On paper, Tennessee's chances at a national title are slim. This is mostly due to the fact that to even finish second, the Vols would have to knock off a team that hasn't even come close to being beaten.
No, really, no one came close. The Huskies' average margin of victory was 36 points.
So just go ahead and pencil Connecticut into the final game against an unfortunate opponent, let them cut down the nets and claim the perfect record, right?
Wrong.
As all Duke fans should know, anything is possible, and just because a game is won on paper doesn't mean it is won on the court. That is, after all, why they play the game.
That said, the Vols have a decent shot to knock off the Huskies Friday night and advance to the final game. No, that's not a typo--they actually can win.
It's pretty obvious that the title is Connecticut's to lose, and it's safe to say that Connecticut knows it should win, and probably thinks it will definitely win. Of course, it should have won last year as well, and it didn't.
Meanwhile, the Vols know they aren't supposed to win--that's why the selection committee dissed them with a two seed instead of the one seed they deserved.
Want more motivation? After winning three titles in a row from 1996 to 1998, the Vols have entered a dry spell. Granted, a couple of years shouldn't be considered a dry spell, but at Tennessee, it is. So the Vols are hungry, Pat Summitt is hungry and Connecticut beat the Vols in the 2000 final. Revenge is a powerful motivational tool--just ask Gary Williams.
An argument can't be made that the Vols have better players than Connecticut, because they don't. And you can't claim Connecticut doesn't match up well against Summitt's squad, because they do, and proved so earlier this season.
If this were a best-of-seven series, the Huskies would probably win 4-1. But it's not a series, it's one game. And stranger things have happened.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.