1st UConn Champ Survived Single-Figure Win at Stanford

If you look at our all-time women's rankings you will see this match-up looks closer than our spread and seedings showed. While the UConn 1995 team that started the dynasty with the school's first title featured two top 40 all-time players in Nykesha Sales and Nykesha Sales but Stanford counters with our #24 best college player of all-time in Nneka Ogwumike - whose incredible front court included her sister Chiney Ogwumike and the female star of the legendary Tinkle family in Joslyn Tinkle.

Every player on both courts scored in the double figures and this game was much closer than the spread we posted indicated, with Tinkle coming on strong down the stretch to cut it to 57-55 with 12 possessions to play, 73-69 with three possessions to play.

This Stanford team wsa one of hte heartbreaks of all time. This team was their 5th straight to make the Final 4 but they did not get a title until years later. They also capped a third straight undefeated Pac-12 season - 18-0 each year for a 54-0 conference mark.

The reason this team had dropped so far in our all-time rankings was just a stunning upset loss against the 1999 Colorado State team in our game. We adjust based on each score in our all-time games, with a formula similar to KenPom.

 

Pos	Connecticut 1995	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Points, Reb, Ast
1-PG	Jennifer Rizzotti	12	3	1	1	1	2	6	0	2	5'5	12.5P,2.8R,4.6A,pro
2-SG	Nykesha Sales	6	0	3	0	0	2	0	0	1	6'0	11.4P,4.6R,2.1A,pro
3-SF	Jamelle Elliott	13	1	4	2	2	6	0	0	2	6'0	10.9P,8.1R,2.8A
4-PF	Rebecca Lobo	17	0	8	1	2	7	0	2	2	6'4	17.1P,9.8R,3.7A,pro
5-C	Kara Wolters	16	0	8	0	0	4	0	3	3	6'7	15.2P,6.2R,1.2A,pro
Pos	Bench	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Points, Reb, Ast
1-PG	Pam Webber	2	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	5'6	4.6P,2.6R,4.1A
2-SG	Kim Better	6	0	3	0	0	3	0	0	1	5'7	4.8P,2.8R,1.5A
3-SF	Carla Berube	4	0	2	0	2	3	0	0	1	6'0	8.5P,4.8R,1.9A
4-PF	Kelley Hunt	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'2	2.2P,1.8R,0.4A
5-C	Brenda Marquis	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	2.6P,1.2R,0.1A
	Turnovers 15	80	4	32	4	7	31	7	5	15
Pos	Stanford 2012	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Points, Reb, Ast
1-PG	Toni Kokenis	10	1	2	3	3	2	3	0	1	5'11	9.5P,3.2R,3.6A
2-SG	Amber Orrange	5	1	1	0	0	3	2	0	1	5'7	4.8P,2.7R,3.0A
3-SF	Joslyn Tinkle	12	2	2	2	2	7	0	0	2	6'3	8.7P,5.4R,1.3A,pro
4-PF	Nneka Ogwumike	12	0	6	0	0	6	1	2	2	6'2	22.5P,10.2R,1.8A,pro
5-C	Chiney Ogwumike	16	0	7	2	2	8	0	0	1	6'4	15.0P,10.1R,1.4A,pro
Pos	Bench	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Points, Reb, Ast
1-PG	Lindy La Rocque	5	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	1	5'8	3.6P,1.1R,2.3A
2-SG	Jasmine Camp	2	0	1	0	0	2	0	2	1	5'7	3.6P,2.0R,2.1A
3-SF	Bonnie Samuelson	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	4.6P,1.2R,0.4A
4-PF	Taylor Greenfield	5	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	6'3	3.6P,1.9R,1.3A
5-C	Sarah Boothe	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'5	3.0P,1.8R,0.7A
	Turnovers 16	71	6	23	7	7	35	6	4	12

Here is the scoresheet with the running score to show you how close it was throughout.

Despite Bad Call Causing Cardoso to Foul Out, South Carolina Dominates

We finally had another chance to play a Value Add Basketball Game, and even though it was #6 South Carolina 2024 at #59 Arizona 2021 according to our ranking of the 64 all-time great women's Value Add Basketball Game teams we thought this might give us our first chance at an upset.  

