University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Host Lady Rebels
February 07, 2001 | Women's Basketball
- Notes in PDF Format
TENNESSEE LADY VOLS
23-1 OVERALL, 9-0 SEC
vs.
MISSISSIPPI LADY REBELS
15-6 OVERALL, 3-5 SEC
Feb. 8, 2001, 7:00 p.m. [Comcast]
Thompson-Boling Arena (24,535)
Knoxville, Tennessee
THE RANKINGS:
UT is 2nd in AP & ESPN/USA TODAY
UM is not ranked
RECENT RESULTS:
2-4-01 #3 UT def. Alabama, 97-75
2-4-01 Ole Miss def. South Carolina, 69-53
UPCOMING GAMES:
2-11 #2 UT at #6/9 Florida, 5:00 p.m. Comcast
2-11 #18 Vandy at Ole Miss
COACHES RECORDS:
UT's Pat Summitt is 751-151 (27 yrs)
UM's Ron Aldy is 133-94 (8 yrs)
UT vs. Ole Miss: UT leads 23-7
In Knoxville: UT is 10-2
Away: UT is 10-3
Neutral: UT is 3-2
Overtime: UT is 1-1
Postseason: UT is 4-2
LAST MEETING: 2-10-00 in Oxford,
#2/3 Tennessee def. Ole Miss, 70-49
RADIO COVERAGE-Mickey Dearstone on WNOX-AM/FM and the 32-station Lady Vol Radio Network; broadcast.com
TV COVERAGE-Comcast
PROBABLE TENNESSEE STARTERS
21- SEMEKA RANDALL, G, 5-10, Sr., 10.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg
13- GWEN JACKSON, F, 6-2, So., 12.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg
00- MICHELLE SNOW, C, 6-5, Jr., 10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg
20- KARA LAWSON, G, 5-9, So., 10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
33- KRISTEN "ACE" CLEMENT, G, 5-11, Sr., 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg
LADY VOLS IN RESERVE
3- TASHA BUTTS, G, 5-11, Fr., 4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg
4- LATOYA DAVIS, F, 6-0, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg
5- KYRA ELZY, G, 6-1, Sr., 2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg
10- APRIL McDIVITT, G, 5-8, So., 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
11- AMANDA CANON, F, 5-11, Jr., 1.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg
31- SARAH EDWARDS, G, 5-11, Jr., 0.5 ppg, 0.0 rpg
42- COURTNEY McDANIEL, F, 6-1, Fr., 3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
43- ASHLEY ROBINSON, C, 6-5, Fr., 7.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg
50- SHALON PILLOW, C, 6-3, Jr., 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg
INJURED
24- TAMIKA CATCHINGS, F, 6-1, Sr., 15.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg
ACL right knee - injured Jan. 15, 2001 - surgery Feb. 5, 2001.
TONIGHT'S GAME
It's hard to believe but the #2 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols will be playing in their second-to-last home game for the 2001 season tonight against Ole Miss in an all-important SEC meeting.
IN OUR LAST GAME
The #3 ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers traveled to Alabama on Feb. 4, 2001, and came away with a 97-75 victory in front of the second largest gathering, ever, of Tide fans - 7,647. The victory was UT's ninth consecutive in the SEC this season. The two teams stayed close throughout the first five minutes of play before UT pulled away to grab a 17-10 lead with 11:52 to play in the opening stanza. A Gwen Jackson jumper at 9:37 extended the Lady Vols' lead to a dozen, 24-12. At the break, UT held a 41-30 advantage despite some spotty play. In the second stanza, a three-point play by Tasha Butts gave the Lady Vols a 59-40 lead with just over 13 minutes to play. Bama could not close the gap (trailed by 12, 87-75, with 2:14 to go) before the Lady Vols won going away by 22 points. On the afternoon, a balanced six UT players tossed in double-figures led by Kara Lawson's 17 points. Also in extra digits were rookie Butts with a career high 16 points, Jackson and McDivitt with 11 points, Semeka Randall and Ashley Robinson with 10 points each. Jackson and Michelle Snow grabbed six rebounds as UT lost the rebounding battle again, 41-37. Snow blocked four shots as UT rejected eight shots on the afternoon. Key stat for UT - only 13 turnovers and an average of just 13 in the last three outings. The Lady Vols connected on 53% of its field goals (after hitting for 56% in the second half), 30% of its treys and hit 30-42 (71%) from the charity stripe.
2000-01 TENNESSEE LADY VOLSGAME-BY-GAMEDATE OPPONENT TIME or RESULTNOV. 5 (EX.) DYNAMO KIEV 144-5216 (EX.)ATHLETES IN ACTION 108-7818 DEPAUL 94-5224-25 at Women's Maui 24 Clemson 86-5825 #21 Illinois 111-62 27 at Texas Christian 83-61 DEC. 3 #18 WISCONSIN 90-66 6 #21 BOSTON COLLEGE 72-5710 at #12/10 Louisiana Tech 70-6215 MEMPHIS 98-6017 #15/22 STANFORD 63-5822 at #15/22 TEXAS 67-5927 vs. Arizona St. (Phoenix) 67-6330 at #1 UConn (Hartford) 76-81JAN.2 vs. #9/10 Rutgers (MSG, NY) 58-514 #11 LOUISIANA ST 89-70 7 at Arkansas 76-6111 SOUTH CAROLINA 99-4515 #21 MISSISSIPPI ST. 66-5918 #4 GEORGIA 85-6921 at Kentucky 110-3823 at #16/17 Vanderbilt 70-6427 KENTUCKY 83-3928 at Old Dominion 87-70FEB. 1 #2 CONNECTICUT 92-88 4 at Alabama 97-75 8 MISSISSIPPI 7:00 PM11 at #6/9 Florida 5:00 pm 18 at #14/12 Louisiana St. 2:00 pm CT22 #18 VANDERBILT 7:30 PM25 at Auburn 4:00 pmCTMar. 1-4 SEC Tournament Memphis, TN Mar.16-19 NCAA First & Second Rounds Campus Sites Mar. 24&26 NCAA Regionals (East-Pittsburgh, PA, Mideast-Birmingham, AL, Midwest-Denver, CO, West-Spokane,WA)Mar. 30 & Apr.1 NCAA Final Four St.Louis, MO |
LADY VOLS ON TELEVISION
Twenty-one Lady Vol regular season games will be on television this year. Last year, UT appeared in a then-school record 20 regular season TV appearances and 29 games overall. Upcoming games on TV in include Ole Miss and Florida on Comcast. UT is 16-1 on television this season.
TV UPDATE
The Florida game will be televised on Comcast on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m.
ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 8th, the Tennessee has produced an 8-1 record all-time. The Lady Vols are 1-1 at home, 7-0 away and 0-0 at a neutral site. UT's most recent game on this day was a 72-61 victory at Wisconsin in 1996.
LOOKING BACK A YEAR AGO
Last year at this time, UT was 19-3 and had just defeated Alabama, 65-47.
