The #4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (13-1, 1-0 SEC), riding a seven-game winning streak, completes the BIG EAST portion of the schedule traveling to face #5-ranked Connecticut (12-0, 2-0 BIG EAST) in the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 6 at 4:00 p.m. The annual blockbuster will be televised nationally by CBS. UT is 2-0 versus BIG EAST teams this season.

LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE

This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 926-178 overall record... Is just 74 wins away from a remarkable 1,000 career victories...Collected her 900th 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 2005-06 squad advanced to the NCAA Elite...Finished with a 31-5 overall record and were the SEC Tournament Champions...

This season, UT returned six letterwinners, welcomed a senior manager turned player, two junior college transfers and a pair of rookies...The 2006- 07 season marks the Lady Vol debut for former senior manager #10 Elizabeth Curry, JC transfers #00 Shannon Bobbitt and #33 Alberta Auguste...True freshman, #2 Cait McMahan, a 5-4 guard from Maryville, Tenn., and #34 Nicci Moats, a 6-2 forward from Daleville, Va., also see their first action in the Orange and White this season.

THE 4-1-1 ON THE HUSKIES

In the final tune-up before facing Tennessee, #5-ranked Connecticut (12-0, 2-0 BIG EAST) took a 63-44 decision over conference foe West Virginia on Jan. 2, 2007 at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. UConn rookie Tina Charles led three players in double-figures with her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. She was joined in the scoring parade by junior Charde Houston with a team high16 points (plus nine boards) and sophomore Kalana Greene 15 points and nine rebounds. With 12 victories, UConn opens the season at 12-0 for the first time since 2002-03. The Huskies closed the first half with a 25-5 run over the final 7:35 to turn a four-point deficit into a 16-point halftime advantage. UConn maintained the lead throughout the second half and led 59-40 with 5:46 left in the game. The Huskies owned a 45-29 advantage on the boards and outscored the Mountaineer bench 16-4.

NOT AVAILABLE

34- Nicci Moats, F, 6-2, Fr., 0.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg (personal reasons) It is anticipated that Nicci Moats will rejoin the team prior to the start of classes on Jan. 10.

OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

This week, the Lady Vols Jump back into the thick of things. UT opened SEC play against Alabama in Knoxville on Jan. 3 (a 72-36 win) and now hit the road for games at #5 Connecticut (Jan. 6), at Florida (Jan. 11) and at #15 Georgia (Jan. 14).

LADY VOLS ON TV

A record 21 Lady Vol regular season games are slated for national/regional television this season. Five non-televised games will be available as streaming video with voice-over from Mickey Dearstone on utladyvols.com. UT is 8-1 on TV this season.

ON THIS DAY

UT is 7-1 in games played on Jan. 6. The Lady Vols are 3-1 at home, 4-0 on the road and 0-0 on neutral courts. The last time out on Jan. 6, the Lady Vols registered an 86-50 victory at LSU, in 2000.

LOOKING BACK

Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 14-0 and had just defeated South Carolina, 66-51, in Columbia.

PLAYING 14 RANKED TEAMS

Tennessee will play 14 teams in 16 games and five of the nation's top 10 teams who have been ranked at some point this season in the AP and USA TODAY ESPN polls: North Carolina, Duke, UConn, Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Arizona St., Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Arkansas, UCLA, George Washington, Texas and Middle Tennessee. All have been ranked or are currently ranked.

UT'S OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES

In all games, this is how Tennessee has shot from the field: 50%FG: Chattanooga (.579), MTSU (.565), Arizona St. (.548), UCLA (.531), ODU/UT-Martin (.509), Stanford (.500); 40%FG: Louisiana Tech (.483), GWU (.482), Alabama1 (.464), West Virginia (.431), Texas (.429); 30%FG: Notre Dame (.381), North Carolina (.362)

DEEE ----- FENSE

In all games, this is how the opposition has shot from the field: 50%FG: none, 40%FG: GWU (.472), Arizona St. (.469), Stanford (.456), MTSU (.453), UCLA (.451), North Carolina (.444), Chattanooga (.431), Notre Dame (.407), 30%FG: ODU (.396), West Virginia (.352), Alabama1 (.369), Texas (.308); 20%FG: Louisiana Tech (.295), UTMartin (.204)

2006-07 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

Wins: +56 (1), +36 (1), +30 (1), +24 (2), +23 (2), +21 (2), +17 (1), + 16 (1), +15 (1), +9 (1)
Losses: -13 (1)

RANDOM QUICK HITTERS AFTER 14 GAMES

For all of its offensive potential, the Lady Vols currently have just two players averaging double-figure scoring, Candace Parker (19.7 ppg) and Sidney Spencer (11.9 ppg)...Alexis Hornbuckle averaged over 10.0 ppg in the first six games of the season and in two of the last four contests...Hornbuckle is averaging 9.5 ppg currently...Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt has been on the warpath regarding the team's rebounding prowess of late - or lack thereof... UT has been outrebounded in 7 games this season and the last four consecutive contests (34-32 vs. Alabama, 40-39 vs. Notre Dame, 34-30 at ODU, 38-36 vs. WVU, 43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...Tennessee holds an uncharacteristic and scant 4.4 rebounding advantage over the its foes...Year-in and year-out, UT teams are usually noted for pounding the ball in the paint for the majority of its points...Times, they are a'changing...This season, one-fourth of Tennessee's makes and attempts have come from three-point range (86-206 three-pointers and 394-814 for all shots)...Senior Sidney Spencer has led the nation for a majority of the season with a gaudy shooting percentage between 55% and 65% from three-point land...The 6'3" senior forward is a tough match-up and has found ways to get herself open for good looks at the trey...Spencer suffered a mini drought in back-to-back games versus West Virginia and at Old Dominion when she didn't hit any threes...After a four-game hiatus from playing a ranked team, the Lady Vols will be facing four ranked teams in its next eight games in the month of January...UT plays at #5 Connecticut, at #15 Georgia, versus #3 Duke and at #11/10 Vanderbilt...January finds the Lady Vols on the road for five tough games and at home for three big match-ups...

CONNECTICUT NOTEBOOK

The #5-ranked Connecticut Huskies (12-0, 2-0 BIG EAST) are one of four remaining undefeated teams among the Top 25 teams in the polls. UConn is off to its best start in four seasons at 12-0. A big reason for the Huskies success can be found in the double-digit scoring averages of the starting five led by sparkplug Renee Montgomery with 13.8 ppg.

DATE RANK SITE W/L SCORE
1/16/95 1/2 A L 66-77
4/2/95 3/1 N16 L 64-70
1/6/96 4/2 H L 53-59
3/29/96 4/2 N73 W 88-83 (OT)
1/5/97 8/1 N77 L 57-72
3/24/97 10/1 N48 W 91-81
1/3/98 1/3 H W 84-69
1/10/99 2/4 A W 92-81
1/8/00 2/1 H L 67-74
2/2/00 4/1 N77 W 72-71
4/2/00 2/1 N95 L 52-71
12/30/00 2/1 A L 76-81
2/1/01 3/2 H W 92-88
1/5/02 2/1 H L 72-86
3/29/02 6/1 N103 L 55-79
1/4/03 5/3 A L 62-63 (OT)
4/8/03 4/1 N108 L 68-73
2/5/04 1/4 H L 67-81
4/6/04 2/6 N113 L 61-70
1/8/05 10/15 A W 68-67
1/7/06 1/7 H W 89-80

UCONN SERIES

Although the first meeting between Tennessee and Connecticut took place just over a decade ago, the match-up has evolved into a national display unlike any other in women's college basketball. Tennessee and Connecticut meet today for the 22nd time since 1995, yet it seems like one of the oldest rivalries in collegiate basketball. UConn holds a five-game edge over the Lady Vols with a 13-8 lead in the overall count and has won six of the last eight meetings. The series has become so storied, in part, because the titans have squared off in four national title games (1995, 2000, 2003 and 2004), two national semifinal contests (1996 & 2002) and a regional final (1997).

UT AVERAGES VS. UCONN

Sophomore Candace Parker leads the Lady Vols in scoring versus UConn with13.0 ppg. Junior Alexis Hornbuckle, who almost pulled off the first triple-double in Tennessee history last season versus UConn averages 12.0 ppg and an whopping 10.0 rpg when facing the Huskies. Senior Sidney Spencer loves to hit the trey against the BIG EAST power...she has canned 5-6 (.833) in four career games against UConn. Last season, she set her (then) career high with 21 points in the win over Connecticut in Knoxville.

ALL TOP 10 RANKINGS UNTIL 2005

During the 21-game all-time series between Tennessee and Connecticut, neither team had been ranked outside of the top 10 (in either the AP or coaches poll) when the two squads had played - until 2005. Previously, the lowest Tennessee had ever been ranked when playing UConn was 10th, which came on March 24, 1997 in the NCAA Midwest Final, when the Lady Vols beat the #1 Huskies en route to winning the NCAA title. UConn, meanwhile, had never been ranked below sixth during a match-up with UT until 2005 when UConn had a split ranking of 15/14. UT won 68-67.

TENNESSEE CONNECTICUT
OVERALL RECORD 13-1 12-0
CONFERENCE RECORD 1-0 2-0
RPI/SOS 1/1 14/90
SCORING 77.8 80.2
SCORING DEFENSE 56.2 47.8
POINT MARGIN +21.6 + 32.4
REBOUNDS 36.7 48.6
OPP. REBOUNDS 32.3 30.1
REBOUND MARGIN + 4.4 + 18.5
FG% .484 .501
OPPONENT FG% .391 .303
THREE POINT FG% .417 .329
OPPONENT 3FG% .347 .258
FT% .729 .646
OPPONENT FT% .663 .595
ASSISTS 17.4 18.8
BLOCKS AVERAGE 6.2 6.2
STEALS AVERAGE 13.8 10.5
TURNOVER AVERAGE 17.4 15.8

OUR LAST MEETING

Sidney Spencer scored a then career-high 21 points, including four key free throws in the final two minutes on Jan. 7, 2006, and top-ranked Tennessee outlasted #7- ranked Connecticut 89-80, in Knoxville, Tenn. Candace Parker, Tye'sha Fluker, and Shanna Zolman each added 13 points, and Alexis Hornbuckle had 14 rebounds, 10 points and nine assists for the Lady Vols (15-0). UConn (12-2) lost for the first time in Knoxville since 2001 and dropped back-to-back games to Tennessee for the first time since 1998 and 1999. The Lady Vols ended their sixgame losing streak to the Huskies last year in Hartford. UConn now leads the alltime series 13-8, which includes six matchups in the Final Four. In a game that featured plenty of stars, it was Spencer who was clutch for the Lady Vols. The junior's previous career high was 14 points, and she had no points in Hartford as asophomore. Tennessee led most of the second half, but couldn't extend it past six points until late. UConn cut it to 77- 75 with 2:44 left on Barbara Turner's pair of free throws. In response, Spencer made four free throws in a row. Charde Houston had a jumper for the Huskies with 1:18 remaining, but Parker scored and Zolman had two free throws. UConn kept up the pressure, and Ann Strother was fouled shooting a trey and made two of three free throws to cut it back to six. But Houston's free throw with 8.7 seconds left was the Huskies' final point. The Huskies had 17 turnovers, nine of which came on steals by the Lady Vols. Parker, playing in her first game against UConn, missed a chance for a dunk early in the first half when she got the ball on the break following a turnover. Palming the ball, she went up for a lay-in surrounded by four Huskies and missed as the crowd let out a big groan. The Huskies led 41-39 at halftime after a 38.5 percent Lady Vol first half shooting performance from the floor. Hornbuckle fell one assist shy of becoming the first Lady Vol in school history to earn a triple-double.

