TENNESSEE VS. UCONN - POST GAME NOTES - University of Tennessee Athletics

April 9, 2003

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MIDEAST REGION CHAMPION: No. 1 seed UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE (Ranked No. 4 by AP and USA TODAY)
Records: 33-5; 14-0 SEC (champions); at-large bid
ROAD IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Beat Alabama State 95-43; Beat Virginia 81-51; Beat Penn State 86-58; Beat Villanova 73-49; Beat Duke 66-56; Lost to Connecticut 73-68

COACH PAT SUMMITT

Has guided Tennessee to all 14 of its Final Four appearances.
Summitt's overall coaching record stands at 821-163 in 29 years, all at Tennessee, and is the winningest coach in women's basketball history. Texas' Jody Conradt is second with 817 wins.
Summitt's all-time record in the Final Four stands at 16-8, which includes six NCAA titles. She is the winningest coach in Final Four history. Next is Geno Auriemma (Connecticut) with a 8-3 record, including the 2003 championship game with 4 titles.

TENNESSEE TEAM NOTES

UT entered tonight's game leading the nation in scoring, averaging 80.2 ppg.
UConn's 10 three-pointers are the most UT has allowed this season.
This was UT's 10th NCAA title game, posting a 6-4 record in the final game.
UT is now 80-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Of the 16 losses UT has suffered in the NCAA Tournament, seven of them have been to a number one seed, including this year and three of the last four occurrences.
Every player who has played four years at UT has played in the NCAA championship game.
UT is now 28-13 all-time when playing in the state of Georgia, including a 2-1 record in Atlanta. Aside from the 2003 Final Four, the only other meeting in Atlanta was against Duke back Dec. 27, 2001 in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
The Lady Vols extended their streak of consecutive outings with at least one 3-pointer to 159 games.
This is the sixth time UT has won at least 33 games in a season.
The Lady Vols' +18 rebounding margin over Connecticut ranks third all-time in a championship game and ties for fourth all-time in a final four game.

TENNESSEE INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Tennssee's senior class of Gwen Jackson and Kara Lawson concludes its four-year record at 125-17. They have led the Lady Vols to three Final Fours, a 54-2 record in the SEC regular season, and four consecutive SEC crowns.
This is just the fifth UT senior class since 1982 that has failed to win an NCAA national championship.
Kara Lawson ends her career with 1,950 points, 621 rebounds and 456 assists (fifth all-time); and UT's all-time leader in 3-pointers made (258) and 3-pointers attempted (617); and second for 3-point field goal percentage (41.8%).
Gwen Jackson ends her career with 1,508 points and 786 rebounds.
Associated Head Coach Mickie DeMoss was on the Tennessee sideline for the final time tonight. She has been on the Lady Vols coaching staff since 1985, helping the team compile a 554-77 record in addition to six NCAA titles and 11 Final Four appearances. After tonight's game, she will assume new duties as the head coach at the University of Kentucky.
Loree Moore's field goal percentage during the 2003 NCAA Tournament was 70.9 percent (22-31).

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Tonight's game was the sixth time Tennessee and Connecticut have played each other in the NCAA Tournament, with UConn holding a 4-2 advantage. The teams have met a total of 17 times, with UConn leading 11-6 and have a four game win streak in the series.
UT has never won an NCAA national championship when trailing at halftime.
Tonight was the 12th time this season UT trailed at halftime, and the second consecutive game. UT was 7-5 when behind entering the lockerroom.
UT and Uconn have combined to win seven of the last nine NCAA titles. Uconn has won four and UT three (1996, 1997, 1998).
The Lady Vols have advanced to the Final Four each of the eight times they participated in a NCAA Regional played in the state of Tennessee (1982 in Knoxville; 1984 in Knoxville; 1987 in Knoxville; 1991 in Knoxville; 1995 in Knoxville; 1998 in Nashville; 2000 in Memphis; 2003 in Knoxville), winning it three times (1987, 1991, 1998).

