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Hoops Preview: Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt

Posted on February 17, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men’s basketball team hits the hardwood once again on Tuesday night for a clash with SEC foe and in-state rival Vanderbilt. Tipoff inside Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the action can be seen on SEC Network.

Tuesday’s game can be seen on SEC Network, online through WatchESPN and on any mobile device through the ESPN App. Fans can access WatchESPN at espn.com/watch. Tom Hart, Andy Kennedy and Alyssa Lang will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp describing the action.

Last time out, the Vols dropped a heartbreaker in Columbia, falling 63-61 to South Carolina on Saturday night. UT was led by junior John Fulkerson who poured in a career-high 25 points and reeled in a game-high nine rebounds. Fulkerson’s 25 points came on a career-high-tying eight made field goals.

Junior Yves Pons also had a productive night, scoring 13 points, pulling in seven rebounds and rejecting three shot attempts. His three blocks moved his season total to 65, which is just ten away from breaking Tennessee’s single-season blocks record.

A victory on Tuesday would be the Vols sixth consecutive win over the Commodores and their third consecutive inside Thompson-Boling Arena.

Up next, Tennessee hits the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup at Auburn. Tipoff is set for noon ET on CBS.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 123-75, dating to 1922. This is the 199th meeting.
• The Vols own a 72-20 edge when the series is played in Knoxville and have won two straight against Vandy at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Tennessee has won seven of the last eight meetings in this series, including each of the last five.

A WIN WOULD…
• Extend UT’s win streak over Vanderbilt to six games.
• Prevent Tennessee from falling below .500 in SEC play for the first time since the opening week of league games.

STORYLINES
• Just 181 miles separate UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena and Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium.
• Vols freshman Josiah-Jordan James and injured Vanderbilt guard Aaron Nesmith were AAU and high school varsity teammates for four years at Porter-Gaud School in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.
• James returned Saturday from a four-game injury absence (groin). In 30 minutes of action in his first collegiate action in his home state of South Carolina, he totaled nine points, five assists and two blocks.
• During SEC play, freshmen account for 40.0 percent of Tennessee’s total minutes played. And in Saturday’s loss at South Carolina, freshmen logged 46.0 percent of Tennessee’s total minutes played.
• With 173 career 3-point makes, senior Jordan Bowden ranks 10th on Tennessee’s all-time list.

LAYUP LINES
• Tennessee ranks fourth nationally in average home attendance, drawing 18,812 fans per game this season.
• During SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in blocks (6.2 bpg, which ranks sixth in Division I) and owns the conference’s best scoring defense (65.2 ppg).
• SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Yves Pons has blocked at least one shot in every game this season. He leads the SEC and ranks 18th nationally with 2.6 bpg. His 2.8 bpg during SEC play also leads the league.
• Freshman point guard Santiago Vescovi has made at least one 3-pointer in every game in which he’s appeared (13), averaging 2.2 made threes per game.
• Barring injury or illness, senior guard Jordan Bowden will finish his career in the top five on Tennessee’s list for career games played. Tuesday will be the 127th game in which he’s appeared.
• Tennessee ranks third among Division I teams in assist percentage, having assisted on 64.1 percent of its field goals this season.

ABOUT VANDERBILT
• Vanderbilt arrives in Knoxville off three consecutive losses in SEC play. Those defeats follow the Commodores’ signature win of the year when they took down LSU inside Memorial Gym on Feb. 5. LSU was undefeated in SEC play going into that contest.
• Since losing the SEC’s leading scorer, Aaron Nesmith, in January, the Commodores have continued to see increased production from the backcourt duo of Saben Lee and Scotty Pippen Jr. Lee and Pippen Jr. currently rank first and second on the team in scoring, assists and steals.
• Lee’s team-leading 17.2 ppg also ranks sixth in the SEC, while his 18.8 ppg in conference action ranks fifth in the league. Lee also sits inside the top 10 in the SEC and leads the Commodores in both assists (sixth with 4.4 apg) and steals (seventh with 1.6 spg).
• Pippen Jr. has been a solid backcourt complement to Lee, averaging 11.3 ppg, 3.8 apg and 1.0 spg, all of which rank second on the team.
• First-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse looks to bring Vanderbilt its first victory in Knoxville since the 2016-17 season. A win on Tuesday would also end Tennessee’s five game win-streak over the Dores.
• Vanderbilt’s campus library system contains more than eight million items across 10 different libraries around Vanderbilt’s campus and stands as one of the nation’s top research libraries.

