Scouting Tennessee: Players are big but inexperienced

UT has six players 6-2 or taller, while UD boasts just one such player.

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 8:39 PM Sunday, March 21, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At halftime against 16th-seeded Austin Peay, the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team held a 21-20 rebounding advantage.

The locker room was very unpleasant.

“We had a roll call,” said UT coach Pat Summitt after that first-round NCAA tournament game on Saturday, March 20, “and they responded.”

Using the size that has separated the Lady Vols from many of their opponents this season, Tennessee roared to a 26-8 advantage on the boards in the second half and beat Austin Peay 75-42. Even in a lopsided game, Summitt’s reaction underlines UT’s expectations in its strong post play despite its relative youth.

Eighth-seeded Dayton will face that daunting inside game today when the Flyers take on the top-seeded Lady Vols in a 7 p.m. second-round game. While UD has good size, few in the country can match UT’s inside presence.

Kelley Cain, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Atlanta, finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds against Austin Peay. Three other Lady Vols — 6-3 Glory Johnson (7.9), 6-2 Shekinna Stricklen (6.1) and 6-3 Alyssia Brewer (5.8) — average at least five rebounds per game.

“Even before the SEC tournament,” Brewer said, “it was all about our post play.”

UD boasts a roster with eight players 6 feet or taller, but only one, sophomore Casey Nance (6-4), is bigger than 6-1. UT is massive with six players 6-2 or taller.

However big they are, though, the Lady Vols aren’t tournament tested. Of the regular players, only junior guard Angie Bjorklund had more than one game of tournament experience before this year, as UT was upset by Ball State in the first round last year.

“Have I been hard on them? Yes,” Summitt said. “And that’s my job, too. We’re holding them to a different standard than a year ago.”

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-7389 or  knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Rebounding leaders

Tennessee	Dayton
6-3 Glory Johnson (7.9)	6-4 Casey Nance (6.1)
6-6 Kelley Cain (7.6)	6-1 Kendel Ross (6.1)
6-2 Shekinna Stricklen (6.1)	6-1 Justine Raterman (5.8)
6-3 Alyssia Brewer (5.8)	5-11 Brittany Wilson (3.9)