ALL-TOURNAMENT NOTES

NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team: MVP Diana Taurasi, UCONN; Alana Beard, Duke; Gwen Jackson, Tenn; Kara Lawson, Tennessee; Ann Strother, UCONN.
The National Anthem was sung by Blu Cantrell of Providence, R.I., who now makes her home in Atlanta. She records for Arista Recording.
The color guard is composed of members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, traditionally known as "The Old Guard". It is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army having served the U.S. since 1784. "The Old Guard" is the Army's official ceremonial unit and escort to the President, and it also provides security for Washington D.C. in time of national emergency or civil disturbance.
The NCAA has crowned four different national champions in the past six years -- Tennessee (1998), Purdue (1999), Connecticut (2000), Notre Dame (2001), Connecticut (2002) and (2003).
ESPN's semifinals coverage of the Texas vs. Connecticut second semifinal April 6 averaged a 3.20 rating and 2,766,000 household impressions. It is the highest-rated and most-viewed women's national semifinal game in the eight years of ESPN broadcasting. It was also the ninth most-viewed college basketball game-men's or women's-in network history. The combined two-game semifinal night averaged a 2.73 average rating, a 32 percent increase over last year (2,358,000 households vs. 1,783,000 in 2002). This is the first year of the Sunday-Tuesday Final Four women's format, and the first time the women's championship final will be the last collegiate basketball game shown in the season.
The 2003 semifinals and finals single game attendance is 28,210. That is the second most attended Final Four in history. The Women's Final Four attendance records were set last year in San Antonio. The semifinals attendance and championship finals set an all-time attendance record for NCAA Championships of 29,619. This is the 12th sellout (11th consecutive) of the NCAA Women's Final Four. The 2003 cumulative total of 334,587 through 42 games is an NCAA record as is the average of 7,966 per tournament game.
The two highest individual scorers in an NCAA championship game recorded their respective games of 47 points and 28 points in Atlanta (Swoopes, Texas Tech, 47 in 1993 and Taurasi, UCONN, 28 in 2003)
Taurasi has 54 points in two games which is the fourth highest two-total in Final Four history.
The Lady Vols' +18 rebounding margin over Connecticut ranks third all-time in a championship game and ties for fourth all-time in a final four game.
Animal mascots have represented their teams in 10 NCAA Championship games including 2003. Dogs have been matched up five times, and wolves, tigers and lions make up the rest of the array of mascots.

EAST REGION CHAMPION: No. 1 seed UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT (ranked 1st in Associated Press poll; 2nd in ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll). Final Record: 37-1; 16-0 BIG EAST Conference/1st; lost conference tournament final to Villanova; received at-large bid. Road to the NCAA Championship Game: d. Boston University (91-44); d. TCU (81-66); d. Boston College (70-49); d. Purdue (73-64); d. Texas (71-69).

COACH GENO AURIEMMA

Auriemma earns his fourth national championship, which is second only to Tennessee's Pat Summitt (6). Auriemma also ties former Kentucky men's coach Adolph Rupp for the third-most NCAA titles by a men's or women's coach - legendary UCLA coach John Wooden holds the record with 10 championships.
With tonight's win, Auriemma has passed Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt for the best winning percentage by an active Division I coach in NCAA history. Auriemma has a lifetime success rate of .835 (501-99), while Summitt now stands at .834 (821-163).
This marks Geno Auriemma's seventh trip to the Final Four, which ranks third all-time behind Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt (14) and former Louisiana Tech skipper Leon Barmore (9).

