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One round at a time for Lady Vols

Summitt peppered with questions about relationship with Auriemma

By Dan Fleser (Contact)
Originally published 07:31 p.m., March 22, 2008
Updated 07:31 p.m., March 22, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Instead of Spring, snowflakes were in the air Saturday in chilly Indiana.

Yet there was a sure sign this was March, not mid-January. It was the sound of "one game at a time" emanating from Tennessee's locker room.

The NCAA women's basketball tournament tips off tonight for the Midwest Regional's top seed. Tennessee (30-2) faces No. 16 seed Oral Roberts (19-13) at approximately 9:30 (TV: ESPN2) in Mackey Arena. The game follows No. 8 Utah versus No. 9 Purdue at 7.

The winners meet Tuesday night for spot in the regional semifinals next Sunday in Oklahoma City.

"We don't want to take any team lightly,'' senior guard Alberta Auguste said. "You play them like they're out to get you."

That goes for the Golden Eagles, even though history suggests that the Lady Vols will get them by a good margin. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, Tennessee has played 14 first-round games and won them all by an average margin of nearly 45 points.

The closest call, if you could call it that, was 77-54 against Colgate in 2004. The Lady Vols rested then-star forward Shyra Ely for that game because she had a sore foot.

In four other first-round games, UT has topped 100 points. The 113 points scored against Appalachian State in 1999 are the program's single-game tournament high and the fifth-most scored in NCAA first/second-round history.

Results like this don't encourage a narrow mindset. Still, the Lady Vols have found a suitable context for tonight's game.

"We talk about preparing ourselves for our mission and our goals,'' Lady Vols assistant coach Dean Lockwood said. "Obviously our goals include this game and five other games."

UT coach Pat Summitt reiterated where her thoughts were during Saturday's press conference. The first question was from ESPN reporter Shelley Smith and it concerned Summitt's relationship with Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.

"Well, my phone hasn't been ringing,'' she said. "I haven't been calling him. I really haven't thought about that. Oral Roberts is first and foremost on my mind."

Summitt was peppered with several more questions about the subject until another reporter interrupted, apologizing for redirecting the line of questioning back to today's game.

Unless the Lady Vols and Huskies both reach the Final Four, Summitt indicated afterward that her response to the next question on the topic will be "next question."

"I did not sit down there thinking I'd be fielding a question about Pat and Geno,'' she said. "This is not about us."

UT senior guard Alexis Hornbuckle summed up the situation as "amusing."

"We're worried about Tennessee,'' she said. "We don't worry about the media or what other people might be saying."

Senior center Nicky Anosike was concerned enough about Tennessee to lose sleep Friday night. She was drawing up another team pact, a document similar to the one she conceived and had the players sign last season before a key road game at Connecticut.

Her latest creation carried over into the wee hours.

"I kept getting up in the middle of the night and putting the light on because I was getting another idea,'' she said. "We're really focused on this season. There's a lot of seniors on this team and we don't want to leave with anything less than a championship."

Anosike's inspiration was roommate Shannon Bobbitt's consternation. Every time Anosike woke up, so did Bobbitt.

"She would pull her covers over her head and make a noise that she was mad,'' Anosike said.

Anosike settled on seven ideas revolving around UT's play. There was a discussion on the docket for Saturday night.

"I think we have a lot to talk about to get the freshmen ready,'' she said. "We need everyone (tonight), from the freshmen to the seniors. We need to play together."

Beginning with Oral Roberts.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

       23 Comments

Posted by anthony on March 22, 2008 at 11:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Great article, looks like the reporters are more worried about UConn than we are. What are they trying to do , scare us? Maybe they ought to look at themselves in the mirror?

Posted by 98reax on March 23, 2008 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hopefully Anosike's insomnia will have a positive effect on her team as it did last year. Nicky will need to be well rested and ON HER GAME to be as imposing in the paint as she was in the past post season. She played her best ball in the Final Four to help us bring home #7, but if we expect to contend for #8 she will need to kick butt in OK City against OK. I'm saying OK will be fired up and loud with a house full of fans. We will need to put a lid on the Boilermakers in order to to get there I remember once we got upset by Purdue and Carolyn Peck early season '99. They went on to win it all.

Posted by LadyVolFanForever on March 23, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

98reax-I agree. I have been saying I am worried about playing OK. They have something to prove and the Paris sisters are something to contend with ! Everyone will have to suck it up and bring their game to get us past them. It will all come down to heart & desire........and our Lady Vols have both. All the way to Tampa !