2000-01 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE LADY VOL BASKETBALL ROSTERNO. NAME POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 00 MICHELLE SNOW C 6-5 JR PENSACOLA, FL/PENSACOLA 3 TASHA BUTTS G 5-11 FR MILLEDGEVILLE, GA/BALDWIN CO. 4 LATOYA DAVIS F 6-0 FR FORSYTH, GA/MARY PERSONS 5 KYRA ELZY G-F 6-1 SR LaGRANGE, KY/OLDHAM CO.10 APRIL McDIVITT G 5-8 SO CONNERSVILLE, IND/CONNERSVILLE 11 AMANDA CANON F 5-11 JR SHELBYVILLE, TN/SHELBYVILLE13 GWEN JACKSON C-F 6-2 SO EUFAULA, AL/EUFAULA20 KARA LAWSON G 5-9 SO ALEXANDRIA, VA/W.SPRINGFIELD 21 SEMEKA RANDALL G 5-10 SR CLEVELAND, OH/TRINITY24 TAMIKA CATCHINGS F 6-1 SR DUNCANVILLE, TX/DUNCANVILLE31 SARAH EDWARDS G 5-11 JR SEVIERVILLE, TN/SEVIER CO.33 KRISTEN CLEMENT G 5-11 SR BROOMALL, PA/CARDINAL O'HARA42 COURTNEY McDANIEL F 6-1 FR BRISTOL, TN/TENNESSEE43 ASHLEY ROBINSON C 6-5 FR GRAND PRAIRIE, TX/S.GRAND PRAIRIE 50 SHALON PILLOW C 6-3 JR ADDYSTON, OH/TAYLOR HEAD COACH: PAT SUMMITT (751-151 in 27 years)ASSISTANTS: MICKIE DEMOSS, HOLLY WARLICK, AL BROWNDIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS: ALYSIAH BOND ADMINISTRATIVE GRADUATE ASSISTANT: AMBER STOCKSLADY VOL WEEKLY GAMES, RECORD,POLLS RankingWEEK OF/GAMES PLAYED RECORD AP/USA TODAYOCT. 30/DYNAMO KIEV 0-0 ---NOV. 13/AIA, DEPAUL 1-0 2ND/2NDNOV. 20/CLEMSON, #21 ILLINOIS 3-0 2ND/2NDNOV. 27/TEXAS CHRISTIAN, #18 WISCONSIN 5-0 2ND/2NDDEC. 4/#19 BOSTON COLLEGE, #12/10 LA TECH 7-0 2ND/2NDDEC. 11/MEMPHIS, #15/22 STANFORD 9-0 2ND/2NDDEC.18/#15/22 TEXAS 10-0 2ND/2NDDEC.25/ARIZONA STATE, #1 CONNECTICUT 11-1 2ND/2NDJAN.1/#9/10 RUTGERS, #11 LSU, ARKANSAS 14-1 2ND/2NDJAN.8/SOUTH CAROLINA 15-1 2ND/2NDJAN.15/#21 MISS. STATE, #4 GEORGIA, KENTUCKY 18-1 2ND/2NDJAN.22/#16/17VANDY, KENTUCKY, OLD DOMINION 21-1 3RD/3RDJAN.29/#2 CONNECTICUT, ALABAMA 23-1 3RD/3RDFEB. 5/OLE MISS, #6/9 FLORIDA 2ND/2ND |
OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Lady Vols return to the normal Thursday and Sunday scheduling routine. UT plays Ole Miss (Comcast) at home tonight and will travel to Gainesville to face a redhot #6/9Florida Lady Gator team (Comcast) on Feb. 11. The Gators are nipping at the Lady Vols heels for the top spot in the SEC.
UPCOMING OPPONENT: SCOUTING FLORIDA
Florida (19-2 overall, 7-1 SEC) plays hostess to Tennessee in a Feb. 11 meeting in Gainesville, Fla., (Comcast). The #6/9 ranked Lady Gators swept Georgia (75-64) and Vandy (62-57) last week. They travel to Arkansas tonight before entertaining UT on Sunday. Florida is led in scoring by Brandi McCain with 20.0 ppg and Naomi Mobley with 12.0 ppg. It will be "old home week" for both camps as Lady Vol graduate assistant Amber Stocks gets to see little sis, Tamara, the starting center for the Lady Gators and Matthew Mitchell, former UT graduate assistant, who is an assistant coach for UF this season, visits with his previous staffers.
FROM THE RECOVERY ROOM
Senior All-American Tamika Catchings underwent surgery on Feb. 5, 2001 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee suffered on Jan. 15th. According to Jenny Moshak, UT Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine, the surgery went just fine. Catchings also had her medial meniscus repaired.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? JUST FIVE GAMES TO GO IN REGULAR SEASON
UT is in the stretch run with just five games remaining in the 2000-01 regular season. From here on out to the SEC Tournament, the Lady Vols will settle into Thursday-Sunday games. UT travels to Florida (Feb. 11), LSU (Feb. 18) and Auburn (Feb. 25). The Lady Vols play home games versus Ole Miss (Feb. 8) and Vandy (Feb. 22).
GOING FOR 10TH TONIGHT -- SEVEN SEASON OF 10 SEC VICTORIES
The Lady Vols have registered double-digit victories in conference play seven times. Since the 1991-92 season when SEC play expanded, the Lady Vols have won at least 10 games in the following years: 1992-10 games, 1993-11 games, 1994-11 games, 1995-11 games, 1998-14 games, 1999-13 games and 2000-13 games.
UT-MISSISSIPPI ALL-TIME SERIES MEETINGSUT leads 23-7DATE SITE W/L SCORE |
This marks the 31st meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1976-77 season. The Lady Vols have won 15 of the last 17 meetings with the Lady Rebels. UT played its longest game ever with Ole Miss in 1983 as the two teams battled to a triple overtime in the NCAA Mideast Regional semifinals with UT winning 90-83. Tennessee leads the series with Mississippi, 23-7.
THE MEETINGS IN K-TOWN
In the all-time meetings, Mississippi has collected just two wins in Knoxville. Those victories came during the Van Chancellor years in 1984 and 1987 when the Lady Rebs held UT to just 65 points in each game (67-65 and 69-65, respectively). Ole Miss has never won a contest in Thompson-Boling Arena but came close in 1997 dropping a 74-72 decision.
TIDBITS IN THE SERIES
Tennessee has only had one player ever from the state of Mississippi - Pashen Thompson (1993-97) from Philadelphia… UT has won nine of the last 11 games against Ole Miss losing only in Oxford in 1996 and 1992….
GAME REPORT 25: OLE MISS
Mississippi travels to Knoxville fresh off a 69-53 victory over South Carolina on Sunday in Oxford, Miss. Just how tough is the SEC this year? Ask the Lady Rebels. They have turned in a 12-1 non-conference slate and a 3-5 SEC record on the season.
