Alberta Auguste

The #4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (11-1, 0-0 SEC) return home to close out the 2006 portion of the schedule taking on BIG EAST foe Notre Dame (9-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) in Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m. UT is 1-0 in BIG EAST play this season having already defeated West Virginia, 66-51 on Dec. 20. Next week, the Lady Vols close out their BIG EAST slate at Connecticut on Jan. 6.

LADY VOLS AT A GLANCE

This is the Lady Vols' 33rd season under Head Coach Pat Summitt...She has compiled a staggering 924-178 overall record... Is just 76 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 FIGHTING IRISH

In the final tune-up before visiting Knoxville, Notre Dame (9-3) rookie guard Ashley Barlow came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points and grabbed a game-best nine rebounds as the Irish recorded a 94-55 win over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 28 in South Bend. Barlow also went a perfect 13-for-13 at the free throw line, tying a school and arena record for foul shooting in a game, as the Irish led from the opening tip to the final horn on the way to their sixth win in the past seven games. In all, five players reached double-digits. Junior center Melissa D'Amico added 17 points in 18 minutes, while freshman center Erica Williamson was solid with a career-high 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in a reserve role. Tulyah Gaines charted 13 points and Charel Allen finished with 11 points. The Irish shot 51.6 percent from the floor and forced Prairie View A&M into 28 turnovers, logging a season-high 18 steals along the way. Notre Dame also dominated on the boards by a 43-31 count and narrowly missed posting their first 40-point victory in more than four years.

OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

This week, the Lady Vols swing back into action after an eight day break from games for the Christmas holidays. UT entertains Notre Dame in Knoxville on Dec. 30 and opens the SEC slate on Jan. 3 with Alabama.

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 6-1 on TV this season.

ON THIS DAY

UT is 6-2 in games played on Dec. 30. The Lady Vols are 1-0 at home, 3-1 on the road and 2-1 on neutral courts. The last time out on Dec. 30, the Lady Vols registered a 65-51 victory at George Washington, in 2003.

LOOKING BACK

Last year at this time, the Lady Vols were 11-0 and had just defeated Temple, 75-50, in Philadelphia.

PLAYING 12 RANKED TEAMS

Tennessee will play 12 teams in 14 games and five of the nation's top 10 teams who have ben ranked 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 and Texas. All have been ranked or are currently ranked.

UT'S OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

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), West Virginia (.431), Texas (.429); 30%FG: 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), 30%FG: ODU (.396), West Virginia (.352), Texas (.308); 20%FG: Louisiana Tech (.295), UT-Martin (.204)

2006-07 WON-LOSS DIFFERENTIAL

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

LADY VOLS IN NCAA STATS

Tennessee appears in a number of categories in the latest NCAA stats (thru 12/17/06 - will not be updated again until Jan. 2, 2007). Amazingly, UT ranks first in the nation in three-point field goal accuracy, sixth in the nation in field goal accuracy, seventh in blocked shots with 6.1 bpg, 14th in scoring with 79.8 ppg, 11th in steals with 13.6, 14th in scoring margin at +21.1 ppg and 22nd in assists with 17.6 per game. Individually, Sidney Spencer leads the nation in three-point field goal accuracy with an incredible 63.4 percent, Alexis Hornbuckle is 15th in steals with 3.4 thefts and Candace Parker is 17th nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.

UPCOMING OPPONENT - ALABAMA

In their last outing, the Alabama Crimson Tide (9-5) lost its first game in Coleman Coliseum this season (ending an eight-game home winning streak) with a 65-54 loss to visiting South Dakota State on Dec. 28, 2006. Bama played well early and led by as many as seven points in the first half. SDS clawed back, though, overcoming some early shooting woes to lead by three at the break. In the second half, the Tide defense dug in its heels. Bama held the Jackrabbits scoreless from the field for nearly four minutes. However, the Tide was unable to capitalize on the SDSU slump. UA scored just one field goal in an eight-minute span, and the Jacks, took advantage. UA's Navonda Moore turned in a gutsy effort finishing with a team-high 16 points. She also recorded five steals and added four rebounds in the losing effort. UA's Kate Mastin chipped in with nine points and rookie Courtney Strauthers added eight. The Tide finishes non-conference play on Dec. 30, entertaining North Dakota State.

