Women’s Best Meet in Knoxville

There is nothing more important in women’s college basketball than the NCAA tournament.

But for a nonchampionship game, today’s battle between Connecticut and Tennessee should be a scintillating showcase.

A capacity crowd of 24,535 in the Thompson-Boling will watch the top two teams in the country try to determine the tournament favorite.

Connecticut Coach Geno Auriemma wants his team to learn something about itself as well as something about Tennessee.

“The more you’re in a situation where you have to figure out ways of escape, the more you’re tested in the ability to adapt. Then you’ve added something you can draw on later,” he said.

Similarly, Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt says she is looking for a gauge.

“It is certainly, for us, an opportunity to assess our team, look at where we are, and where we want to go,” Summitt said.

The Huskies hold a 7-6 series edge, have won both their national-championship matchups and have split the previous four games played at Tennessee. Rarely have two teams seemed so contrasting and yet so even.

At 15-0, top-ranked Connecticut has hardly broken a sweat in beating opponents by an average of 37.8 points. It boasts probably the best starting lineup in the game. Seniors Sue Bird, Asjha Jones, Tamika Williams and Swin Cash, and sophomore Diana Taurasi all score in double figures.

Tennessee, 11-0 and ranked second, can’t match Connecticut’s seniors. But that hasn’t kept the Volunteers from outscoring opponents by 23.9 points.