DAYTON, Ohio-The teams are different. These players have never met before. That was all in the distant past.
But still, Tennessee is 20-0 against Notre Dame heading into their regional championship game tonight. That’s got to count for something, right?
The Fighting Irish’s Muffet McGraw and the Lady Vols’ Pat Summitt swear they’re coaches and not historians. They are aware of the old meetings but won’t make a big deal out of them.
“That would be really silly of me to bring that up I think,” McGraw said of Notre Dame’s drought against Tennessee, which dates to 1983 and includes an 0-3 mark in the NCAA tournament. “This team is a team that hasn’t played Tennessee. The seniors played them once in Oklahoma City in the regional semifinal. That’s the only time we’ve played them. So certainly we’re not going to be talking about the past.”
Second-seeded Notre Dame (29-7) and top-seed Tennessee (34-2) haven’t met on the court since two engagements three years ago. The score was 87-63 in South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 5, and 74-64 in the Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City. Of course, Tennessee won both.