FACING THE RANKED

Tennessee will face their seventh ranked opponent in the game at #5-ranked Connecticut. Meanwhile Connecticut will be taking on their second ranked opponent in 13 games when they face #4 Tennessee. Then ranked seventh, UConn defeated #9-ranked Purdue, 66-55, on Nov. 30.

VERSUS BIG EAST TEAMS

Tennessee has taken on 11 teams from the BIG EAST all-time and sports a 68-19 record. Only three teams have claimed victories over UT - Cincinnati (three times), Connecticut (13 times) and Rutgers (three times), while the Big Orange has yet to play Georgetown, Louisville, Seton Hall, Syracuse and South Florida. The Lady Vols' last meeting with a BIG EAST opponent came last season on Mar. 26, 2006, when they defeated rival Rutgers, 76-69, in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Cleveland, Ohio.

CAN WE PLAY IN STORRS?

The Lady Vols have struggled on the road against Connecticut fashioning a 3-4 record. It seems as if Tennessee would rather play the game against UConn in Storrs where the Lady Vols own a 2-1 record in Gampel rather than Hartford where UT is 1-3. UT, which has never fared well in Hartford, with a 72-57 skunking on Jan. 5, 1997, nearlosses of 81-76 on Dec. 30, 2000 and a heartbreaker on Jan. 4, 2003, a 63-62 OT defeat, finally won one in 2005, 68-67.

WINNING IT ALL

Over the last 20 years, more often than not, the NCAA title in women's basketball has gone to either Tennessee or Connecticut, as the two schools have combined for 11 during that period. The pair has been especially dominant during the past decade, as the Lady Vols won the title three straight years from 1996-98, while the Huskies captured championships in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. In total, UT has won six national titles including 1987, '89 and '91. Furthermore, UT and UConn have squared off in the NCAA Championship game on four occasions (1995, 2000, 2003 and 2004), with the Huskies claiming victory in each contest.

BIG BUCKS

Since the Tennessee versus Connecticut series started in 1995, a total of 389,548 fans have watched in Knoxville, Storrs & Hartford and at a variety of neutral sites. Figure that a ticket runs an average of $45.00 (includes the pricey Final Four ducat) - that means that the economic impact is about $1.75 million dollars in ticket sales. Given 21 meetings between the two schools, the crowd is an average eye-popping 18,549. Last season, 24,653 showed up in Knoxville for the UT-UConn meeting becoming the largest crowd ever in Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus.

DELIVERING A FIRST "L" TO UCONN

Tennessee has played Connecticut 11 times when the Huskies were undefeated at the time of the game. In three games (in successive seasons), the Lady Vols tagged UConn with their first loss of the season -- 1997, 1998 and 1999. Likewise, the Huskies have presented the Lady Vols with their first loss of the season three times, 1995, 2000 and 2002.

LAST MEETING IN HARTFORD

In a rematch of the 2004 NCAA National Championship Game, the 10th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols rallied back from a 12-point second half deficit to defeat the No. 15/14 Connecticut Huskies, 68-67, at the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 8, 2005. The victory snapped UT's six-game losing streak in the series and marked its first triumph since Feb. 1, 2001. As had often been the case in the 2004-05 season, the Big Orange struggled at the offensive end of the floor early in the contest, connecting on just 2-of-10 shots to begin the game. UConn, however, was successful on four of its first six tries and held a 9-4 advantage at the first media timeout. Tennessee would narrow the gap to just two, 17-15, before the Huskies took advantage of six consecutive UT turnovers to pull ahead by 12 points with a 10-0 run. Unable to mount a significant charge, the Lady Vols headed to the locker room down by nine points at the break, 36-27. With neither team able to make a move early in the second half, UT finally rattled off a 7-1 run and trailed by just two points, 44-42, with 12:51 remaining. After a UConn timeout, the Huskies scored the next eight points to once again take a double-digit lead, 52-42. The Lady Vols gradually narrowed the margin by utilizing a suffocating full-court press and forced UConn into a number of miscues. Following a steal by Shyra Ely, Alexis Hornbuckle connected on layup and was fouled to give UT its first lead of the game, 62-61, with 2:37 left in regulation. Connecticut answered with five straight points to go ahead by four before freshman Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood nailed a threepointer to bring the margin to just one with 49 seconds showing on the clock. UT held UConn scoreless on its next possession and Gatewood put the Lady Vols up for good when she connected on a layup from the left side of the lane and was fouled, sinking her free throw and making the score 68-66. The Huskies had one last chance when Ann Strother was fouled beyond the arc by Hornbuckle with 3.9 seconds left, but she managed to hit just the first of three attempts and Tye'sha Fluker snared the final miss to seal the contest.

SUMMITT'S WINS OVER UCONN BY THE NUMBERS

Summitt victory #595--NCAA Final Four Semifinal in Charlotte, N.C. on 3/29/96 (88-83) OT
Summitt victory #623--NCAA Midwest Regional Final in Iowa City, Iowa on 3/24/97 (91-81); first UConn loss of the season
Summitt victory #640--Came before a crowd of 24,597, the then-largest to watch a women's basketball game, in Knoxville on 1/3/98 (84-69)
Summitt victory #677--In Storrs, Conn. on 1/10/99 (92-81)
Summitt victory #712--In Storrs, Conn. on 2/2/00 (72-71)
Summitt victory #750--In Knoxville, Tenn., on 2/1/01, 92-88, in front of 24,046
Summitt victory #862--In Hartford, Conn., on 1/8/05 (68-67); first UT win in Hartford
Summitt victory #897--In Knoxville, Tenn., on 1/7/06, 89-80, in front of 24,653
It's interesting that between wins number six and seven over the Huskies (2/1/01 until 1/8/05 almost four seasons) that Coach Pat Summitt recorded 111 wins over other opponents.

