
I love the Lady Vols, and I hold Coach Summitt in the highest regard.
Coach you aren't going into a "War Zone", and saying so is a gross exageration, a slap in the face of our young men and women who are in war zones. You and the Lady Vols are going to a Basketball Tournament to hopefully win three ball games. That is all it is, an extended weekend of games.
Best of luck, and GO LADY VOLS!!!
richvol writes:
Metaphor...
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
They might not be going into battle where actual fire arms are drawn, but they are going into battle on the basketball court and we have plenty of weapons. Just like any battle, we have to fight not only the enemy, but fatigue, injury (old and new) and we have to take out their weapons. The words "war zone" were meant as a metaphor, but there is a lot of truth in them. No, they are not risking their lives for us, but they will be playing like their life depended on it. Lets hope our sharp shooters fire true and our general leads us to victory. GO LADY VOLS!!
98reax writes:
If, and that is a huge IF, the Lady Vols have an easy time of it today, it will be the first 'easy game' of the season thus far. The rebels are really hungry. They proved that yesterday. They were really down and it looked as if SCarolina might send them home. They fought back and now they have the nerves of the tournament behind them, and we do not. The Lady Vols will come out READY TO PLAY, hopefully rested and revved up to get the early lead and build on it.
The Rebels proved they can come back and bite you. We mustn't make it necessary to have to fight back. Get the ball inside to Cain and Lyssie and REBOUND! Make sharp passes and shoot for accuracy. Get to the charity line and make it pay off. NO TURNOVERS!
Sounds like a pretty swell game plan, no?
98reax writes:
A guy named Jerry, bless his heart, called in to the sports animal Jeff & Heather, this AM asking why the KNS discriminated in that they DO NOT run a box score for the Lady Vols. Needless to say, Jeff cut him a little short, and quickly moved on. Why don't you K'town folks do what 'Brave Jerry Thing' and get some equal billing for the ladies?
Jephry writes:
Can anyone tell me how to listen to the game today on my iPhone? I'm having trouble figuring it out...and the "streaming media" is blocked here at work by our firewall. This would be the first game I've "missed" all year...Ugh!!!
jakethevolguy writes:
Ole Miss just came off a hard fought win. I think that they will run out of gas in the second half and the LVs will win going away.
LVs 80
LRs 58
98reax writes:
Oh, Jeph, you are looking so pale & sickly. You should take a sick day.
Jephry writes:
Don't think that hasn't crossed my mind...LOL
YankeeVol writes:
I agree - even in metaphor, let's not completely lose perspective.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Once again I am victimized by FSS in my town. The local FSS affiliate is of course carrying the ACC women's tournament instead of the SEC. I will check out my usual alternatives, channelsurfing.net and justin.tv, but I will probably have to depend on Mickey Dearstone to tell me about it. Maybe I'll get to see a game or two this weekend, but that fat new media contract for the SEC hasn't come through for me when it comes to Lady Vol coverage. Hope the gals are ready to meet the challenge, because you know the rest of the league needs a strong showing more than the LVs do.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
To my utter amazement and delight, I am actually watching the Lady Vols hammer Ole Miss into submission on my local FSS affiliate! I guess since the ACC women's tourney is being played here in Greensboro and it is not nearly sold out, it is being blacked out locally.
I don't know if the LVs can possibly sustain this level of effort and execution for the rest of the game, let alone the rest of the tournament, but right now they are playing like a well-oiled machine and it is really great to see! GLV!!! TCB!!!
SoddyVol writes:
Half time 50-25. Besides the overall good play by the team, the catch & score by Glory was something to behold.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
They came to play for sure! Looking great! Just hope they keep up the intensity and don't slack off...would love to beat them at least 100-49!
mad_poly_uct writes:
I have it on ESPN360. Do you have access to that through your IP in case you can't get future games on FSS?
98reax writes:
Extremely ugly 2nd half. I hate when they lose fogus. Officials had a lot to do with that, however. After the obvious non-kahunas call that there was a double foul involving big-bird and kelley cain, things went downhill for the LVs. Poor Pat, I would have called them into a huddle and screamed to the top of my lungs a promise, "if you turn the ball over again you will run to Atlanta and back before dinner."
I watched the slo-mo of the so-called double foul, several times, just as you did, and I did not see kelley cain foul. I did see a flagrant on big bird, which they did not call. After that they all took turns throwing the ball away, sometimes just giving it away. So frustrating. It is a good thing to have a 25 point lead because they simply have to let the opponent catch up.
I'm so happy we won. But please do not let us see a repeat of that 2nd half. Tomorrow, LSU/Vandy will be a whole 'nother tale.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Sadly, no! I have pretty much explored all the alternatives, except for the pricier special packages, many of which have their own limitations. I'm an enthusiastic LV fan but I am not obsessed to the point I might be if I were also a RICHER fan(;-P)!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
From what I saw, Cain, Brewer, and Bjorklund hardly played, if at all, after about the 10-minute mark of the second half. Deep as they are, there is no point in wearing out the key players in the first of hopefully three games on consecutive days. We will rarely see some of the combos that were out there in the latter stages going forward. For me, the best thing is that there should now be no reason why they can't play with the same intensity throughout the tournament if necessary as they did in the first half of this game.
537081 writes:
Luck to you Ladys. We know you have the skills. We all can use a little luck.
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