NOTRE DAME NOTEBOOK

Notre Dame is 9-3 on the season entering Thompson-Boling Arena for today's game. Unlike the Lady Vols, the Irish have played since the Christmas break and claimed a 94-55 win over visiting Prairie View A&M in South Bend on Dec. 28. The contest with #4-ranked Tennessee is the second of three games in a six day span. Following the game in Knoxville, Notre Dame travels to Seton Hall to begin BIG EAST play. The Irish, who received one vote in the AP poll this week, have won four straight dating back to Dec. 6.

DATE	RANK	SITE	W/L	SCORE
11/25/83	5/nr	A39	W	71-56
11/24/84	14/nr	H	W	62-57
12/9/85	11/nr	A	W	71-63
2/14/87	7/nr	H	W	90-55
2/3/88	4/nr	A	W	91-71
2/20/89	2/nr	H	W	98-43
12/3/89	1/nr	A	W	77-54
2/9/91	5/20	H	W	88-71
1/12/92	2/nr	A	W	85-82
1/4/93	1/nr	H	W	79-48
1/7/94	1/nr	A	W	105-70
11/19/97	3/nr	N75	W	72-59
3/28/97	10/15	N78	W	80-66
3/17/02	6/nr	H	W	89-50
12/28/02	5/12	N106	W	77-61
11/30/03	3/17	H	W	83-59
12/31/05	1/12	A	W	62-51

NOTRE DAME SERIES

In 17 prior meetings, the Fighting Irish have been unable to come out on top of their contests with Tennessee. In a series that dates back to Nov. 25, 1983, the teams have played only three games that were decided by 10 or fewer points (62-57 on 11/24/84, 71-63 on 12/9/85, and 85-82 on 1/12/92). Other than those three match-ups, UT has dominated the Fighting Irish, winning by margins of 35 (2/14/87), 20 (2/3/88), 55 (2/20/89), 23 (12/3/89), 31 (1/4/93), 35 (1/7/94), 39 (3/17/02) and 24 (11/30/03). The outcomes have been high-scoring affairs, with UT collecting one 100-point, three 90-point and five 80-point games. In three other victories, the Lady Vols have scored 79 and 77 points (twice). The series had alternated away and home games since its inception, but three of the last six match ups have come at neutral sites (Nov. 19, 1996, WNIT, Ruston, La.; Mar. 28, 1997, Final Four, Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 28, 2002, Indianapolis, IN).

TITLE TIME

Tennessee and Notre Dame have combined to win seven NCAA titles. The Lady Vols grabbed 1987, 1989 and 1991 titles and then three straight years from 1996-98 while the Fighting Irish captured the championship in 2001.

VERSUS BIG EAST TEAMS

Tennessee has taken on 11 teams from the BIG EAST all-time and sports a 67-19 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 Dec. 20, 2006, when they defeated rival West Virginia, 66-51, in Knoxville last week.

	TENNESSEE	UND
OVERALL RECORD	11-1	9-3
SCORING	78.2	71.8
SCORING DEFENSE	58.1	64.4
POINT MARGIN	+20.1	+ 7.4
REBOUNDS	36.9	36.8
OPP. REBOUNDS	31.5	35.2
REBOUND MARGIN	+ 5.4	+ 1.6
FG%	.495	.435
OPPONENT FG%	.395	.412
THREE POINT FG%	.430	.273
OPPONENT 3FG%	.357	.376
FT%	.720	.778
OPPONENT FT%	.670	.715
ASSISTS	17.3	14.6
BLOCKS AVERAGE	5.8	12.6
STEALS AVERAGE	13.3	9.1
TURNOVER AVERAGE	17.3	17.4

