Solid guard play from UT's Kristen Clement will be vital against UConn on Saturday.

That was what Tennessee coach Pat Summitt thought, anyway. But as she walked off the floor in Storrs, Conn., that day after No. 2 UConn's 77-66 victory over her top-ranked team, Summitt realized it had become much more.

A rivalry had been born.

"As much as it hurt to go there and lose that basketball game, I thought, 'Wow, this is a great matchup,' " Summitt said. "It hasn't ended, that's for sure."

The two have met every season since and twice in NCAA play, Connecticut winning in the 1995 championship game, Tennessee spoiling No. 1-ranked UConn's perfect season in the 1997 regional finals.

Now they're ready for an encore. No. 1 Connecticut plays No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday before what should be a sellout crowd of 24,000-plus at Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena -- the 29th meeting between the top two teams in The Associated Press poll.

CBS will televise the game, which will break a 4-4 tie in the series.

"Because it's Tennessee and Connecticut, it takes on an other-worldly level of importance," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said.

This season, the two are meeting on a home-and-home basis, unusual for non-conference rivals. They'll meet again Feb. 2 in Storrs, a game that will be televised by ESPN.

"People who are just mildly interested in women's basketball are going to tune in this game," Auriemma said. "If they only watch one women's game this entire year, this is the one they're going to watch. That's what's fun about it.

"That's what's nerve-wracking about it, too. If you're not careful, the whole world is going to judge each team on what they do on this day."

What both teams do is push the ball up the floor and score a lot of points while playing tough defense.

SUMMITT SAYS ...

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt says this season's UConn squad is very similar to -- and in some ways better than -- the Huskies' 1994-95 team that went 35-0 and won the national title. "They are very similar in the tempo that they play. They both run the floor and pass well," said the 26-year coaching veteran. "However, they are different in that this year's team has better overall depth and a great rotation. Players go in and sustain the same level of intensity. This year they also have more offensive weapons."

Connecticut (11-0) averages 90.3 points and is winning by an average of 29. Tennessee has bounced back from a loss to Louisiana Tech in its opener to win 11 straight heading into Saturday's game. The Lady Vols average 92 points a game and both teams have reached 100 four times.

"It will be interesting to watch the tempo of this game," Summitt said. "The tempo of the game could reflect a track meet more than a basketball game."

Tennessee no longer has Chamique Holdsclaw, twice the national player of the year. But the Lady Vols have outstanding balance with juniors Tamika Catchings, Semeka Randall and Kristen Clement, sophomore Michelle Snow and freshman Kara Lawson, who has provided a huge lift with her outside shooting.

"They have really done a great job of trying to replace Chamqiue with numbers instead of just one player," Auriemma said. "They still bring the same intensity level, the same aggressiveness. When you're playing Tennessee, that's really the issue -- the defensive intensity and aggressiveness they bring. And the talent."

Connecticut is much more settled than the injury-wracked team that went through last season in stops and starts. Point guard Sue Bird is healthy after playing only eight games a year ago and freshman Kennitra Johnson has been exceptional as her backup.

That has allowed Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova to play exclusively on the wings and concentrate on scoring.

"We need to start playing really, really hard from the beginning," Abrosimova said. "Tennessee is going to be pumped up. They have the home crowd. We have to make them see we are not scared of them, make a couple of stops, make some big shots. I think it's going to be really important the way we start the game."