ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
When she saw the pairings for the Division I women's basketball tournament, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt knew she'd get some questions about a team from Virginia.
She just wishes the Tennessee media had allowed the Lady Vols to concentrate on first-round opponent Radford.
``I'm not going to predict what happens if Tennessee advances and plays Virginia on its home court,'' Summitt said. ``That's the least of my concerns right now, [but] I don't know if any coach in America wants to be in that position.''
Summitt and her staff were scrambling for information about the Highlanders, scheduled to face Tennessee at 8 p.m. Saturday on the Lady Vols' home floor at Thompson-Boling Arena.
``It's a team we know absolutely nothing about,'' Summitt said about Radford.
Fourth-ranked Tennessee (26-4) was seeded first in the East Region and is serving as a host for the first two rounds. The regional semifinals and final will be March 23 and 25 in Charlottesville.
Eighth-seeded Memphis (20-10) and ninth-seeded Ohio State (20-12) will meet at 6 p.m. Saturday in Knoxville, with the Lady Vols and Highlanders (17-11) to follow 30 minutes after the end of the first game.
Third-seeded Virginia (23-6) begins play tonight at 8 against Manhattan (19-10). The Jaspers, champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association, have won 16 of their past 19 games.
``I felt like we had a great seed,'' said Debbie Ryan, UVa's coach. ``We were definitely happy to stay in the East, but I had anticipated that since we were hosting a regional. The focus now is on where we want to be and how we're going to get there.''
Manhattan boasts the No.3 scorer in Division I in Gina Somma, a 6-foot senior averaging 25.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. The Jaspers' second-leading scorer is 5-8 senior Tonya Obey, who is scoring 13.6 points per game off the bench.
``Both teams like to run [and] both teams like to press,'' Ryan said.
The first game at University Hall will pit sixth-seeded George Washington (25-6) and 11th-seeded Maine (27-4) at 6 p.m. The Black Bears boast the nation's leading scorer, sophomore Cindy Blodgett, who is averaging 27.8 points per game.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB