The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tennessee
No. 17 Women's Basketball preview: Tennessee [Dec. 11, 2016]
12.10.2016 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Lady Vols meet Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT at the Erwin Center.
No. 17/17 Texas Longhorns (2-4) vs. RV/RV Tennessee Lady Vols (4-3)
Time: Sunday, December 11, 2016 | 3:30 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
TV: FS1 (Brett Dolan, Dan Hughes)
Radio: 105.3 FM (Craig Way, Fran Harris)
Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets
AUSTIN, Texas – Two of the most storied programs in the history of NCAA Division I women's basketball meet for the 38th time on Sunday as No. 17/17 Texas plays host to Tennessee. Tip-off in the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 3:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally by FS1.
Tennessee (1,303 wins) and Texas (1,014 wins) are two of the all-time winningest programs in NCAA history, combining for 2,317 victories all-time.
The 2017 NCAA Championship Trophy will be on hand at Sunday's game and fans can take photos with the trophy. It will be available on the Erwin Center concourse in section 23 when the doors open at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Steve Max, the master of Simon Sez, a nationally renowned act, will perform at halftime. The Georgettes, a dance troupe of 21 performers from Sun City, will perform at the end of the first quarter. After the game, fans are invited to the Lone Star Room for a Postgame Fast Break with coaches and student-athletes.
The first 100 students to the game will receive a boxed meal outside Entrance E from Newk's Eatery.
"Our team always looks forward to the Tennessee game," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "It's a traditional game that has been played for over 30 years now and it's really special to me. You're looking at two teams that probably both need a win really bad. I think it will be a competitive game. It may not necessarily be pretty in spots because of the way both of us are sort of trying to find our identity. It has always been a measuring stick for our team. I think you see where you are at – could you compete against Tennessee? Could you beat them? Because they were one of those teams that you challenged yourself against and I don't think that's any different now. It's another test for our team."
Texas has won the rebounding battle in each of its six games so far this season. The Longhorns hold a +12.3 margin on the boards this year, with four of their six games coming against top-15 opponents. Texas ranks 11th in the nation in rebound margin.
Junior guard Brooke McCarty leads the way for the Longhorns, averaging 14.5 points per game, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and knocking down 13 three-pointers. She has dished out a team-high 21 assists. McCarty has scored in double figures in five of her team's six games this season, and ranks in the top-10 all-time in UT school history in three-pointers made.
Junior guard Ariel Atkins follows with 12.0 points per game, while freshman guard/forward Joyner Holmes adds 10.5 points per game.
After a slow start to the season, senior center Kelsey Lang has performed strong in her last three games. In her last three games combined, Lang is averaging a team-leading 13.0 points per game with a squad-best 8.3 rebounds per game. She has also blocked nine shots during that span. For the season, she is averaging a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
Texas and Tennessee will meet for the 38th time overall and the 35th consecutive year. The Lady Vols lead the all-time series 23-14, including a 10-7 edge when the game is played in Austin. Texas defeated Tennessee 64-53 last season in Knoxville.
Tennessee enters Sunday's game with a 4-3 overall record. The Lady Vols are coming off an 88-66 loss to No. 4/4 Baylor last Sunday. Junior center Mercedes Russell averages a squad-best 17.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game. Tennessee has set a school record with four consecutive games of multiple players posting double-doubles.
QUICK NOTES
• Texas women's basketball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate basketball.
• The Longhorns have won 12 conference regular season titles and 10 conference tournament titles.
• Texas is one of just eight programs in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach 1,000 all-time wins. The Longhorns achieved the milestone on January 27, 2016. Texas ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history with 1,014 all-time victories.
• The Longhorns consistently play a rigorous non-conference schedule. The Longhorns' schedule consists of six non-conference opponents that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 or further during the 2015-16 campaign.
• Texas head coach Karen Aston is nine wins away from 100 on the Forty Acres. She is 91-50 at UT.