Pos	South Carolina 2024	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Pts, Reb, Ast, pro?
1-PG	Te-Hina Paopao	4	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	4	5'9	11.0P,2.6R,3.7A,pro
2-SG	Raven Johnson	23	0	9	5	6	5	4	0	1	5'8	8.1P,5.2R,4.8A,pro
3-SF	Bree Hall	9	1	3	0	0	2	1	0	1	6'0	9.2P,2.9R,1.5A,pro
4-PF	Ashlyn Watkins	10	0	5	0	0	7	0	0	1	6'3	9.2P,7.4R,1.1A
5-C	Kamilla Cardoso	7	0	3	1	1	4	1	1	5	6'7	14.4P,9.7R,2.0A,pro
Pos	Reserves	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Pts, Reb, Ast, pro?
1-PG	MiLaysia Fulwiley	11	2	1	3	3	1	1	1	1	5'10	11.7P,2.9R,2.2A
2-SG	Tessa Johnson	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'1	6.6P,1.7R,1.1A
3-SF	Chloe Kitts	4	0	1	2	2	4	0	1	1	6'2	9.1P,5.9R,1.4A
4-PF	Sania Feagin	6	0	3	0	0	2	0	0	1	6'3	6.7P,3.8R,1.0A,pro
5-C	Sakima Walker	4	0	2	0	0	5	1	0	2	6'4	2.0P,1.3R,0.1A
		80	3	30	11	12	33	8	3	18
Pos	Arizona 2021	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Pts, Reb, Ast, pro?
1-PG	Aari McDonald	15	0	5	5	6	3	2	0	1	5'6	20.6P,5.4R,4.0A,pro
2-SG	Bendu Yeaney	8	0	4	0	0	2	0	1	4	5'10	4.1P,3.1R,1.5A
3-SF	Sam Thomas	2	0	1	0	0	6	1	0	2	6'0	7.3P,3.4R,1.5A,pro
4-PF	Trinity Baptiste	4	0	2	0	0	4	0	0	2	6'0	8.6P,6.1R,1.0A
5-C	Cate Reese	13	0	5	3	7	7	0	2	2	6'2	10.9P,5.1R,0.6A
Pos	Reserves	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Pts, Reb, Ast, pro?
1-PG	Derin Erdogan	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'6	1.0P,0.5R,0.4A
2-SG	Shaina Pellington	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	5'8	5.8P,1.9R,1.0A
3-SF	Helena Pueyo	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'0	3.7P,3.5R,1.3A
4-PF	Lauren Ware	4	0	2	0	0	3	0	0	1	6'5	3.9P,3.8R,0.3A
5-C	Semaj Smith	2	0	1	0	0	5	0	0	1	6'6	0.9P,1.2R,0.1A
		54	0	23	8	13	33	3	3	17

Yes, Dawn Staley's South Carolina team was undefeated and taking their 2nd title in three years, but the 2021 Arizona team had stunned UConn in the Final 4 and then come within one point of stunning Stanford or the national title. The home advantage for Arizona did result in a bad call that resulted in Kamilla Cardoso fouling out with 7:40 to play, and prior to that Arizona was within 43-38 with 16 minutes to play.

But Raven Johnson was the surprise hero with 23 points but more importantly for disrupting the Arizona offense for a 20-9 turnover edge. Next up we have back-to-back UConn games with #7 UConn 1995 and #8 UConn 2016 on the road as we continue to make the higher seeds play in opposing gyms, menaing the other team has the choice to change a 66 to 36 roll (creating a foul on a bad call) or a 36 to 66 (meaning the ref misses a call).Here is the whole first round.

7	Connecticut	1995	Rebecca Lobo	1-0, Score/Allow: 81-57, Rating: 10.8
58	Stanford	2012	Nneka Ogwumike	0-1, Score/Allow: 58-81, Rating: -9
				Connecticut 20 point favorite
8	Connecticut	2016	Breanna Stewart	1-1, Score/Allow: 80-64.5, Rating: 10.8
57	LSU	2005	Seimone Augustus	0-1, Score/Allow: 63-72, Rating: -8.2
				Connecticut 19 point favorite

1982 La Tech champs pull away late over 2012 Sweet 16 Penn State for 78-51 win

Based on our rankings the 11th best women's college basketball player ever (Pam Kelly) and future all-time coach (Kim Mulkey) led the 5th best women's college basketball team ever to a win over a scrappy Sweet 16 team from 2012 that featured a dominant center (Nikki Greene, 12 rebounds in our game) and disruptive point guard (Alex Bentley who came up with 7 steals) with a third future WNBA player in between (Maggie Lucas). They kept this game really close against our Louisiana Tech team that was the all-time runner up when we had our tournament of the first 32 teams but who we have moved a couple of UConn and Tennessee teams in front of since expanding to 64 teams).  The box score is at the bottom.

The 2012 Penn State team used the 7 steals by Alex Bentley and 12 rebounds by Nikki Greene to play an even 1st half - 32-32 - then still within 60-48 with 4 minutes left.

But then the 21-point favorite and our 5th ranked all time team Louisiana Tech 1982 took over for a 12-0 run in the final 2 minutes 15 seconds to actually cover the spread with a 78-51 win.

The great Pam Kelly led all scorers with 23 points including 6 in that final stretch.

