University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE TRAVELS TO GEORGIA TO TAKE ON THE BULLDOGS
February 15, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2006
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TENNESSEE TRAVELS TO GEORGIA TO TAKE ON THE BULLDOGS
THE GAME The #5-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (22-3, 8-2 SEC) travels to the #13-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs (17-6, 7-3 SEC) for a key Southeastern Conference showdown on Feb. 16 in Athens, Ga. Earlier this season, then-#1 ranked UT defeated #13/17-ranked Georgia, 94-85, in Knoxville. LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE This is the Lady Vols' 32nd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 904-175 overall record...Collected her 900th career coaching win with a 80-68 decision over #19-ranked Vanderbilt on Jan. 19, 2006... She passed Dean Smith (879 wins) for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 victory over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005 ...Her 2004-05 squad finished third in the NCAA Final Four Championships with a 30-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions... This season, UT returned eight letterwinners, two redshirt freshmen and welcomed one newcomer ...The 2005-06 season marks the Lady Vol debut for redshirt freshmen Candace Parker and Alex Fuller who sat out last season rehabbing their left knees and true freshman, Lindsey Moss, a 6-0 guard from Alpharetta, Ga. ...UT's team dropped to 10 players when starting sophomore point guard Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood left the squad on Dec. 19, 2005...The roster dropped to nine players when starting sophomore point guard Alexis Hornbuckle broke her wrist on Feb. 12 and was lost for the season... THE 4-1-1 ON THE LADY BULLDOGS In their last outing, #13-ranked Georgia (17-6, 7-3 SEC) gave it all they had but couldn't knock-off #3-ranked LSU (22-1, 10-0 SEC) dropping a 68-61 decision in Baton Rouge, La., on Feb. 12. The Lady Tigers used a 12-0 second-half run to key the victory of at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Georgia trailed 34-31 at halftime but opened the second half with a 4-0 surge to gain the lead. The Lady Bulldogs missed several opportunities to build a more significant edge early in the second stanza. LSU did not score until the 14:48 mark of the second half. Although Georgia held the Lady Tigers scoreless for more than seven minutes, all they could manage was at one-point lead. In a back-and-forth battle with nine ties and 17 lead changes, three consecutive jumpers from LSU's Florence Williams helped the Lady Tigers gain some separation. With the score tied 46-46 with 8:54 left in the game, the Purple embarked on their decisive dozen-point surge over the next 5:35. Tasha Humphrey led the Lady Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points, while Sherill Baker and Janese Hardrick chipped in 12 apiece. Seimone Augustus scored 17 points to lead LSU. Sylvia Fowles (15), Erica White (12) and Williams (11) also reached double-digits for the Lady Tigers. Georgia returns to action on Feb. 16 when they host #5-ranked Tennessee at Stegeman Coliseum at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2. OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK... The SEC routine continues this week with a trip on Thurs., Feb. 16 to Athens, Ga., to face #13-ranked Georgia on ESPN2. On Sunday, UT travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Crimson Tide on CSS. LADY VOLS ON TV A record 21 Lady Vol regular season regional/national games are slated for television this season. UT is 14-3 on TV so far. GOING FOR 200,000 IN HOME ATTENDANCE Tennessee has two home games remaining and should break the 200,000 home attendance mark for the ninth time. The Lady Vols home attendance eclipsed 180K against Vanderbilt with 17,152 in attendance. This already marks the Lady Vols' 10th consecutive season going over 150,000 at home. ON THIS DAY Tennessee is 15-0 in their history when playing on Feb. 16. The Lady Vols are 7-0 at home, 6-0 on the road, and 2-0 on neutral courts. Last time out on the 16th, the Lady Vols defeated Auburn, 59-56, on the road in 2003. LOOKING