MISSISSIPPI'S PROBABLE STARTERS
20-TaShondrea Moton, F, 5-10, Jr., 5.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg
32-Von Kirk, F, 5-10, Jr., 10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg
34-Tywanna Inmon, C, 6-1, Fr., 9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg
10-Sherika Wright, G, 5-6, Jr., 9.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg
25-Becky Myatt, G, 5-8, Sr., 12.2 ppg, 4.2 ppg
TENNESSEE vs. OLE MISS STAT COMPARISON TENNESSEE OLE MISSOVERALL RECORD 23-1 15-6SCORING 82.9 69.9SCORING DEFENSE 61.2 60.6POINT MARGIN +21.7 +9.3REBOUNDS 46.5 38.8OPP. REBOUNDS 34.7 35.0REBOUND MARGIN +11.9 +3.8FG% .466 .413OPPONENT FG% .367 .414THREE POINT FG% .376 .319OPPONENT 3FG% .281 .271FT% .676 .684OPPONENT FT% .693 .670BLOCKS AVERAGE 6.0 1.1STEALS AVERAGE 9.3 9.0TURNOVER AVERAGE 16.4 15.7 |
LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND OLE MISS
The #2/3 ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers survived a slow start to record their eighth SEC win of the year taking a 70-49 decision from Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Feb. 10, 2000. The Lady Vols grabbed a 10-0 lead with seven minutes gone in the game as Tamika Catchings quickly tallied six points. Ole Miss finally scored at the 12:04 mark after UT held the Lady Rebels to a 0-11 shooting percentage for eight minutes. Neither team had a sterling offensive first half as UT took a 28-19 lead into the locker room at the break. In the second stanza, Tennessee was whistled for seven fouls and committed five miscues in the opening nine minutes of the second half allowing Ole Miss to cut the lead to three points, 34-31 with 11:03 to go. Enter rookie April McDivitt to the rescue after fellow frosh Kara Lawson went out with an ankle injury. McDivitt, along with Semeka Randall, both scored five quick points each in less than four minutes to push UT's lead back out to 13 points, 46-33 with 7:52 to go. On the evening, three UT players reached double-figures led by Catchings' 19 points. She was joined in scoring by Randall with 16 and Lawson with 12. Randall also claimed nine rebounds. UT shot just 41% for the game and hit only 51% of its charity tosses. UT outrebounded the Lady Rebs, 47-40, and forced 23 turnovers on 11 thefts. An extremely physical game, both Catchings (black eye) and Lawson (sprained ankle) had to leave the game.
THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND OLE MISS
The number one-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols defeated the Ole Miss Lady Rebels for the second time in the 1998-99 season, 96-58, on Feb. 4, 1999 in Thompson-Boling Arena. The win extended UT's home court winning streak to 35 games. Additionally, it marked the 23rd consecutive season that Tennessee recorded at least 20 wins on the year. The Lady Vols started out quickly taking a 23-5 lead after a Tamika Catchings three-pointer with 13:14 showing. Tennessee's largest advantage in the first half came at the 3:23 mark, 44-21 (23 point lead), after a bank shot by Semeka Randall. Behind Randall (13 points) and Catchings (12 points), the Lady Vols took a 47-25 lead at the half. In the second stanza, Coach Pat Summitt cleared the bench early and often as everyone got into the scoring fray. UT's took its largest lead - 38 points with 2:06 to play. On the night, Randall led UT with 23 points, while Catchings chipped in 16 points and senior All-American Chamique Holdsclaw deposited a quiet dozen. Also in double-figures was Kristen "Ace" Clement with 12 points. Rookie Michelle Snow had a big night on the boards with a career high 11. UT outrebounded Ole Miss, 50-33, and claimed a dozen steals and 11 blocked shots. The Lady Vols shot 57% from the field while cashing in on 62 points in the paint.
THE TOP 25 POLLSASSOCIATED PRESS (Feb. 5)1. Notre Dame2. TENNESSEE 3. Connecticut4. Duke 5. Purdue 6. Florida7. Georgia 8. Louisiana Tech9. Iowa State 10. Oklahoma11. Texas Tech12. Rutgers13. Xavier 14. LSU15. S.W. Missouri 16. Penn State 17. Utah 18. Vanderbilt19. Colorado20. Wisconsin21. Texas 22. Arizona23. Arizona State24. N.C State25. Clemson ESPN/USA TODAY (Feb. 5)1. Notre Dame 2. TENNESSEE 3. Connecticut4. Duke 5. Purdue6. Georgia 7. Iowa State 8. Louisiana Tech 9. Florida 10. Texas Tech11. Oklahoma12. LSU13. Rutgers 14. SW Missouri St.15. Xavier 16. Penn State17. Utah 18. Vanderbilt19. Arizona20. Texas 21. N.C. State 22. Clemson23. Oregon 24. Colorado25. Virginia |
POLL NOTES
The Associated Press women's top 25 basketball poll released on Jan. 1, 2001, marked the 400th appearance by the Tennessee Lady Vols. Since the poll was started in 1976, UT has failed to appear in just 14 polls through the years. Currently, UT has been ranked in 277 consecutive polls and since the 1986-87 season, the Lady Vols have been in the top 10 for all but one poll. UT is the only team to have been ranked every year for the last 25 years in the AP poll. UT has appeared at least once per season over the poll's history.
LADY VOL CAREER STATS VERSUS OLE MISS
Returning Lady Vol career statistics versus Ole Miss can be found on p. 132 in the 2000-01 Tennessee media guide. Senior All-American Semeka "Boo" Randall leads the Lady Vols against Mississippi with 18.4 ppg in five games played. Also in double figures are the sidelined Tamika Catchings (16.6 ppg) and Kara Lawson (12.0 ppg).
GAMES VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
Once again, Tennessee has played a schedule replete with ranked teams. This year, the Lady Vols are 13-1 against Top-25 opponents. Ole Miss is 0-4 versus Top-25 teams this year. Tennessee's schedule indicates 15 ranked opponents and a total of 18 games for the 2000-01 season. Ole Miss is expected to three more ranked opponents including today's contest against Tennessee.
IN COMMON
Tennessee and Mississippi share no common opponents this season outside of SEC play.
HOW MANY DID YOU SAY WERE COMING TO THIS GAME??
Against the Lady Vols, the Ole Miss Lady Rebels will probably see as many fans in one night as they have seen all season on the road. Mississippi has played in front of 12,857 fans in 10 games at away or neutral sites for an average of 1,285 spectators in hostile gyms. UT's average home attendance is 16,169 and a total of 177,857 in 11 home games.
WAY TO GO GWEN
Gwen Jackson was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 29- Feb. 4) after her one-woman wrecking crew performance against #2 Connecticut.
She set career highs in points (28), rebounds (14), blocked shots (5) and field goal percentage (.800). Her five blocks was one-half of the Lady Vol total of 11 for the contest (ranks second all-time for single game blocks). Jackson had an All-American performance down the stretch and scored 11 of UT's 21 points in the final eight minutes of the game. Her unexpected trey, followed by a lay-up provided gave the Lady Vols the lead for good in the upset win over UConn. Against Alabama, Jackson was playing in her home state for the first time since signing with UT. She tallied a solid 11 points while grabbing six rebounds in UT's ninth consecutive SEC win of the season.
THERE GOES NUMBER 23 - THANKS MEEK!!
