GAME NOTES FOR CARSON-NEWMAN EXHIBITION GAME 1 Nov. 1, 2011 • 7:00 pm TENNESSEE Lady Vols vs. CARSON-NEWMAN Lady Eagles THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA •21,678 KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE RECENT RESULTS: Exhibition opener for both teams
UPCOMING GAMES: 11-8-10 Union at UT, 7:00 p.m. 11-3-10 Carson-Newman at East Tennessee St.
COACHES RECORDS: UT’s Pat Summitt is 1,071-199 (37 yrs) C-N's Mike Mincey is 0-0 (First year)
UT vs. C-N: UT leads 14-2 IN KNOXVILLE: UT is 7-1 AWAY: UT is 5-1 NEUTRAL: UT is 2-0 EXHIBITION: UT is 7-0 (not included in overall) OVERTIME: UT is 0-0 POSTSEASON: UT is 1-0
LAST MEETING: 11-2-10 in Knoxville UT def. Carson-Newman, 110-66 UT RECORD IN EXHIBITIONS: 48-11 HOME: 37-4 AWAY: 6-3 NEUTRAL: 5-4
TONIGHT’S GAME The #3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols will play host to the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles in a non-counting contest tonight for the eighth straight season. Tennessee reached the century mark in six of the last seven meetings with 10547, 101-55, 104-49, 135-55, 124-34 and 110-66 victories in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. UT played the Lady Eagles in regular-season contests from 1920-1975.
NEXT UP The #3-ranked Lady Vols play one more exhibition game this coming week. On Tues., Nov. 8, the Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) women's basketball team rolls into Knoxville as the multi-time NAIA National Champions. In fact, Union has won five national titles overall, including four in the past seven seasons. .
PROBABLE UT STARTERS (stats from the 2010-11 season) 10 – Meighan Simmons, G, 5-9, So., 13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg 13 – Taber Spani, G/F, 6-1, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg 21 – Vicki Baugh, C, 6-4, R-Sr., 3.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg 25 – Glory Johnson, F, 6-3, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg 40 – Shekinna Stricklen, G/F, 6-2, Sr., 12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg
OFF THE BENCH 1 – Briana Bass, G, 5-2, Sr., 1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg 5 – Ariel Massengale, PG, 5-6, Fr., first game 11– Cierra Burdick, F, 6-2, Fr., first game 15– Alicia Manning, F, 6-1, Sr., 4.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg 20 –Isabelle Harrison, F-C, 6-3, Fr., first game
NOT AVAILABLE 4-Kamiko Williams, G, 5-11, Jr., 6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg (rehabbing torn ACL)
LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE This is the Lady Vols’ 38th season under Head Coach Pat Summitt… She has compiled a staggering 1,071-199 overall record… Collected her record 1000th coaching win with a 73-43 decision over Georgia on Feb. 5, 2009… 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 2006-07 and 2007-08 squads were crowned as the NCAA Champions producing the program’s seventh and eighth titles…Last season, UT finished with a 34-3 overall record and was crowned both the SEC Champions and the SEC Tournament Champions. This season, UT returned eight letterwinners and welcomed a talented three player rookie class…The 2011-12 season marks the Lady Vol debut for #5 Ariel Massengale, a 5-6 guard from Bolingbrook, Ill., #11 Cierra Burdick, a 62 forward from Charlotte, N.C., and #20 Isabelle Harrison, a 6-3 post from Nashville, Tenn.
THE 4-1-1 ON CARSON-NEWMAN The Lady Eagles return two starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 14-16. Carson-Newman finished sixth in the Division-II South Atlantic Conference but managed to advance to the conference tournament semifinal. This season they are tabbed to finish fifth in the SAC. Senior Zoriah Williams is a preseason All-SAC first team selection while sophomore Shannon Depew is the reigning 2011 SAC Rookie of the Year.