LAST TIME VS. VANDERBILT
• A dominant defensive effort and a 21-5 run to begin the second half allowed the Tennessee basketball team to push past Vanderbilt, 66-45, on Jan. 18, 2020, inside Memorial Gym.
• The Vols held Vanderbilt to an 0-25 night from 3-point range. It was the first time since the 3-point shot was introduced in the 1986-87 season (spanning 1,080 games) that the Commodores failed to knock down at least one 3-point attempt.
• Senior Jordan Bowden led the Tennessee offense, finishing with 21 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line.
• Juniors John Fulkerson and Yves Pons each added 12 points for the Vols.
• Fulkerson also pulled down eight rebounds, while Pons rejected four shot attempts, marking his fifth consecutive multi-block game.
• Freshman Josiah-Jordan James also was tough on the boards for the Big Orange, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. James also dished off a game-high five assists.
• Both offenses started slow, with the squads shooting a combined 37 percent (7-of-19) from the field in the contest’s opening eight minutes, good for a 9-9 score line.
• During the game’s final 10 minutes, Tennessee continued to stifle the Vanderbilt offense while maintaining its efficient shooting mark on the other side of the floor, increasing its lead to as many as 22 points.
• Tennessee’s win gave Bowden—UT’s lone active senior—a perfect 4-0 career record in Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST VANDERBILT
• Grant Williams (now with the Boston Celtics) erupted for a record-setting performance as the No. 1-ranked Volunteers held off Vanderbilt, 88-83, in overtime in Nashville on Jan. 23, 2019. Williams finished with a career-high 43 points and also tallied eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal. The junior forward was 10-of-15 from the field and a program-record 23-of-23 from the free-throw line.
• Josh Richardson (now a starter for the Philadelphia 76ers) helped the Vols rally from two separate double-digit deficits in the second half by scoring 15 of his game-high 22 points in the final stanza to lift Tennessee to a 67-61 comeback win over Vanderbilt in the 2015 SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 12, 2015. In what was the second-to-last game of his career, Richardson also led all players with three steals and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
• Dyron Nix (17 points, 18 rebounds) and Doug Roth (10 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles and Tennessee beat Vanderbilt 79-69 in overtime in Stokely Athletics Center Feb. 4, 1987, in Knoxville.
• Dick Johnston made six free throws in double overtime to lift UT to a 77-72 win over the Dores in Nashville on Feb. 2, 1970. Jimmy England led the charge with 27 points, and Bobby Croft had an 18-16 double-double.
• Danny Schultz holds UT’s single-game scoring record against Vanderbilt, as he dropped 35 points on the Dores on Feb. 15, 1964, in Nashville.
• Tennessee All-Century Team member Paul “Lefty” Walther (1948-49) never lost to Vanderbilt during his career as a Vol. The Covington, Kentucky, native helped lead Tennessee to a 4-0 record over the Dores, beating Vandy by an average of 9.8 points.

VOL VETS EFFICIENT VS. VANDY
• Tennessee upperclassmen Jordan Bowden (.500), John Fulkerson (.500), Jalen Johnson (.667) and Yves Pons (.500) all shoot at least 50 percent from the field during their career against Vanderbilt.
• Bowden, who is a perfect 4-0 at Vandy’s Memorial Gym, averages 11.5 points in six previous games against the Commodores while shooting .438 from 3-point range and boasting a 2.8 assist/turnover ratio.

SECOND TIME’S A CHARM
• Over the last three seasons, Rick Barnes and his staff guided the Volunteers to a 10-1 record in regular-season rematch games (SEC Tournament games not included).
• The lone loss came Saturday at South Carolina, 63-61.

VOLS SUCCESSFUL ON THE IN-STATE CIRCUIT
• Tennessee has won nine of its last 10 games against in-state opponents and is 16-5 vs. in-state foes under coach Rick Barnes.
• Those 16 wins include triumphs over Chattanooga, ETSU (twice), Lipscomb (twice), Memphis, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech (twice) and Vanderbilt (seven times).

FULKY FEASTING AT THE FOUL LINE
• Over Tennessee’s last three games, junior forward John Fulkerson has taken 41 percent of the Vols’ total free-throw attempts (34 of 82).
• He’s attempted 34 free throws during that span—11.3 per game—and has made 25 of them (.735).

UT Athletics

Football Season-Ticket Prices Hold Steady for Highly Anticipated 2020 Campaign

Posted on February 17, 2020

Tennessee football rides the momentum of a six-game win streak—the second-longest active streak among Power Five programs—into the 2020 campaign. Season tickets are now available, and Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer has announced that pricing has not increased from last year.

Season-ticket options start as low as $300 with the Volunteers set to host 2020 home games against Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Charlotte, Furman and Troy.

“Everyone is energized about the way we finished last season,” Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “When Neyland Stadium is rocking, it’s unlike anyplace else in the country. And it sure seems like our players block a little better and hit and lot harder when Vol Nation is revved up. We’ve got something special taking place here, and we’re putting on more steam every day to make sure the decade of the Vols starts strong. We need our fans to put on more steam, too.”

AllVols.com now features a new, interactive, 3D seat map enabling fans to experience the various ticket options throughout Neyland Stadium. While AllVols.com is accessible 24/7 to purchase tickets, fans also are welcome to call (865) 946-7000 to speak with a helpful ticket representative on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. ET through 5 p.m. ET.

The Vol Pass also is returning for the 2020 football season. A great option for fans interested in experiencing Neyland Stadium from a different vantage point each game, those interested in learning more about the Vol Pass are encouraged to call (865) 946-7000.

“Coach Fulmer is passionate about ensuring that the Neyland Stadium experience remains accessible for all families,” Associate Athletics Director for Fan Experience & Sales Jimmy Delaney said. “So having a $300 season ticket option and continuing to offer the Vol Pass were important to him. Our various ticket options throughout the stadium provide Tennessee fans with a really broad variety of ways to enjoy gameday on Rocky Top.”

As part of Fulmer’s push for affordable options, the 2020 price for “no donation required” seating—located in the stadium’s south upper deck—has decreased from $360 to $300.

Tennessee fans can prime themselves for an exciting fall by attending the Chevrolet Orange & White Game on Saturday, April 18. Admission is free, and kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET. Athletic department staffers will be available that day to provide 1-on-1 service to fans interested in exploring the stadium to review available seating inventory. Fans interested in scheduling an appointment (on April 18 or any other date) can do so HERE.

“It will be a big recruiting weekend,” Pruitt said of Orange & White weekend. “So we need Vol Nation to show our visitors what the Vol Walk and gameday at Neyland Stadium are like in the fall.”

Stay up to date on everything happening with the Tennessee football program by following @Vol_Football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

UT Athletics

Alontae Taylor Voted Vice Chair of SEC Football Leadership Council

Posted on February 17, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alontae Taylor, a rising junior on the Tennessee football team, was recently selected as Vice Chair of the Southeastern Conference Football Leadership Council.

Taylor was selected by a vote of his peers at a meeting of the council held recently at the SEC offices in Birmingham. The Manchester, Tennessee, native will attend a portion of the SEC Spring Meetings in May to meet with conference leadership and provide feedback on SEC legislative proposals.

The Football Leadership Council is one of three components of the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council. The other two components are the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Leadership Councils. Student-Athlete Leadership Councils were introduced for the sports of football and men’s and women’s basketball, which, in addition to the conference’s longstanding Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), provide student-athletes with additional opportunities to engage with campus leaders and conference office staff. The councils serve as a conduit of communication to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience and student-athlete wellness.

During its recent meeting, the council met with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, reviewed NCAA and SEC legislative items, discussed a number of topics submitted by members of the Council, and engaged with football officials on rules of the game and student-athlete/referee interaction.

Taylor, a defensive back, appeared in all 13 games for Tennessee this past season, logging six starts. He finished the year with 33 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. He is a Communications Studies major and was recently named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

UT Athletics

Rick Barnes Monday Press Conference Transcript

Posted on February 17, 2020

On what he thinks about the charge call after watching the game film:
“I don’t know about that particular call. At the time I thought that and now I can talk to you about a lot of other calls I don’t agree with, but in that particular instance, when he spun, there was contact and I thought the defender was there. But, like I said, there were a lot of other calls we could talk about that I wouldn’t agree with.”

On if Yves is healthy and how Josiah did in his first game back:
“He’s struggling with a little tendonitis in his right knee. He hasn’t done much, you guys saw him—he didn’t do much at practice for a couple days, but he’s such a tough kid that he’ll keep fighting through it. I thought Josiah, for the most part, for not being able to do much for the last couple of weeks went out and was okay. Some of the things he didn’t do is just related to not playing and he needs to clean it up and he will.”

On where Josiah is limited:
“He was doing some good things. We felt like he had really started coming around, but he’s dealt with that injury all year. I’m not saying it’s the exact same injury, but it’s in that area, and he told me he’d come back when he thought he could play. I think the way he handled it was the right way to handle it. Now, it’s a matter of him getting back and getting his conditioning back where he needs to have it and getting him back into the flow with everybody.”

