Tennessee

CLEVELAND -- At Tennessee, women's basketball championships are not pie in the sky. They are on banners high in the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena, hung there after triumphs in 1998, 1997, 1996, 1991, 1989 and 1987. Every time Candace Parker looked up there, in practices or during games, she would wonder when a new banner would be added, one she helped hang. "It has been way too long since Tennessee has won a national championship," Parker said a day before the Lady Lady Volstried for their seventh.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Uncertainty is here at the Women's Final Four, mainly because Tennessee isn't.Last year in Kansas City, Mo., a Volunteers coronation lay beneath the paper-thin posturing from the other three teams, an atmosphere that might have been here this week if Tennessee had not fallen short while seeking its fourth straight title.But until Georgia (27-6) and Duke (28-6) start the festivities today at 7 p.m. EST -- followed by Purdue (32-1) and Louisiana Tech (30-2) -- and maybe until the end of Sunday's championship game, no one will have any idea.

No. 1 Tennessee (12-0) vs. No. 2 Florida State (11-1)When: Tonight, 8.Where: Tempe, Ariz.TV: Chs. 2, 7.Line: Florida State by 5 1/2.Series record: Florida State leads 1-0.Last meeting: 1958, Florida State, 10-0.Bowl records: Tennessee 21-17; Florida State 16-8-2.Last bowl appearance: Tennessee lost to Nebraska, 42-17, in 1998 Orange Bowl; Florida State beat Ohio State, 31-14, in 1998 Sugar Bowl.Common opponents: Tennessee beat Florida, 20-17, in OT; Florida State beat Florida, 23-12.Coaches: Phillip Fulmer, seventh season at Tennessee (66-11)

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Here's all you may need to know about the remainder of the women's NCAA tournament:Pat Summitt, coach of three-time defending champion Tennessee, said yesterday that if her Lady Vols are at their peak, it will be time to order that fourth championship trophy."

Oddly enough, the hard part for the Ravens wasn't the 27-point win over a 9-2 Tennessee team Sunday at PSINet Stadium.The hard part comes now, in the wake of that encouraging win.This is where the Ravens always have stumbled, basking in the glory of limited success instead of using it as a building block.Their record in games following wins is a humble 5-14 since moving to Baltimore, with only two wins in nine tries over the past two seasons.A grade-schooler could discern the lesson in those sad numbers -- the Ravens aren't good winners, or, at least, they haven't been since 1996.

PreseasonDate Opp. Time TV8-12 at Philadelphia 8 138-21 at Atlanta 7: 30 138-28 Carolina 8 139-3 N.Y. Giants Noon 13Regular seasonDate Opp. Time TV9-12 at St. Louis 1 139-19 Pittsburgh 1 139-26 Cleveland 1 1310-3 at Atlanta 1 1310-10 at Tennessee 4: 15 1310-17 Bye 10-21 Kansas City 8: 20 ESPN10-31 Buffalo 1 1311-7 at Cleveland 1 1311-14 at Jacksonville 4: 05 1311-21 at Cincinnati 4: 05 1311-28 Jacksonville 1 1312-5 Tennessee 1 1312-12 at Pittsburgh 1...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The verdict is in: You can't win a national championship without a quarterback.Florida State tried last night, but, in the end, Marcus Outzen left them no out.History will show that No. 1 Tennessee won its first national championship since 1951 with a 23-16 victory over the second-ranked Seminoles.The Volunteers overcame the graduation of Peyton Manning, the loss of running back Jamal Lewis and several harrowing finishes to go 13-0.But let's not wax too poetic about its Fiesta Bowl victory when Florida State played without an offense, and Tennessee nearly blew leads of 14-0 and 23-9.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- His performance was barely noticed at the time, an afterthought in Tennessee's 42-17 defeat to Nebraska in last year's Orange Bowl.The Cornhuskers and their fans were too busy celebrating a share of the national championship. The Volunteers and their fans were too caught up mourning the fact that All-America quarterback Peyton Manning had played his final college game.But Tee Martin quietly had proved something.``Being in there with the first-team offense against Nebraska's first-team defense, it gave the coaches a chance to see what I could do,'' Martin recalled here one evening after practice in early December.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Generally speaking, there aren't many nuggets of optimism that can be mined from a 14-point loss, but the 10th-ranked Duke women's basketball team is hoping to pick a few from its December encounter with No. 2 Tennessee.The Blue Devils dropped a 74-60 decision to the Lady Vols at a holiday doubleheader at Walt Disney World, and believe, heading into tonight's rematch in the NCAA East Regional final, that they are different."We're older, wiser, smarter. We've grown as a team, and I think we're a better team than we were.