Pos	Louisiana Tech 1982 champs	Pts	Reb	Stl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Kim Mulkey	6	4	4	5'4	5.6 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 5.6 Ast
2-SG	Angela Turner	11	3	3	5'8	10.4 Pts, 4.9 Reb
3-SF	Janice Lawrence	8	8	1	6'3	14.7 Pts, 7.0 Reb
4-PF	Lori Scott	12	11	0	5'10	7.9 Pts, 5.1 Reb
5-C	Pam Kelly - 11th best ever	23	7	1	6'0	20.3 Pts, 9.1 Reb
Pos	Reserve	Pts	Reb	Stl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Julie Wilkerson	4	1	1	5'8
2-SG	Jennifer White	2	1	0	5'9	3.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb
3-SF	Pam Gant	4	1	0	5'7	4.3 Pts, 1.3 Reb
4-PF	Tia Sossamon	2	1	0	6'2	6.1 Pts, 3.6 Reb
5-C	Debra Rodman	6	1	0	6'3	9.1 Pts, 7.9 Reb
		78	38	10
Pos	Penn State 2012 Sweet 16	Pts	Reb	Stl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Alex Bentley (wnba)	12	1	7	5'7	14.1 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 4.7 Ast
2-SG	Zhaque Gray	4	1	1	5'8	10.6 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 1.7 Ast
3-SF	Maggie Lucas (wnba)	10	4	0	5'10	19.5 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 2.8 Ast
4-PF	Mia Nickson	7	3	0	6'2	8.5 Pts, 7.8 Reb, 1.0 Ast
5-C	Nikki Greene (wnba)	3	12	0	6'4	9.8 Pts, 7.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Pos	Reserve	Pts	Reb	Stl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Gizelle Studevent	2	1	0	5'11	1.9 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.6 Ast
2-SG	Ariel Edwards	5	4	0	6'3	7.0 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 1.1 Ast
3-SF	Marisa Wolfe	2	1	0	6'2	3.6 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
4-PF	Tori Waldner	2	1	0	6'5	2.0 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.5 Ast
5-C	Talia East	4	5	0	6'3	3.4 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 0.2 Ast
		51	33	8

1st Ever Undefeated Women's Champ Texas 1986 That Beat Cheryl Miller in Her Last Game Ever

You can watch the first-ever undefeated women’s national champion, the 1986 Texas Longhorns, in this video, ending Cheryl Miller’s chance at a third national championship in decisive 97–81 fashion.

It was the last game Miller ever played. The knee injury that would ultimately keep her from ever playing professionally held her to 2-of-11 shooting in the championship game.

Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil came off the bench to score 24 points and grab 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes. She went on to become National Player of the Year during her college career and is ranked as our 40th-greatest college player ever, despite playing only one season professionally—ironically under coach Cheryl Miller, who we ranked as the 9th greatest woman's college basketball team of all time.

In this game, Texas was traveling to Purdue 2003 in the Value Add Basketball Game, trying to maintain its all-time ranking as the fourth-greatest team of all time. Here is the box score, as the Longhorns easily won at Purdue, 76–52, in the Value Add Basketball Game.

Texas was a 22-point favorite, and in our next game, all-time #5 Louisiana Tech will be a 21-point favorite against Penn State as each game pits slightly more evenly matched teams against each other.

The spreads we initially listed were all three points more lopsided before we decided to make all favorite teams play on the road, where the home team can change rolls of 36 to 66, or vice versa, to get away with a missed foul or have a foul called on the visiting team that was not a foul.

The 1986 Texas team was not included at first because we did not have enough stats until a couple of years later. Originally, we only had enough stats for Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil’s senior year, when she made our all-time top 40 players list, but that Texas team was actually not very good. That team was later replaced in the game by the undefeated 1986 national championship team.

Purdue 2003 is likewise a strong team, BUT we didn’t have enough stats for any of Purdue’s championship teams from previous decades—so this is likely a bit of a mismatch when we roll the first dice.

In this game, Davis came off the bench as a freshman to score a game-high 20 points.

Pos	Texas 1986	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Kamie Ethridge	6	0	3	0	0	2	4	0	2	5'5	5.2 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 6.1 Ast
2-SG	Beverly Williams	11	1	4	0	0	5	1	0	1	5'8	11.6 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 3.0 Ast,wnba
3-SF	Fran Harris	12	0	6	0	0	4	0	0	4	6'0	13.8 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 1.5 Ast
4-PF	Andrea Lloyd-Curry	9	0	3	3	5	7	0	0	4	6'2	9.2 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 2.6 Ast,wnba
5-C	Annette Smith	8	0	4	0	0	5	0	1	2	5'11	10.4 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Audrey Smith	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'7	3.8 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 1.5 Ast
2-SG	Yulonda Wimbish	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'9	7.4 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.5 Ast
3-SF	Gay Hemphill	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'11	7.2 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast
4-PF	Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil	20	2	7	0	0	5	0	0	2	6'3	13.5 Pts, 7.7 Reb, 0.5 Ast,wnba
5-C	Cara Priddy	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'2	4.9 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
		76	3	32	3	5	32	5	1	19
Pos	purdue 2003	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Erika Valek	11	1	3	2	2	2	3	1	1	5'6	14.0 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 4.9 Ast
2-SG	Beth Jones	2	0	1	0	0	2	3	0	1	5'9	8.7 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 2.5 Ast
3-SF	Lindsey Hicks	10	0	4	2	4	4	0	0	1	6'1	7.4 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 1.7 Ast
4-PF	Shereka Wright	14	0	5	4	6	4	1	0	3	5'10	18.9 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 2.7 Ast,wnba
5-C	Mary Jo Noon	5	0	2	1	2	8	0	1	1	6'5	11.0 Pts, 4.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Sharika Webb	2	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	5'9	2.8 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 1.4 Ast
2-SG	Carol Duncan	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'1	1.9 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
3-SF	Missy Taylor	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	1.7 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast
4-PF	Sabrina Keys	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	1.3 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.1 Ast
5-C	Emily Heikes	2	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	2	6'0	6.0 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 0.4 Ast
		52	1	20	9	14	27	8	2	13

Taurasi & Bird Lead 2002 UConn to No. 1 All-Time with 94-45 Trashing at UVa

 The greatest professional woman's player of all time Diana Taurasi her six fellow future WNBA players inclding four of the top six picks that year led the 2002 UConn team to a 94-45 demolition of the 2018 UVa team in Charlottesville. 