On how tough it is to not see Jordan Bowden step up late in games:
“We all feel for Jordan because, one thing I will tell you, he has continued to defend at a high level, which is hard to do when you’re not playing as well as you want to play on the offensive end. The other day, two different players missed a free throw, and went down right after that and almost broke down on the defensive end where they didn’t let the missed free throw go, and they weren’t as locked in as they needed to be and gave up a play on the defensive end. For a guy that has struggled as much as he has, he hasn’t done that on the defensive end, and to be honest with you, we all keep thinking sooner or later, it’s got to happen. Obviously, he’s having his worst shooting year that he’s had since he’s been here. We just hope it happens because he’s doing what he should be doing, and sometimes it can become a mental block, and we do everything we can to try to get him to understand that when he’s open, he’s got to shoot the ball. We just ask him to take good, in rhythm shots to be honest with you. He just needs to see a couple of them go in, and hopefully he can get it going.”

On if the turnovers on Saturday were due to South Carolina’s defense:
“Some, but John Fulkerson’s travels had nothing to do with their defense. Davonte threw the ball out of bounds with no pressure on him because Josiah broke his cut. That had nothing to do with them, that was us. That was the most frustrating thing from our team, was the fact that we turned it over too many times where they had nothing to do with it. That was the most disappointing thing, where it was just careless mistakes that we talked about, and twice we turned it over where we knew we were going to lob the ball, and we got a lob dunk and then Josiah came out in the timeout, and why he did it we don’t know because that wasn’t even the play we had on. We start the second half with a situation where we ended up with not a great possession because we didn’t execute. Those are the things that are the most frustrating. The 20 turnovers, a lot of them were just us, and that’s not to take anything away from South Carolina, but when you’re not being guarded on the perimeter and you travel with no pressure, that’s just being careless with the ball.”

On if they are looking towards the postseason:
“I think the most important thing is where we can get leadership. If it’s not from the older guys, it’s got to be from the younger guys. We showed a clip in the game that hasn’t happened too many times this year; because if you look at our older guys they’re not the most vocal. If you talk to them, they are on the side of being quiet. There was a play where Davonte Gaines was playing really hard, got tripped, got up, and made another play and turned around and talked to his teammates in a way like we need to get a stop here. That’s what we’re lacking and we need that. I don’t care if it comes from the sophomores or the freshman. They have to do it. As we continue this year out, that’s the one thing I think we can get some momentum somewhere going for the future with this team. We challenged our older guys yesterday about that. Where is it going to come from coming down the stretch. We have a lot of opportunities in front of us. We’ve told them there’s not a game on our schedule we can’t win. You can’t turn the ball over 20 times, because once you do that you have to play near perfection to win a game. You don’t want to go into any game thinking you have to be perfect, but if you’re going to turn it over 20 times, you have to darn near be perfect if you want to win. So, that goes back to what we’re talking about with leadership. We want to be in the postseason; but right now, we have to worry about Vanderbilt. We have to get ready for that and then the next one after that. We always think about the postseason don’t get me wrong. We always think about. But, we know what goes into it and its winning games. You have to win games.”

On Tuesday’s game against Vanderbilt:
“I think Jerry (Stackhouse) has done a great job. I really do. When I watch them, I think his players have improved. Obviously, they went through a period where they were in a shooting slump and it hurt them. There’s not one guy on their team that hasn’t improved since we’ve played them. Again, I think that’s a sign of terrific coaching and players that want to be coached. They have made it hard on everybody they have played. They obviously beat LSU when they were undefeated and number one in the league. They had Kentucky down at halftime. They’re close like everyone. So, you have to be ready to play, it’s plain and simple. They have the ability and they have proved, even though they have the one win, that they have played everybody tough. I guarantee when they sit down and watch tape, just like we do, they show the what ifs and things they can certainly fix. I’m sure that’s what he and his staff are trying to do.”