Posted by arkyvol on March 23, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

as much as i hate to say it, UT and UConn have been eyeball to eyeball for the past twenty years and it was the lady vols who blinked. you can put as much lipstick on that pig as you want to, but its still a fact. as long as these two programs remain as the epitome of women's basketball, pat is going to get those kind of questions.

Posted by manateemo on March 23, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

UCONN Coach has said Pat cancelled THE GAME because Pat hates Geno's guts. At least he has responded. It was Summit who voided the hotest regular season game and she has no comment. Given that Summit and Tenn canceled the game a reasonable response would be appropriate. PS geno has been elected VP of the coaches association so many of his piers have a better regard for him than the cool ade drinkers in Knoxville

Posted by pendav on March 23, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hi Manateemo

Not only is Geno VP of the coaches association but he will be President when Coales term is up.

Posted by threehundredbowler on March 23, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

He is still an a-- h---.

Posted by TommyJack on March 23, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

manateemo: #1, it's peers", not piers. #2, Geno is still a butt nugget.

Posted by 98reax on March 23, 2008 at 1:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You are right, manateemo, Geno did respond but his response came from his behind, as does many of his remarks. Pat chooses to be silent because the onus is not on her. She simply exercised her prerogative to end the contract, albeit she did so by the book. That is the only decent, humanitarian way for teachers and coaches to respond to an injustice against them and/or their profession. If GA handles his responsibilities of VP in such a supercilious manner, he will quickly lose the respect of many peers. To make a frivolous accusation that someone "hates my guts" and present it to the public as being de facto, verges on slanderous. I doubt seriously that Pat has ever made a public statement as such. That could be exactly why she makes NO statement at all.

Posted by kimzy1961 on March 23, 2008 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To all VOL FANS!,
Right now Tennessee is losing by 7 to Dayton in the Tournament!

Huh!?. . . I guess some of you are asking yourselves , "What is this guy smoking?". We're not playing Dayton and the game hasn't started yet!

Let me explain. . . .

CBSportsline.com is sponsoring an Essay contest set up like the basketball tournament, pitting representatives from teams that made it into the NCAA Tourney. awVols1985 was chosen by the tournament admin. to write for the VOLS and is doing a great job of it. But. . ..

He needs your help! There is no cost . . . You don't have to register . . . You don't even have to vote for him if you don't think he deserves the vote. . . But you do have to find the sight and I'm providing a link to the official explanation of the contest and 1 directly to his essay page.

Let's help keep TENNESSEE in the national limelight by helping awVols1985 advance to the round of 16.

Vote NOW ! ! !
Vote AWVOLS1985 ! ! !
GO VOLS ! ! !

The explanation : http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/message....

awVols1985's sight: http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/message....

Thanks for your time and vote!

Posted by splinterdand on March 23, 2008 at 3:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I have to disagree with you arkyvol. Pat got that question from the ESPN reporter because he's an idiot. Pat Summitt doesn't owe anyone a damn thing.

Posted by splinterdand on March 23, 2008 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry. She's an idiot.

Posted by splinterdand on March 23, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

manateemo, we drikn moonshine in Knoxville.

Posted by volfan on March 23, 2008 at 5:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pat has said.."Geno Aurema knows why the series was cancelled." Do I believe Pat Summitt? You bet I do! Now let Geno tell the world the truth! It must take some kind of coward to hide behind the statement, "She hates my guts. Perhaps he could explain why he perceives that Pat hates him and for what reasons. Go Ladies!...Post another banner in the rafters of TBA!

Posted by bmaples on March 23, 2008 at 6 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Geno can be elected Vice-President of the NCAA Compliance Committee, and I still wouldn't trust him.

Posted by bmaples on March 23, 2008 at 6:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And by the way -- Go Lady Vols!!

Posted by volfan on March 23, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

bmaples
Geno involved in the NCAA Compliance Comm.? Whatta Joke! It would be like asking the fox to guard the hen house. Or the hound dog (not Smokey) to guard the rack of ribs on the table!

Posted by kimzy1961 on March 23, 2008 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Real tight battle going on over here at CBSportsLine.com. Tennessee still trails Dayton by
1 percentage point in the tournament! C'mon VOL fans ! Let's get out and vote! Call your family, call your friends call any other SEC fans and tell'em to help! Let's take down the Flyers of Dayton. Surely there are more TENNESSEE fans out there than there are Dayton fans.

If you have already voted, THANKS, and check back for the next round Monday.

GO VOLS ! ! !
GO LADY VOLS ! ! !

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