Tennessee forward Shekinna Stricklen has a list of games she's excited about: Miami, Baylor, DePaul, Rutgers, Stanford and, of course, a rematch with Notre Dame.
That doesn't even include any Southeastern Conference opponents, but the third-ranked Lady Volunteers have a plethora of big games to choose from.
''That's a good thing,'' coach Pat Summitt said Monday at Tennessee's media day. ''With this team, we have high expectations.''
Summitt has always put together a tough nonconference schedule, but this season's is one of her most demanding ever. Seven of Tennessee's first 10 opponents are ranked and all those games will be played before the Lady Vols take their Christmas break.
They'll host No. 7 Miami, No. 1 Baylor and No. 24 Texas and will travel to No. 16 Rutgers, No. 22 UCLA and No. 5 Stanford. Tennessee will meet No. 19 DePaul in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It's those kind of lineups that helped attract competitive freshman forward Cierra Burdick, who's got her eye on Baylor's visit and a January trip to second-ranked Notre Dame.
''They're ranked above us, 1 and 2. Our goal should always be to beat No. 1. I'm looking forward to playing them and hopefully taking their throne,'' she said. ''Playing the best competition every week - that's not something that every team has the opportunity to do. We have so much support because of the games we play. It's tremendous, and I really enjoy it.
The eight returning Lady Vols have their sights on Notre Dame for a different reason. It was the Fighting Irish who ended their 2010-11 season after they made an undefeated run through the SEC season and tournament and earned a top seed in the NCAA tournament.
Notre Dame beat Tennessee in the regional finals and went on to the championship game, where it lost to Texas A&M. It was the third straight season the Lady Vols missed out on the Final Four.
''The biggest one, the one I've circled many, many times is Notre Dame,'' Stricklen said.
Summitt has always believed in scheduling tough nonconference opponents to prepare her players for a long run of SEC games and the postseason. She doesn't want the Lady Vols to be surprised by anyone by the time they reach the NCAA tournament.
The SEC schedule brings its own tough opponents, with No. 13 Georgia, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 21 LSU among the preseason AP Top 25. And with eight national championships and 16 SEC regular season crowns, Tennessee always is a target for its conference opponents.
''That's just the beauty of playing for Tennessee. You're always going to have a tough schedule. You can't control your conference, and we're always going to be in the SEC. The SEC is the toughest conference. It's just great to be a part of that. It's only going to help us get better and get where we want to be in the very end, which is competing for a national championship