On things he can do as a coach to get big plays out of the older guys:
“When you talk about it, I don’t like any of the phony stuff. It’s something as simple as saying something when you’re coming down the floor. I’ll give you a great example. I thought Kotsar was terrific coming down the stretch Saturday. I watched him talking to his teammates on defense and it’s nothing crazy, it’s just being aware of what needs to be said in certain situations of the game. Fulky has done some of that for us. In the out of bounds play the other day he took charge and called the play. People pretty much know that when the shot clock gets under 10, we’re going to switch all ball screens. In the first half we had no problem with it, in the second half we do, because they can hear us. You’d be amazed at how often we talk to our guys about guys knowing where the shot clock is on the defensive end just as much as the offensive end. When you go to set a ball screen, guys away from the ball need to be communicating that and that’s the leadership we need. We know each other well enough to know a guys body language and when they’re struggling a bit. I told Yves during the game ‘hey Yves, the other coaches don’t think you’ve got it right now,’ and immediately he flipped the switch and became much more aggressive. It’s subtle things where players should be thinking of their teammates more. That’s getting out of your comfort zone a bit and I don’t think there’s a single guy on our team that would bark back if I guy told him to play harder.
“To me, that’s the beginning of the kind of leadership we need. It’s not the ra ra stuff, it’s the little things that need to be said between players. It’s really more difficult than you would think trying to get guys to talk throughout the game. The best teams we play against are the teams that communicate throughout the game. We have little adjustments that we make in-game and we’re not getting it from sometimes one guy. That’s when we need someone to tell them ‘hey, we’ve moved our offense up higher, you need to get up here,’ and that’s what we’re not getting.”

On Jalen Johnson only playing 13 minutes on Saturday:
“Like I’ve told you all, all of these guys are going to be judged on production. Jalen missed a shot and on the defensive possession, we had a scout that said to not go under on one of there players and he did. Davonte had been playing well and we had Josiah back. When Josiah was out, Jalen got those minutes. Everything we do with these guys is based on production. What’s difficult for players, is they look out and say ‘this guy gets more rope then this guy,’ and it all goes back to what we see every day in practice. Can you earn extra rope? You can. Davonte Gaines—and I hope he can continue to earn extra rope, he’s put together six games where he’s been incredibly consistent—he did something in our scouting report he wasn’t supposed to do and he didn’t play after that. The games are so close and the possessions are so important you can’t wait and hope that he’s going to get it. There are certain guys who are out there that have been out there more who have more rope? Yes, but they get that rope because they earn it and they earn it every day in practice. There are only a certain number of minutes in a game to go around. Look at Uros, he goes in the game and the violation he had stepping across the lane like that, he can’t do that. That’s a possession we lose. When you lose a one possession game and take a point away from a good free throw shooter that’s what loses games. When you’re working your way into the lineup you have to do the things we need you to do to really help us win. You don’t have to be perfect, but you can’t do things that are absolutely out of the norm in terms of what we’ve talked about. You can’t go under on a screen against a guy who can only step behind a screen and shoot. You can’t step into the lane when a guy isn’t even attempting to shoot the ball yet. Those are breakdowns that can’t happen. That’s what’s tough about it. As time goes on, guys have to get out there and earn more rope, but he would have come out for that mistake regardless. I could tell you multiple times where guys have worked their way in and out of the lineup. Most of the time when they work their way out of the lineup it’s because they don’t do what we’ve talked to them about. It’s the role we need them to play and if they’re not willing to play that role then they’re not going to play.”

On the inconsistencies and challenges of this season:
“If you would have told me when the season started that Lamonte Turner wasn’t going to be here and Jordan Bowden was going to have his worst shooting year ever and for us to even be where we are? We have two guys on the roster who weren’t even on our opening day roster. If you think about when the season started, we were expecting Lamonte, Jordan Bowden and Josiah-Jordan James to play a lot. One of those guys is no longer with us, one is having as a tough a year as he has ever had, and the other has basically been hurt from the start. For us to even be where we are after those things, I’m really proud of these guys. And the fact that we had a guy that had three days of practice and has done a tremendous job, Uros (Plavsic) sat out much of the year. I think a lot of teams go through these things and I don’t think anybody feels sorry for them. I can only tell you what we have gone through. Right after Christmas, we were a team that looked like a shell of what we were when we started. Without Santiago (Vescovi) I don’t know where we would be right now, but to be able to continue to fight back and still be in the thick of it, is a real compliment to these guys, I think it really is. We’re not talking to them about being young, because I think these guys have played enough minutes right now that we’re in it. I go back to Saturday, John Fulkerson had six turnovers, you don’t expect that from him, that’s a lot of turnovers from a post guy. Yves (Pons) had two that had nothing to with the defense. It’s the older guys in games at this time of year that have to really step up. You can’t travel, you just can’t do that. Fulky had one turnover where he got tripped then he stood up. You can’t stand up, that’s a rule. Those are plays you can’t have. Our whole year has been inconsistent, and for these guys to continue to fight and to have given everything they have got, I would not trade them for anybody because I know they are trying, I know we are going to get so much better as time goes on. Does that make us feel any better right now? We were all disappointed in losing the game Saturday, because we controlled it for the most part. It really it got away from us at the seven-minute mark, because we felt like they were reeling at that point and then we had some missed free throws, they go down and we let them have a straight-line drive. We hadn’t let them do that all game long. We go back and look at all the things we said we have to do to beat these guys, we did them all and then the last couple minutes we gave up a couple things that we can’t. But you have to give them credit. Lawson made a tough runner on the baseline, and then hit a wide open three where we overhelped and that’s how quickly it can change. But does frustration come in sometimes with where we are? It does, but the bottom line is we have to find a way to finish it and we had it, but we didn’t finish it, so we have to let it go and get ready for tomorrow and then Saturday and on from there.”

Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani Share Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse Into Making of “Nobody But You” Video [Watch]

Posted on February 17, 2020

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of their “Nobody But You” video.

“There’s no point to this video, okay, but it’s a cool song,” says Blake, in jest, when describing the Sophie Muller-directed clip.

Penned by Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Tommy Lee James, “Nobody But You” is featured on Blake’s recently released album, Fully Loaded: God’s Country. The new single is currently No. 23 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after six weeks.

Watch Blake and Gwen’s new video below.

photo by Janet Gough, AFF-USA.com

Rascal Flatts Extends Farewell Tour With 11 New Dates

Posted on February 17, 2020

Goodbyes are hard.

Country trio Rascal Flatts—comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney—revealed they are extending their Rascal Flatts Farewell: Life Is a Highway Tour with 11 new dates.

After announcing an initial run of 25 dates, including stops in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and more, Rascal Flatts will make 11 additional stops in Kansas City, New Orleans, Nashville and more. Tickets for the new dates go on sale on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. local time.

In additional, Rascal Flatts shared that they will be inviting special guests Chris Lane, Chase Rice, Avenue Beat, Caylee Hammack, King Calaway, Matt Stell and Rachel Wammack to join them on select dates across the run.

Rascal Flatts Farewell: Life Is a Highway Tour (new dates in bold)

**On sale date to be announced

photo by NCD

UT Narrowly Misses Upset, Falling 73-71 to #16 Texas A&M

Posted on February 17, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 25 Tennessee pulled to within two points in the final minute but couldn’t overcome a No. 16/18 Texas A&M team that went 28 of 33 from the free-throw line en route to a 73-71 victory in Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Sophomore Rae Burrell led UT (17-8, 7-5 SEC) with 19 points and seven rebounds in front of a season-best crowd of 12,738. Junior Rennia Davis was also in double figures for the Big Orange, posting 18 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Junior Chennedy Carter was the high scorer for Texas A&M (20-5, 8-4 SEC), finishing with 37 points and five rebounds. Carter was 14 of 16 from the charity stripe for the Aggies.

After being down 6-2 early in the opening quarter, the Lady Vols tied things up at 6-6 following a dish from sophomore Jazmine Massengill to Brown under the basket. UT continued its 10-0 scoring spree and took its first lead of the game after a bucket from Davis. The Big Orange extended its lead by six after a jumper from freshman Jordan Horston and another score from Davis, making it 12-6. Tennessee ended the quarter on top, 15-12, after forcing three turnovers in the final minute of the period. Davis led the team with six points and one board. UT shot at a 43.8 percent clip and held the Aggies to 40 percent.

A&M came out in the second quarter and went on a 7-0 scoring surge, but Burrell responded with a run of her own by scoring 10-straight points for the Lady Vols to help cut the Aggies’ lead to 33-27. The teams scored three more points apiece the rest of the half, with a 25-14 second-stanza burst providing the visitors with a 36-30 lead at the break. Burrell led UT over the first 20 minutes with a team-high 11 points and five boards, and the Big Orange out-rebounded TAMU in the first half, 20-18.

Coming out of the intermission, freshman Tamari Key got things going for the Lady Vols with a jumper and a free throw, cutting UT’s deficit to five. The Aggies, however, then went on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 10. Tennessee stuck around, though, as the team went on its own 6-0 run to make it a two-possession game after a three from Davis and an and-one play from Burrell. Then, Burrell scored on a fast break and scored a bucket with another free throw, pulling UT to a 50-47 deficit. UT’s defense also was impacting play, as TAMU was held to 5-for-17 shooting on field goals during the third. The Aggies finished the period on top, 53-47.