CARSON-NEWMAN PROBABLE STARTERS 12 – Zoriah Williams, F, 5-10, Sr., 12.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg 23 – Rechelle Dye, G, 5-6, So., 2.9 ppg, 1.2 apg 24 – Megan Hunter, G, 5-8, Sr., 1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg 25 – Whitney Moody, F, 5-10, Jr., 2.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg 35 – Shannon Depew, F, 6-0, So., 9.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg (Stats from 2010-11 season)
IN OUR LAST GAME VS. CARSON-NEWMAN The No. 4 Tennessee Lady Vols began a new women’s basketball season on Nov. 2, but a 110-66 exhibition victory over Carson-Newman in Thompson-Boling Arena couldn’t silence coach Pat Summitt’s usual refrain. That’s defense and rebounding. The final score certainly wound up in Tennessee’s favor, and the Lady Vols never trailed. Tennessee shot 54 percent from the field, including a 61-percent mark from both the field and from 3-point range in the first half. Exhibition games are all about finding places to improve. And the Lady Vols were without three post players still nursing injuries - Alyssia Brewer, Kelley Cain and Vicki Baugh. That certainly altered UT’s front line, but even without those three (and senior Angie Bjorklund and freshman Lauren Avant) on the court, they still managed to outrebound the Lady Eagles 45-28. Freshman Meighan Simmons scored 11 points and led the team with five assists in her first game as a Lady Vol. Four other Lady Vols scored in double figures Tuesday night as well. Taber Spani hit four of her six 3-point attempts and finished with 22 points, while Shekinna Stricklen was 4-for-5 beyond the 3-point line and had 15 points. Forward Alicia Manning didn’t have much trouble on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring 15 points. Sydney Smallbone also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in 21 minutes. STREAKING INTO 2011-12 The Lady Vols carry a 36-game homecourt winning streak into the game against CarsonNewman. Tonight’s contest does not count – win or lose -- on the official record since it is just an exhibition. UPCOMING OPPONENTS The Tennessee Lady Vols have a second exhibition game slated for Tues., Nov. 8 against cross-state foe Union University from Jackson, Tenn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena. The season will officially begin on Sunday, Nov. 13, when the Lady Vols entertain first time foe Pepperdine Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. on FOX SS. Tennessee opens the away portion of the 2011-12 schedule taking on Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. ELITE COMPANY Might a true rookie get a starting nod tonight? None are slated to do so but you never know… When Coach Pat Summitt started freshman Taber Spani against Baylor in the opening game of the 2009-10 season, it marked only the 13th time in her coaching career that a freshman started her very first game at Tennessee. The list of opening day rookie starters: Taber Spani, 2009, Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen, 2008, Angie Bjorklund, 2007, Candace Parker, 2005, Shyra Ely 2001, Ashley Robinson 2000, Gwen Jackson 1999, Kyra Elzy 1996, Chamique Holdsclaw 1995, Tiffani Johnson 1994, Bridgette Gordon and Sheila Frost 1985.
TOUGHEST PLACE TO PLAY The University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena is still the toughest women’s basketball arena in the nation to secure a win. Heading into the 2011-12 season, the Lady Vols have fashioned a 341-20 all-time record on “The Summitt” for a 94.45 winning percentage since the doors were opened in 1987. Arenas (Active) (Must have played at least 75 games in the arena) Arena (Program: Arena Opened) Record Percentage 1. Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee: 1987) 341-20 (94.45%) 2. Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut: 1989) 268-17 (94.03%) 3. XL Center (Connecticut: 1990) 117-11 (91.40%) 4. Thomas Assembly Center (Tech: 1982) 403-40 (90.97%) 5. Dahlberg Arena (Montana: 1978) 449-57 (88.73%) 6. Jon M. Huntsman (Utah: 1975) 428-64 (86.99%) 7. DePaul Athletic Center (DePaul: 2000) 135-22 (85.98%) 8. Frank Erwin Center (Texas: 1977) 428-80 (84.25%) 9. Comcast Center (Maryland: 2002) 125-26 (82.78%) 10. Beard-Eaves Coliseum (Auburn: 1979) 354-79 (81.75%)
STREAMING UPDATE Tennessee’s exhibition games versus both Carson-Newman and Union will be live streamed on utladyvols.com. At this time, 27 Lady Vol games are set for television in 2011-12. Only two games are not slated to be aired — at UCLA and Chattanooga in Knoxville. POLLSTERS The Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team will start the 2011-12 season ranked No. 3 in The Associated Press poll. The preseason rankings were released on Oct. 29. The Lady Vols received 906 points to place behind No. 1 Baylor (988) 33 first place votes and No. 2 Notre Dame (934) six first place votes. The Lady Vols return eight letterwinners, including senior All-American Shekinna Stricklen, from the 2010-11 squad which went 34-3 and captured both the SEC regular season and tournament championships for back-toback titles matching 2009-10’s success in the SEC. Last season, UT earned a No. 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite 8 before losing to Notre Dame. “We are aiming high and have great expectations for this season,” Lady Vol head coach Pat Summitt said. “Starting out at number three in the AP poll is a good beginning,” she continued. “We will quickly see how far we have to go to be able to cut down nets. Seven of our first 10 games will be against ranked opponents – all before Christmas.” Coach Summitt was referring to the stretch of games against No. 7 Miami (Nov.15), No.1 Baylor (Nov. 27), No. 24 Texas (Dec. 4), vs. No. 19 DePaul (Dec. 11), at No. 16 Rutgers (Dec. 13), at No. 22 UCLA (Dec. 17) and at No. 5 Stanford (Dec. 20). The Baylor Lady Bears are ranked at the top for the first time in the preseason women’s basketball poll by the AP. They started last year at No. 2 before ascending to No. 1 in early January for the first time in school history. The Lady Bears finished with a No. 3 ranking and will visit Knoxville on Sun., Nov. 27 in a game to be televised by ESPN. Baylor received 33 of 40 first-place votes Saturday from a national media panel. The Lady Bears became the first Big 12 school to be ranked No. 1 to start the season since Texas in 1985 and 1986. Notre Dame drew six firstplace votes and was second, with Tennessee, Connecticut and Stanford rounding out the first five. The No. 2 ranking is the Irish’s best since the final poll of 2001 when they also were ranked second. The Lady Vols travel to South Bend, Ind., on Mon., Jan. 23. Miami, which was picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time, was seventh. It’s the best ranking for the Hurricanes since they finished the 1992 poll at No. 6. Tennessee and Miami meet for the first time ever in the State Farm Tipoff on Nov. 15 in Knoxville. Tennessee is scheduled to face 11 teams (in 13 games) ranked in the preseason poll this season.