OUR LAST MEETING

Top-ranked Tennessee shot 33 percent from the field and was outscored in the second half, but beat No. 12 Notre Dame 62-51 on Dec. 31 in South Bend, Ind., in front of an advance sell-out crowd of 11, 418. It marked just the third sellout in Joyce Center history. Tennessee (12-0), which entered the game averaging 83 points, won by outrebounding the Irish, 50-35, and holding Notre Dame to 31 percent shooting. Sophomore guard Alexis Hornbuckle had 15 points and eight rebounds, Nicky Anosike added nine points and freshman Candace Parker had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Vols. Megan Duffy led Notre Dame (9-2) with 19 points, including eight points in the last 4 minutes. Tennessee led 47-25 with 13:09 left, but Notre Dame went on a 16-4 run to cut the lead to 51-41 with 6:16 remaining. Duffy's jumper trimmed the deficit to 57-51 with 2 minutes left, but Tennessee went 5-of-8 from the free-throw line to end the game. The Lady Vols forced 15 first-half turnovers to take a 29-14 lead. The Lady Vols improved to 17-0 all-time against the Irish. "I just think Tennessee is one of the elite teams in the country," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said.

FACING THE RANKED

Tennessee faced their sixth ranked opponent in the game at #23/24-ranked Texas. Meanwhile Notre Dame will be taking on their second ranked opponent in 13 games when they face #4 Tennessee. Notre Dame defeated (then) #10/9 Purdue, 67-58on Dec.6.

FACING THE UNRANKED

When taking on an unranked opponent such as Notre Dame, 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 550-32 (. 947) record when going up against unranked teams. The victory over Old Dominion was Summitt's 550th over an unranked foe.

AP POLL NOTES

This is the 31st year of the Associated Press women's basketball rankings. The first Associated Press poll released of the 2005-06 season marked the 500th all-time poll. Since the poll was started in 1976, UT has failed to appear in just 14 of the total of 525 polls through the years. Currently, UT has been ranked in 383 consecutive polls. Since the 1986-87 season, 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 31 years of the poll. UT has appeared at least once per season over the poll's history.

EX OFFICIO BIG EAST MEMBER

The Tennessee Lady Vols will be a southern extension member of the BIG EAST Conference in two of the next three games. UT played West Virginia (Dec. 20, a 66-51 win), now faces Notre Dame (Dec. 30) and travels 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.

ENDING THE YEAR AGAIN

Last season, the Lady Vols ended the 2005 year at Notre Dame and took a 62-51 New Year's Eve victory in South Bend. The two teams will conclude 2006 year with a game in Knoxville on Dec. 30.

925 IN SIGHT

While Texas Tech's Bobby Knight is chasing 880 wins on the men's side, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt is one win away from her 925th victory. 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 44 wins since then.

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.

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)

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 currently has one loss. Previously, nine Lady Vol teams have carried one loss all-time into the month of January.

2006-07: 10-1 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

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.

UT LEADS IN HOME ATTENDANCE

Tennessee, once again, leads the NCAA women's basketball attendance race. UT will easily pass the 100,000 mark in home attendance before the new year with upcoming home game versus Notre Dame (Dec. 30). The current attendance standings:1.Tennessee 12,326 (86,280/7), 2.Texas Tech 10,630 (63,781/6), 3. Connecticut 10,526 (63,155/6), 4.Oklahoma 9,632 (41,361/4) and 5. Iowa State 9,202 (46,012/5).

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: 46 points .............. vs. GWU (12/7)
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 10 games...
TENNESSEE has led at halftime of 11 games...
TENNESSEE has trailed at halftime of 1 game
TENNESSEE has led in the second half of 11 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 5 games (34-30 at ODU, 38-36 vs. WVU, 43-33 at UNC, 46-37 at La Tech and 37-27 vs. Chattanooga)...

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 236 total fouls have been inflicted on her. In 12 games this season, Parker has drawn 69 fouls. In games against Arizona State, Stanford and North Carolina, players guarding Parker were whistled for nine fouls. To date, Parker has visited the charity strip 71 times this season - almost 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.

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 three-pointer 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 seven 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.

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 12 games of the season. Also listed are UT's opponents this season.