UT-UCONN SERIES SUPERLATIVES (1995-06)

Most Points 92, UT 1/10/99 & 2/1/01
Fewest Points 52, UT 4/2/00
Margin of Victory 23, UConn 3/29/02
Smallest Margin of Victory 1, UT 2/2/00 & 1/8/05; 1, UConn 1/4/03
Most Rebounds 51, UT 1/5/97
Fewest Rebounds 22, UConn 4/8/03
Most Fouls 30, UConn 1/7/06
Fewest Fouls 10, UConn 4/6/04
Most Assists 21, UConn 4/2/00
Fewest Assists 6, UT 4/2/00
Most Blocked Shots 11, UT 2/1/01; 11, UConn 4/2/00
Fewest Blocked Shots 0, UT 1/16/95
Most Steals 15, UT 1/3/98
Fewest Steals 3, UT 2/5/04 & 3/29/96; 3, UConn 1/4/03 & 1/7/06
Most Turnovers 27, UConn 1/3/98
Fewest Turnovers 8, UConn 2/5/04
Largest Crowd (Knoxville) 24,653 1/7/06
Largest Crowd - all venues 28,210 4/8/03

UT-UCONN: SERIES CAPSULES

It seems as though each game has been notable during what many call the greatest rivalry in women's basketball. The following are some key tidbits from each meeting between Tennessee and Connecticut.

Jan. 16, 1995 - #2 Huskies beat #1 Lady Vols in battle of undefeated squads to begin the rivalry.

April 2, 1995 - #1 UConn (35-0) downs #3 UT to win the national title and become the second team in NCAA history to post an undefeated season.

Jan. 6, 1996 - #2 Connecticut gives #4 Tennessee one of its only four losses during the Lady Vols' 1996 title run, snapping UT's record 69-game home win streak.

March 29, 1996 - #4 Lady Vols earn first win of series against #2 UConn in the NCAA Final Four semifinals. UT claimed the NCAA title.

Jan. 5, 1997 - #1 Huskies hand #8 UT one of its rare 10 losses during the regular season.

March 24, 1997 - #10 UT takes out undefeated #1 UConn in NCAA Midwest final en route to second consecutive NCAA title.

Jan. 3, 1998 - #1 Lady Vols extend their winning streak to 21 with a win over the #3 Huskies on the way to a perfect 39-0 record and their third consecutive national title.

Jan. 10, 1999 - Second time in series that the squads are ranked 1-2 in the AP Poll. #2 Tennessee overtakes #1 UConn behind 25 points each from Chamique Holdsclaw and Semeka Randall.

Jan. 8, 2000 - Again ranked 1-2, #1 Connecticut beats #2 UT aided by a career-high 25 points from Sue Bird.

Feb. 2, 2000 - #4 Lady Vols hand #1 Huskies their only loss of the season, as Semeka Randall sinks the winner with 4.4 seconds left at Storrs.

April 2, 2000 - #1 UConn takes third meeting of the season against #2 UT to win its second NCAA title.

Dec. 30, 2000 - With the teams ranked 1-2 for the fifth time in series history, #1 UConn denies #2 Tennessee's rally from 17 points down, as Sue Bird wins it with two late free throws.

Feb. 1, 2001 - Gwen Jackson tallies 28 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lift #3 Lady Vols past #2 Huskies.

Jan. 5, 2002 - A record 24,611 fans watch #1 UConn outplay #2 Tennessee on the sixth occasion the squads faced each other when ranked 1-2 in the AP.

March 29, 2002 - #1 UConn downs # 6 Tennessee in the national semifinal en route to an undefeated season and its third NCAA title.

Jan. 4, 2003 - #3 Connecticut outlasts the #5 Lady Vols as Kara Lawson's lastsecond shot bounces off the rim in overtime.

Apr. 6, 2003 - NCAA title game, too much Diana (Taurasi) and Maria (Conlon) as UConn hit 10 3-pointers -- the most allowed by Lady Vols during the 2003 season.

Feb. 5, 2004 - #1 UT's 11-game winning streak was snapped with an 81-67 loss to #4/3 UConn in Knoxville.

Apr. 6, 2004 - NCAA title game. UT played in a record-setting 11th NCAA title game, #2/3- Tennessee fell to #6- ranked UConn, 70-61, at the New Orleans Arena.

Jan. 8, 2005 - #10 UT rallies from a 12- point deficit to defeat #15/14 UConn, 68- 67, for first win at Hartford. The victory snapped UT's six-game losing streak to UConn.

Jan. 7, 2006 - Top-ranked Tennessee rallies in front of record crowd of 24,653 in Knoxville, 89-80, as UT's Alexis Hornbuckle almost records first tripledouble in Lady Vol history.

UT NOW A BIG EAST MEMBER... WELL, JUST FOR 3 GAMES

The Tennessee Lady Vols have been a southern extension member of the BIG EAST Conference in three of the last five games. UT played West Virginia (Dec. 20, a 66-51 win), Notre Dame (Dec. 30, a 78-54 win) and travel to #5 Connecticut (Jan. 6). Earlier in the season, Tennessee was an ex officio member of the Pac-10 and finished their slate with a 3-0 record against three ranked teams in consecutive games. UT recorded a stretch of wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60), at #11 Arizona State (83- 74) and against #11 Stanford (77-60), Nov. 16-24.

