Jane Albright figured her time had arrived, that greatest of moments, the one when you show your parent or mentor or teacher that you have arrived.
The best way to do that, of course, is by beating that person at her own game, the one that she taught you.
For Albright, that person is Pat Summitt and the game is basketball. After three tries, Albright thought this was the year she finally would beat Tennessee and the woman who taught her basketball.
She was wrong.
It's no wonder Albright was distraught after the game.
"We put every effort into this game, mentally and physically," Albright said. "We were totally prepared. When you do that and you don't win, it hurts."
Just how bad did Albright want this game? She didn't schedule Tennessee last year because she apparently didn't think the game was winnable.
"I was just getting tired of seeing Chamique," Albright said of Tennessee's former player of the year, Chamique Holdsclaw. "I figured that out."
But with Holdsclaw gone to the WNBA, Albright figured the time was right to test her program against Summitt's. Again, she was wrong.
When Tennessee turned on its full-court pressure in the second half, the Badgers had no answer, falling 85-62. The 23-point decision was the largest margin of defeat in the series.
"I wish I knew," Albright said when asked what Tennessee did differently in the second half. "If I did, I wouldn't be sitting up here so unhappy."
Albright will recover and so will her team. And, they will all be better for the experience. Just ask Summitt.
"They'll be better for being in this situation," Summitt said of the Badgers. "It was the same for us. We played Louisiana Tech early in the season and they were quicker than us and killed us on the boards."
If the Badgers can take anything out of the loss to Tennessee, it's that they should know that they can play with any team in the country in a halfcourt situation. Tennessee had no answer to Nina Smith, who was virtually unstoppable on the blocks.
With Jessie Stomski and LaTonya Sims both playing at a high level, there can be no double-teaming down low. It is only when Wisconsin gets into a full-court game with a quicker team that it will have problems.
Summitt doesn't think that is necessarily a poison pill for the Badgers.
"I think Wisconsin has speed and quickness, especially with its perimeter players," Summitt said. "But early in the season against an athletic team that likes to press, well, that works in our favor.
"That doesn't necessarily mean that it will work in January or February."
Summitt sees growth potential in the Badgers, largely because of their youth.
"I think this is one of (Albright's) best teams in terms of personnel," Summitt said. "They're still young so she's relying on a lot of young players to come up big for her. But they have all the pieces and it's just a matter of getting better as the year goes on."
Even Albright found a silver lining.
"The only really good news I've got for you is that in the beginning of the year my team said they wanted to win the Big Ten," she said. "And Tennessee's not in the Big Ten.
"They're in another conference. If we play them again, it will be later on in March."
Don't laugh. It could happen.