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Home > SECWB News & More! > Our Staff & Contributors > LeAnne Harrington > Tennessee vs. Oral Roberts Preview
Tennessee vs. Oral Roberts Preview
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: March 22nd, 2008 @ 9:43pm
This is the time of year the Tennessee Lady Vols live for. In a post-game press conference at the SEC tourney, Lady Vol head coach Pat Head Summitt said that after winning a national championship it is sometimes hard to get a team to focus on the details of each game; their tendency is to want to fast-forward through the regular season and get on to post-season play. Well, there is no need to hit the fast-forward button: the first phase of the post-season has come and gone, with the Lady Vols winning their 13th SEC tourney title. Now it’s on to the NCAAs and a defense of their 2007 National Championship. Can the Lady Vols bring a record 8th championship trophy back to Rocky Top?
The Tennessee Lady Vols enter this game as a #1 seed, sporting a 30-2 record. Their only two losses of the season were to Stanford and LSU, and they avenged the LSU loss by beating the Lady Tigers in the SEC Tournament championship game. UT is led by junior Candace Parker, the all-everything “go-to” player every championship team needs. Listed as a Forward/Center/Guard, she can truly play all positions, and can wreak havoc on opposing teams from anywhere on the court. At the point is senior Shannon Bobbitt, an undersized floor general whose 5’2” stature has never proven to be a liability. What she lacks in height she makes up for in speed, lightening-fast passes and an ability to find the open Vol. Senior Nicky Anosike is a banger in the post; tough on “D” and has a willingness to do the dirty work on the boards. With a coaching staff that preaches defense and rebounds, this makes her a highly valuable player to this team. Senior Alexis Hornbuckle has great range, can pop the 3 or drive if the opportunity is there. Of the stellar group of freshmen on this year’s team, Angie Bjorklund has come in and made the most impact, starting 30 of 32 games this season.
Oral Roberts enters tomorrow night’s matchup as a #16 seed, sporting a 19-13 record. They garnered a fifth NCAA bid by winning the Summitt League conference tournament and it’s automatic bid. ORU is 0-4 in their four previous NCAA appearances. Although the Golden Eagles finished 10-8 in league play this season, they are currently on a roll, having won nine of their last thirteen games. ORU is extremely balanced in scoring, with four players who average in double figures.
This will be the first meeting between these two teams.
Probable starters for UT:
G Shannon Bobbitt, 5-2 SR: 10.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg
F/C/G Candace Parker, 6-4 JR: 21.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg
F Angie Bjorklund, 6-0 FR: 9.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg
G Alexis Hornbuckle, 5-11 SR: 10.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg
C Nicky Anosike, 6-4 SR: 8.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Probable starters for Oral Roberts:
F/C Jenny Hardin, 6-3 JR: 13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg
G Mariana Camargo, 6-0 JR: 13.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg
G Rachel Watman, 5-10 JR: 12.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg
G Janae Voelker, 5-11 SO: 11.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg
G Demesha Heard, 5-5 JR: 4.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg
My prediction: Unlike the men’s 2008 NCAA tourney, the first round on the women’s side has been fairly predictable with few exceptions: higher seeds have been taking their upstart opponents to task, making them pay the price by suffering lopsided wins. If the seeding in this first round matchup holds (and there’s no reason whatsoever to think it won’t), then this one will join that trend. Historically speaking, the Lady Vols have never lost a first or second round game, so… you make the call. Mine is: UT by 56.
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