RANK	TEAM	RPI	SOS
1	Tennessee	.7355	1-- .6724
2	Duke	.7053	12--.6070
3	G. Washington	.7007	2-- .6565
7	Arizona St	.6704	30--.5862
8	Stanford	.6688	3--.6493
9	Georgia	.6642	13--.6035
13	Connecticut	.6503	94--.5337
15	LSU	.6467	58--.5545
16	Vanderbilt	.6433	63--.5522
19	MTSU	.6398	17--.5967
21	North Carolina	.6339	138--.5119
34	Arkansas	.6144	150--.5081
35	Auburn	.6125	71--.5500
45	Notre Dame	.5984	74--.5479
52	Mississippi	.5885	88--.5347
63	Texas	.5751	125--.5168
75	UCLA	.5633	34--.5845
81	Chattanooga	.5585	111--.5224
82	West Virginia	.5583	69--.5500
89	S. Carolina	.5509	133--.5123
100	Alabama	.5430	144--.5097
111	La Tech	.5364	42--.5763
136	Old Dominion	.5183	23--.5911
137	Kentucky	.5173	264--.4472
149	Mississippi St	.5017	178--.4872
156	Florida	.4987	141--.5111

TIDBITS FROM TEXAS

Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt coached in her 1,100th career game when her Tennessee team faced Texas on Dec. 17, 2006. It also marked her team's first win at the Erwin Center since Dec. 22, 2000. UT's 21-point dismantling of Texas tied the largest margin of victory by a Lady Vol team over Texas on the road. Both teams were horribly cold in the first half as the Lady Vols found the range for just 11-35 for 31.4 percent. Texas was worst at 6-27 for 22 percent. It marked just the second time this season, UT was held to under 50% from the field for the game - the Lady Vols finished at 42.9 percent. Individually, Sidney Spencer... had a season-high six rebounds by halftime and finished with eight boards, one shy of a career high. Sid also reached double-figures for the ninth time this season, the 36th time of her career; Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 46 and Candace Parker... Reached double figures for the 24th consecutive game, the 43rd game of her career. She also had her fourth double-double of the season, the 14th of her career. She picked up 12 points and 12 rebounds in under 20 minutes of playing time.

FINAL EXAMS AND PUPPIES

Following the 85-62 win over #21/19 George Washington University on Dec. 7, the Lady Vol went on a 10-day hiatus for final exams...The team took-off Dec. 9th and 10th and then fit practice around final exams and study sessions. The last day of exams was Dec. 14 and the team also took off Fri., Dec. 15. The abbreviated schedule was a blessing in disguise for Coach Pat Summitt. On Sunday, Dec. 10, Sally Sue Summitt, the family's yellow Labrador Retriever, gave birth to seven healthy puppies. The litter was comprised of four yellow females and three black males (the daddy was a black Lab). Never know when that 4-H training will come in handy!

TENNESSEE TOPS AP ALL-TIME

The Tennessee Lady Vols are the top-ranked 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 510 of a possible 524 polls. Through the poll released on Dec. 18, the top five team poll rankings are:

1.	Pat Summitt, TENNESSEE	511 (missed just 14 polls in entire AP history)
2.	Andy Landers, Georgia	403
3.	Jody Conradt, Texas	392
4.	C.Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers)	349
5.	Rene Portland (St. Joseph, Penn St.)	336

UT DUO TABBED AS NAISMITH TROPHY CANDIDATES

University of Tennessee Lady Vols Candace Parker and Alexis Hornbuckle were named as pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Dec. 11. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's players of the year. Parker, a 6-foot-4 sophomore leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.5 bpg). The Naperville, Ill., native was a pre- and mid-season Naismith candidate during her rookie campaign. Charleston, W.Va.'s Hornbuckle paces the Lady Vols in steals (3.5 spg) and adds 3.3 assists, 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. The junior guard is currently riding a streak of 45 consecutive games with at least one theft. Parker and Hornbuckle were both named pre-season candidates for the Wooden Award, as well.

SOLID WIN OVER GW

After an "attention-getting" week following the loss at #2-ranked North Carolina, the Lady Vols had a solid all-around showing versus a tenacious #21/19-ranked George Washington squad. Four starters reached double-figures with good balance across the front line. Improved rebounding accounted for 23 second chance points as the posts were key in the paint. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle... extended her streak of games with a steal to 45 -- she now has at least one steal in 66 of 73 career games. Handed out a season-high seven assists. Sidney Spencer... The senior had a career-high-tying 21 points including five three-pointers. Nicky Anosike... recorded her first double-double of the season with a season-high 15 points and 11 rebounds and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Candace Parker... Double-doubles elude her as she once again fell one rebound shy of her third consecutive double-double.