THE 4 VERSUS 5 MATCH-UP

This marks just the fifth time the Lady Vols have ever been involved in a four versus five match-up. UT is 3-1 in these contests. The lone loss was in overtime to Georgia on 12/8/96, 94-93. Tennessee has never met UConn in a 4 vs. 5 game.

SLOPPY WIN TO START SEC SLATE

Tennessee and Alabama were the first SEC teams in action to start the 2007 slate and UT walked away with a 72-36 victory. The win gave UT a 38-2 lead in the series with UA, and upped the winning streak to 31 consecutive...The Lady Vols held Bama to just 14 first half points which tied for the ninth-fewest by a UT opponent in program history. It ties the Tides' performance on Jan. 6, 2000 and is the lowest point total reached in an opening period against UT by an SEC team. In the game, Tennessee forced a season high 35 turnovers which generated 28 UT points. Individually, Sidney Spencer... Moved into a tied for 10th place in the UT record books for career three-pointers (101); Candace Parker...Scored in double figures for the 47th time in her career and the 28th time in a row and had a career-high five steals; Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 50 and now has 204 career thefts, good for 15th place in the UT record books. Tied a season-best in assists with seven tonight Alberta Auguste...Reached double figure scoring for the third time this season

LADY VOLS: THE BEST AND THE WORST OF 2006-07

MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME: 102 points ....vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN A GAME: 57 points .........at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 74 points ....at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY AN OPPONENT IN A GAME: 29 points ...... vs. UT-Martin (12/5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD: 57 points............85-28 vs. UT-Marin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT: 15 points .............55-70 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE LEAD IN A LOSS: 5 points.....9-4 at UNC (12/3)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE DEFICIT IN A WIN: 6 points ......13-7 vs. MTSU (11/26)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME LEAD: 30 points.....43-13 vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
BIGGEST TENNESSEE HALFTIME DEFICIT: 5 points...25-30 at UNC (12/3)
BEST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%: .636 (21-33) ....... vs. MTSU (11/26)
WORST TENNESSEE 1ST HALF FG%: .314(11-35) ............. at Texas (12/17)
BEST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%: .609 (14-23) .............. vs. Stanford (11/24)
WORST TENNESSEE 2ND HALF FG%: .375 (12-32) ........... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 59 points ......vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 1ST HALF: 25 points ......... at UNC (12/3)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 38 points.......at Arizona St. (11/19)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 1ST HALF: 13 points ..... vs. UT-Martin (12-5)
MOST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 49 points .....vs. Notre Dame(12/30)
LEAST POINTS BY TENNESSEE IN 2ND HALF: 29 points ......... at La Tech (11/28)
MOST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 41 points .........vs. Chattanooga (11/12)
LEAST POINTS BY OPPONENT IN 2ND HALF: 16 points ........vs. UT-Martin (12-5)

TENNESSEE has led in the first half of every game ...
TENNESSEE has never trailed in the first half of 12 games...
TENNESSEE has led at halftime of 13 games...
TENNESSEE has trailed at halftime of 1 game
TENNESSEE has led in the second half of 13 games...
TENNESSEE has never led in the second half of 1 game...
TENNESSEE has led in rebounding in 7 games...
TENNESSEE has been outrebounded in 7 games (34-32 vs. Alabama, 40-39 vs. Notre Dame, 34-30 at ODU, 38-36 vs. WVU, 43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...

375 ON THE LINE VS. UCONN

Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt will be seeking her 375th all-time win over a ranked team when #4-ranked Tennessee takes on #5-ranked Connecticut on Jan. 7. Summitt has a ridiculous 72 percent winning percentage in ranked games (374-146).

FACING THE UNRANKED

When taking on an unranked opponent such as Alabama, the odds have typically tipped in Tennessee's favor. In her 33 years at the helm of the Lady Vols, UT head coach Pat Summitt has fashioned a 552-32 (. 947) record when going up against unranked teams. The victory over Old Dominion was Summitt's 550th over an unranked foe.

HOPE TO DO BETTER IN THE SEC SLATE THIS SEASON

The Tennessee Lady Vols hope to turn in a better showing in the Southeastern Conference regular season slate in 2006-07. Last season, UT lost an uncharacteristic three games in the SEC - at Kentucky (66-63), at home to LSU (72-69) and Florida (95-93 OT). Eight points separated UT from a perfect 14-0 mark to a nine-season low 11-3 SEC record. In fact, from the 1997-98 season until the 2004-05 campaign, Tennessee lost a total of four SEC games in the regular season.

ALL-TIME OPENING DAY RECORD IN SEC PLAY

The Tennessee Lady Vols have produced a 23-5 opening day record in SEC play dating back to the 1979-80 season. UT is 11-2 in home SEC openers and 12-3 on the road. Georgia (1984 and 1996) and Auburn (1988 and 1989) each ambushed the Lady Vols in two SEC opening games, while Vanderbilt turned the trick in 1990. The Lady Vols have not dropped an SEC opener since 1996 when Georgia escaped with a 94-93 overtime victory in Knoxville on Dec. 8, 1996.

UPCOMING OPPONENT - FLORIDA

The University of Florida (6-9 overall, 0-0 SEC) opens Southeastern Conference play against the #15-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 4. The Lady Vols will travel to Gainesville on Jan. 11 for a meeting at UF. In their last contest, Gator Depree Bowden recorded a career-high 25 points and sophomore Sha Brooks added 26 more, but it wasn't enough to fend off a late second-half rally, as the Gators lost to Temple in overtime, 85-80, on Jan. 2, 2007, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida (6-9) led by 10 points, 66-56, with four minutes remaining in regulation, but managed just one field goal the rest of the period, as the Owls (9-4) tied up the game, 70-70, and forced overtime.