In a moving halftime ceremony of the Tennessee versus Connecticut game on Feb.1, 2001, former Lady Vol Olympian, All-American, NCAA, SEC and UT record-holder Chamique Holdsclaw had her #23 jersey retired. Holdsclaw now joins Holly Warlick (#22), Bridgette Gordon (#30) and Daedra Charles (#32) as the only Lady Vols to have their jerseys retired at UT. (Please see p. 144 in the 2000-01 UT media guide for retired jersey information). Only six UT players have ever worn #23 including notable Lady Vols two-time Olympian and All-American Nikki McCray and Shelley Sexton, the captain of the first UT NCAA title team in 1987.
NUMBER 750 WAS SWEET
Coach Pat Summitt recorded her 750th career victory over BIG EAST nemesis UConn on Feb. 1, 2001. She now becomes just the 12th coach all-time (men or women) to register 750 career victories. On Sunday, Jan. 28, 2001, Summitt coached in her 900th collegiate contest, an 87-70 victory over long-time foe Old Dominion.
FAN FEST FOR THE CONNECTICUT
The University of Tennessee attracted its fifth largest crowd all-time to the game with Connecticut on Feb. 1, 2001 - 24,046.
PLAYED EIGHT DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS THRU THE YEARS
Since the 1976 season, the Lady Vols have contested 31 games against current defending AIAW or NCAA Champions and produced a 19-12 record all-time. Tennessee is 8-3 in games played at home, 4-3 away and 7-6 at neutral sites. In all, UT has played eight defending champions in 31 games in various title defense seasons. UT's record versus defending champs: Connecticut (2-2), Delta State (1-0), Louisiana Tech (2-3), Old Dominion (4-3), Purdue (1-0), Southern Cal (1-3), Stanford (5-0), Texas (1-1) and UCLA (2-0). UT has defended six NCAA titles and produced an overall record of 186-25 in the six seasons following a championship. This number reflects the 29-10 campaign of the 1996-97 season which skews the numbers due to the high number of losses. However, following the 1997 championship season, UT went 39-0 in winning the 1998 title.
CURRENT LADY VOL STREAKS --- IT'S ALL UCONN
The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against Connecticut, 74-67, on Jan. 8, 2000 -- since then, the team has won 21 home games. The last time UT lost on the road was on Dec. 30, 2000, at Connecticut, 81-76, since then the team has won five road games. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against Connecticut. 71-52, in the 2000 NCAA Championship game. Since then, UT has won four games on a neutral court.
A.C. STATS ENTERING OLE MISS
Interesting statistical trends have occurred since Tamika Catchings went down with her season-ending knee injury. Catchings was averaging 15.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg plus a bunch of assists, steals, blocks and hustle plays off the charts. Since Catch's departure from the line-up the following has taken place:
- Gwen Jackson jumped from 10.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg to 15.6 ppg and 9.3 rpg
- Semeka Randall's FG% has climbed from .407 to .542 in the seven games A.C.
- Randall's ppg has jumped from 9.6 ppg to an average of 11.6 ppg
- Michelle Snow has picked up almost four of Catchings' points per game
- Snow is now grabbing 7.4 rpg
- In 7 games, Snow's FT% has jumped from .507 to .769
- Kara Lawson has joined the double-figures scoring averaging 14.0 ppg versus 9.4 before Catch's injury
- In 7 games, UT has hit 48% of its shots (45% before) and 70% FT (66% before)
WHY PLAY? COLLEGE RPI.COM HAS IT FIGURED OUT
The swamis at collegerpi.com have the NCAA women's tournament bracket predictions filled out on their website (collegerpi.com). Number one seeds: Notre Dame gets the nod as the top seed in the East traveling to Pittsburgh, while Tennessee is tabbed #1 in the Mideast heading to Birmingham, Ala., UConn earns a trip as the top seed to the Midwest in Denver and Duke is the late night special nabbing the #1 seed out West in Spokane.
THE RPI RANKINGS
The WBCA/Summerville RPI rankings were released on Feb. 5 and the Tennessee sports the best index in the nation. UT's RPI of .707 is ahead of UConn with a .700 index. Rounding out the top 10: 3. Georgia .686, 4. Notre Dame .676, 5. Duke .676, 6. Oklahoma .6592, 7. Iowa State .6590, 8. Villanova .645, 9. Texas Tech .645 and 10. Purdue .642.
WITH A "MEEK" IN THE LINEUP
Since 1995, the Tennessee Lady Vols have sported a "Meek" in the line-up starting with Chamique Holdsclaw. In 1997, rookie Meeks, Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall, joined the club. Now with Holdsclaw's graduation and Catchings' injury, Randall is the last Meek standing. With a Meek in the line-up, the Lady Vols have fashioned a 187-22 record since 1995.
BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
Once again this year, the Tennessee Lady Vols did the back-to-back game thing during the regular season. Last year, Tennessee played N.C. State in Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Jan. 29, 2000 and turned right around and played Kentucky in Knoxville on Jan. 30. The Lady Vols picked up a 83-63 win over State and sent the Cats home, 77-48. This year, UT defeated Kentucky first (83-39) at home on Jan. 27 before traveling to Old Dominion on Jan. 28 to record an 87-70 win over the Lady Monarchs.
IT WAS JUST ANOTHER DUNK
Lady Vol junior post Michelle Snow became only the second women's player to record two dunks in a season when she threw one down against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Jan. 23, 2001. Snow's latest jam came with seven seconds remaining in a game which the Lady Vols led, 68-61, prior to the slam. In a designed play to either a post or a guard, Kara Lawson took the all out on Vandy's baseline and rifled a 60-foot Peyton Manning-type pass to Snow who was breaking to the basket from halfcourt. Snow deposited the two-handed slam, sent the crowd into a frenzy, and then was whistled for a technical foul by official Patty Broderick for lingering on the rim too long. Snow now joins 6'7" Georgeann Wells of the University of West Virginia as the only women to dunk twice during a season. Wells dunked first on Dec. 21, 1984, and again later that same month. Snow's first dunk came in the third game of this season. Her two-handed slamming, hanging on the right side of the rim jam, occurred with 10 seconds left before halftime of the title game at the Women's Maui Tournament against Illinois on Nov. 25, 2001. Snow stepped up to steal the ball at the high post and sailed all the way to the bucket. In flight, she jammed the ball through the hoop with both hands and then hung on the rim to put an exclamation point on the dunk.
DA, DA, DUH... DA, DA DUH
Tennessee pulled another rare double this week with a little extra exposure on ESPN. Outside of the SEC or NCAA Tournament, the Lady Vols had never played back-to-back games on ESPN. The Lady Vols pulled off the double on ESPN2 versus Old Dominion on Jan. 28 and then on ESPN on Feb. 1 against the #2 Huskies from Connecticut.
REMEMBER THE KK IN 1998? NOW IT'S CATCH'S BAND
Back in the undefeated 1997-98 season, the Lady Vols awarded a ty beanie baby kangaroo named "KK" (Kyra kangaroo), to the Lady Vol player who came up with the best defense and most hustle plays. The award was named for sophomore Kyra Elzy who was a starter when she blew out her ACL versus Alabama on Feb. 1, 1998. Fast-forward to 2001. After Tamika Catchings was lost for the season on Jan. 15, 2001 to an ACL injury, coach Pat Summitt and her staff decided to award Tamika's signature baby blue adidas headband to the player who came up with the most hustle plays in each game. Fellow All-American senior and "Meek" Semeka Randall came up with the most hustle plays against Georgia to win the first headband. Soph April McDivitt had six hustle plays against Kentucky for band number two. Headband numero trey went to Michelle Snow for her hustle against Vanderbilt. Rookie LaToya Davis grabbed the headband in the win over Kentucky in Knoxville. Kristen "Ace" Clement and Gwen Jackson battled to a hustle play tie in the wins over Old Dominion and UConn2 and were both awarded headbands. McDivitt became the first two-time recipient for her hustle against Alabama.
