Lady Vols flash Sweet 16 potential in rout of USF to start March Madness | Adams

The Lady Vols did their part Friday to set up what could be the most entertaining matchup on the first weekend of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Fifth-seeded Tennessee was at its high-scoring best in a 101-66 victory over 12^th-seeded South Florida in a first-round game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

In a best-case scenario for the Lady Vols, that will qualify as a warmup for what should be another up-tempo game in the second round against host and No. 4 seed Ohio State.

UT (23-9) demonstrated right away what coach Kim Caldwell basketball is all about by forcing 10 first-quarter turnovers, using 11 players by halftime, and hitting 10 of 21 3-point tries in building a 55-34 first-half lead. By then, they already had surpassed the SEC’s single-season record for 3-pointers (320).

USF (23-11), which used only six players in winning the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game, couldn’t match the pace or the substitutions.

You should consider the competition in evaluating Tennessee’s dominant performance.

South Florida basically fields an international team, which includes players from 11 foreign countries. The Bulls upended top-10 Duke early in the season, lost to defending national champion South Carolina by 16 and to Louisville by four.

They didn’t fare as well against a couple of other NCAA tournament teams, losing to TCU by 41 points and to UConn by 37 points. But they displayed more talent than 13^th-seeded Montana State, which made the Buckeyes (26-6) seem quite beatable in taking an early lead Friday.

Ohio State responded to the shaky start by shifting into a gear the Bobcats didn’t have. Its 32-3 run dispelled any upset speculation and spelled out what Tennessee’s challenge will be in Sunday’s second round at the same venue.

Anyone who saw Ohio State rout the Lady Vols 78-58 on their home court last season knows what problems the Buckeyes can pose. But Caldwell’s first Tennessee team is far better equipped to deal with Ohio State’s strengths.

Why wouldn’t it be? Ohio State’s strengths are the same as the Lady Vols’.

Both teams are at their best when they’re hitting 3-pointers, pressing full-court and playing at an accelerated pace. You can expect a track meet of sorts Sunday in which protecting the basketball and defending the perimeter will be crucial.

While the Buckeyes will have the home-court advantage, Tennessee has been hardened by a much tougher schedule. A cushy nonconference schedule helped the Buckeyes to a 17-0 start. But in late-season games against the Big Ten’s best teams – UCLA and Southern Cal – they lost by 13 and 21 points, respectively.

Tennessee has played six games against top-10 teams, winning one and losing five − all by single-digit margins. But in its last game against a top-25 opponent, it lost to Kentucky by 24 points.

The Lady Vols’ opening NCAA tournament act didn’t revive recent memories of their struggles down the stretch when they lost three of their last four games. Instead, it reminded you of the team that upset No. 5 UConn and came so close to knocking off Oklahoma, LSU and Texas during the regular season.

A repeat performance Sunday could carry the Lady Vols past Ohio State and into the Sweet 16.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols flash Sweet 16 potential in rout of USF to start March Madness

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