Tennessee's Semeka Randall films the media during Saturday's news conference for a behind-the-scenes video diary she's shooting for ESPN.
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Stat of the day:
The last time the country's top two ranked teams met in the NCAA title game was in 1989, when top-ranked Tennessee beat No. 2 Auburn 76-70. Sunday's game will mark just the fourth time the top two teams have played for the national championship.
Don't stop now:
It's no secret the UConn fans love to boo Semeka Randall. Tennessee's Michelle Snow, however, is encouraging the Huskies' fans to keep it up. "I think she plays so much better when they boo her," said the Vols' sophomore center. "Our fans boo her now. If she's going to hit 25 points, we'll boo her, too." Randall scored 25 points, including the last-second game-winning shot, when the Huskies hosted the Vols in Storrs in February.
Yeah, baby!
It's well-known that UConn's Sue Bird regularly quotes movie lines. But last summer, the sophomore guard got out of hand. "I couldn't stand it when that 'Austin Powers' movie came out," teammate Swin Cash said. "She was quoting every line from that movie."
And a child shall lead them:
Don't tell Kara Lawson a freshman point guard can't lead her team to the national title. When asked about it Sunday, Lawson was quick to point out that point guards Tonya Edwards (Tennessee), Michael Bibby (Arizona) and Marion Jones (UNC) all led their teams to the NCAA championship as freshmen. "Freshmen can do it," she said. "It's not a question of what grade you're in."
Which SportsCenter do you watch:
All of them, says Lawson, a self-proclaimed sports junky. "My TV is 24-7 SportsCenter," she said. "My teammates don't like to room with me because they know they won't get to watch anything else."
Name that tune:
UConn's Svetlana Abrosimova isn't exactly a big fan of country music. And you can probably guess her Husky teammates don't exactly dig her favorite Russian bands, either. But if Shea Ralph insists on playing some Southern twang, there's always a payback. "If they make me listen to country music," Abrosimova said, "the next day they're going to listen to Russian music."
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How the rivalry was born
 | | Underclassmen like Catchings will be key Sunday. | |
Sunday night's title game will mark the fourth time Tennessee and Connecticut have met in the NCAA Tournament. But whenever these two teams take the court, it's always a big story, writes ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel, who traces the history of the 10-game series. It all started on a Monday five years ago in Storrs, and a win that gave UConn its first No. 1 ranking. We're betting the 11th matchup will be good enough to put up with another night of Rocky Top.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Which team will win Sunday's title game, and tell us what the X-factor will be? |
Beth Mowins: Connecticut seems to be in the driver's seat with its depth (the bench provided 32 points against Penn State) and the strong will of Sue Bird, who refuses to let her team lose.
Michele Tafoya: UConn will win 74-73 on an Asjha Jones putback. Asjha is the kind of player who can be an X-factor if she gets off to a hot start. She's the type of player who can get 15 critical points and eight important rebounds, and can throw in that putback late in the game.
Jay Bilas: Although both teams have really good defenses, and are so proficient at shutting down their opponent or taking something away from their opponent, the score will be in the 80s. Both teams are so good at pushing the ball up the court and making runs, that no matter how good a defense they both have, you can't counter that type of offense. The score will be in the 80s. UConn will win.
Ann Meyers: The score will reach the 80s, but it will at least be in the 70s for sure. While guard play will obviously be an important factor, the game is still won and lost in the trenches, and the boards and inside play will determine this game. As for picking a winner, the game can go either way, but with that bench, I'm going to go with Connecticut.
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TOURNAMENT CHALLENGE
Nearly 50,000 folks joined the women's Tournament Challenge. And as we roll out an updated version of the Tournament Dish throughout the women's NCAA Tournament, we'll continue to provide an inside look at how the users filled out their brackets:
• 17,501 users predicted a Tennessee-Connecticut final
• 21,141 brackets -- 43.7 percent -- had the Huskies as national champs
• 9,983 users picked Tennessee to win the NCAA title
Click here to check your bracket.
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ESPN BRACKETS
Six of the seven entries in our own Women's Tournament Challenge group picked a UConn-Tennessee final. And with one game to go, ESPN analyst Vera Jones maintains her slim 30-point lead. To see how we're doing, log on to the Challenge main page, then check out the Featured Group ESPN Experts to see our predictions for the NCAA Tournament. |
Bio Rhythms: Sue Bird
| |  | | Sue Bird has handed out 156 assists this season. |
To give fans an inside look at the personalities behind March Madness, ESPN.com asked more than 20 players to share information about themselves. Look for the Tournament Dish's "Bio Rhythms" -- a fun and humorous look at the athlete by the athlete -- throughout the women's NCAA Tournament.
The series continues with a look at UConn's Sue Bird, who dishes out movie lines as well as assists.
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