• The Longhorns are seeking their 500th all-time win in the Frank Erwin Center this season. Texas has a 498-96 (.838) all-time record within the friendly confines of the Erwin Center, which opened during the 1977-78 season.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Texas is 48-6 (.889) when playing in the Frank Erwin Center.
• Texas has won the rebound battle in each of its six games so far this season and holds a rebound margin of +12.3. The Longhorns rank 11th nationally in rebound margin.
• Junior guard Brooke McCarty has 117 career three-pointers made, which ranks 10th all-time in UT school history. She needs six more three-pointers to surpass Alicia Sare (122) for ninth place all-time.
• McCarty ranks fifth in school history in three-point field goal percentage with a .389 clip (117-of-301). Current Texas assistant Jamie Carey holds the school record in three-point field goal percentage at .418. Just three players in UT history - Carey, Kat Nash and Vicki Hall - have shot better than .400 beyond the three-point arc for their careers.
• Senior center Kelsey Lang currently ranks ninth in UT school history with 122 career blocks. She needs eight more blocks to surpass Tracy Cook (129) for eighth place in school history.
PRE-GAME QUOTES
Texas Head Coach Karen Aston
"Our team always looks forward to the Tennessee game. It's a traditional game that has been played for over 30 years now and it's really special to me just because of my experiences here as an assistant coach. Previously with [former Tennessee head coach] Pat [Summitt] coming into town, it was always a treat for everybody to see Pat and [former Texas head coach] Jody [Conradt] go at it. I think [Tennessee head coach] Holly [Warlick] and I really made a commitment to keeping this a traditional game on the calendar. I'm really looking forward to it. You're looking at two teams that probably both need a win really bad. I think it will be a competitive game. It may not necessarily be pretty in spots because of the way both of us are sort of trying to find our identity. You always look forward to it, in particular this year, with it being the first game we've played since the passing of Pat. You just really want to keep that in mind and you want to respect what Tennessee has been through and respect their legacy."
On improvements she has seen in practice recently …
"Each time we practice, we're a little more cognizant of attention to detail. It's a difficult stretch right now because you also have players that are in finals. We've had some in and out of practice this week. What we're trying to do is get a little bit more accomplished in a smaller amount of time. That has been the biggest challenge for our team. They sort of have to do things over and over and over, and it kind of stretches our days out. If we can learn how to be efficient in a smaller amount of time, I think that will translate into performance in games."
On the benefit of having a week of practice without playing any games this week …
"I think it has been important just for us to work on some execution of things. We've had kids in and out with finals and it's a little choppy in the way we've had to do things this week. You do hope that you've been able to shape up some execution and put in some things that maybe we didn't have time to do without the break."
On the effect of the tough schedule on the Texas players …
"I think they're growing. It's been good to see a couple of our freshmen take some strides this week. I think the biggest thing we got accomplished this week was seeing Jada Underwood and Sug Sutton take a few baby steps this week. I expected our guard depth to be a factor this year and it hasn't been because of kids coming off of injuries and slow progress. I think the more that those two develop, it's going to bode well for our team."
On what it means to play Tennessee on an annual basis …
"It has always been a measuring stick for our team. I think you see where you are at – could you compete against Tennessee? Could you beat them? Because they were one of those teams that you challenged yourself against and I don't think that's any different now. It's another test for our team."
On former Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt, who passed away this past summer …
"It's tough to watch film on them and not see her presence on that team. She had such a remarkable impact on the women's game. Every coach that has grown up in this profession would tell you that Pat Summitt had an impact on their life."
On what concerns her about facing Tennessee …
"They're long and athletic, and they can create havoc. One of our problems that we need to clean up is turnovers and that is a team that, if you're not careful, they'll steal some possessions. Getting out in the passing lanes, aggression on defense, offensive rebounds, those kinds of things that long, athletic kids can create, that's where we have to be a lot more detailed in what we're doing and not hand them possessions."