ALREADY BYPASSED 100,000 IN HOME ATTENDANCE

The Tennessee Lady Vols have eclipsed 100,000 in home attendance for the 13th consecutive season and the earliest in program history. Through nine home games, UT has recorded a total attendance of 117,338 for a nationleading average of 13,038.

TRAILED AT HOME FOR JUST SEVEN MINUTES

During the Lady Vols nine home contests, they have trailed their opponent on the scoreboard just seven times for a total of 7:02. Tennessee has been tied or ahead 97.8% of the time (3:12:58 of 360 minutes), including every second of play in the second half of each game. The largest deficit for UT was six points (13-7) against Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 26. Tennessee fell behind against UCLA (:10), Stanford (2:10), MTSU (4:18) and West Virginia (:24), but never trailed against Chattanooga, UTMartin, George Washington, Notre Dame or Alabama.

SUMMITT GETS 925TH WIN

While Texas Tech's Bobby Knight finally reached 880 wins on the men's side, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt recorded her 926th victory with a 72-36 win over Alabama on Jan. 3, 2007. Summitt recorded her 880th win, passing North Carolina's Dean Smith on Mar. 22, 2005 with a 75-54 victory over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. Summitt has registered 46 wins since then. Summitt is a season and a half of wins ahead of Coach Knight.

SURPRISE! UT IS #1 IN SOS/RPI

I know it is a huge surprise but the Tennessee Lady Vols hold a large percentile advantage in both the Ratings Percentage Index and the Strength of Schedule through the first 14 games of the season. Also listed are UT's opponents this season.

RANK TEAM RPI SOS
1 Tennessee .73017 1-- .6639
2 G. Washington .6996 2-- .6508
4 Duke .6982 12--.5976
7 Stanford .6724 4--.6402
9 Vanderbilt .6599 46--.5704
11 Arizona St .6565 23--.5895
12 LSU .6550 55--.5622
14 Connecticut .6533 90--.5378
16 Georgia .6506 30--.5817
20 MTSU .6433 15--.5958
23 North Carolina .6289 151--.5052
28 Arkansas .6210 125--.5155
31 Notre Dame .6151 29--.5820
33 Auburn .6110 80--.5438
52 Texas .5848 83--.5417
73 UCLA .5625 26--.5833
80 Chattanooga .5577 101--.5292
83 West Virginia .5560 71--.5509
89 Alabama .5502 107--.5252
95 Mississippi .5456 188--.4949
100 Old Dominion .5444 10--.6047
106 S. Carolina .5404 189--.4825
113 La Tech .5335 27--.5831
122 Kentucky .5248 279--.4379
131 Mississippi St. 5152 214--.4727
161 Florida .4972 99--.5296
241 UT-Martin .4385 313--.4179

LADY VOLS IN NCAA STATS

Tennessee appears in a number of categories in the latest NCAA stats (thru 12/31/06). Amazingly, UT ranks second in the nation in three-point field goal accuracy, eighth in the nation in field goal accuracy, eighth in blocked shots with 6.3 bpg, eighth in steals with 13.6, 14th in scoring margin at +20.5 ppg, 17th in scoring with 78.2 ppg, and 23rd in assists with 17.2 per game. Individually, Sidney Spencer leads the nation in three-point field goal accuracy with an incredible 55.8 percent, Alexis Hornbuckle is 11th in steals with 3.5 thefts and Candace Parker is 16th nationally with 20.1 ppg and 20th in 2.5 blocks per game.

UT LEADS IN HOME ATTENDANCE

Tennessee, once again, leads the NCAA women's basketball attendance race. UT easily passed the 100,000 mark in home attendance before the new year with 19,092 versus Notre Dame. The current attendance standings:

1.Tennessee 13,038 (117,338/9), 2. Connecticut 11,404 (91,232/8), 3. Texas Tech 10,630 (63,781/6), 4.Oklahoma 10,340 (41,361/4) and 5. New Mexico 9,153 (64,070/7).

ONE LOSS CAMPAIGNS -- HEADING INTO JANUARY

Traditionally, Tennessee teams take most of its losses in the month of December when Coach Pat Summitt loads up on some tough non-conference opposition to prepare the team for the rigors of the postseason. Last year, the Lady Vols carried an undefeated record into January marking the sixth time the Lady Vols went undefeated in the months of November and December. This year, the team carries one loss into the month of January. Previously, nine other Lady Vol teams have carried one loss all-time into the month of January.

2006-07: 12-1 lost to North Carolina
2003-04: 8-1 lost to Texas
2000-01: 11-1 lost to UConn
1999-00: 9-1 lost to La Tech
1998-99: 10-1 lost to Purdue
1995-96: 10-1 lost to Stanford
1992-93: 7-1 lost to Maryland
1991-92: 6-1 lost to Stanford
1987-88: 7-1 lost to Texas
1986-87: 8-1 lost to Texas

STILL PERFECT VS. NOTRE DAME

With the victory over the Irish, the Lady Vols are perfect all-time against Notre Dame with an 18-0 record. The win was UT head coach Pat Summitt's 925th alltime. Game wrap-up notes -- UT shot 34.5% in the first half, its lowest field goal percentage since 31.5% in the opening period at Texas. Tennessee's .381 shooting percentage for the game was the second lowest for the season. The Lady Vols shot a dismal .362 from the field in the loss to North Carolina - the worst shooting mark on the season. Lady Vols 12 blocked shots against ND tied the second most by a UT team in a single game in program history. UT had 12 turnovers in the first half and a season low three miscues in the second stanza. The Big Orange outscored Notre Dame 49-27 in the second half - the most points scored in the second half by the Lady Vols this season. Individually, Sidney Spencer...Made her first threepointer since the Texas game on her first shot of the day and moved past Kellie Jolly into 11th place in the UT record books for career three-pointers (100); Candace Parker... Moved past Chamique Holdsclaw into sixth place in the UT record books for career blocks (118)...Scored in double figures for the 46th time of her career and the 27th time in a row...Earned her seventh doubledouble of the season, her fourth in a row...Drew 10 fouls against the Irish, the most drawn by a UT player this season...Recorded a season-high four assists; Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of consecutive games with a steal to 49. She has now grabbed a steal in 70 of 77 career games...With four steals against ND, she moved into 16th place in the Lady Vol record books (200)...Reached the 400 career rebound mark...Tied a career high in blocks with three in the game, moving her into 21st place for career stuffs (42); Shannon Bobbitt...Made both foul shots on an intentional foul to move past her previous career high in points (13). Finished with 17 points on a career-best five three-pointers and Nicky Anosike... Reached the 100 career block plateau with one stuff vs. Notre Dame.