LET THE HEALING PROCESS BEGIN
Dr. William T. Youmans, Lady Vol orthopaedic surgeon, performed knee surgery on Tamika Catchings on Monday, Feb. 5. The 2000 Player of the Year and three-time All-American suffered a season-ending and Lady Vol career-ending injury when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee on Jan. 15. Catchings was going in for a lay-up with 5:34 remaining in the game with #21 Mississippi State when she was fouled by LaToya Thomas and went crashing to the floor. Videotape revealed that Catchings blew out her knee on the way up to the basket.
SEC Standings ( as of 2/7/01) SEC Pct. All Pct. Tennessee 9-0 1.000 23-1 .958 LSU 5-3 .625 15-6 .714Arkansas 5-4 .556 15-7 .682Vanderbilt 4-4 .500 15-6 .714South Carolina 4-5 .444 9-13 .409 Alabama 4-5 .444 16-6 .727 Ole Miss 3-5 .375 15-6 .714 Kentucky 1-8 .111 5-16 .238Miss. State 1-9 .100 10-11 .476 Florida 7-1 .875 19-2 .905 Georgia 7-2 .778 19-4 .826Auburn 3-7 .300 15-9 .625 |
UPCOMING GAMES: (Feb. 8) Alabama @ LSU, Florida @ Arkansas, Georgia @ South Carolina, Ole Miss @ Tennessee, Vanderbilt @Miss. State. (Feb. 11) Alabama @ Auburn, LSU @Arkansas, Tennessee @ Florida, Kentucky @ South Carolina, Vanderbilt @ Ole Miss.
CURRENT LADY VOL SEC INDIVIDUAL RANKINGSScoring18. Gwen Jackson 12.2 ppgRebounding 9. Michelle Snow 7.0 rpg 10. Jackson 7.0 rpgField Goal PercentageNo oneThree point Field Goal Percentage 2. Kara Lawson .449Free Throw PercentageNo oneAssists/Turnover Ratio 1. Kristen "Ace" Clement 2.89Steals No oneBlocked Shots 4. Ashley Robinson 1.62 5. Michelle Snow 1.52 CURRENT LADY VOL SEC TEAM STATISTICSScoring 1stScoring Margin 1stScoring Defense 5thRebound Avg. 1stOpp. Rebounds 3rdRebound Margin 1stFG % 2ndOpp. FG% 2nd3FG% 2ndOpp. 3FG 2ndFT % 10thAssists 3rdBlocks 1stSteals 6thTurnover Margin 7thAsst/Turnover Ratio 4thTENNESSEE'S SEC FINISHES THROUGH THE YEARSRegular Season/Finish Tournament 2001- 9-0 in progress2000- 13-1 First (tie) SEC Champs1999- 13-1 First SEC Champs1998- 14-0 First SEC Champs1997- 8-4 Fifth Lost in semis1996- 9-2 First SEC Champs1995- 11-0 First Lost in finals1994- 11-0 First SEC Champs1993- 11-0 First Lost in quarters1992- 10-1 Second SEC Champs1991- 6-3 Third Lost in final1990- 8-1 First Lost in final1989- 8-1 Second SEC Champs1988- 8-1 Second SEC Champs1987- 6-3 Fourth Lost in semis1986- 5-4 Fifth Lost in quarters1985- 4-4 Third (E) SEC Champs1984- 7-1 Second (E) Lost in quarters1983- 7-1 First (E) Lost in semis1982- no standings Lost in final1981- no standings Lost in quarters1980- no standings SEC Champs |
SEC HOMECOURT WINNING STREAK IS ALIVE
The Lady Vols have won 31 consecutive SEC home games dating back to Jan. 12, 1997. UT's streak started after an OT loss to Georgia,94-93,on Dec. 8, 1996.
SEC LEAGUE PLAY
The Lady Vols own a league best record of 168-28 against all SEC teams in league play dating back to the 1983 season.
AGAINST THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Tennessee owns a 282-48 record all-time record vs. 12 teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Lady Vols maintain a winning record against every team in the SEC.
SEC TEAMS THE LATEST RPI INDEX
Eight SEC teams are listed in the top 50 of the latest NCAA Women's Basketball RPI released on Feb. 5. Tennessee is ranked first, while Georgia is third, Florida is 16th, LSU 19th, Vanderbilt is 25th, Arkansas is 35th, Alabama is 40th, and Ole Miss is 44th.
THE SEC REGULAR SEASON STORY
UT's last SEC win at home: Kentucky, 83-39, 1-27-01
UT's last SEC win away: Alabama, 97-75, 2-4-01
UT's last SEC loss at home: Georgia, 94-93 OT, 12-8-96
UT's last SEC loss away: Georgia, 78-51, 1-17-00
UT's 2000-01 SEC home record: 5-0
UT's 2000-01 SEC away record: 4-0
UT's current SEC home streak: won 31
UT's current SEC away streak: won 8
UT IS AMAZING AT HOME VERSUS THE SEC
Since Tennessee began contesting games with Southeastern Conference opponents, the Lady Vols have produced a 116-9 record in all games played at home. Only four SEC teams have ever managed a victory over the Lady Vols in Knoxville - Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and Ole Miss. Georgia has won three games on UT's turf while Auburn, Kentucky and Ole Miss have registered two wins each. Georgia is the only team to defeat UT at home in the 1990s - the Lady Bulldogs turned the trick in 1991 and 1996.
HOME 'N HOME SEC DANCE PARTNERS
Tennessee's home-and-home SEC games this season includes double-dips with Kentucky, LSU, and Vanderbilt.
CATCHINGS' CORNER
CATCHINGS GOES OVER 2000 POINTS AND 1000 REBOUNDS
Lady Vol senior All-American Tamika went over 2,000 career points in the game against Arizona State in Phoenix on Dec. 27, 2000 - her 121st as a Lady Vol. Catchings needed just eight points to hit the mark and scored 24 on the night. In the rebounding department, she eclipsed the mark in the game with Mississippi St. on Jan. 15 - in a game which will probably be her last in a Lady Vol uniform. Before she tore the ACL in her right knee, she had gathered in 13 rebounds and went over the 1,000 rebound plateau on her ninth rebound of the game.
STEALS RECORD- STOLEN AWAY
Tamika Catchings needed just 27 steals to tie the UT all-time steals mark of 338 held by Bridgette Gordon. Before she was injured against Miss. State, she had claimed 31 thefts on the season/311 career.
GUESS WHO IS GOING TO THE ESPY'S?