In our all-time rankings, which are almost the same as www.kenpom.com expect we reward 3 extra points to the winning team and cap the "perfect" Game Score at +25, UConn 2002 passes Pat Summitt's 1998 Tennessee team as the top college women's team of all time.

Here is our new all-time Top 10 teams with their rating to the far right - these three teams are all at least four points better than the next best team so far.

 

Rank	Team	Year	Before	New Tournament Result	W	L	Rate
1	Connecticut	2002	15.5	won at 2018 UVa 94-45 (GS +25)	2	0	17.4
2	Tennessee	1998	18.4	won at 2009 Auburn 69-52 (GS +9)	5	0	17.2
3	Tennessee	2007	14.7	won at 2013 Delaware 76-42 (GS +25)	2	0	16.8
4	Texas	1986		at 2003 Purdue, needs 29pt win for +25	1	0	12.5
5	Louisiana Tech	1982		at 2012 Penn St, needs 21pt win for +25	3	1	12.4
6	South Carolina	2024		at 2021 AZ, needs 30pt win for +25	1	0	12
7	Connecticut	2016		at 2005 LSU, needs 28pt win for +25	1	1	10.8
7	Connecticut	1995		at 2012 Stanford, needs 24pt win for +25	1	0	10.8
9	Notre Dame	2018		at 2007 UNC, needs 23pt win for +25	3	1	9.9
10	Connecticut	2010		at Long Beach St, needs 22pt win for +25	2	1	9.3

Coming into this new 64-team tournament, the 1998 Vols were 4-0 and had a rating of +18.4, meaning we calculated the would beat teh average team in the game by 18.4 points. However, they got a scare traveling to play 2009 Auburn team and teh 69-52 win fell well short of expectations and lowered their new rating to 17.2. 

The 2007 Tennessee team won more impressively with a 76-42 win over Delaware to improve from 14.7 to just below the other two teams at 16.8, just 0.6 points behind the 1998 Vols.

 

But UConn 2002, which is the team to ever put seven future WNBA playres on the roster besides the 2016 UConn team (which had eight) then rolled into Charlottesville and scored on their first seven possessions and went from the starting 20-20 score to 35-22 and never looked back. Here are the stats.

 

Pos	UConn 2002	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Sue Bird	21	3	4	4	4	2	2	0	3	5'9	14.4 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 5.9 Ast, WNBA
2-SG	Swin Cash	17	0	6	5	6	7	2	1	2	6'2	14.9 Pts, 8.6 Reb, 2.2 Ast, WNBA
3-SF	Diana Taurasi	19	1	8	0	0	3	1	0	1	6'0	14.5 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 5.3 Ast, WNBA
4-PF	Asjha Jones	5	0	2	1	2	9	1	0	2	6'2	14.0 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 1.7 Ast, WNBA
5-C	Tamika Williams	9	0	4	1	1	5	1	2	1	6'2	10.1 Pts, 6.9 Reb, 1.3 Ast, WNBA
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Maria Conlon	8	0	2	4	6	1	0	0	3	5'9	4.1 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.8 Ast
2-SG	Ashley Valley	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'9	2.9 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.1 Ast
3-SF	Morgan Valley	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'0	3.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.9 Ast
4-PF	Ashley Battle	6	0	2	2	2	5	1	0	1	6'0	5.4 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 1.3 Ast, WNBA
5-C	Jessica Moore	5	0	2	1	4	5	0	0	1	6'3	5.4 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.8 Ast, WNBA
		94	4	32	18	25	39	8	3	16
Pos	Virginia 2018	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	J'Kyra Brown	8	0	2	4	4	2	1	0	4	5'11	9.5 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 2.4 Ast
2-SG	Dominique Toussaint	4	0	1	2	2	2	1	0	5	5'9	11.4 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 3.7 Ast
3-SF	Aliyah Huland El	7	1	2	0	0	4	0	0	1	6'1	10.1 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.4 Ast
4-PF	Jocelyn Willoughby	6	0	2	2	2	6	1	1	2	6'0	9.6 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 1.0 Ast, WNBA
5-C	Felicia Aiyeotan	2	0	1	0	0	3	0	3	1	6'9	7.4 Pts, 6.9 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht	Season stats
1-PG	Brianna Tinsley	10	0	3	4	4	2	0	0	3	5'7	4.1 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 1.5 Ast
2-SG	Khyasia Caldwell	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'5	0.9 Pts, 0.1 Reb, 0.1 Ast
3-SF	Mone Jones	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	0.5 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
4-PF	Lauren Moses	2	0	1	0	0	4	1	0	4	6'2	7.2 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 0.9 Ast
5-C	Lisa Jablonowski	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3	2.3 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 1.2 Ast
		45	1	15	12	12	26	4	4	23

Here are the scoresheets at the beginning and end of the campaign.

