Tennessee: Summitt shooting for 1,000

KNOXVILLE — She's one away.

Tennessee women's basketball head coach Pat Summitt will have her first opportunity at reaching her 1,000th career victory against second-ranked Oklahoma tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

The Big Monday matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN2, with Bob Knight — the all-time winningest men's coach — providing color commentary.

“It's a record that may or may not be broken,” Summitt said.

“When I think about getting to 1,000 wins, I think about the University of Tennessee saying ‘yes’ to women's basketball long before it was a popular thing to do.”

But notching No. 999 nearly didn't happen Thursday. The 13th-ranked Lady Vols (16-4) rallied from a nine-point deficit as sophomore Angie Bjorklund drained a 3-pointer with 6.8 seconds left in regulation to beat Ole Miss 60-59 in Knoxville.

It won't get any easier tonight. Center Courtney Paris brings a dominant post presence to the Sooners (18-2). The 6-foot-4 senior is averaging 15.7 points per game and 13.6 rebounds. Her twin sister, Ashley, provides additional size in the paint.

“I think Oklahoma is going to be a program that's going to continue to have success even if they don't get to a Final Four, but I would expect them to be there this year,” Summitt said. “I think they're good enough, but you've got to get some breaks along the way.”

The Sooners, who are riding a 14-game winning streak, haven't needed many breaks so far. Their margin of victory is 19.8 points per game.

They've also shot effectively from the perimeter. Nyeshia Stevenson is shooting 44.3 percent (31-of-70) from 3-point range while Whitney Hand is shooting 40.2 percent (39-97).

“We've got to get ready for their high-low game,” Summitt said. “Their guard play is better this year as well. It's going to be a real tough road game for us but it's doable.”

The Lady Vols nipped the Sooners 70-67 last season in Tampa, Fla., relying primarily on a strong output from veterans like Candace Parker and Shannon Bobbitt.

But with an established inside game and improved backcourt, the Sooners are the favorites this time around.

“I think when you look at the national landscape of women's college basketball, you see Connecticut and Tennessee; those guys have won so many titles that when you are able to notch a win against them, I think it's something significant,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale told The Oklahoman newspaper.

“But we've never beaten Connecticut and we've never beaten Tennessee. Coupled with the fact they're the defending national champions, winning would be significant.”

Of course, that's the not the only buzz surrounding this game.

Summitt may be on the cusp of a historic milestone, but she hasn't forgotten about the basics. Following UT's come-from-behind victory over Ole Miss in which the defending champions shot 51.6 percent (16-for 31) from the charity stripe, the Hall of Fame coach already had a punishment in mind.

“Well, we're going to shoot 1,000 free throws,” Summitt quipped afterward.

It's only appropriate.