Lady Vol senior All-American and the 2000 Player of the Year Tamika Catchings has been nominated for the ESPY Player of the Year. Also nominated with Tamika are Shea Ralph (UConn), Kelly Miller (Georgia) and Jackie Stiles (S.W. Missouri). The ESPY's will be handed out at the MGM Grand Hotel on Feb. 12, 2001. Last year, the Lady Vols received an ESPY for the Team of the Decade.
TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS
All-American Tamika Catchings sported number 55 in the game with Rutgers at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 2. Seems that her number 24 orange road jersey turned up missing when the UT managers did the team laundry after the game with Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center.
ELITE CLUB
Tamika Catchings hit career highwater marks of 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and now joins a very exclusive club at the University of Tennessee. The only Lady Vol in the "3/1 Club" is Chamique Holdsclaw (1995-99), who scored 3,025 points and grabbed 1,295 rebounds. Catch is alone in the "2/1 Club," while Sheila Frost (1,790 points and 1,044 rebounds) and Mary Ostrowski (1,729 points and 1,001 rebounds) are in the "1/1 Club" with at least 1,000 points and rebounds. Twenty-four Lady Vols have registered over 1,000 career points and three have grabbed at least 1,000 career rebounds to date.
WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE
The next coach Pat Summitt weekly teleconference will be Wed., Feb. 14 at 11:00 a.m. to preview the upcoming game against LSU. The media dial-in number for Wednesday will be 865-974-1000. Ask to be connected to the Pat Summitt teleconference with Debby Jennings as group leader. Her weekly teleconference will typically be held on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. unless there are travel/game conflicts. Please call the UT Media Relations Office weekly to confirm the teleconference.
THE DEFINITE DOZEN - AFTER CATCHINGS
The "Definite Dozen" usually refers to Coach Pat Summitt's credo brought to life in her first book, "Reach for the Summit." On the basketball court, the definite dozen for the Lady Vols are the final 12 regular season games A.C. (after Catchings). The line-up is littered with ranked opponents (7), tough road venues (7), national TV games (2), rematches (4)… you name it. So far, UT is 7-0, A.C.
THE PRIDE OF CLEVELAND, OHIO
Lady Vol senior All-American Semeka Randall was honored by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Awards night on Jan. 31, 2001. A local version of the ESPY Awards, the GCSCA ceremony was hosted by Bob Costas at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel. Randall earned her distinction in the Outstanding Collegiate Athlete category and was honored with Ohio State football players Rodney Bailey and Nate Clements
MUSICAL LINE-UPS - EIGHT TUNES
Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has been tinkering with her line-up quite a bit this season. Through 24 games, she has started eight different combinations. Before she was injured against Mississippi St., the only common denominator in the group was senior All-American Tamika Catchings - the rest has been up for grabs. Line-up number eight was unveiled against Georgia with Kristen "Ace" Clement starting at point guard with the rest of the team shifting one position.
2000-01 TENNESSEE LADY VOL LINE-UP COMBINATIONS
During the 2000-01 season, Tennessee has used eight starting lineups -- Game Record Line-up (F-F-C-G-G) 1, 8-10 4-0 Jackson, Catchings, Robinson, Lawson, Randall2-3, 11-12 3-1 Jackson, Catchings, Snow, Lawson, Clement4 1-0 Jackson, Catchings, Robinson, Lawson, Clement5 1-0 Robinson, Catchings, Snow, Lawson, Randall 6-7, 16-17 4-0 Jackson, Catchings, Snow, Lawson, Randall13 1-0 Jackson, Catchings, Snow, Clement, Randall14-15 2-0 Jackson, Catchings, Snow, McDivitt, Randall18-24 7-0 Jackson, Randall, Snow, Lawson, Clement |
CONGRATS TO SEMEKA
Lady Vol senior All-American Semeka Randall was named the SEC Player of the Week for Jan. 8-14. Randall turned in a career high 28 points in UT's 99-45 victory over South Carolina. She is the only Lady Vol to earn the SEC honor this season.
BOUNCING BACK
Since 1976, the Lady Vols have played the nation's number one ranked team in 33 games and posted a 13-20 record. In the games following the 20 losses (including UConn on 12-30-00) to the top-ranked team, Tennessee has bounced back and won 15 of the games by an average of 16.8 ppg. In the five losses in the games after losing to number one, the Lady Vols have been outscored by an average of 7.0 ppg.
200,000 ON THE HORIZON -- OVER 100,000 - AGAIN
The Tennessee Lady Vols cracked the 100,000 home attendance mark for the seventh consecutive season in just seven home games. UT has an attendance mark of 161,169 in 11 home games.
SPEAKING OF CONFERENCES
The SEC is one of 10 different conferences that the Lady Vols will face during the 2000-01 season. Outside of the 14-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols will face three teams from the BIG EAST Conference in four games. Tennessee will also face the following other conferences (games played): PAC 10 (2), C-USA (2), Big 10 (2), ACC (1), WAC (1), Sunbelt (1), Big 12 (1) and Colonial (1).
SEC RANKS FIRST
On the Lady Vol all-time victory list over conferences (during the Pat Summitt era), the SEC ranks first. The list by UT all-time victories over conference foes:
1. SEC 2822. ACC 603. OVC 574. Southern 495. BIG EAST 41 Conference USA 41 PAC 10 418. Big 10 409. Big 12 3410. Colonial 31 |
IN THE HOW 'BOUT IT DEPT.
In Tennessee's 110-38 victory over Kentucky on Jan. 21, 2001, the Wildcats suffered their worst defeat ever. Previously, UK's most nightmarish game had been a 107-53 setback to Tennessee on Nov. 13, 1976, in Stokely Athletics Center on the Knoxville campus. UT senior post Trish Roberts practically outscored the entire UK team as she tossed in a school and Stokely Fieldhouse record, 51 points.
NOT 51 BUT CAREER HIGHS
A couple of Lady Vol rookies recorded career highs in the contest versus Kentucky in Lexington on Jan. 21, 2001. LaToya Davis scored 14 points in 15 minutes of action, while Tasha Butts tallied a career high 10 points and five caroms in 18 minutes. In former All-America Trish Roberts' Lady Vol debut, she tallied 51 points against Kentucky on Nov. 13, 1976, in 29 minutes of playing time.
MLK JINX ON ESPN FINALLY BROKEN - WELL, SORTA
The Lady Vols have appeared on ESPN/ESPN2 on the Martin Luther King holiday three times. UConn defeated UT, 77-66, in Storrs on Jan. 16 1995, while Georgia handed UT its worst SEC defeat in school history, 78-51, on Jan. 17, 2000, in Athens. The Lady Vols finally won a game on MLK Day on ESPN2 but lost at the same time. The final score on Jan. 15, 2001 was UT 66, #21 Mississippi State, 59. However, 2000 Player of the Year and three-time Kodak All-American Tamika Catchings was lost for the season/UT career with a torn ACL suffered with 5:34 to go in the game.
LEFTOVERS FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA PARTY
Lady Vol senior All-American Semeka Randall outscored the South Carolina TEAM by halftime of the game on Jan. 11. She had 22 points and the collective Lady Gamecocks produced 15 points. UT recorded a season low 10 miscues.
LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM AT HOME
Since moving to Thompson-Boling Arena in 1987, the Lady Vols have never lost to an unranked opponent. The lowest ranked team to beat the Lady Vols at home was sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech last season.
RECORD VS. RANKED TEAMS
The Lady Vols have played in 418 games versus a ranked opponent all-time. UT sports a 296-122 (.706) overall record against ranked foes since the polls began in 1976.
UT'S LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM?
When is the last time Tennessee lost to an unranked team? That would have been to Auburn on 3-2-97 in the SEC Tournament.
132 WINS IN OUR LAST 140
The Lady Vols have won an amazing 132 games in their last 140 basketball contests (.942 winning percentage) spanning four seasons (starting with NCAA Tournament play in 1997). UT was 6-0 in the 1997 NCAA Tourney, ran the table with a 39-0 record in 1997-98, turned in a 31-3 worksheet in 1998-99, a 33-4 mark last season and is 23-1 this year.
VICTORY WATCH
Coach Pat Summitt has moved up to 11th place on the all-time basketball coaches (men's and women's) victory list. Summitt, with 751 wins, has passed Phog Allen (Kansas). Summitt is currently chasing active coaches Jody Conradt (Texas-761 wins), Lefty Driesell (Georgia State --751 wins) and Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno St.-750 wins) to slip into the top 10. Dean Smith, former head coach at North Carolina, heads the list with 879 career victories.
ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE
The Lady Vols have picked right up where they left off the last couple of seasons leading the nation in women's basketball attendance. This week, UT is in first place averaging 16,169 while Texas Tech is in second place with 12,478. Rounding out the top five are: 3. Connecticut 12,306, 4. Iowa State 11,306, and 5. S.W. Missouri State 8,216. UT has been involved in one-half of the top 25 attendance marks of the 2000-01 season.
REGULAR SEASON WINNING STREAK SNAPPED
UT regular season winning streak of 23 games was snapped with the loss to UConn, 81-76, on Dec. 30, 2000. The Lady Vols had rolled up 23 in a row during the regular season since a 78-51 loss to Georgia on Jan. 17, 2000. The Lady Vols have now won 42 of its last 44 games overall (including 2000 postseason).
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS
Besides LaTech, with 17 wins over Tennessee, only one other team has recorded double-digit victories against the Lady Vols during the Pat Summitt era of Lady Vol basketball. Georgia has claimed 13 wins in the 41 all-time meetings with the Lady Vols.
STREAKBUSTERS
Over the years, UT has been responsible for breaking a number of lengthy streaks including 50+ at Connecticut, Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech , 40+ at Rutgers and a couple of 30+ home court-winning streaks at Louisiana Tech. Tennessee has broken three Louisiana Tech streaks -- 52-game, 39-game and 30-game winning streaks. The Lady Vols know something about the home court winning streaks - UT holds the NCAA record at 69 consecutive wins.
IT WAS REALLY COOL
The experience of playing in Bank One Ballpark was great. The beautiful baseball facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks was transformed into a basketball arena for the event. It was comfortable on the court until the roof opened at 6:00 p.m. and then the slight breeze and the cool night air dipped into the low 40s and it was chilly. The Lady Vol players wore warm-ups and sweatshirts on the bench, used portable space heaters behind them, wrapped towels around their necks and held onto hand warmers on the bench.
TALKING ABOUT UNUSUAL/UNIQUE VENUES
The Bank One Ballpark (BOB) will go down as the most unique/unusual venues that the Lady Vols have played in over the years. Here's some other dandy sites for Lady Vol games through the years -
- Crystal Palace in London, England (Jan. 2-5 1992) - Had an upstairs balcony, chandeliers and a beer garden.
- Fordham University (the ooooollllldddd gym), Bronx, N.Y. (Mar. 16-17, 1979) - Birds nested in the rafters of the airplane hanger-style-gym. Would occasionally dive-bomb on players during game.
- Hawaii Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii (Dec. 20, 1985) - Played on a linoleum/tile floor. No air-conditioning so doors were open - ball would occasionally roll outside.
- Kona Tournament in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (Dec. 1-3) - Views of the Pacific out the back window of the gym barely kept one focused on the game.
- Aix-En-Provence in Istres, France (Aug. 20, 1999) - When the doors to the gym opened to allow fans to enter, the views of the Mediterranean were incredible. What basketball game??
- Brazilian Institute of Sport in Sao Paulo, Brazil (June 14-20, 1987) - Smoke-filled gym with over 15,000 fanatic Brazilians. Games were played on a handmade parquet floor which felt like cement.
- Games over ice - Madison Square Garden, Hartford Civic Center, Springfield (Mass.) Civic Center, First Union Center, San Jose Arena. (Various dates). The Lady Vols traditionally don't play well on courts over ice.
ON THE DOTTED LINE
The Lady Vol basketball coaching staff has once again signed the best recruiting class in the nation. Five players strong, the 2000 signing class is perhaps the most skilled group in Lady Vol history. Please see Debby Jennings for information regarding the 2000 signees.
UT HOLDS THE LONGEST POLL RANKING STREAK
Tennessee currently has the longest ranking streak in the AP Top 25 polls with 276 consecutive rankings. Tennessee has the most weekly rankings ever in the AP poll (405 weeks). According to hoops guru Mel Greenberg, UT is the only school to remain consistently in the poll during its 25 years.
146 OF 151 AT HOME
The Lady Vols have won 146 of its last 151 games in Thompson-Boling Arena dating back to Feb. 1, 1991. UT's five losses were to Louisiana Tech, Connecticut (twice), Stanford, and Georgia (OT).
THE NCAA RECORD TBA STREAK IS STILL INTACT AT 69 GAMES
When Southern University knocked off Grambling, 80-70, in GU's Memorial Gym on Jan. 6, 2001, it halted the Lady Tigers home winning streak at 68 games. Grambling was threatening to break the University of Tennessee Lady Vols' NCAA record for 69 consecutive home wins between Feb. 1, 1991 and Jan. 2, 1996.
SUMMITT VERSUS THE STATE OF TENNESSEE
No, it's not a court case . . . it's a won-lost record of 113-13. The contest against Memphis was coach Pat Summitt's 125th versus a school from the state of Tennessee.
IN OVERTIME
The Lady Vols are 20-10 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a season was 1996-97, when the Lady Vols were 3-1 in overtime contests losing to Georgia, 94-93, and defeating Texas, 68-65, Vanderbilt, 92-79 and LSU, 100-99. Tennessee's 21 points in the extra stanza against Vanderbilt on Jan.19, 1997, was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime. The previous high-water mark was 18 points versus Colorado on Dec. 20, 1993.
100 POINT GAMES
Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 64 times - and twice so far in the 2000-01 season. Last season, UT has hit the century mark four times in 37 games. Tennessee went over 100 points in an NCAA playoff game for the first time ever in 1993-94 with the win over North Carolina A&T, 111-37. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games leading the NCAA.
AT LEAST 5000 IN THE HOUSE
The Lady Vols have played in front of at least 5000 fans in 147 consecutive games at home dating back to March 16, 1991.