Epic Candace Parker vs. Elena Delle Donne Clash While Vols Rout Delaware 76-42

Epic Candace Parker vs. Elena Delle Donne

While this game was a blowout from the beginning, as the Tennessee 2007 team, ranked No. 3 all-time in our rankings, easily covered the 25-point spread despite traveling to Delaware, it was fun to imagine this Value Add Basketball Game despite the 76-42 final score. The 2007 season was the first of Pat Summitt's final two national titles, which happened in back-to-back seasons. And after our No. 1-ranked Vols team from a decade earlier came nowhere near covering its spread, it does raise the question of whether this could be the top women's team of all time or if that distinction belongs to one of the UConn teams.

The first fun part of imagining this game is imagining a trip by Pat Summitt and the Vols into a mid-major arena that usually draws about 1,200 fans for mid-major games, compared to the 15,000+ who come out for UConn and Tennessee games. Only once did Delaware draw more than 5,000 fans, and that was when they got a top-10 Maryland team to drive 60 miles to play while Delle Donne was there, and the Terps beat them by double digits. So this game would never happen, and that's why it's fun to imagine it in a Value Add Basketball Game.

The next item is the matchup of the two players we play at the 4 (power forward): Elena Delle Donne, who we rank as the 12th-greatest college player in history, and, of course, Tennessee's Candace Parker, who we rank as the 10th-greatest college player in our all-time top 40. Even as the five future WNBA players on the court for Tennessee dominated the four non-WNBA starters for mid-major Delaware, the Parker vs. Delle Donne matchup was epic. Both drew three first-half fouls on each other, while Parker had the 11-point, 7-rebound advantage over Delle Donne's 6 points and 2 rebounds.

Then in the second half, the tables turned with what looked like a little home cooking. In the first apparent bad call of the game, Parker drove to the hoop and scored to make it 53-32 Vols, BUT Delle Donne appeared to foul her, so it should have been an and-one and a fourth foul on Delle Donne. A 36 roll on defense can be changed to a 66 for the home team to make it a missed call, so almost every time that happens the visiting team was robbed. HOWEVER, when I looked twice at the card, I realized it was not a missed call because Delle Donne is one of the few players in the game for whom a 36 roll is NOT a foul. Players who foul a lot foul on 33-36, an average player fouls on 35-36, and a player who rarely fouls might only foul on a 36. But then there are a few like Delle Donne who don't foul on their own card. Parker's three fouls drawn were the one that each player starts with when the game is 20-20 at the outset of a Value Add Basketball Game and two on her own card, where she gets the ball a ton (a 4, 7 or 8 on the 1-8 roll) and then drew fouls on Delle Donne with 20-sided die rolls in the 10-12 range.

Two possessions after Delle Donne avoided the fourth foul, Parker committed her fifth foul and Delle Donne made both free throws. She is 90 percent from the line, with 1-18 made and 19-20 a miss. While most wouldn't care about that, if we imagine gamblers in the small arena who took Tennessee giving 25 points, the fact that Delle Donne had just made the score 57-34 while fouling out one of the 10 greatest players in the history of college basketball would have been intriguing.

In fact, the Vols are one of the few teams in men's or women's history that could have a future pro player foul out and simply bring in another one. In their case, future WNBA player Alberta Auguste came off the bench, and the Vols immediately went on a 12-0 run after Parker fouled out to make it 69-34 — a 35-point lead against a 25-point spread — and went on to win 76-42 to easily cover.

The dominance leads to one other note: If anyone plays Value Add Basketball without using the "dunk" chart, then you really aren't playing the game right. A game like this would heavily favor the mid-major school that built its stats against much lighter competition than the SEC powerhouse in this case. Tennessee's LAYUP range on that chart for this game was 51-54, meaning any roll in that range on the 11-66 roll guarantees they at least get a layup unless they decide to take the result of the 20-sided die — a 3-pointer or drawing a foul on a crucial opposing player. The Vols chose that option once to get the third foul on Delle Donne rather than take the layup and leave her at two fouls.

But more importantly, the chart for Delaware shows that 51-64 is always a stop — meaning the Vols get the ball without letting Delaware score, whether that comes from a miss and defensive rebound or a turnover. Both figures are crucial because they adjust for the Blue Hens playing much lighter competition to build up stats that might look better than an SEC school's on paper until you realize the SEC school compiled its numbers against much better competition.

With the 6'4" Parker sitting out the last 21 possessions, Delle Donne almost caught her in points, 10 to 11, going 8-for-8 from the line but never getting a true bucket after the automatic two points while playing against five excellent defensive future WNBA players. The 6'5" Delle Donne did finally pass Parker in rebounds, 10-9, and had a steal and the only true block for either team in the whole game, though we automatically give both starting centers one block for the opening minutes that make the score 20-20 before we roll our first dice.