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 587 points, 475 rebounds, 99 blocked shots, 134 assists, and 114 steals in 83 career games.

UT REBOUNDED VS. MARTIN

After suffering its first defeat of the season, Tennessee rebounded with a big win over Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin. The Lady Vols opened the game on an 18-0 run. UTM did not score until 11:43 left in the first half. Martin's 13 first half points tie for the seventh fewest by a UT opponent in and their 16 second half points tie for the eighth fewest by a UT opponent in history. Overall, UTM's 29 total points tie for the fourth fewest by a UT opponent. For the first time this season, all 11 Lady Vols scored. Best of all, Tennessee had its lowest turnover total (9) of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 44. She has made a steal in 65 of 72 career games; Candace Parker...Reached double figures for the 22nd consecutive time, the 41st time in her career. She also recorded a double-double for the second straight game, the third time this season and the 13th time of her career. Remained perfect from the three-point line this season; Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 14 points; Sidney Spencer ...Reached double figures for the seventh time this season, the 34th time of her career; Nicci Moats...Scored her first career field goal and had a career-high three points, former manager Elizabeth Curry ...Scored her first career points.

THE WHEELS FELL OFF

Tennessee's trip to #2 North Carolina had few things to write home about as the wheels fell off for the first time this season. Against the Tar Heels, Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season dropping the Lady Vols' record to 6-1. UT was in unfamiliar territory as they trailed at the half for the first time this season. After connecting on better than 50 percent from the field in five games, UT's field goal percentage (.362) was the lowest of the season. Individually, Alexis Hornbuckle...-Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 43. She has recorded at least one steal in 64 of 71 career games; Candace Parker... Reached double figures for 21st consecutive game, and for the 40th time in her career, Nicky Anosike... Moved into a tie for 11th place on the career blocks list (88) and rookie Cait McMahan...deserved the "Spunk Award" after getting tangled up with UNC's Ivory Latta - Caity Mac did not back down.

BOBBITT MISSED ONE GAME

UT junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt was back in the starting line-up against #2-ranked North Carolina. Bobbitt missed the contest at Louisiana Tech due to a test in one of her classes. Rookie Cait McMahan started in Bobbitt's place in the 71-50 win over the Lady Techsters. McMahan had seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.

SUMMITT CAPTURED ROAD WIN NUMBER 300 AT LA TECH

Lady Vol basketball coach Pat Summitt notched her 300th career victory on the road at Louisiana Tech. Summitt has now fashioned a 301-79 all-time record in hostile arenas - which equates to an amazing 80 percent winning mark on the road in 33 seasons at the helm of the Lady Vols.

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 already has 160 thefts on the year against quality opposition for an average of 13.3 spg. Alexis Hornbuckle is leading the team individually with just under four steals per game.

PARKER NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Candace Parker was tabbed the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 27, after leading her team to victories over #11-ranked Stanford, 77-60 and Middle Tennessee, 88-64. The Naperville, Ill., native averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games. Parker connected on both three-point attempts and made 65 percent of her shots from the field. Additionally, she dished four assists and nabbed six steals in the pair of contests. She also slammed home her second dunk of the 2006-07 season and fourth of her career in the win over the Cardinal. Parker earned the honor for the second time this season.