CONNECTICUT TEAM NOTES

Connecticut wins its fourth national championship (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003), second only to Tennessee's six titles. The Huskies also are 4-0 in NCAA championship games (3-0 vs. Tennessee), the best record ever by any team with a minimum of three games played. UConn also owns a lifetime mark of 8-3 (.727) in the Final Four, second only to USC's 5-1 (.833) Final Four record with a minimum of three games played.
UConn is the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Tennessee won three in a row from 1996-98. The only other back-to-back champion besides the Huskies and Lady Vols is USC, which won crowns in 1983 and 1984.
Connecticut won its two Final Four games in 2003 by a combined total of seven points, the smallest two-game margin of victory in Final Four history. The previous mark was 11 points, set by Louisiana Tech (1988) and Tennessee (1991).
With its victory over Tennessee tonight, Connecticut extends its NCAA Tournament winning streak to 12 games, dating back to the beginning of last year's tournament. Tennessee holds the record with 21 consecutive NCAA Tournament wins from 1996-99.
UConn now has won four consecutive games vs. Tennessee, the longest winning streak by either team in the series.
Connecticut set an NCAA championship record with just 22 rebounds, two less than the previous low of 24 rebounds, set by Texas Tech vs. Ohio State in 1993.
Connecticut had only 11 turnovers, tying for the third-fewest giveaways in an NCAA championship game (USC also had 11 vs. Tennessee in 1984).
Connecticut canned 10 three-point field goals, one short of its season best of 11 treys, set three times (vs. Pepperdine, Providence and Boston University). The 10 treys by UConn is the second-highest total ever in an NCAA championship game, one shy of the record of 11, set by Stanford vs. Auburn in 1990.
UConn attempted 21 three-point field goals, tying for the fourth-highest total ever in an NCAA championship game.
Connecticut's .476 three-point percentage (10-for-21) ranks eighth in an NCAA Final Four game.
UConn tried just 49 field goals in tonight's game, the third-fewest ever by one team in an NCAA title game. The Huskies also attempted only 105 field goals in two Final Four games, which stands as the fourth-lowest total in NCAA history.
Of the first 14 points scored by Connecticut, all came by players other than junior guard Diana Taurasi. During that time, Taurasi was 0-for-2 from the field, while the other Huskies were 7-for-8.
More than half (18) of Connecticut's 35 first-half points came by way of the three-point field goal.
Connecticut is 17-0 this season when four players score in double figures (including tonight's game).
UConn is 35-0 this year when leading at halftime (the Huskies were up 35-30 tonight).

CONNECTICUT INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Junior guard Diana Taurasi's 28 points matches the second-highest total by an individual in an NCAA championship game (achieved four times, most recently by Notre Dame's Ruth Riley vs. Purdue in 2001). Two of the highest individual scoring games in NCAA championship game history both have come in Atlanta - Texas Tech's Sheryl Swoopes had 47 points vs. Ohio State at The Omni in 1993.
Taurasi scored 54 points in this year's NCAA Final Four, the fourth-highest two-game scoring total in history. It's also the most since Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw tallied 55 points during the 1997 Final Four.
Taurasi made eight three-point field goals in two games at this year's Final Four, tying the record for the most treys held jointly by Oklahoma's Rosalind Ross (2002) and Stanford's Katy Steding (1990).
Taurasi made four three-pointers tonight, marking the eighth time in NCAA championship game history that one player has made four treys in a title game.
Taurasi was 8-for-8 at the free throw line, the second-best individual foul shooting performance ever in an NCAA championship game. Texas Tech's Sheryl Swoopes was 11-for-11 at the charity stripe vs. Ohio State in 1993.
Taurasi attempted 20 three-point field goals in two games at this year's Final Four, the most in NCAA history. The previous mark was 18 by Oklahoma's Rosalind Ross (2002) and Stanford's Katy Steding (1990).
Taurasi scored 28 points tonight, cracking the 20-point barrier in all six games of this year's NCAA Tournament. Taurasi averaged 26.2 points per game in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Taurasi now has 1,588 career points, placing her seventh on Connecticut's all-time scoring list. With tonight's 28-point effort, she passed Swin Cash, who scored 1,583 points from 1997-2001.
Taurasi finishes this season with 663 points, passing Rebecca Lobo (635 from 1993-94) for the second-most points ever by a Connecticut junior. Kara Wolters holds the Husky record for points by a junior with 694 points in 1995-96.
Freshman guard Ann Strother scored 17 points tonight, one short of her career-best of 18 points set twice this season. It also was her highest scoring output since a 17-point performance vs. Duke on Feb. 1.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE NOTES