So for us, even though the gamblers who went with the favorite in this one would have cruised to victory, there was a lot of fun imagining this game in a small gym, with a visiting team that we believe was one of the three best teams of all time traveling to the tiny state to play there.

 

Pos	Tennessee 2007	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht
1-PG	Shannon Bobbitt	7	1	2	0	0	3	1	0	2	5'2
2-SG	Alexis Hornbuckle	10	2	2	0	0	2	1	0	1	5'11
3-SF	Sidney Spencer	17	3	4	0	0	4	0	0	1	6'3
4-PF	Candace Parker	11	0	4	3	4	9	0	0	5	6'4
5-C	Nicky Anosike	15	0	7	1	2	6	2	1	1	6'4
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht
1-PG	Cait McMahan	2	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	5'4
2-SG	Alberta Auguste	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	5'11
3-SF	Dominique Redding	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'1
4-PF	Nicci Moats	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'2
5-C	Alex Fuller	6	0	2	2	3	5	2	0	1	6'3
		76	6	27	6	9	34	6	1	16
Pos	Delaware 2013	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht
1-PG	Kayla Miller	6	0	3	0	0	2	1	0	1	5'10
2-SG	Akeema Richards	6	0	3	0	0	1	1	0	1	5'7
3-SF	Lauren Carra	2	0	1	0	0	5	0	0	2	5'9
4-PF	Elena Delle Donne	10	0	1	8	8	10	1	1	4	6'5
5-C	Danielle Parker	4	0	2	0	0	10	1	1	1	6'2
Pos	Reserve	Pts	3pt	2pt	FT	Att	Reb	Stl	Blk	Fl	Ht
1-PG	Trumae Lucas	4	0	1	2	3	2	0	0	1	5'8
2-SG	Chelsea Craig	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'2
3-SF	Jaquetta May	4	0	2	0	0	3	0	0	1	5'9
4-PF	Kelsey Buchanan	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3
5-C	Stephanie Leon	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	6'3
		42	0	17	10	11	36	4	2	14

And here is each player's actual stats from the season on which the set of cards is calculated.

 

Pos	Tennessee 2007	Ht	Season Stats
1-PG	Shannon Bobbitt	5'2	8.7 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 2.7 Ast,WNBA
2-SG	Alexis Hornbuckle	5'11	10.2 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 3.9 Ast,WNBA
3-SF	Sidney Spencer	6'3	11.6 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 1.1 Ast,WNBA
4-PF	Candace Parker	6'4	19.6 Pts, 9.8 Reb, 2.4 Ast,WNBA
5-C	Nicky Anosike	6'4	7.5 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 1.6 Ast,WNBA
1-PG	Cait McMahan	5'4	2.4 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 1.3 Ast
2-SG	Alberta Auguste	5'11	5.0 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.4 Ast, WNBA
3-SF	Dominique Redding	6'1	3.5 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.2 Ast
4-PF	Nicci Moats	6'2	0.9 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
5-C	Alex Fuller	6'3	6.0 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Pos	Delaware 2013	Ht	Season Stats
1-PG	Kayla Miller	5'10	3.7 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 3.0 Ast
2-SG	Akeema Richards	5'7	5.5 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.1 Ast
3-SF	Lauren Carra	5'9	10.7 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 2.0 Ast
4-PF	lena Delle Donne	6'5	26.0 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 1.9 Ast,WNBA
5-C	Danielle Parker	6'2	8.8 Pts, 8.7 Reb, 0.9 Ast
1-PG	Trumae Lucas	5'8	6.6 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 2.6 Ast
2-SG	Chelsea Craig	6'2	0.4 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
3-SF	Jaquetta May	5'9	4.8 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 0.8 Ast
4-PF	Kelsey Buchanan	6'3	2.1 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
5-C	Stephanie Leon	6'3	0.7 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast

Here are photos of the score sheet and player cards

Auburn 2009 Gives All-Time Champs Tennessee 1998 a Scare Until Late Run

We tried a little twist to play off the 64 greatest all-time women's teams in the Value Add Basketball Game: the designated better seeds have to play on the road. We remembered UNC and Kentucky agreeing to play all road games in the NIT one year. That shift means our first game changed from the 34-point spread we posted to a 31-point spread due to the favorite needing to play on the road, but it was much closer than that.

In fact our all-time champions from Tennessee 1998 got quite a scare against Auburn 2009, a team that went 30-4 and defeated Tennessee 82-68 during that season.. An early home job call - which occurs when the home team changes a roll of 36 to 66 or vice versa - gave an early 2nd foul to Tamika Catchings, who we ranked as the greatest college women's basketball player of all time in this top 40.

Auburn hung right with the legendary 39-0 Tennessee team through the first half. The Tigers actually took a 26-25 lead before Tennessee recovered to lead just 30-28 at halftime.

Then the all-time champs finally took over.

For this game, we're trying something different with the play-by-play. Rather than just giving the final score and highlights, we're listing every dice roll except the 1-20 free-throw rolls, along with what happened on each possession. The running score is on the left, with Tennessee listed first and Auburn second.

That lets you see not only what happened, but exactly how the Value Add Basketball game produced it.

When the line starts with TN, that means Tennessee is rolling, and if AU, then Auburn is rolling.

The first number is the 8-sided die to see which player gets the ball. The second number is the two 6-sided dice roll of 11-66 to see if the defender steals, blocks a shot or fouls, or if the offensive player turns it over, or there is a team defensive breakdown for a layup or alternatively a stop. The third number is the 20-sided die, which is only used if nothing happens on the 11-66, to see if the player shoots or gets to the line.

Tennessee 1998 vs. Auburn 2009

Tennessee 1998: 39-0, the first of three straight national championship teams in our all-time tournament format.

Auburn 2009: 30-4, ranked No. 8 nationally after a season that included an 82-68 victory over Tennessee to start 20-0.

Players entering the game (in Value Add the game starts 20-20 with all players having scored 2 points and 7 minutes left in the first half and in most cases reserves finishing out their last minutes before the starters finish the majority of the game).

Tennessee: Laurie Milligan (2.0 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 1.3 APG); Brynae Laxton (1.2, 1.9, 0.2); Niya Butts (1.8, 1.1, 0.3); LaShonda Stephens (4.0, 3.4, 0.2); Teresa Geter (6.3, 4.8, 0.8).

Auburn: Whitney Boddie (11.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 7.9 APG); Morgan Jennings (2.4, 1.6, 1.1); Reneisha Hobbs (2.7, 1.7, 0.5); Parrisha Simmons (1.0, 2.7, 0.6); KeKe Carrier (4.7, 3.1, 0.4).

If you want to scroll down to see the traditional box score and final, it appears at the bottom of the blog.

Play-by-Play

By each player we show which team they are on and then their position (1 = pg, 2 = sg etc) and if that 1 to 5 number is listed twice it means they were the backup player at that position.

Score TN-AU| Team| 8-side| 6-sides| 20-side| Player| Result

—| AU| 5| 35| 16| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Again, almost any center would have fouled

—| —| —| 4| 6| Sherell Hobbs (AU-3)| Rebound

—| —| 4| 33| 14| Trevesha Jackson (AU-4)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Rebound

—| TN| 6| 42| 5| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Foul

—| AU| 2| 43| 9| Kellie Harper (TN-2)| Turnover

41-33| AU| —| —| —| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Makes 1 of 2 free throws

43-33| TN| 5| 52| 20| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| 52 falls in her layup range

—| AU| 2| 43| 19| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Missed shot

—| —| —| 4| 1| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Rebound

43-35| AU| 4| 42| 7| Trevesha Jackson (AU-4)| Most players turn it over on 42, but Jackson has no turnovers on her card, so the 7 produces the shot

45-35| TN| 8| 52| 16| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Layup range again

—| AU| 3| 31| 6| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Great steal

—| TN| 1| 24| 20| Kristen Clement (TN-1)| Missed shot

—| —| —| 6| 3| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Rebound

—| AU| 8| 41| 12| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Foul

—| TN| 7| 63| 17| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| Trevesha Jackson (AU-4)| Rebound

45-37| AU| 8| 14| 8| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Basket

—| TN| 5| 42| 7| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Foul

—| AU| 5| 16| 2| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Unheard-of steal range of 1-6 for a center

48-37| TN| 6| 34| 3| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| 3-pointer

—| AU| 3| 36| 15| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Third foul on Catchings — danger

48-38| AU| —| —| —| Sherell Hobbs (AU-3)| Makes only the second of two free throws

50-38| TN| 8| 23| 2| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Basket

—| AU| 5| 22| 7| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Block — would otherwise have been a bucket

—| —| —| 4| 7| Trevesha Jackson (AU-4)| Offensive rebound — Jackson's excellent 1-7 range

—| —| 4| 32| 6| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Great steal saves a bucket

—| —| —| 6| 6| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Rebound

53-38| TN| 6| 26| 2| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| 3-pointer

—| AU| 4| 23| 12| Semeka Randall Lay (TN-4)| Blocked shot

—| —| —| —| —| Kellie Harper (TN-2)| Rebound

—| TN| 7| 55| 9| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Turnover

55-38| TN| —| —| —| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Makes both free throws

At that point, the scare was over. Tennessee had turned a 32-32 tie into a 55-38 lead, a 23-6 run that showed why this team is currently ranked 1st all-time in our game.