LEFTOVERS FROM RUSTON

With Tennessee's sloppy 71-50 win over Louisiana Tech, it marked the Lady Vols seventh consecutive victory over the Lady Techsters. The 71 points were the fewest scored by the Lady Vols this season and the 50 points scored by Tech were the fewest of an opponent this season. The UT starting lineup of Cait McMahan, Alexis Hornbuckle, Sidney Spencer, Candace Parker and Nicky Anosike was used for the first time this season. Starting point guard Shannon Bobbitt stayed in Knoxville to take a test. Tennessee's smothering defense forced 10 Lady Techster turnovers in the first nine minutes of the game. The 19 first half turnovers by LTU were the most by a UT opponent this season. UT's halftime lead (+27) was the largest halfway margin since the opening game against Chattanooga (+28). In the bad news department, the smaller Tech squad embarrassed the Lady Vols on the boards with a 46-37 rebounding margin. Individually, Cait McMahan... Got her first career start...Made her first career free throw attempt and earned career-highs in points (7) and rebounds (4)...Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 42. She has made at least one steal in 63 of 70 career games. Her six steals against Tech moved her past Kellie Jolly (177) into 20th place in the UT record books for career steals (180). She had four steals in the first eight minutes of the game in Ruston...Candace Parker... Became the eighth Lady Vol of all time to reach the 100-blocks plateau and she reached it in just 42 games. On the first two offensive plays of the game for LTU, Parker blocked both attempts. Her seven blocks tied her own personal-best, tie for the most by ever by a UT sophomore and vaulted her into seventh place in the UT record books for career blocks (103), past Daedra Charles (97), Vonda Ward (98) and Abby Conklin (102). Also, she scored in double figures for the 20th game in a row, the 39th time in her career...Alberta Auguste...The only Lady Vol in history to hail from the state of Louisiana, she played in Ruston, about five hours (340 miles) from her hometown of Marrero, La. Against the Techsters, and in front of a bunch of family from Marrero, she had a career-high eight steals, five of which came in the first half...Sidney Spencer...The first of four Lady Vols to reach double figures, her 10 points marked her seventh consecutive 10+ point game... Dominique Redding... Spencer's senior sidekick had a career-high 13 points on a career-high six field goals.

LADY VOL BITS & PIECES FROM THE MTSU GAME

Tennessee made 10 three-pointers, tying for the 10th most in program history...All 11 Lady Vols saw playing time... Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season and the 19th game in a row dating back to last season and moved into fourth place in career field goal percentage (.462) with her 7-of-9 shooting... Alexis Hornbuckle... Extended her streak of games with a steal to 41 and now has at least one steal in 62 of 69 career games. She moved into a tie for 21st place in the Lady Vol record books with 174 career thefts...Sidney Spencer-Scored in double figures for the fifth time this season, the sixth time in a row dating back to the North Carolina game on March 28, 2006. The streak of six consecutive double-digit scoring outings is the longest of her career. She also made four three-pointers, the most by a Lady Vol this season...Alex Fuller-The first of four Lady Vols to reach double-digits in the game. Her 12 points are a career-high and her two three-pointers tied a career-high...Nicky Anosike-Had a season-high 13 points, marking her 15th career game with a double-digit output. She moved into a tie for 13th place for career blocks (88)...Nicci Moats-Scored her first points at UT.

NEW SCHOOL RECORD

Sophomore Candace Parker broke Michelle Snow's school record for most dunks in a career in the game with #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker's one-handed slam with 10:55 left in the first half was the fourth of Parker's career and the second of the season. Snow registered three dunks (1998-2002) during her career. Parker since added a jam against West Virginia on Dec. 20 in Knoxville.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

After opening games shooting at .613 (UTC), .531 (UCLA), .516 (Arizona St.) - UT had its first stinker in the opening 20 minutes making just 13-31 field goals for a season-low .419 shooting percentage in the first half against Stanford ...UT responded with .609 accuracy in the second half (14-23) for the best second half field goal performance of the season...

UT-STANFORD WRAP-UP

All Lady Vols who played scored...UT missed only one free throw, shooting at a 94.7 percent clip... Individually, Candace Parker... Sank her first three-point attempt of the season, recorded her second dunk of the season, her first career dunk against a ranked opponent, Was the first of two Lady Vols to reach double-figures, Eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game and the 13th time in her career, Surpassed 700 points for her career, Recorded five blocks, tying for the 10th-most in a single game by a Lady Vol (She now has 93 for her career, moving past Tiffani Johnson (89) and Cindy Noble (91) into 10th place in the Lady Vol record books); Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with a steal to 40. She has made at least one steal in 61 of 68 career game; Sidney Spencer... Scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, the 31st time in her career.

