WICHITA, Kan. — Tennessee women's basketball will play Louisville on Saturday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Vols are motivated and grateful to be where they are this late in the season.
"Every team wants to be in this position and we are still here so we have to make the best of it," said Tess Darby, the Tennessee guard/forward.
The team is coming off a thrilling win against Belmont in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett hit a three-pointer late to help seal the win.
In preparation for their matchup against Louisville, they're working to come off that emotional high with a tough opponent next.
"We just came off this big emotional win," said Kellie Harper, Tennessee's head coach. "I wanted them to be together and enjoy that together, but start the process of moving on and this team has been pretty locked in all year, and I wouldn't expect anything different from them going forward as we get ready to play Louisville."
Through all the ups and downs of big wins, injuries, bad losses, but also regrouping — this team is excited to be in a position to keep advancing in March.
"It's a great team to be a part of and I'm fortunate to be a part of this team. Our toughness and competitiveness have been showing and we need to keep it going," Darby said.
Even with their misfortune, the Lady Vols are on a mission to show the country they aren't underdogs.
"I think we've been counted as an underdog a lot this season, especially when we lost a lot of our players," said Jordan Walker, a Tennessee guard. "That's what has also fueled us and pushed us to go out there and win because people are looking at us like they're down a few players. They don't understand the hype that we all have and the ability we have to step up the night in and night out."
GAME INFO
Fourth-seeded Tennessee and one seed Louisville will play on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Wichita, Kansas. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