BACK Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 19-4 and had just defeated Vanderbilt, 72-63, in Knoxville on Feb. 13. PIVOTAL WEEK FOR THE LADY VOLS After facing 10 ranked teams to open the first half of the season, Tennessee went two weeks (a four-game hiatus) from playing ranked opponents. The break is over as three key SEC games against ranked opposition looms large for the Lady Vols. To kick things off, UT lost a heartbreaker to #3/4-ranked LSU, 72-69, and rebounded with a win over #22/20-ranked Vanderbilt at home, 70-67, on Sunday. UT now travels to #13-ranked Georgia. AGAINST GEORGIA -- PLAYING OUR 500TH RANKED OPPONENT Another milestone will be reached when the #5-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols face #13-ranked Georgia in Athens on Feb. 16. It will mark UT's 500th all-time ranked opponent. Tennessee's game versus #22/20 Vanderbilt on Feb. 12, 2006 was the Lady Vols' 499th all-time versus a ranked team since the inception of the polls in 1976. UT is an amazing 355-144 (.712) versus ranked teams. This year, Tennessee is 10-2 versus ranked teams. In 2004-05, the Lady Vols were 10-5 vs. ranked teams. HORNBUCKLE SCHEDULED TO HAVE SURGERY Jenny Moshak, University of Tennessee Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine, announced that Lady Vol sophomore starting point guard Alexis Hornbuckle will undergo surgery on Wed., Feb. 15 to repair her broken right wrist. "We met with Dr. Robert Ivy, team orthopaedic hand specialist, and further diagnostic testing determined that Alexis needs surgery. Dr. Ivy will perform the surgery to implant a fixation screw to assist in the healing of the navicular scaphoid bone fracture," said Moshak. The 5-11 guard, who was recently named as a finalist for the 2006 Nancy Lieberman Award honoring the nation's top point guard, had played in all 25 games this season and started in 24. From her point guard position, she led the team in assists with 96 on the season (3.9 apg), was the third leading scorer (10.4 ppg) and second-leading rebounder with 5.4 rpg. Last season as a freshman, she appeared in all 35 games and logged 21 starts while averaging 8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 3.3 apg. Hornbuckle broke her wrist when she dove after the ball on a hustle play in the first half (3:06 showing) of Tennessee's win over #22/20-ranked Vanderbilt on Sun., Feb. 12 in Knoxville. Hornbuckle shook off the fall but did have her wrist taped at halftime. "Lex said she was okay She played on sheer adrenaline for the rest of the game. When it was re-examined post game, she was put in a light splint and x-rays confirmed the break on Monday morning," related Moshak. HORNBUCKLE SELECTED AS A LIEBERMAN FINALIST Eleven nominees for the 2006 Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the nation's top point guard have been selected. The nominees include: Alexis Hornbuckle (Tennessee), Nikki Blue (UCLA), Lindsay Bowen (Michigan State), Dee Davis (Vanderbilt), Megan Duffy (Notre Dame), Erin Grant (Texas Tech), Lindsey Harding (Duke), Carolyn Kieger (Marquette), Ivory Latta (North Carolina), Leilani Mitchell (Idaho) and Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers). The award, which is now in its seventh season, is presented annually by the Rotary Club of Detroit. A panel of national sportswriters chose this year's nominees based upon the award's criteria -- displaying the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career. Those same journalists will vote for three finalists and the award winner, who will be announced during the Final Four (April 2-4) in Boston. This year's honoree will receive the trophy during a gala luncheon April 12 at the Detroit Athletic Club. Lieberman will be on hand to present the award, whose past winners include three-time honoree Sue Bird and two-time selection Diana Taurasi (both of Connecticut), as well as last year's recipient, Temeka Johnson of LSU. BYE-BYE BACKCOURT To start the season, the top-ranked Lady Vols had one of the top backcourts in the nation in sophomores Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood and Alexis Hornbuckle. Tennessee's guard ranks grew thin after SWG elected to transfer on Dec. 19. With her leaving, Hornbuckle picked up point guard duties. Now with Hornbuckle out with a broken wrist, UT is missing the combined duo's 18.