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Top 10 All Time Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Teams

By Caleb Calhoun

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Dec 31, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey during the game against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 71 to 61. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey during the game against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 71 to 61. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

5. 1995-1996 Tennessee Lady Vols (32-4, SEC Tournament Championship, National Championship)

The first of Pat Summitt’s three-peat, this was a bit of a shocking on. Her previous senior class that had only made it as far as runner-ups in the NCAA Tournament the previous year seemed to signal a return of the curse that plagued her program before the 1987 tournament: knocking on the door every year but never finishing the job.

With Michelle Marciniak and Latina Davis back and the arrival of Chamique Holdsclaw, the mix of raw talent and experience became too much for other teams to overcome.

Unfortunately for the Lady Vols, despite their impressive record, they failed to capture the SEC Regular Season championship, losing two close road games to the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ole Miss Rebels. Still, Summitt’s team found its groove once postseason play hit.

With a 23-4 record, the Lady Vols won all three games of the SEC Tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed once again. The first three rounds were easy as they dominated Radford, Ohio State, and Kansas. But then they faced a tough test in the Virginia Cavaliers, and at this point, a light-switch flipped in Marciniak that took her to a level above her entire college career.

Marciniak carried the Vols to the Final Four with 12 points and four assists in a close, six-point victory over the Cavaliers.

Then, in the Final Four, she had the best game in her career, scoring 21 points with seven assists and six rebounds as the Lady Vols got revenge on the previous year’s loss to the UConn Huskies in the title game with an 88-83 overtime victory.

That win was by far the highlight of the season, as they were riding so much momentum that they would never have lost the title game to the Georgia Bulldogs. Indeed, they won that game 83-65 to avenge an earlier regular season loss.

And this young but talented Lady Vols squad with one veteran in Marciniak dominated to win the national title. They are definitely one of the five greatest Lady Vols teams ever.

Next: #4: 2006-2007 Tennessee Lady Vols

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