Key scored first in the fourth, making it a four-point game again. Horston and Davis both tallied buckets on the next possessions, keeping the game within reach at 57-53. After another three-pointer from Davis, UT went on a 4-0 scoring run to pull within three points, 63-60, with just over four minutes remaining. The Aggies went on a quick 5-0 burst of their own to gain an eight-point advantage, but the Big Orange battled back with Massengill and Brown scoring jumpers and Horston nailing a three-pointer to make it a three-point game with 32 seconds remaining.

Carter drained two more free throws with nine seconds left, but Massengill scored another jumper on the other end to narrow the gap to three points with six seconds remaining. After Ciera Johnson made a free throw, Davis finished the game with a last-second lay-in to make it a two-point final differential.

Up Next: The Lady Vols hit the road for a 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) tilt with Arkansas on Thursday. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network and broadcast on Lady Vol Network radio stations.

Balanced Attack: Five different Lady Vols contributed to UT’s first 10 points, and on the day six UT players finished with seven or more points.

Have A Day, Rae: Sophomore Rae Burrell made the most of her third career start, scoring nine-straight points in the second quarter en route to a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds. The game moves her scoring average to 10.2 ppg., making her the team’s second-highest scorer.

Packed House: Sunday’s attendance of 12,738 is the largest Lady Vol crowd since the 2017-18 season. It’s the third audience of 10K or more this season, an increase over the 2018-19 season in which no games had an attendance greater than 10,000.

Unselfish Basketball: Tennessee doled out 21 assists against the Aggies, marking the eighth time this season the team has posted 20 or more assists. Rennia Davis helped fuel the effort with a career-high six assists, while Jazmine Massengill and Jordan Horston also finished with six assists. Massengill moving her season total to 104. If the season ended today her average of 4.2 apg. would be good enough for sixth all-time among Lady Vol sophomores. Horston, meanwhile, now has 122 assists and averages 4.88 per game. The total ranks her fifth all-time among Lady Vol freshmen, and her average is currently the second-best ever by a UT rookie.

UT Athletics

Vols lose late lead, fall at South Carolina, 63-61, now 6-6 SEC

Posted on February 15, 2020

Vols F John Fulkerson / Credit: UT Athletics

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A career-high 25 points from junior John Fulkerson wasn’t enough to lead the Tennessee basketball team past South Carolina, as the Vols fell, 63-61, inside Colonial Life Arena Saturday.

Tennessee’s 20 turnovers proved costly. The loss was the first for UT (14-11, 6-6 SEC) against South Carolina (16-9, 8-4 SEC) since the 2016-17 season.

Fulkerson’s 25 points came on a career-high eight made field goals. He also added a game-high nine rebounds.

SEC Defensive Player of the Year Candidate Yves Pons added 13 points, seven boards and three blocks.

The opening 12 minutes were highlighted by defense, as each team combined to shoot .333 from the field. The Vols were led during that stretch by Fulkerson, who scored eight points to propel UT to a 15-11 lead at the under-eight media timeout.

The teams went bucket-for-bucket, with neither side taking a lead larger than six over the final 7:27 of the half. The squads entered the locker rooms with South Carolina holding a slim 30-29 advantage.

Out of the break, two quick 3-pointers from the Gamecocks increased their lead to 36-29 less than two minutes in to the second half. The Vols followed up those two possessions with an 11-0 run over a 3:15 stretch, with five of those points coming from Fulkerson, to take back the lead to the tune of a 40-36 score line.

South Carolina responded with a few timely baskets to knot the score at 44-44, before the Vols reeled off a 10-3 run to take their largest lead of the contest to that point, holding a 54-47 advantage.

In the game’s final eight minutes, the Gamecocks battled back and used multiple timely baskets and defensive stops to close out the victory.

New Flow, Same Fulky: John Fulkerson continued his stellar play in SEC action, eclipsing his previous career-high for the third time during league play and for the second time in the last four games.

La Séquence Continues: SEC Defensive Player of the Year Candidate Yves Pons blocked three shots on the night. He has now blocked a shot in all 25 games for the Vols this season and is just 10 blocks away from breaking UT’s single-season blocks record.

Up Next: Tennessee returns to actions when it hits the hardwood at Thompson-Boling Arena for a Tuesday night clash with in-state rival Vanderbilt. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Box Score | Highlights

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols run-ruled by Texas 11-0, put away Utah 8-5

Posted on February 15, 2020

Lady Vols softball / Credit: UT Athletics

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – It was an anything but a lovely finish to Valentine’s Day for No. 12 Tennessee on Friday.

