Commodores on target for another clash with Lady Vols
NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt just can’t escape the towering shadow of their instate rival — six-time national champion Tennessee.
The Commodores are busy preparing for Sunday’s Midwest Regional semifinal with Stanford, yet the color everyone keeps asking about is Lady Vols orange, not Cardinal red.
That’s because beating Stanford could set up a third game this season between Tennessee and Vanderbilt and the second in three years with a trip to the Final Four on the line. This matchup has loomed since the NCAA tournament brackets were announced, which excites senior forward Jenni Benningfield.
“We’re surrounded by orange people all the time around our campus,” Benningfield said.
“I’m still bitter about my sophomore year when they beat us in the Elite Eight to go to the Final Four. That’s still in the back of my mind.”
Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 68-63 in that Midwest Regional final in 2002 in Ames, Iowa, in their only NCAA tournament meeting.
Not that it usually matters where they play because the Lady Vols lead the series 42-6 even though Vandy has almost strong a tradition as Tennessee. This is the Commodores’ 17th NCAA berth — behind only to Tennessee (23) and Georgia (21) in the SEC — and their 11th time in the final 16 in the past 15 seasons.
These rivals, separated by 194 miles, have played three games in a season six times since 1994, and the possibility of a seventh is the biggest question facing the Commodores before leaving for Norman, Okla., on Friday.
Coach Melanie Balcomb, whose Xavier squad beat Tennessee in the 2001 regional semifinal, said she doesn’t have to remind her players to concentrate on Stanford (26-6).
“I have great senior leadership. We’re excited to play Stanford and play in the Sweet 16. We’re focused on this game and this game only,” she said.
The prospect of defending All-American Nicole Powell keeps Vandy focused along with the knowledge that Stanford is why the Commodores won’t have the chore of playing Oklahoma in its home court.
“We’re taking this tournament one game at a time because that’s what you have to do, or you’re going to end up going home,” senior guard Hillary Hager said.
The Commodores (26-7) are one of the hottest teams in the NCAA tournament having won 10 straight games in a streak that nearly started Feb. 15 against Tennessee. Only Tasha Butts scoring a career-high 37 points helped the Lady Vols pull out a 94-88 victory.
After that loss, Balcomb thought her Commodores might miss out on the postseason completely. They dropped to 16-7 overall, 4-6 in the Southeastern Conference.
It’s been a tough season with junior guard Abi Ramsey suspended for nine games after being arrested for drunken driving and Benningfield missing most of January with a stress fracture in her right foot.
The six freshmen struggled with bouts of homesickness, and then came a four-game SEC losing skid that caused Balcomb to throw open competition for the starting lineup. She also skipped one practice to take her team to see the movie “Miracle.”
They haven’t lost since.
Hager said they feel like they’re playing their style of basketball now with freshmen forward Carla Thomas and point guard Dee Davis in the starting lineup. With tenacious defense, Vandy is a perfect 19-0 when holding opponents below 40 percent shooting.
Vandy’s only Final Four came in 1993, one of the only eight the Lady Vols have missed. Benningfield said the best thing about this rivalry is that the Commodores know what will be waiting for them if they beat Stanford.
“But we’ve got to get there first,” she said.