Associated Press Preseason Poll 1. Baylor (33) 2. Notre Dame (6) 3. TENNESSEE 4. UConn 5. Stanford 6. Texas A&M (1) 7. Miami 8. Duke 9. Louisville 10. Georgetown 11. Maryland 12. Penn St. 13. Georgia 14. Florida St. 15. Oklahoma 16. Rutgers 17. Purdue 18. Kentucky 19. DePaul 20. North Carolina 21. LSU 22. UCLA 23. Southern Cal 24. Texas 25. St. John's
Record 34-3 31-8 34-3 36-2 33-3 34-5 28-5 32-4 22-13 24-11 24-7 25-10 23-11 24-8 23-12 20-13 21-12 25-9 29-7 27-9 19-13 28-5 24-13 19-14 22-11
Pts Finish 988 3 934 9 906 4 876 1 852 2 772 7 750 11 705 6 690 _ 585 22 569 16 491 _ 432 _ 428 15 344 21 283 _ 277 _ 275 17 263 10 261 14 228 _ 175 8 158 _ 152 _ 151 _
Others receiving votes: Ohio St. 118, Michigan St. 95, Gonzaga 57, Texas Tech 41, Green Bay 32, Iowa 20, California 19, Georgia Tech 17, Kansas St. 15, Iowa St. 12, Xavier 6, Dayton 4, Marist 4, Temple 4, Vanderbilt 4, Florida 2, Oral Roberts 2, Delaware 1, Marquette 1, Pittsburgh 1.
2011-12 Tennessee opponents in italics. LADY VOLS PICKED #1 BY SEC MEDIA Tennessee was predicted to win the 2012 Southeastern Conference women's basketball championship in a voting of a select panel of both SEC and national media members. The Tennessee Lady Vols returns the bulk of the team despite losing guards Angie Bjorklund (10.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg), Sydney Smallbone (1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg) and center Kelley Cain (7.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg) to graduation. A five member senior-laden squad, UT will be led by 6-2 guard/forward Shekinna Stricklen and 6-3 post Glory Johnson (12.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg). Tennessee tops the order of finish with 264 points, with Georgia (228), Kentucky (212), LSU (189), Vanderbilt (172) and Florida (151) rounding out the top half of the league. Arkansas (142), South Carolina (107), Auburn (94), Alabama (55), Mississippi State (54) and Ole Miss (48) round out the bottom half. Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen was the overwhelming choice of the media for SEC Women's Basketball Player of the Year with 16 votes, the remaining votes were for Georgia's Jasmine James, LSU's LaSondra Barrett and Tennessee's Glory Johnson. Stricklen, a 2011 State Farm All-American and SEC MVP averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season.
UT sophomore Meighan Simmons, the 2011 SEC Rookie of the Year, was selected to the second team. Simmons is the Lady Vols returning scorer at 13.5 ppg. Joining Stricklen on the All-SEC First Team are Georgia's Jasmine James, Kentucky's A'dia Mathies, LSU's LaSondra Barrett and Tennessee's Glory Johnson. Second Team includes Arkansas' C'eria Ricketts, Ole Miss' Valencia McFarland, Simmons, and Vanderbilt's Stephanie Holzer. Points were compiled on a 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each media member also voted for one team as an overall conference champion and a five-player All-SEC Team. The 2011-12 SEC Media Preseason Poll tips off SEC Basketball Media Days, October 27 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama. The SEC Women's Basketball Coaches Poll will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Preseason Media Poll (First-Place Votes in Parentheses) Player of the Year: Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee (16); Glory Johnson, Tennessee (3); LaSondra Barrett, LSU (2); Jasmine James, Georgia (1) Order of Finish 1. Tennessee 264; 2. Georgia 228; 3. Kentucky 212; 4. LSU 189; 5. Vanderbilt 172; 6. Florida 151; 7. Arkansas 142; 8. South Carolina 107; 9. Auburn 94; 10. Alabama 55 11. Mississippi State 54; 12. Ole Miss 48.