UT LEADS PAC-10 AT 3-0

The Tennessee Lady Vols have finished their Pac-10 slate with a 3-0 record against three ranked teams in consecutive games. During the stretch of wins over #20/21 UCLA, at #11 Arizona State and #11 Stanford in the last week, UT averaged 81.0 ppg and gave up 64.7 ppg for a 16.3 scoring margin. The Lady Vols shot .528 from the field, .455 from three point land and .760 from the line. UT forced the opposition in an average of 23.0 turnovers per game while coming up with 14.0 steals per contest. Individually, Candace Parker tossed in 24.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg and registered two dunks.

FIFTY IS NIFTY

With the victory over Stanford, Tennessee has now claimed 52 victories all-time against teams from the Pac-10. Outside of the Southeastern Conference (365 wins), the Lady Vols have recorded 77 wins over teams from the ACC and 66 victories over BIG EAST Conference schools. The Pac-10 ranks as the fourth most defeated conference by UT.

FIRST MONTH OF THE SEASON: STATE LOVE & PAC-10 EAST

In the first month of the 2006-07 season, the Lady Vols had eight foes scheduled. Three teams hailed from the state of Tennessee as the Lady Vols faced Chattanooga (a 102-72 win), Middle Tennessee (an 88-64 win) and Coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, UT-Martin (a 85-29 win). UT will seem like a member of the Pac-10, eastern division, as the Lady Vols faced three ranked Pac-10 schools in consecutive games: #20/21 UCLA (an 83-60 win), at #11 Arizona State (an 83-74 win ) and #11 Stanford (a 77-60 win). Trips to long-standing rival Louisiana Tech (a 71-50 victory) and #2-ranked North Carolina (a 57-70 loss) rounded out the first month of the season.

Candace Parker EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR

Tennessee sophomore basketball standout Candace Parker was named the SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 13-19) for her performances in wins over #20/21 UCLA (83-60) and at #11 Arizona State (83-74). Last season, Parker received the league's Freshman of the Week honor on four occasions, and the Player of the Week award once during her rookie campaign. In two games, Parker averaged 23.5 points and eight rebounds along with four steals and a pair of blocks. In the game against Arizona State, the Naperville, Ill., native picked up her 11th career double-double and first of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 10-of-15 from the field against UCLA and stayed perfect from the line (2-of-2) for 22 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block to earn Philips Player of the Game accolades. The scoring occurrences marked the 35th and 36th double figure games in her 39-game career. The match-ups were also the 10th and 11th game with 20 or more points.

LADY VOL SPOILERS

The Lady Vols have enjoyed the role of spoiler snapping long-standing winning streaks on a number of opponent's home floors over the years. On Nov. 19, Tennessee halted Arizona State's 26-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena with an 83-74 win. Last season, Stanford had amassed a 23-game winning streak at Maples Pavilion before the Lady Vols grabbed a 74-67 win on Dec. 4, 2005.

FREE THROW WOES

Good thing that the Lady Vols exploded to as much as a 24-point lead against Arizona State. Had Tennessee been forced to rely on relief from the charity stripe down the stretch, it would have been a bad outcome. UT made only 12-21 free throws against the Sun Devils for just 57.1 percent. Candace Parker missed four (7-11), Shannon Bobbitt missed the front end of two 1+1 situations (0-2) and Alex Fuller, uncharacteristically, missed both of her bonus tosses (0-2).

UCLA WAS 370TH WIN VS. RANKED

Tennessee's victory over UCLA improved its record 2-0 on the season and gave the Lady Vols their 370th all-time win over a ranked foe. The Big Orange is now 372-145 in games against Top-25 ranked opposition. At halftime, Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt challenged her team to get off to a quick start in the second half and hunker down on defense. Challenge answered. Tennessee opened the second half with a 10-0 run and UCLA did not score a field goal until 3:55 into the second stanza. Individually: Alexis Hornbuckle...Extended her streak of games with at least one steal to 38 straight contests; Sidney Spencer...The first of three Lady Vols to reach double-figures -- it was the 29th double-digit game of her career; Candace Parker...Scored in double-figures for the 35th time in her 38-game career -- it was her 11th career contest of 20 or more points. No dunks against the Bruins. However, her repertoire of shots was simply amazing; Nicky Anosike...Surpassed the 500-point plateau for her career -- she now has 503 career points and Alex Fuller...Scored a career-high 10.