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 111 assists and 92 steals. GAME REPORT 26 - GEORGIA Georgia (17-6, 7-3 SEC) is a much different team than the one Tennessee defeated, 94-85 on Jan. 12. Since that setback, the Red & Black have become defensive meanies. Opponents have scored just 58.7 points per game (as opposed to 66.3 beforehand) and have hit around 39 percent of their field goals attempts. During this span, Georgia has forced 176 turnovers - 22.0 per game. Both teams face each other in the second meeting with nine player rosters. TENNESSEE-GEORGIA All-Time Series Meetings
GEORGIA SERIES This marks the 49th meeting between the two schools dating back to the 1968-69 season with Tennessee leading 34-14. The Lady Vols held a 14-5 advantage over Georgia in the 1990s. UGA is one of three schools (others are UConn and Texas) to defeat UT twice in the Thompson-Boling Arena. AVERAGE SCORE The average score of all UT-UGA games since 2000 is 72.7 (Tennessee) to 68.1 (Georgia) with UT leading 7-2. CAREER STATS VS. GEORGIA Three Lady Vols have a career scoring average in double-figures against the Lady Bulldogs. Rookie Candace Parker tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds in her first game vs. UGA. Senior Shanna Zolman averages 10.2 ppg in five career games while Sid Spencer tallies 10.0 ppg. Nicky Anosike crashes the boards for 6.0 rpg vs. the Dawgs. LADY VOLS VS. LADY BULLDOGS STAT COMPARISON
OUR LAST MEETING VERSUS GEORGIA Even as top-ranked Tennessee remained undefeated, Coach Pat Summitt fretted over the Lady Vols' defense. Tennessee beat No. 13 Georgia 94-85 on Thursday night with Candace Parker leading the way with a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Lady Bulldogs (11-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) came very close to ending Tennessee's home winning streak against league opponents. Instead, the Lady Vols (16-0, 2-0) won their 62nd straight SEC home game. The Lady Bulldogs were the last to win in Thompson-Boling Arena in December 1996, and they seemed ready to end the drought. Georgia trailed by nine points with 8 1/2 minutes left but cut it to 77-76 on two free throws by Sherill Baker with 3:53 to go. Tennessee answered with a quick 7-0 run. Georgia wasn't finished and got within five after Baker made two more free throws with 1:20 remaining. Parker followed with a fade-away jumper, but that didn't put it away. Alexis Kendrick hit a 3 for Georgia to make it 88-84 with 43 seconds left. That was the Lady Bulldogs' last field goal. Shanna Zolman and Sidney Spencer each made two free throws in the final 39 seconds, and Alexis Hornbuckle got a rebound and drove for a layup with 8 seconds to go. Summitt warned the Lady Vols would not stay undefeated for long if they didn't get better. Tennessee's next four games are on the road, including No. 2 Duke on Jan. 23, and Summitt promised practice would center on defense. Spencer and Zolman each scored 17 points, and Hornbuckle added 12 despite getting into foul trouble late in the game. Parker, who was 10-of-15 from the field, had five assists. "As much fun as it was sometimes, we still knew that we weren't playing very well defensively," Zolman said. "Hopefully throughout the course of the season we will improve." One player the Lady Vols had trouble stopping was Baker, who tied her career high with 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting and had six rebounds. Tasha Humphrey added 23 points and Kendrick had 11 for the Lady Bulldogs, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. UT AND GEORGIA RANKED MEETINGS IN 2005-06 The Lady Vols game against #13-ranked Georgia will mark Tennessee's 13th game versus a ranked team this season. UT is 10-2 when facing the nation's best teams. Meanwhile Georgia will be meeting its ninth ranked opponent in #5/5 Tennessee. UT defeated #9 Michigan State, #10 Maryland, #16/18 Texas, #12/11 Stanford, #22/21 Temple, #12/11 Notre Dame, #7 Connecticut, #13/17 Georgia, #19 Vanderbilt and #22/20 Vanderbilt. UT lost to #2 Duke and #3/4 LSU. Georgia is 3-5 against ranked teams this season defeating then #25 Florida, #24/23 Florida and #21/23 Kentucky, while