UT Lady Vols' best players will have to be consistent for NCAA tournament success

Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell proved again Thursday they're comfortable on an NCAA tournament dais.

And why wouldn't they be? The two Lady Vols seniors are both articulate. And they're both experienced at handling the media responsibilities that come with representing one of the most storied programs in women's college basketball.

They will take on additional responsibilities Friday. They're the most prominent players on a team that has relied heavily on three freshmen this season.

More: Tennessee Lady Vols draw NCAA tournament motivation from skepticism

How Russell and Nared play and lead will have a huge say in how far Tennessee advances in the NCAA tournament, which will begin Friday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena when the third-seeded Lady Vols take on 14th-seeded Liberty.

They will need to be at their best in the tournament for UT to have any chance of ending its Final Four drought, which dates to its last national championship in 2008.

But they can’t just be good for Tennessee to thrive. They will have to be consistent.

UT’s best players too often have lacked consistency in recent NCAA tournaments. Take last season, for example.

More: Pat Summitt homage, Lady Vols' renovated locker room part of NCAA tournament in Knoxville

In Tennessee’s first-round game, leading scorer Diamond DeShields had 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field while doling out five assists and committing only one turnover. In the same game, Nared made only two of eight field-goal tries and scored eight points, about half her average.

In the second round, Nared had one of the best games of her college career She had a game-high 28 points and added 11 rebounds. She made half of her field-goal attempts, including three of five 3-pointers.

While Nared soared, DeShields dropped off. Her 15 points were deceiving as she made only three of 12 field-goal tries in a tournament-ending loss to Louisville.

Russell was more consistent. She had a double-double in points and rebounds in each game.

More: University of Tennessee familiar ground for Lady Vols NCAA opponent Liberty's coach

The consistency of Tennessee's best players in tournament games is a big reason why there are eight national championship banners hanging in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee’ all-time best player, is responsible for three of those banners. In three national title games, she averaged 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

All-American Candace Parker couldn’t match that, but she also came through in her two national championship games, both of which Tennessee won. She had 17 points in each game while totaling 16 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Tennessee players don’t have to look beyond their own bench for an example of an outstanding player performing well on a championship stage. Tennessee assistant coach Bridgette Gordon also came up big in her biggest games.

In leading the Lady Vols to national championships in 1987 and 1989, Gordon averaged 20 points and 11.5 rebounds in two title games.

In games of this magnitude, you can’t measure your best players solely by how they fill out a stat line. When Tennessee was winning national championships, its star players often made crucial plays to stop an opponent’s run or start one of their own.

Nared and Russell are capable of making such plays at both ends of the court. But they will have to make them consistently for Tennessee to have a long run in the tournament.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.