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Lopsided Losers

Submitted by Jim Wogan on January 24, 2006 - 9:35pm

Monday night's 22-point loss to Duke is another stunning reminder the Lady Vols aren't the dominant college basketball program they once were. And not just for the obvious reason (uh, losing by 22).

Five of Pat Summitt's worst career defeats have come in the last six years. Duke and UConn are responsible for four of those losses. Georgia (27 pts.) is the other.

During their decade of dominance (1987-1998), the Lady Vols won six national titles. They also registered just one lop-sided loss (Texas, 19 pts) in 1987.

In the years Pat Summitt was building Tennessee's tradition (pre-1987), lop-sided losses weren't unusual. They were also understandable. The Lady Vols were dropping games to established powers like Texas, Louisiana Tech, and Southern Cal.

An off-shoot of Summitt's success is the overall growth of women's college basketball. In a way, that growth has come back to haunt the Lady Vols. Better teams-- mean tougher games-- and lop-sided losses that weren't there a decade ago.









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Jim, In a way, Pat may be

Submitted by Tim (not verified) on January 26, 2006 - 5:42pm.

Jim,
In a way, Pat may be responsible for her own un-doing. The Lady Vols are now recruiting H.S. athletes who have grown up hearing about Pat Summitt all their lives. Obviously, Pat can't sign them all to scholarships. One of the greatest motivators for competitors is relishing the thought of beating the team who wouldn't have you. I think the Goestenkors, Auriemmas and Chapmans of this world use that as motivation during recruiting, regular season matchups, and tournament time. If you don't end up wearing orange, you end up hating it...and wanting to win big.

What is this about Summitt's

Submitted by Steve (not verified) on February 1, 2006 - 9:07pm.

What is this about Summitt's un-doing. I cant believe this post. 900 plus wins in an immaculate career and she has an undoing. The final four will still be there but some people think that the national championship should be won every year. That is not going to happen. All I can say is ROLL ON LADY VOLS!!!!