HOME SWEET HOME
All-time at home UT is 347-33 (.913) -- since the 1974-75 season. All-time home losses (in the Summitt era) include: six in Alumni Gym from 1974-76; 18 in Stokely Athletics Center from 1976-87; and nine in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1987.
ON OUR WAY TO 200 WINS IN THOMPSON-BOLING
In 13 seasons since moving to TBA, the Lady Vols are 195-9 (.956) overall. The Lady Vols won their 100th game in Thompson-Boling Arena with the victory over Stanford on 12-1-94. The Lady Vols have rarely lost at home in the past decade. UT suffered two losses the first year in the new arena (12-2 overall), a 97-78 defeat to Texas on Dec. 9, 1987 and a 71-68 loss to Auburn exactly one month later on Jan. 9, 1988. The Lady Vols enjoyed a flawless home slate in 1988-89 with a 15-0 record. UT almost duplicated the record a year later but dropped a one-point decision to Louisiana Tech, 59-58 (again on Dec. 9), and turned in a 14-1 showing in 1989-90. In 1990-91, the Lady Vols (15-1 at home) went down in defeat to Georgia, 81-74 on Jan. 28, 1991. From that point, until UT lost to Connecticut on Jan. 6, 1996 (59-53), the Lady Vols won a NCAA record 69 consecutive games. From 1991 until 1996, the team turned in records of 7-0 (remainder of 1991 season), 14-0 in 1991-92, 13-0 in 1992-93, 15-0 in 1993-94, 15-0 in 1994-95, and 14-1 in 1995-96. In 1996-97, the Lady Vols went 13-2 at home after losing back-to-back games to Georgia and Stanford in December. It marked the first time the team had lost consecutive games in the Arena. In the flawless 1997-98 campaign, the Lady Vols were 16-0 at home. Tennessee finished with a 14-0 mark at home in 1998-99. Last year, UT was 13-2 with losses to Louisiana Tech and Connecticut. This season, UT is 11-0.
"THE DUNK" PART ONE
The number one topic in the women's basketball world since Sat., Nov. 25, 2000 (and again after Jan. 23, 2001), has been 6'5" junior Michelle Snow's two-handed slam dunk against Illinois and later Vanderbilt. The dunks have been chronicled on every sports page across the nation and replayed dozens of times as the "Play of the Day … Week … whatever." Snow has fielded a pile of interview requests to recount the plays. On her initial dunk, it was believed that she was the fifth women's player to dunk in the collegiate ranks. Not so. Here's the scoop.
The first recorded dunk in women's college basketball was by 6'7" Georgeann Wells of the University of West Virginia (Northland H.S./Columbus, Ohio). Georgeann tossed in a one-handed dunk against Charleston (W.Va.) in the Mountaineer Christmas Classic on Dec. 21, 1984. With 11:18 remaining in the game, Wells took a full-court pass from teammate Lisa Ribble and soared to the basket for the one-handed dunk at the Elkins' Randolph County Armory.
The next women's basketball player to dunk in a sanctioned game was Charlotte Smith at the University of North Carolina. Smith accomplished her one-handed dunk out of a secondary break against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 4, 1994, in Chapel Hill, as the Tar Heels won 113-58. It was reported that UNC teammate Sylvia Crawley had dunked in a collegiate game as well, but that information was not accurate.
Snow's two-handed slamming, hanging on the right side of the rim jam, occurred with 10 seconds left before halftime of the title game at the Women's Maui Tournament against Illinois on Nov. 25. Snow stepped up to steal the ball at the high post and sailed all the way to the bucket. In flight, she jammed the ball through the hoop with both hands and then hung on the rim to put an exclamation point on the slam. Oxygen Sports Network was on hand televising the game and play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins made the call. Maui News photographer Matthew Thayer captured the photo. Snow's dunk was replayed on ESPN's Sports Center within 12 minutes of the play. It has been labeled the "Play of the Day" by just about every network, sports program, etc.
ON THE ACADEMIC FRONT
The Lady Vol basketball team placed nine players on the Dean's List for Fall 2000. Highlighting the honorees were Tamika Catchings and Kara Lawson who earned perfect 4.0 GPAs. Others earning GPAs over 3.0 included Tasha Butts, Kristen "Ace" Clement, Sarah Edwards, Kyra Elzy, April McDivitt, Semeka Randall and Ashley Robinson.
MORE FROM THE ACADEMIC FRONT
The Lady Vol senior class of All-Americans Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall, Kristen "Ace" Clement and fifth year senior Kyra Elzy, all notched their names on Dean's List honors for the just-concluded semester. Elzy earned her distinction as a master's degree student, while Catchings and Randall earned their honors in their final semester as undergraduates. Now let's see, what was your GPA in your final semester???
GET THIS! 100 MILLION TO 1
On Sat., Dec. 16, the Fall 2000 UT Commencement address was given by Dr. Bill Madia director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Included in his remarks to the graduates, he singled out the early graduation of Lady Vol All-Americas Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall with some interesting scientific data. Dr. Lee Riedinger, deputy director of Science and Technology at ORNL, figured out that the probability of two All-Americans graduating ahead of their class from the same institution was 100 million to 1. How 'bout those odds!
ELIGIBLE FOR THE ALUMNI GAME
On Dec. 16, 2000, All-Americans Tamika Catchings and Semeka Randall suited up for a special performance in Thompson-Boling Arena. No, it wasn't another basketball game sandwiched between Memphis and Stanford. Their garb was cap and gown and their all-academic performance was receiving their diplomas, as they walked across the stage in Thompson-Boling Arena. Afterwards, Catchings (Sport Management in the College of Education) and Randall (Speech Communications in the College of Arts and Sciences) returned to the Lady Vol locker room and signed the traditional "Graduation Pole" in the team meeting and film room. Every Lady Vol basketball graduate has inscribed her name on the graduation pole immediately following commencement. They are the first players to graduate ahead of their class since reserve forward Debbie Hawhee graduated early in December 1991 - at the top of her class. Both Catchings and Randall have been All-SEC Academic honorees during their Lady Vol careers and will begin graduate school in January as they complete their eligibility. Last year, Kyra Elzy graduated in December 1999, a semester early, but she had taken a redshirt year due to injury. Elzy will receive her master's degree in May 2000 as a fifth year senior.
AND THAT BRINGS UP RANDALL'S QUESTION
Shortly after senior All-American Semeka Randall took her last undergraduate exam on Wed., Dec. 13, she pondered the question, "will I be eligible for the alumni game this season?"
RECOGNIZING HOLLY
UT assistant coach Holly Warlick was recognized by the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in pre-game ceremonies against Memphis on Dec. 15. Warlick will be a Class of 2001 inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June.
GOOD WORKS FOR LAWSON
Sophomore point guard Kara Lawson has been named to the Southeastern Conference "Good Works" Team. Lawson has volunteered at nursing homes, the Race for the Cure, at Children's Hospital and worked with youth at the Boys and Girls Club.
THE RADIO
The Lady Vols can be heard on flagship station WNOX-AM 990 with Mickey Dearstone calling the action.
LADY VOL HOTLINE
For up-to-date information on all Lady Vol teams, call (865) 974-8700, 24-hours a day.