Closing Minutes

Score TN-AU| Team| 8-side| 6-sides| 20-side| Player| Result

—| AU| 5| 42| 13| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Foul

—| TN| 6| 44| 16| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Rebound

—| AU| 5| 44| 17| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Rebound

—| TN| 6| 64| 14| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Missed shot

—| —| —| 5| 9| Kristen Clement (TN-1)| Rebound

—| —| 4| 46| 14| Semeka Randall Lay (TN-4)| Missed shot

—| —| —| 2| 9| Whitney Boddie (AU-1)| Rebound

—| AU| 8| 42| 14| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Foul

—| TN| 5| 42| 14| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Foul

—| AU| 2| 22| 5| Kellie Harper (TN-2)| Blocked shot

—| —| —| 2| 16| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Rebound

—| TN| 2| 62| 13| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Fourth foul

56-38| TN| —| —| —| Kellie Harper (TN-2)| Makes 1 of 2; 80% shooter has 1-16 FT range

—| AU| 6| 41| 17| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Foul

58-38| TN| 1| 32| 8| Kristen Clement (TN-1)| Basket

58-40| AU| 1| 14| 6| Whitney Boddie (AU-1)| Basket

60-40| TN| 6| 53| 7| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Basket

—| AU| 8| 51| 7| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Rebound

—| TN| 4| 55| 20| Semeka Randall Lay (TN-4)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Rebound

—| AU| 5| 52| 5| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Missed shot

—| —| —| —| —| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Rebound

—| TN| 7| 32| 13| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Missed shot

—| —| —| 3| 11| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Rebound

60-42| AU| 2| 63| 7| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Basket

62-42| TN| 1| 56| 7| Kristen Clement (TN-1)| Basket

62-44| AU| 1| 63| 1| Whitney Boddie (AU-1)| Basket

—| TN| 6| 12| 10| Sherell Hobbs (AU-3)| Only second foul on Hobbs

64-44| TN| —| —| —| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Makes both free throws — 85%, 1-17 FT range

—| AU| 2| 44| 9| Kellie Harper (TN-2)| Turnover

64-46| AU| —| —| —| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Makes both free throws

—| TN| 5| 42| 16| Chamique Holdsclaw (TN-5)| Foul

—| AU| 6| 7| 32| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| Blocked shot

—| —| —| —| —| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Rebound

64-48| AU| 8| 25| 8| DeWanna Bonner (AU-5)| Basket

66-48| TN| 4| 25| 6| Semeka Randall Lay (TN-4)| Basket

66-50| AU| 1| 46| 5| Whitney Boddie (AU-1)| Basket

69-50| TN| 3| 46| 2| Tamika Catchings (TN-3)| 3-pointer

69-52| AU| 2| 43| 5| Alli Smalley (AU-2)| Basket

Final: Tennessee 1998 69, Auburn 2009 52

The final margin makes the game look much easier than it was.

Auburn led 28-25, trailed only 30-28 at halftime, and tied the game 32-32 early in the second half. From there, Tennessee's all-time talent took control.

The decisive stretch was a 23-6 Tennessee run, turning that 32-32 tie into a 55-38 advantage.

The experiment of forcing the designated home team onto the road also produced several interesting moments. Kellie Harper had rolls that could have resulted in additional foul calls at home, while Auburn benefited from the home-court adjustment on a key Tamika Catchings defensive roll.

But once Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings started dominating both ends, Auburn's upset bid was finished.

For a while, though, the 2009 Tigers gave the 39-0 Tennessee national champions a much bigger scare than anyone would have expected.

And we saved it for the end - but here is the box score.

Bonner completely matched Tennessee leading scorer Chamique Holdsclaw, holding her to a 14-14 tie in scoring, only losing the rebounding edge 11-12, and barely losing the other three stats (1-2 in blocked shots, 5-3 in turnovers and 4 to 3 in steals).That is why the game was close into the 2nd half.

However, in the end there was once again no match for the player we rank as the greatest player ever to play college basketball, Tamika Catchings, who had a game-high 20 points and 3 blocked shots, with her 7 rebounds being the most of anyone except the two centers, and adding 2 steals. That was why the Vols pulled away for the 17 point win.

 

Pos	Starting Tennessee Vols (69)	Pts	Reb	Blocks	TO	Steal
1-PG	Kristen Clement	9	5	0	4	1
2-SG	Kellie Harper	5	2	1	5	1
3-SF	Tamika Catchings	20	7	3	3	2
4-PF	Semeka Randall Lay	6	3	1	0	0
5-C	Chamique Holdsclaw	14	12	2	3	4
Pos	Reserves	Pts	Reb	Blocks	TO	Steal
1-PG	Laurie Milligan	3	1	0	0	1
2-SG	Brynae Laxton	2	1	0	0	0
3-SF	Niya Butts	5	1	0	0	0
4-PF	LaShonda Stephens	3	1	0	0	0
5-C	Teresa Geter	2	3	2	1	0
Totals		69	36	9	16	9
Pos	Starting Auburn Tigers (52)	Pts	Reb	Blocks	TO	Steal
1-PG	Whitney Boddie	8	4	0	3	3
2-SG	Alli Smalley	11	2	0	6	2
3-SF	Sherell Hobbs	5	5	0	4	0
4-PF	Trevesha Jackson	4	4	1	1	0
5-C	DeWanna Bonner	14	11	1	5	3
Pos	Reserves	Pts	Reb	Blocks	TO	Steal
1-PG	Morgan Jennings	2	1	0	1	0
2-SG	Reneisha Hobbs	2	2	0	0	0
3-SF	Parrisha Simmons	2	1	0	0	0
4-PF	Chantel Hilliard	2	1	0	0	0
5-C	KeKe Carrier	2	1	0	1	0
Totals		52	32	2	21	8