losing to #6/7 Baylor, #25/22 Temple, #1 Tennessee, #4 LSU, and #3/4 LSU. LAST TIME IN ATHENS Despite letting a 14-point second half lead evaporate, the third-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols held on for a hard-fought 70-67 victory over #19/17 Georgia before a crowd of 9,495 at Stegeman Coliseum on Feb. 12, 2004. With the victory, Tennessee has won 29 consecutive regular season SEC games. It was all Big Orange early as Pat Summitt's squad connected on seven of its first 11 shots, while the Lady Bulldogs missed their first 10 attempts, and raced out to an 18-4 advantage. Despite trailing by double digits for most of the opening frame, UGA narrowed the margin to eight, 27-19, at 3:43. UT answered the challenge, though, with a 6-0 run and took a comfortable 12-point lead to the locker room. In the first session, The Lady Vols connected on 48.3 percent of their tries from the floor and held UGA to just 19.5 percent. However, UT was hampered by 16 turnovers. Also notable was the absence of junior Shyra Ely, who picked up two early fouls and played only four minutes. After the break, the teams exchanged baskets on the first few possessions, and UT extended its lead to 14 points following a layup by Ely at the 18:07 mark. Just as it looked as if the Lady Vols were in control of the contest, Georgia responded with an 18-4 run to even the score at 45. UT appeared to break the game open again with a 13-4 spurt to lead by nine points with less than seven minutes remaining, but Georgia utilized their tenacious trapping defense and cut the margin to one, 68-67, with 23 seconds left. Following a timeout by UGA, sophomore Shanna Zolman stepped on the end line while receiving the inbounds pass and gave Georgia a chance to take the lead. However, the Lady Bulldogs were unable to capitalize as Janese Hardrick missed a contested shot in the lane, and UT secured the win with a pair of free throws by junior Brittany Jackson. Individually, three Lady Vols scored in double figures, led by Jackson and senior Ashley Robinson who totaled 15 points apiece, while senior Tasha Butts notched 10. Senior LaToya Davis also came up big for the second-straight game as she earned a career-high nine rebounds and five assists to go with seven points and two steals. On the night, Tennessee shot 48.3 percent and held Georgia to a 31.7 percent mark. UT also out-rebounded UGA, 47-41, but committed a season-high 28 turnovers. WHAT SEC BYE WEEK? The Tennessee Lady Vols missed out on an SEC "bye" week this season due to scheduling Connecticut on a Saturday and Duke on a Monday - both to accommodate national television. The Tennessee-UConn game was televised on CBS and the UT vs. Duke contest was part of the ESPN2 "Big Monday" package. Bruised and beaten along the way with a relentless schedule, a bye week would have been welcomed this season. ON UT's RADAR SCREEN - ALABAMA - AGAIN Alabama (9-15, 3-8 SEC) claimed its first SEC road win this season taking a 61-59 decision at Mississippi State (6-18, 1-10 SEC) on Feb. 12 in Starkville, Miss. The Tide snapped several losing streaks in thrilling fashion, as Lauren Hill's follow-up lay-in off of a miss by Navonda Moore with :04.3 seconds remaining gave Alabama the road victory. That certainly wasn't the only streak snapped, as the win ended several frustrating losing spans for the Tide. Before Hill's dramatic putback, Alabama's last road victory in the league came on Jan. 26, 2003 at Ole Miss -- a span of 23 games. The Tide's last road win of any nature came on Dec. 11, 2004 against Tennessee Tech, a 17-game stretch. And last but not least, the victory ended the seven-game losing streak of the 2005-06 season. It took a monumental turnaround in the second half to even give the Tide a chance to earn the milestone victory. Alabama's offense never seemed to get started in the first half, as the Tide notched just a single assist while handing over 15 turnovers to Mississippi State. Alabama shot just 25.9 percent and surrendered 10 second-chance points to the Lady Bulldogs. Even though MSU shot just 34.4 percent from the field and failed to convert on nine three-point attempts, the Tide still trailed by 10 points at the half. The Tide team came out inspired in the second half