CONFERENCE CALL

In addition to the 14-game Southeastern Conference schedule, Tennessee will take on teams from 10 other conferences this season. The Lady Vols will be doing their best impression as members of the Pac-10 and the BIG EAST facing three opponents from each of those conferences. UT will play two foes from the ACC and one each from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Colonial, Ohio Valley, Southern, Sun Belt and WAC.

STEALS, STEALS EVERYWHERE

The Pat Summitt mantra of "let your defense start your offense" hasn't fallen on deaf ears with the Lady Vols so far this season. Tennessee has 193 thefts on the year against quality opposition for an average of 13.8 spg. Alexis Hornbuckle is leading the team individually with just under four steals per game.

MAKING THE GRADE

The Fall semester concluded at Tennessee on Dec. 14 and three Lady Vol basketball players managed perfect 4.0 GPAs for the grading period. Seniors Sidney Spencer and Elizabeth Curry (both sport management majors) and junior Nicky Anosike (majoring in sociology/criminal justice and additional majors in political science and legal studies) all pulled A's in their classes for the perfect mark.

PARKER'S A FOUL MAGNET

Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker has been a foul magnet in 2006-07. With all of the double and triple-teaming she has seen this season, 25 percent of the opponent's 274 total fouls have been inflicted on her. In 14 games this season, Parker has drawn 78 fouls. In the game against Notre Dame, she was fouled 10 times by the Irish, eclipsing nine fouls whistled against players from Arizona State, Stanford and North Carolina. To date, Parker has visited the charity strip 84 times this season -six times a game.

VERSUS THE RANKED

In #23/24-ranked Texas, the Lady Vols faced their sixth ranked opponent. UT recorded wins over #20/21 UCLA (83- 60), at #11 Arizona State (83-74), against #11 Stanford (77-60) and #21/19 George Washington (85-62) and #23/24 Texas (67-46) but lost to UNC 70-57.

ODU WAS A SLOPPY WIN

The Tennessee Lady Vols rolled to its 11th win on the season with a ugly 75-59 win over Old Dominion on Dec. 22. Some of UT's players played as if they were already on Christmas break as the team's intensity was not up to the normal Lady Vol standards. Against ODU, it marked the fifth time this season that UT was out-rebounded by its opponent (34- 30)...The attendance was 7,108, the third largest attendance at the Ted Constant Convocation Center for an ODU women's basketball and the largest since the Lady Vols were in town on Jan. 7, 2003 (7,758). Individually, Shannon Bobbitt... Tossed in a career high 3, three-pointers and scored a career high 13 points; Candace Parker...-Reached double figures for the 26th consecutive time...Earned her fourth double-double in five games, her third in a row...Surpassed the 850-point plateau for her career...-Scored a season-high 32 points; Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with a steal to 48....Reached double figures for the fifth time this season, the 37th time of her career...and surpassed the 700- point plateau for her career; Nicky Anosike...Moved past Daedra Charles (97) and Vonda Ward (98) into ninth place for career blocks (99); Sidney Spencer... Surpassed the 800-point plateau for her career and uncharacteristically, failed to make a three-pointer for the second game in a row and Dominique Redding... Moved into a tie for 17th place in the UT record books for career three-pointers (45)

UT & WVU LINKED BY DUNKS

Tennessee's Candace Parker might be the latest woman in collegiate basketball to dunk but West Virginia's Georgeann Wells (1983-86) became the first women's college basketball player to dunk in a collegiate game when she threw one down against Charleston, almost 22 years ago to the day (Dec. 21, 1984). Fittingly, Parker celebrated Wells' dunking anniversary with one of her own against West Virginia on Dec. 20, 2006, in Knoxville. Parker, the All-American sophomore took off after a steal and jammed a one-handed dunk with 12:54 to go in the first half. Parker now has five dunks in her career and three this season - her first dunk was in the season-opener at home versus Chattanooga on Nov. 12, 2006. She followed that with a dunk against #11 Stanford on Nov. 24, 2006.

TENNESSEE TOPS AP ALL-TIME

The Tennessee Lady Vols are the topranked team in the history of the Top 25 rankings in the Associated Press poll. The poll, now in its 31st season, has found Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols ranked in 512 of a possible 526 polls. Through the poll released on Jan. 2, the top five team poll rankings are:

1. Pat Summitt, TENNESSEE 512
(missed just 14 polls in entire AP history)
2. Andy Landers, Georgia 404
3. Jody Conradt, Texas 392
4. C.Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa,Rutgers) 349
5. Rene Portland (St. Joseph, Penn St.) 336

ELITE COMPANY FOR BIG NICK

Junior post Nicky Anosike has moved into an elite Lady Vol club. "Big Nick" has joined Tennessee greats Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings as the only Lady Vols all-time to accumulate at least 500+ points, 400+ rebounds, 80+ blocked shots, 100+ assists and 100+ steals. The mobile 6-4 Anosike has generated 602 points, 486 rebounds, 101 blocked shots, 137 assists, and 120 steals in 85 career games.