As the sunset at Campo de Softball Nancy Almaraz, so did UT’s hopes of finishing the day undefeated.

The Lady Vols (5-2) were met with a heartbreaking ending to a doubleheader, falling in five-innings to an unyielding No. 6 Texas Longhorns team 11-0.

Texas struck early with an eight-run opening frame to enact the run-rule. The Lady Vols were unable to chip away at all only recording one hit and getting on base three times. UT gave up three more runs across the second and third frames and were only unable to prevent Texas from scoring in the bottom of the fourth.

The defense struggled behind four errors as Kiki Milloy, who started in the circle, earned her first official loss of the season.

Next Up

Tennessee concludes its time at the Puerto Vallarta Collegiate Challenge with a first-ever match-up against Cal-Baptist at 1:30 p.m. (ET).

Tennessee 8, Utah 5

The Lady Vols played a little A-B-C ball to keep in step with an aggressive effort by the Utes (5-2), whose lead-off hitter Haley Denning stole a pair of bases after a first-pitch single to open things up. The Utes led 1-0 through 2.5 innings, before UT got its first hit in the bottom of the third.

Tennessee tied it up after Cailin Hannon (2-for-3) was hit by a pitch with loaded bases to bring in Kaitlin Parsons (1-for-2) who got on an errant throw.

UT took a one-run lead on an RBI single from Jenna Holcomb (2-for-3) to bring in Kaili Phillips (2-for-4), but it was short-lived. Denning pressured the Orange and White once again leading off the top of the fifth with a single and two more stolen bases. Denning was the first to cross the plate in a three-run half that gave the Utes a 4-2 lead.

Undeterred, however, the Lady Vols rattled off a five-run half to take the lead for the remainder of the game. Phillips doubled to bring in Chelsea Seggern (1-for-3) and Ashley Morgan (1-for-3) singled to get pinch runner Treasuary Poindexter across the plate. Following, freshman Kiki Milloy blasted a three-run shot, her lone hit of the contest, through centerfield to cap off scoring for the Lady Vols with an 8-4 lead.

The Utes added one more run and had the tying run on the bags after a pair of errors loaded the bases, but UT turned its second double-play of the day to prevent any further damage.

-UT Athletics

Vols Blank Western Illinois on Opening Day 3-0

Posted on February 14, 2020

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee opened its 2020 season with a shutout win over Western Illinois on a chilly Friday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Pitching ruled the day for the Vols in their 3-0 victory, as sophomore starter Chad Dallas and junior reliever Sean Hunley combined to throw nine shutout innings while holding the Leathernecks to just two base hits.

A pair of home runs from Connor Pavolony and Jake Rucker accounted for all of the runs in Friday’s contest.

Dallas got the opening day start in place of Garrett Crochet, who is dealing with minor arm soreness and was held out for precautionary reasons. The junior college transfer made the most of his opportunity, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and two walks to go along with four strikeouts en route to earning a win in his first-career appearance for the Big Orange.

Hunley picked up right where Dallas left off, retiring the first eight batters he faced. The Mount Juliet, Tennessee native allowed just one hit and struck out a pair over four innings to earn his first save of the season.

WIU ace Javin Drake was stuck with the loss despite a solid performance on the mound. The senior right hander allowed just two runs on two hits and struck out five batters in five innings of work.

Notable

Pavolony and Rucker Go Yard
Tennessee’s only three runs on the day all came via the long ball. The Vols scored their first two runs of the year on a home run by Pavolony in the second inning. The sophomore catcher hammered a 3-1 pitch over the left-field fence to put the Big Orange ahead 2-0.

Rucker provided UT with some more insurance in the bottom of the eight. The Greenbrier, Tennessee native hit a solo shot to straightaway center field to lead off the frame. It was the first-career homer for the Vols’ sophomore shortstop.

Say Cheese!
Dallas, who goes by the nickname “Cheese”, is the second Tennessee pitcher in as many seasons to throw five-plus shutout innings in their first start with the program. Camden Sewell allowed just one hit in six shutout innings in his first-career start as a freshman last season against Middle Tennessee (Feb. 27).

Season-Opening Shutouts
With Friday’s 3-0 blanking of the Leathernecks, UT has now posted shutouts in its season opener in each of the past two seasons. The Vols held Appalachian State to just one hit in a 6-0 victory over the Mountaineers on opening day last season.

-UT Athletics