and pulled themselves within striking distance in the last 10 minutes of play. Leah Drury's steal sparked a fast-break converted by Kate Mastin, who was fouled at the 5:39 mark. Mastin converted the tradition three-point play, allowing Alabama to knot the score for the first time in the game. Mastin knocked down two key free throws at the 2:41 mark and Dee Merriweather's contested lay-up with 1:50 remaining gave the Tide a two-point lead. Doceide Warren, one of three MSU players with 12 points in the game, scored MSU's final hoop with 12 seconds to play to knot the score at 59. With 12 seconds remaining, Alabama was able to get an isolation play on the wing for Moore, who missed a shot from the right block, one of just four misses from the field in the second half for Moore, who went 0-for-8 in the first half. Hill then made the play that ended three years of frustration for Alabama, as the junior swooped in from the left block, grabbed the rebound and put it back in off the glass to give the Tide a two-point lead with four seconds left to play. Warren's last-gasp trey attempt fell short and the jubilant Alabama players raced to a road locker room victorious for the first time in three years. Merriweather, a senior who has been through much of the aforementioned losing streak, played one of her best games of the season to give the Tide the road win. She tallied her second straight double-double and the ninth of her career with 12 points to go with 14 rebounds. She also converted two key free throws and tallied a key steal in the waning minutes for the Tide. Moore tallied her fifth-straight game in double figures in the scoring column after a subpar first half. Moore went scoreless in the first 20 minutes, but went 4-of-8 from the field to finish with 12 points in the game. Mastin chipped in with 11 points and went 4-of-5 from the charity stripe for the Tide. Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 19 to face highly-ranked Tennessee. The Lady Vols beat the Tide, 89-54 in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 29. The game will tip at noon central in Tuscaloosa. LADY VOLS STILL BELOW 40.0 RPG Currently at 38.5 rebounds per game, this is the worst rebounding team in Lady Vol history inching below the 1977-78 squad who managed just 39.7 rpg in 31 contests. JUST FOUR TO GO Tennessee is down to just four games in the regular season - on the road at #13 Georgia and Alabama, and back home for Auburn and Florida. SPOILED, I TELL YOU It has been eight years since the Lady Vols dropped two SEC league games during a season. Got to go back to the 1996-97 HBO documentary campaign of "The Cinderella Season: The Lady Vols Fight Back," when Tennessee went 8-4 in the SEC. All-time in 24 years of league play, Tennessee has lost two or more SEC games just seven times. Conversely, the Lady Vols have tallied seven perfect league campaigns in SEC play. WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER Tennessee leads the SEC in number of games versus ranked opponents. UT has played 12 ranked opponents this season and will face #13 ranked Georgia on Feb. 16. LSU and Georgia have both faced nine ranked teams while South Carolina, Mississippi and Mississippi State have taken on six ranked opponents. Vanderbilt has faced five ranked teams including Tennessee twice. Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama have battled four ranked teams, while Auburn and Kentucky have faced three ranked teams. QUICK HITTERS
PARKER IS THE ONLY COMMON DENOMINATOR Lady Vol redshirt freshman Candace Parker is the only 2005-06 Lady Vol to start all 25 games this season. Sophomore Alexis Hornbuckle, who is lost for the season, had started in 24 of 25 games while senior Shanna Zolman also has 24 starting nods this year. Soph Nicky Anosike has started 23 times, junior Sidney Spencer a dozen, senior Tye Fluker with eight and junior Dominique Redding with her first career start against Vanderbilt on Feb. 12. Redding is expected to be in the starting line-up again due to the loss of Hornbuckle. UT'S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Princeton (.597), Alabama1 (.574), Georgia1 (.565), Vanderbilt1 (.554), Texas (.549), ODU (.520), Temple (.509), Miss State (.500); 40%FG: Arkansas (.483), Chattanooga (.477), Ole Miss (.473), Vandy2 (.469), LaTech (.466), GWU (.462), Mich. St. (.460), South Carolina (.455), Duke (.451), Stetson (.446), LSU (.438), Maryland (.415), Stanford (.413), Gonzaga (.406), 30%FG: UConn (.397), Kentucky (.393), Notre Dame (.328) DEEE ----- FENSE In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: Vandy2 (.566), Duke (.536), 40%FG: UConn (.491), Stanford (.481), Vanderbilt1 (.466), ODU (.459), LSU (.458), Texas (.448), Georgia1 (.446), Kentucky (.438), Maryland (.434), Gonzaga (.426), Alabama1 (.413), 30%FG: Ole Miss (.389), LaTech (.385), Miss. State (.377), South Carolina (.365), GWU (.348), Temple and Mich. St. (.333), Chattanooga (.322), Notre Dame (.306), 20%FG: Princeton (.293), Stetson (.283), Arkansas (.264) 2005-06 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL Nineteen out of 22 Lady Vol wins in 2005-06 have different margins of victory ranging from 68 points (Princeton) to three points (Vandy2). UT's overall margin of victory is 19.2 ppg. Wins: +68 (1), +50 (1), +42 (1), +41 (1), +40 (1), +35 (1), +28 (1), +25 (1), +24 (1), +23 (1), +16 (2), +15 (2), +14 (1), +12 (1), +11 (1), +9 (2), +7 (1), +5 (1), +3 (1). Losses: -22 (1), -3 (2) AP POLL NOTES The first Associated Press poll of the 2005-06 season marked the 500th all-time poll and the 30th year of the women's basketball rankings. The AP women's Top 25 basketball poll released on Jan. 1, 2001, marked the 400th appearance by the 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 372 consecutive polls and since the 1986-87 season and 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 30 years of the poll. UT has appeared at least once per season over the poll's history. UT HAS NCAA'S BEST RPI The University of Tennessee Lady Vols once again top the NCAAs Ratings Percentage Indexes (RPI) released by the NCAA on Feb. 7. The RPI rankings -- which can be found at www.ncaasports.com -- include all games played through Feb. 5. The official RPI is used as one of many tools to select teams to participate in the championships. Developed in 1981, the RPI provides supplemental data in the evaluation of teams for at-large selection and seeding of the championship bracket is only one of many pieces of information available to the committees. Qualitative factors such as games missed by student-athletes or coaches and a team's performance in the latter portion of the season cannot be reliably measured by a statistical model. However, such factors are REMAINED AT #5 IN BOTH POLLS After losing to #3/4 LSU on Feb. 9, Tennessee remained as the nation's fifth best team in the Top 25 polls. As anticipated after the loss to #2 Duke and to unranked Kentucky, the Lady Vols dropped to number five in both polls on Jan. 30/31 and remained there on Feb. 6/7. The Tennessee Lady Vols last held the No.1 spot in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 23 - in voting held before UT's loss to #2 Duke. The poll of Dec. 26 marked the 100th time in Head Coach Pat Summitt's career that the Lady Vols were ranked number one. In the Dec. 5 AP poll, the Lady Vols were voted #1. It marked the first time since the second poll of the 2004-05 season that Tennessee has held the top spot in women's college hoops. The AP poll, now in its 30th year, celebrated poll number 500 in the first week of this season. Tennessee is on a run of 372 consecutive appearances in the poll. The 13th week of the 1984-85 season marked the last time a Summitt squad was not ranked. The Lady Vols have been unranked only 14 times in 515 polls. Summitt has guided the program to a poll-best 372 top-five appearances. Louisiana Tech, with 279 weeks in the top-five, ranks second. In the Nov. 28 poll, Duke led by seven points even though Tennessee had a 22-21 edge in first-place votes. THE ESPN/USA TODAY POLLING PLACE In the first USA TODAY/ESPN poll of the year on Nov. 1, the Lady Vols began the 2005-06 season as the number one ranked team in the country. It marks the 25th time in 30 years that UT has started the season in the top five in the nation. With the loss to Duke, Tennessee dropped to #3 and dropped again to #5 after losing to unranked Kentucky. After the loss to LSU, UT held the fifth spot. 499 GAMES VERSUS RANKED TEAMS Tennessee's game versus #22/20 Vanderbilt on Feb. 12, 2006 was the Lady Vols' 499th all-time versus a ranked team since the inception of the polls in 1976. UT is an amazing 355-144 (.703) versus ranked teams. This year, Tennessee is 10-2 versus ranked teams. In 2004-05, the Lady Vols were 10-5 vs. ranked teams. SEC STANDINGS