Regular seasonDate Opp. Time TV9-12 at St. Louis 1 139-19 Pittsburgh 1 139-26 Cleveland 1 1310-3 at Atlanta 1 1310-10 at Tennessee 4: 15 1310-21 Kansas City 8: 20 ESPN10-31 Buffalo 1 1311-7 at Cleveland 1 1311-14 at Jacks. 4: 05 1311-21 at Cinc. 4: 05 1311-28 Jacksonville 1 1312-5 Tennessee 1 1312-12 at Pittsburgh 1 1312-19 New Orleans 1 4512-26 Cincinnati 1 131-2 at N. England 1 13

If the experience in Gambrills, where wells serving more than 80 homes were found to be contaminated by chemicals leaching from a coal ash dump, weren't enough to demonstrate the need to regulate these growing environmental hazards, the recent problems of the Tennessee Valley Authority have surely sealed the deal. Last month, about 5.4 million cubic yards of coal plant sludge escaped a containment pond and spread across 300 acres near the Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee. As was the case in Maryland, drinking water supplies were poisoned with lead, arsenic, chromium and other highly toxic substances.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Peering up at the goal posts as hostile fans screamed and waved blue towels in the background, Matt Stover did what he always does. He took a deep breath and calmly kicked a 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the game, giving the Ravens a dramatic 13-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans and sending them to the AFC Championship game. They will face either the San Diego Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday on the road in a game scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Those teams play today in Pittsburgh.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - At some point, the Ravens' staff of skilled trainers is going to have to check out quarterback Joe Flacco. The trainers can wait a couple of more weeks, if they want. Maybe after that little game - the Super something? - in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 1 perhaps. But there are some questions that need answering. For starters, does Flacco have a pulse? His blood doesn't boil. His nerves don't shake. His confidence never wavers. Regardless of the circumstances, he seems as much machine as he is man, programmed to win regardless of the circumstances.

Jamison Hensley Ravens, 16-13 Brandon McKinney blocks a field goal and Haruki Nakamura runs it back for a touchdown to stun the Titans in a playoff game once again. David Steele Titans, 13-10 No repeat of the regular-season game; Tennessee wins without the help of the zebras. Edward Lee Titans, 16-14 Remember: This is the same Tennessee team that throttled the Steelers by 17 points to gain the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Peter Schmuck Ravens, 23-16 The Ravens are a much better team than the one that should have beaten the Titans at home during the regular season.

THREE THINGS THAT NEED TO GO RIGHT ... 1 Pressure Kerry Collins. Leroy Harris, a second-year lineman from North Carolina State, will be making his second career start, replacing injured center Kevin Mawae. The Titans gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL (12), but they allowed three in Harris' previous start. 2 Force turnovers again. Just like Miami, Tennessee didn't turn the ball over in the regular season (tied for third fewest). But the Ravens have forced multiple turnovers in nine of their 12 wins this season.

MIAMI - As if his play yesterday wasn't statement enough, Ed Reed stood behind a bouquet of microphones and fired a warning shot that surely echoed from South Beach to Tennessee. "Here we come," said Reed. "Here come the Ravens." Actually, it probably wasn't a warning as much as it was a promise. With their dominant 27-9 win over the Dolphins in yesterday's opening round of the playoffs, Reed and his teammates sent a message not just to the Tennessee Titans, next week's opponent, but to the entire league.

MIAMI - If familiarity breeds contempt, as the adage goes, it was on display the last time the Ravens tussled with the Tennessee Titans. In a 13-10 loss at M&T Bank Stadium on Oct. 5, the teams combined for 21 penalties and 169 yards of infractions. Push came to shove more than once in a renewal of old hostilities, dating to when the Ravens and Titans played twice a year in the AFC Central. In an odd twist, the biggest penalty of the game - a roughing-the-passer call against the Ravens' Terrell Suggs - was one of the most questionable of the day. Suggs appeared to barely touch quarterback Kerry Collins on a play that should have been blown dead for a Tennessee false start.

K.C. Rivers scored 28 points and No. 25 Clemson easily overcame an early 12-point deficit on the way to beating host Miami, 91-72, last night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Terrence Oglesby added 17 points for the Tigers (12-0, 1-0), who kept pace with No. 3 Pittsburgh for Division I's best record this season. Pitt stayed perfect by beating Florida State earlier yesterday. Jack McClinton (Calvert Hall) scored 20 points for Miami (7-3, 0-1), which doomed itself with a season-high 22 turnovers - 12 in the final 11 minutes of the first half, a stretch during which the Hurricanes were outscored 29-9 - and by missing 12 of its first 17 free throws.

Marquette vs. Tennessee 9:30 p.m. [ESPN] Ever notice how the Volunteers players wear those headbands? Kind of makes me wonder which team will be the first to sport Mike Reno/Loverboy style headbands. Hey, everyone's watchin'.

How about another hit? Losing Plaxico Burress is one thing. But the Giants can't afford to have linebacker and team leader Antonio Pierce embroiled in legal issues of the wide receiver's accidental shooting. Pierce's attorney says he's innocent of a cover-up, but questions remain. Not what the Giants need in the stretch run. Bucs up creek? If Monte Kiffin decides to join his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee - as expected - it will be a big hit for the Buccaneers. Kiffin's defense kept the Bucs above water in the down years (when Jon Gruden's offense stunk)