Stanford–Tennessee women's basketball rivalry
| Sport | Women's basketball |
|---|---|
| First meeting | December 18, 1988 #1 Tennessee 83, #5 Stanford 60 |
| Latest meeting | December 18, 2022 #2 Stanford 77, Tennessee 70 |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 39 |
| All-time series | Tennessee leads, 25–14 |
| Largest victory | Tennessee; 105–69 (1994), 98–62 (1998) |
| Longest win streak | Tennessee, 11 (1997–2006) |
| Current win streak | Stanford, 4 (2018–present) |
The Stanford–Tennessee rivalry is a
college basketball rivalry between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Stanford Cardinal women's basketball programs.[1][2] The two schools are among the most storied in women's basketball history with Tennessee holding 8 national championships (2nd all-time) and Stanford with 3 (T–3rd all-time). Former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer are among the winningest coaches in the sport.[3] They have played each season since 1988 with the exception of 2020, due to COVID-19
travel concerns and 2023, with Tennessee leading the all-time series 25–14.
Series History
The rivalry began in 1988 when both schools were at the top of women's basketball, with Tennessee claiming national championships in 1987, 1989, and 1991, with Stanford winning in 1990 and 1992. For Stanford, Tennessee is their most played non-conference opponent, while the series ranks fourth for Tennessee (behind series with
2008 national championship, all games won by Tennessee. They are the first (Tennessee) and fifth (Stanford) in all-time women's basketball wins, and throughout out their 39 meetings, at least one school has been ranked in the AP poll each time and both teams have been ranked 36 times.[6] The two teams have met three teams as the #1 and #2 teams in the nation (twice in 1992, and 1994), with Tennessee leading 3–0 in these games. The rivalry long centered on the close friendship between legendary coaches Tara VanDerveer and Pat Summit, with the games carrying a strong level of respect between the programs.[7][8]
Tennessee dominated the early years of the rivalry highlighted by an eleven-game winning streak that ran from 1997 until 2006. Since the end of that run, Stanford has found more success against Tennessee, leading 10–6 since 2007, and winning 7 out of 10 games since Pat Summit's retirement at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Rival accomplishments
The following summarizes the accomplishments of the two programs.[9][10]
| Team | Stanford | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| National titles | 3 | 8 |
| Final Four appearances | 15 | 18 |
| Sweet 16 appearances | 28 | 36 |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | 36 | 41 |
| NCAA Tournament Record | 100–33 | 130–33 |
| First Team AP All-Americans | 8 | 8 |
| Naismith Players of the Year | 2 | 4 |
| Weeks in AP Top–25 | 619 | 771 |
| All-time program record | 1115–283 | 1183–266 |
| All-time winning percentage | .798 | .816 |
Results
| Stanford victories | Tennessee victories |
| No. | Date | Location | Winning team | Losing team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 18, 1988 | Tampa, FL | #3 Tennessee | 64 | #4 Stanford | 48 | ||
| 26 | December 21, 2008 | Knoxville, TN | #11 Tennessee | 79 | #3 Stanford | 69OT | ||
| 27 | December 19, 2009 | Stanford, CA | #2 Stanford | 67 | #3 Tennessee | 52 | ||
| 28 | December 19, 2010 | Knoxville, TN | #6 Tennessee | 82 | #3 Stanford | 72OT | ||
| 29 | December 20, 2011 | Stanford, CA | #4 Stanford | 97 | #6 Tennessee | 80 | ||
| 30 | December 22, 2012 | Knoxville, TN | #1 Stanford | 73 | #10 Tennessee | 60 | ||
| 31 | December 21, 2013 | Stanford, CA | #3 Stanford | 76 | #6 Tennessee | 70 | ||
| 32 | December 20, 2014 | Knoxville, TN | #11 Tennessee | 59 | #7 Stanford | 40 | ||
| 33 | December 16, 2015 | Stanford, CA | #15 Stanford | 69 | #14 Tennessee | 55 | ||
| 34 | December 18, 2016 | Knoxville, TN | Tennessee | 59 | #10 Stanford | 51 | ||
| 35 | December 21, 2017 | Stanford, CA | #7 Tennessee | 83 | #18 Stanford | 71 | ||
| 36 | December 18, 2018 | Knoxville, TN | #8 Stanford | 95 | #9 Tennessee | 85 | ||
| 37 | December 18, 2019 | Stanford, CA | #1 Stanford | 78 | #23 Tennessee | 51 | ||
| 38 | December 18, 2021 | Knoxville, TN | #3 Stanford | 74 | #7 Tennessee | 63 | ||
| 39 | December 18, 2022 | Stanford, CA | #2 Stanford | 77 | Tennessee | 70 | ||
| Series: Tennessee leads 25–14 | ||||||||
References
- ^ "A Rivalry That Could Blossom in Women's N.C.A.A. Championship (Published 2008)". 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Tennessee vs. Stanford is more than a game. It's tradition and a tribute to greatest coaches in history". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Stanford's Tara VanDerveer Ties Record for Coaching Wins (Published 2020)". 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Records vs. Opponents". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Lady Vol Record book, page 197" (PDF). University of Tennessee athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECORDS - page 45" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ Cash, Meredith. "Stanford's Tara VanDerveer toasted late legend Pat Summitt as she overtook her record as the winningest coach in women's college basketball history". Insider. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Tennessee Volunteers Women's Basketball Index". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "Stanford Cardinal Women's Basketball School History". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Women's Basketball History vs Stanford University". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ "Women's Basketball History vs Tennessee Lady Vols". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-08-04.