UT NOT SHARP IN WIN VS. WVU

After a dismal shooting display against Texas in the previous game, Tennessee came out against West Virginia hitting on all cylinders. By the time UT's Candace Parker dunked at the 12:54 mark in the first half, the Lady Vols had jumped out to a 20-4 lead and were shooting the lights out at 70% clip from the field. Parker was whistled for a technical foul (popping her jersey) following the dunk and the crowd responded with minutes of "boos." After that, the Lady Vols weren't the same stumbling to 37% field goal accuracy in the opening stanza and taking a meager 32-23 lead at the half. Individually, Candace Parker...Reached double figures for the 11th game this season, the 25th time in a row; earned her second consecutive double-double, the fifth of the season and dunked for the third time this season, the fifth time of her career. Alexis Hornbuckle... Scored a career-high four three-pointers and extended her streak of games with a steal to 47. She has grabbed a steal in 68 of 75 career games. Sidney Spencer... Failed to make a threepointer for the first time this season.

MAKES YOU GO, HMMMM

Through the first five games of the season, UT was shooting 54.5% from the field, 48.6% three-pointers and 75.3% from the line. UT averaged 86.6 ppg while giving up 66.0 - logged 19.2 assists per game and snagged 14.2 steals. In the last nine games, it has been a different story. UT managed shooting 44.9% from the field, 40.0% three-pointers and 67.4% from the line. UT has averaged just 71.8 ppg while giving up 51.3 - logged 16.2 assists per game and snagged just 12.7 steals per game.

THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA WELCOME TO "THE SUMMITT"

The playing court in the Thompson- Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus donned a new look for the 2005-06 season. After Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt passed Dean Smith for most NCAA collegiate basketball wins of all-time with a 75-54 win over Purdue on Mar. 22, 2005, UT named the TBA court, "The Summitt." The floor had a complete overhaul with permanent logos of both the Lady Vols and Vols painted directly in front of the scorer's table; the free throw lanes were painted orange with "SEC" reversed out; the giant jump circle/mid-court TENNESSEE was given a new brighter color scheme, and "The Summitt," Coach Summitt's actual signature adorns the sidelines opposite the team benches.

ON OUR WAY TO 300 WINS

Tennessee recorded its 200th win in Thompson-Boling Arena when the Lady Vols defeated the University of Southern California on Nov. 18, 2001, 106-66. UT has now amassed a 274-16 (.943) record since the Orange and White moved into the Thompson-Boling Arena to start the 1987-88 season 19-years ago. Along the way, the Lady Vols have produced nine flawless home records in 1988-89 (15-0), 1991-92 (14-0), 1992-93 (13-0), 1993-94 (15-0), 1994-95 (15-0), 1997-98 (16-0), 1998-99 (14-0), 2000-01 (15-0) and 2002-03 (16-0). UT also registered an NCAA record 69-game home court-winning streak from Feb. 1, 1991 thru Jan. 2, 1996.

JUST 16 LOSSES

The Tennessee Lady Vols rarely lose at home. In fact, since moving to the Thompson-Boling Arena for the 1987-88 campaign, UT has lost two games in one season just six times. UT lost two games in TBA during the inaugural 1987-88 campaign, 1996-97, 1999-00, 2001-02, 2003-04 and the 2005-06 seasons. The 16 all-time losses at Thompson-Boling Arena have come at the hands of just nine teams: Florida (2006), LSU (2006), Duke (2004), Connecticut (2004, 2002, 2000, 1996), Louisiana Tech (1999, 1989), Georgia (1996, 1991), Texas (2003, 2002, 1987), Stanford (1996) and Auburn (1988).

HOME SWEET HOME -- 400th HOME WIN

The victory over Georgia on Jan. 31, 2005, was the Lady Vols 400th home win since Pat Summitt took over as head coach in 1974. Summitt has won 91.4 percent of all home games in 33 years producing a 426-40 overall record. Home losses (in the Summitt era) include: six in Alumni Gym from 1974- 76; 18 in Stokely Athletics Center from 1976-87; and 16 in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1987.

225 OF 238 AT HOME

UT has won 225 of their last 238 games in Thompson-Boling Arena dating back to 2-1-91. UT's 13 losses during this time have been to Florida, LSU, Duke, Louisiana Tech, UConn (four times), Stanford, Texas (three times) and Georgia (OT).

500 GAMES VERSUS RANKED

Tennessee's game versus #13 Georgia on Feb. 16, 2006 was the Lady Vols' 500th all-time versus a ranked team since the inception of the polls in 1976. UT is an amazing 374-146 (.703) versus ranked teams. Last year, Tennessee was 13-3 versus ranked teams.

LADY VOL STREAKS

The last time the Lady Vols lost at home was against Florida, 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006 -- since then, UT has won nine games at home. The last time UT lost on the road was on Dec. 3, 2006 at UNC, since then, UT is 2-0 on the road. The last time the Lady Vols lost on a neutral court was against North Carolina, 75-63, in the NCAA Elite 8 game on Mar. 28, 2006 Since then, UT has not played on a neutral court.

LAST LOSS TO AN UNRANKED TEAM?

Florida became the second unranked team in the 2005-06 season to knock off the Lady Vols, when they won 95-93 OT on Feb. 26, 2006. Exactly one month earlier, unranked Kentucky turned the trick with a 66-63 win over #1/3-ranked Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2006 at Rupp Arena. Previously, it had been four years since an unranked team upset the Lady Vols. So before Florida and Kentucky had their way with UT, 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 72 times. Last season, UT eclipsed 100 points in two games - Princeton, 107 and #16/18 Texas, 102. The 1987-88 team hit triple digits in seven games to lead the NCAA.

IN OVERTIME

The Lady Vols are 24-13 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. UT's most recent OT affair was a 95-93 loss to Florida on 2-26-06.