# 1996–97 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team

The 1996–97 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1996-97 women's college basketball season. Coached by Pat Summitt, the Lady Volunteers rebounded from a challenging regular season to finish 29–10 and win back-to-back national championships, while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The Lady Vols started off the season ranked number four.

## Roster

1996–97 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Roster :
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Year | Hometown | High School |
| 11 | Laurie Milligan | Guard | 5–8 | Junior | Tigard, Oregon | Tigard High School |
| 13 | Misty Greene | Guard/Forward | 5–9 | Sophomore | Decatur, Tennessee | Meigs County High School |
| 31 | Brynae Laxton | Forward | 6–0 | Sophomore | Oneida, Tennessee | Oneida High School |
| 34 | LaShonda Stephens | Forward | 6–3 | Freshman | Canton, Georgia | Sequoyah High School |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 15, 1996* 7:00 p.m. | No. 4 | Austin Peay Pre-Season Women's National Invitational Tournament | W 80–59 | 1–0 | Thompson–Boling Arena (3,995) Knoxville, TN |
| Nov 17, 1996* | No. 4 | No. 12 Kansas Pre-Season Women's National Invitational Tournament | W 79–60 | 2–0 | Thompson–Boling Arena (2,714) Knoxville, TN |
| Nov 19, 1996* | No. 3 | vs. No. 14 Notre Dame Pre-Season Women's National Invitational Tournament | W 72–59 | 3–0 | Thomas Assembly Center (3,321) Ruston, Louisiana |
| Nov 20, 1996* | No. 3 | at No. 11 Louisiana Tech Pre-Season Women's National Invitational Tournament | L 62–64 | 3–1 | Thomas Assembly Center (4,836) Ruston, Louisiana |
| Nov 23, 1996* 4:00 p.m. | No. 3 | vs. Marquette Howard Bank Classic | W 83–68 | 4–1 | Patrick Gym (2,308) Burlington, Vermont |
| Nov 24, 1996* | No. 3 | at Vermont Howard Bank Classic | W 83–68 | 5–1 | Patrick Gym (2,425) Burlington, Vermont |
| Nov 26, 1996* 7:00 p.m. | No. 5 | at Wisconsin-Green Bay | W 71–36 | 6–1 | Thompson–Boling Arena (11,915) Knoxville, TN |
| Dec 3, 1996* 7:00 p.m. | No. 4 | Memphis | W 79–63 | 7–1 | Thompson–Boling Arena (8,002) Knoxville, TN |
| Dec 8, 1996 2:00 p.m. | No. 5 | Georgia | L 93–94 $^{OT}$ | 7–2 (0–1) | Thompson–Boling Arena (11,324) Knoxville, TN |
| Dec 15, 1996* | No. 5 | No. 1 Stanford | L 65–82 | 7–3 | Thompson–Boling Arena (12,282) Knoxville, TN |
| Jan 7, 1997* | No. 9 | at No. 2 Old Dominion | L 72–83 | 10–6 | Norfolk Scope Norfolk, VA |
| Feb 22, 1997 | No. 8 | No. 13 LSU | L 78–83 | 21–8 (8–4) | Pete Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Feb 24, 1997* | No. 8 | at No. 6 Louisiana Tech | L 80–98 | 21–9 | Thomas Assembly Center Ruston, Louisiana |
| SEC tournament ||||||
| Feb 28, 1997* | No. 8 | vs. South Carolina First round | W 75–48 | 22–9 | McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Mar 1, 1997* | No. 8 | vs. No. 9 LSU Quarterfinal | W 100–99 $^{OT}$ | 23–9 | McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Mar 2, 1997* | No. 8 | vs. Auburn Semifinal | L 59–61 | 23–10 | McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 15, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | (14 MW) Grambling State First round | W 91–54 | 24–10 | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Mar 17, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | (6 MW) Oregon Second round | W 76–59 | 25–10 | Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Mar 22, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | vs. (2 MW) No. 18 Colorado Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 75-67 | 26–10 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa |
| Mar 24, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | vs. (1 MW) No. 1 Connecticut Regional Final – Elite Eight | W 91–81 | 27–10 | Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa |
| Mar 28, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | vs. (6 E) No. 15 Notre Dame National Semifinal – Final Four | W 80–66 | 28–10 | Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Mar 30, 1997* | (3 MW) No. 10 | vs. (1 ME) No. 2 Old Dominion National Championship | W 68–59 | 29–10 | Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. ||||||