SEC TWOSIES The SEC plays a 14-game regular season schedule with each team playing everyone in the league once, a natural rival twice and designated rotating teams from the SEC East and West once extra time. The Lady Vols face Vanderbilt twice each season as its natural rivals and this year faces Georgia and Alabama twice. AGAINST THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE Tennessee owns a 358-56 record all-time record vs. 12 teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Lady Vols maintain a winning record against every team in the SEC. UT IS AMAZING AT HOME VERSUS THE SEC Since Tennessee began contesting games with Southeastern Conference opponents, the Lady Vols have produced a 149-10 record in all games played at home. Only five SEC teams have ever managed a victory over the Lady Vols in Knoxville - Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Ole Miss. Georgia has won three games on UT's turf while Auburn, Kentucky and Ole Miss have registered two wins each and LSU one win. Georgia was the only team to defeat UT at home in the 1990s - the Lady Bulldogs turned the trick in 1991 and 1996. LSU is the only SEC team to defeat UT at home in the 21st century. WOW--12 SEASONS OF AT LEAST 10 SEC VICTORIES In the win over South Carolina on Feb. 17, 2005, Tennessee claimed its 10th SEC victory of the year. The Lady Vols have now registered double-digit victories in conference play an incredible 12 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, 2000-13 games, 2001- 14 games, 2002- 13 games, 2003- 14 games, 2004-14 games and 2005- 13 games. SNAPPED AT 42 -- CONSECUTIVE SEC WINS With the loss to LSU on Feb. 10, 2005, the Lady Vols 42-game consecutive regular season SEC win streak was halted. Until the loss to LSU, the Lady Vols had not lost an SEC regular season game since at Vanderbilt on Feb. 2, 2002, 76-59. 64 CONSECUTIVE SEC HOME WINS BROKEN BY LSU The loss to LSU on Feb. 9, 2006 snapped the Lady Vols 64 consecutive SEC home court winning streak. Prior to the loss to LSU, the last SEC loss at home was to Georgia on Dec. 8, 1996, 94-93 (OT). SEC LEAGUE PLAY UT owns a league best record of 236-32 against all SEC teams dating back to 1983. THIS IS AMAZING From 1980-1997, the Lady Vols claimed a total of six SEC regular season titles in 17 years. From 1998-2004, Tennessee captured seven consecutive SEC regular season crowns producing an amazing 109-4 record. UT's only league losses were to Vandy, Georgia and LSU (twice) during this stretch. LADY VOL STREAKS The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against LSU, 72-69 on Feb. 9, 2006 -- since then, UT has won one home game. The last time UT lost on the road was on Jan. 26, 2006 at Kentucky, since then, UT has won one road game. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against Michigan State, 64-68, in the NCAA semifinal game on April 3, 2005 Since then, UT has won three games on a neutral court. LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM? Before unranked Kentucky turned the trick with a 66-63 win over #1/3-ranked Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2006 at Rupp Arena, it had been four years since an unranked team upset the Lady Vols. So before Kentucky, when was the last time Tennessee lost to an unranked team? That would have been to LSU on Mar. 2, 2002 at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. LSU had been in and out of the Top 25 polls in late January and February. Prior to that, UT's last loss to an unranked team was five years previous (to the day) losing to Auburn on Mar. 2, 1997 at the SEC Tournament. 100 POINT GAMES Since 1974, the Lady Vols have gone over the century mark 71 times. This season, UT has eclipsed 100 points in two games - Princeton 107 and #16/18 Texas, 102. Noteworthy: 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. IN OVERTIME The Lady Vols are 24-12 all-time in overtime games. The most OT games in a year was tied in 2003-04 with four as the Lady Vols went 3-1 in overtime losing to Georgia, 68-66, and defeating Auburn, 68-61, DePaul, 96-89, and Stanford, 70-66. It tied the mark set in 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. UT's 22 points in the OT against Florida (2-3-05), was the most ever scored by the Lady Vols in a single overtime. AN OT STORY Before the Lady Vols piled up four overtime games in the 2003-04 season, OT contests were few and far-in-between. The Jan. 4, 2003, overtime contest with Connecticut, was the first time Tennessee was involved in an extra stanza game since the 1996-97 season when the Lady Vols played a then-record four overtime affairs. DEMOSS JOINS PECK The roll call goes like this: Sylvia Hatchell, Sharon Fanning, Jane Albright, Lea Henry, Nancy Darsch, Trish Roberts, and Mickie DeMoss. etc., UT coach Pat Summitt has faced many former players and assistant coaches in a variety of games thru the years but Mickie DeMoss of Kentucky and Carolyn Peck at Florida, are the only two to record a victory over their former boss. While at Purdue, Peck handed Summitt a 78-68 loss on Nov.15, 1998 in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic in West Lafayette, Ind. The defeat snapped UT's 46-game consecutive winning streak (that was second only to Louisiana Tech's all-time 54-game winning streak). DeMoss, a Summitt assistant for 18 years, turned the trick in Lexington on Jan. 26, 2006, with a 66-63 victory over then #1/3 Tennessee in Rupp Arena. ALL TV, ALL THE TIME There's no excuse not to catch the Lady Vols over the next four games. All remaining games will be televised. 100TH NUMBER ONE RANKING The Associated Press poll of Dec. 26, 2005, marked the 100th #1 ranking all-time for the Lady Vols. UT has produced a 71-21 record when ranked number-one. When ranked #1, the Lady Vols are 33-17 against the top 10 teams and 38-4 against teams ranked in the 11-25 spots in the AP poll. FEBRUARY SUCCESS The Lady Vols have enjoyed a great deal of success in the month of February over the years. UT has produced a 235-32 all-time record during the second month of the year. The Lady Vols are 125-12 at home, 87-17 away and 23-3 at neutral sites. NO KIDDING, LET'S GO SEE THE CIRCUS Lady Vol basketball has that "circus charm" to it again this season. Every road team---George Washington, Stanford, Temple, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Duke, Kentucky and Ole Miss (UT's 10 road games) have posted new attendance records or season high attendance records. The coffers have fared well - ticket prices when UT came to town almost doubled the price of a normal ducat at many venues. Duke and Notre Dame announced advance sell-outs weeks before the game. A normal ticket at Vanderbilt for women's hoops is $10.50 for anyone but Tennessee - the Commodores charged $20.50 to see the Lady Vols play. Most recently, Kentucky drew a record crowd of 13,689 at Rupp Arena when they defeated the Lady Vols, 66-63. ONLY ONE LOSS EVER The unranked Temple Owls almost pulled off a shocker in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 28, 2004, losing 52-48 to the #1-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols. Tennessee has never lost to an unranked team at home in the 18-years that the team has been playing in Thompson-Boling Arena. In fact, since the Associated Press polls started in 1976, the Lady Vols have only lost one game ever to an unranked opponent at home. The Dawn Staley-coached Temple Owls almost accomplished (practically 20 years to the day) what the unranked Cincinnati Lady Bearcats pulled-off when they waltzed into Stokely Athletics Center on Nov. 26, 1984, and hung a 72-69 loss on the 12th-ranked Lady Vols. Cincinnati's Cheryl Cook had a field day against UT and tossed in 34 points in 33 minutes of action in the upset. Tennessee has lost just 15 games all-time at TBA - all to ranked opponents and comprised of just eight teams. UT has never played a game at TBA when they were not ranked. UT lost 19 games all-time at Stokely since the rankings started in 1976. Eighteen losses were to ranked opponents and just one to an unranked team. UT was not ranked at the time of three of the losses to ranked teams.
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