NEW UNIFORM PATCH

This year, University of Tennessee student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 GPA or better in the classroom have a "VS" patch on their uniform. The "VS" stands for Vol Scholar. Every Lady Vol basketball player (except for the newcomers -- rookies Cait McMahan and Nicci Moats and junior college transfers Alberta Auguste and Shannon Bobbitt) are proudly displaying the patch on their uniform jerseys this season.

THREE 100 POINT GAMES

In the two preseason exhibition tilts and in the first game of the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols registered at least 100 points in all three contests. It marks the first time in program history that a Lady Vol team had tallied triple digits in back-to-back-to-back contests. UT dropped in 102 points against Chattanooga in the season opener and recorded games of 104 points versus Carson-Newman and 101 points against the Houston Jaguars in a pair of exhibition match-ups.

"SOMETHING SPECIAL"

In her first handful of games in a Lady Vol uniform, 5'2" junior point guard Shannon Bobbitt has quickly become a crowd favorite. The diminutive Bobbitt is so quick with the ball, she has left defenders shaking their heads more than once. Hailing from Manhattan, N.Y., Bobbitt earned her hoops rep on some of the toughest courts in the city. The guys at the famed hoops mecca, Rucker Park, nicknamed her "something special." After watching some of her moves in the first two games, a more accurate nickname might be "the ankle breaker."

CANDACE JAMS

Lady Vol sophomore All-American Candace Parker gave Lady Vols fans the dunk they had been waiting to see at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Nov. 12, 2006, with UT leading Chattanooga, 75-43, Parker stole the ball from the Lady Mocs' Brooke Hand near the sideline. The 6-4 forward took off for the other end of the court and slammed the rock in with her right hand with 16:02 left in the game as cheers shook the Arena. The rangy soph brought the crowd to their collective feet in Thompson-Boling Arena again recording her first dunk against a ranked opponent throwing one down at the 10:55 mark in the first half against #11 Stanford on Nov. 24. Parker elected to finger roll a couple of shots last year but never dunked at home. She finally dunked twice as a rookie in the NCAA First Round game versus Army last season. Prior to Parker's dunking exploits, Michelle Snow dunked three times as a Lady Vol. Unfortunately, the dunks occurred on the road at Maui, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. In Snow's final game at Thompson-Boling Arena, she went in to dunk against Notre Dame in the waning seconds of UT's NCAA Second Round victory over the Irish, but she was fouled instead and the dunk never went down. Parker's dunk against #11 Stanford passed Snow for the Lady Vol records for "dunks in a career" with four.

FIRST GAME IMPRESSIONS

The 102-72 win over Chattanooga improves Tennessee to 68-3 in 100-point games...Tennessee made its first six shots of the game from the field and its first 11 free throws...In the first half, the Lady Vols shot a sizzling 60 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on six of 10 attempts...Every Lady Vols saw playing time in the first half... Chattanooga broke the opponent record for three-pointers in a game with 13...The previous opponent record was 12, by Stanford in Knoxville on Dec. 21, 1992...The Lady Vols reached the century scoring mark when rookie Cait McMahan drove the length of the floor for a lay up with just over five minutes remaining in the game...This was the first 100+ point season-opening game for the Lady Vols since a 112-39 victory over Stetson on Nov. 26, 1989...Shannon Bobbitt was the first of six Lady Vols to reach double-figure scoring...Alex Fuller tied a career high in blocks (2) in the first half and scored a career-high nine points...Cait McMahan's first bucket in a Lady Vol uniform came when she snuck around the defense for her first career lay-up...Alexis Hornbuckle extended her streak of games to 37 with at least one steal and she shattered her own career-best mark with seven steals against UTC...Candace Parker scored in double-figures for the 15th consecutive game dating back to last season and dunked for the first time at home in her 37-game career -- It was the first recorded dunk by a woman in a game in Thompson-Boling Arena history.