The BIG EAST Conference becomes the first league in NCAA history to win four consecutive national championships (Connecticut - 2000, 2002, 2003; Notre Dame - 2001). The previous mark was three, held jointly by the BIG EAST and Southeastern Conference (Tennessee - 1996-98).
The BIG EAST is only the second conference ever to claim both the men's and women's NCAA championships in the same season (Syracuse won the men's title last night). The SEC also turned the trick with Kentucky (men) and Tennessee (women) in both 1996 and 1998.
The BIG EAST is the first conference ever to win three of the four major postseason basketball tournaments (men's/women's NCAA; men's/women's NIT) in the same season. In addition to Connecticut's NCAA women's title, the Syracuse men won the NCAA crown and the St. John's men earned the NIT championship.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Connecticut becomes the first team to win the NCAA title without having a senior on its roster.
Including this year, the last 10 NCAA champions have had to defeat either Connecticut or Tennessee at some point during the season on the road to the title.
Connecticut's win marks the sixth consecutive year in which a No. 1 seed has won the NCAA championship. In 22 NCAA Tournaments (1982-present), a No. 1 seed has come away with the title 17 times.
Domed stadiums seem to agree with Connecticut. The Huskies are 4-0 all-time in domed facilities, winning both of their Final Four games last year at the Alamodome in San Antonio, in addition to their two Final Four wins this season at the Georgia Dome.

ALL-TOURNAMENT NOTES

NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team: MVP Diana Taurasi, UCONN; Alana Beard, Duke; Gwen Jackson, Tenn; Kara Lawson, Tennessee; Ann Strother, UCONN.
The National Anthem was sung by Blu Cantrell of Providence, R.I., who now makes her home in Atlanta. She records for Arista Recording.
The color guard is composed of members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, traditionally known as "The Old Guard". It is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army having served the U.S. since 1784. "The Old Guard" is the Army's official ceremonial unit and escort to the President, and it also provides security for Washington D.C. in time of national emergency or civil disturbance.
The NCAA has crowned four different national champions in the past six years -- Tennessee (1998), Purdue (1999), Connecticut (2000), Notre Dame (2001), Connecticut (2002) and (2003).
ESPN's semifinals coverage of the Texas vs. Connecticut second semifinal April 6 averaged a 3.20 rating and 2,766,000 household impressions. It is the highest-rated and most-viewed women's national semifinal game in the eight years of ESPN broadcasting. It was also the ninth most-viewed college basketball game-men's or women's-in network history. The combined two-game semifinal night averaged a 2.73 average rating, a 32 percent increase over last year (2,358,000 households vs. 1,783,000 in 2002). This is the first year of the Sunday-Tuesday Final Four women's format, and the first time the women's championship final will be the last collegiate basketball game shown in the season.
The 2003 semifinals and finals single game attendance is 28,210. That is the second most attended Final Four in history. The Women's Final Four attendance records were set last year in San Antonio. The semifinals attendance and championship finals set an all-time attendance record for NCAA Championships of 29,619. This is the 12th sellout (11th consecutive) of the NCAA Women's Final Four. The 2003 cumulative total of 334,587 through 42 games is an NCAA record as is the average of 7,966 per tournament game.
The two highest individual scorers in an NCAA championship game recorded their respective games of 47 points and 28 points in Atlanta (Swoopes, Texas Tech, 47 in 1993 and Taurasi, UCONN, 28 in 2003)
Taurasi has 54 points in two games which is the fourth highest two-total in Final Four history.
The Lady Vols' +18 rebounding margin over Connecticut ranks third all-time in a championship game and ties for fourth all-time in a final four game.
Animal mascots have represented their teams in 10 NCAA Championship games including 2003. Dogs have been matched up five times, and wolves, tigers and lions make up the rest of the array of mascots.

University of Tennessee Athletics

TENNESSEE VS. UCONN - POST GAME NOTES

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