KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —  The No. 23/24 Lady Vols (7-1) play host to Colorado State (5-5) at Thompson-Boling Arena in a 7:02 p.m. ET contest on Wednesday. This match-up between SEC and Mountain West Conference Schools will be the first between these programs.

The Lady Vols close out a six-game home stand before hitting the road for a West Coast swing next week at Stanford and Portland State.

Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, as unranked Texas ended a two-game skid in the series with a 66-60 victory at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

Colorado State, meanwhile, comes to town on the heels of back-to-back MWC losses to San Diego State (59-49) and Boise State (72-69).

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Wednesday night’s game will be streamed live by SECN+ with Bob Kesling (PxP) and Madison Blevins (Analyst) on the call.
• The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone calling the action for the 21st season.
• A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
• For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on Vol Network Affiliates in the black bar at the top of the page.
• Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
• SECN+ games are online broadcasts and are available only on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones and tablets.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

PROMOS

• It’s “Winsday” at Thompson-Boling Arena, where there will be four quarters of winnings.
• Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to enter to win:     – 2020-21 Lady Vol basketball season tickets  – A sunset riverboat cruise on the Tennessee River – Knoxville Zoo tickets – Tickets to the Shadrack Christmas Wonderland, and a meal at Huck Finn Catfish – Two guest coaching spots at an upcoming Lady Vol basketball game – Courtside seats at an upcoming Lady Vol game and a meal in Ray Mears Room.
• Tickets are available to the general public at AllVols.com. Spark the Summitt with tickets starting at $5. Gates open at 6 p.m.
• Get your picture taken with Santa Smokey at the Fan HQ table located on the concourse behind section 129. We want to see that Big Orange smile, so don’t miss it.
• Participate in “High-5 the Lady Vols.” Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame High-5 tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, please call 865-946-7000.
• Free parking & shuttle service is available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip.

RECAPPING OUR LAST GAME

• The No. 17/19 Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to Texas in Thompson-Boling Arena, 66-60.
• Tennessee (7-1) was led by junior Rennia Davis who finished the day with 15 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Jazmine Massengill was also in double figures for the Lady Vols with 10. Junior Kasiyahna Kushkituah led the team in rebounding with nine.
• Overall, Tennessee won the rebounding battle, 54-42, but was outshot, 36.2 to 30.6, from the field and committed 14 turnovers to Texas’ eight.
• Seniors Sug Sutton and Lashann Higgs were the leading scorers for the Longhorns (5-4), posting 19 each.

NOTES FROM THE LAST GAME

• Big-Time Post Play: The Texas duo of Charli Collier and Joyner Holmes had been combining for an average of 33.6 points per game. The Lady Vols held the pair to just eight total points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tamari Key and Kasiyahna Kushkituah combined for 16 points and 16 rebounds for Tennessee.
• Winning The Board Battle: The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Longhorns, 54-42, marking the seventh time this season they’ve bested an opponent on the boards. Tennessee is averaging 51.4 rpg. while holding opposing teams to 36.3 rpg.

HARPER HISTORY IN THE MAKING

• Kellie Harper coached the 500th game of her head coaching career on Dec. 1, as the Lady Vols defeated Air Force, 81-54, in Knoxville.
• Harper opened the 2019-20 season at 7-0, the best beginning to a year in her head coaching career. She twice opened 4-0 at NC State in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before topping that at UT this season.
• On Nov. 18, 2019, Kellie Harper became the 40th person to play for and coach an AP-ranked women’s basketball team when UT debuted at No. 23.
• She became the 13th person to accomplish that feat at the school where she also played. According to Hoops Guru Mel Greenberg, UT and USC are the only schools with two alums to accomplish that feat. Harper and Holly Warlick did so at Tennessee, while Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke did so at Southern Cal.
• Harper is one of only 11 coaches to lead three different women’s teams to NCAA Tournament appearances (Western Carolina, NC State, Missouri State).
• She will attempt to join Jim Foster (St. Joseph’s, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Chattanooga) in becoming the only coaches to take four different women’s teams to the NCAA tourney.

TENNESSEE TOPICS

• Tennessee has outworked seven of eight opponents on the glass this season and has a +15.1 rebound margin.
• The Lady Vols average 16.1 second chance points per game and have won that category in every contest but one (Central Arkansas). UT is outscoring opponents 40.5 to 21.5 in points in the paint, and has won that battle in six games and tied in two others.
• The Lady Vols’ bench has been a strength this season, with the Big Orange holding a 29.6 to 13.8 advantage in points from reserves. Texas (21-20) is the only team to top Tennessee in that category in 2019-20.
• UT has been at its best offensively in the first quarter this season, averaging 20.4 during that period. On the defensive end, the Lady Vols are their stingiest in the second frame, allowing only 12.1 points over that 10-minute stretch.
• Tennessee has shot for a higher percentage from the field in every game except the Texas match-up, in which the Longhorns knocked down 36.2 to UT’s 30.6 percent.
• The Lady Vols are allowing opponents only 29.5 percent shooting from the field and have  allowed no one to shoot better than 36% this season.
• Tennessee has had 16 or more assists in each game this season and a season-best 25 vs. UAPB.
• The Big Orange women have won the opening tip in all eight games.
• A season-best 9,371 fans attended the game vs. Texas on Dec. 8.

ABOUT COLORADO STATE

• Colorado State returned three starters and five overall letterwinners from a year ago, when the Rams were 8-22 overall and 2-16 (11th place) in the Mountain West Conference.
• CSU welcomed four newcomers and five other players who redshirted last season due to injury or after transferring in.
• Last year’s results aside, Colorado State has typically been a contender for the MWC title in recent years. The Rams claimed four straight league crowns from 2013-14 to 2016-17.
• Colorado State is led by eighth-year head coach Ryun Williams, who is 149-85 during his time in Fort Collins. He is 461-276 in his 22-year career as an NCAA coach.
• The most famous alum of CSU women’s basketball has to be Becky Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star as a player who is currently an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. She was the first woman to become a full-time coach in one of North America’s major professional sports leagues.

RECAPPING THE RAM’S LAST GAME

• Redshirt senior forward Andrea Brady led all scorers with 23 points, but it wasn’t enough as Boise State held off Colorado State, 72-69, in Fort Collins on Sunday.
• Megan Jacobs, a 6-1 redshirt junior guard/forward,  aided the CSU cause with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, while 6-2 senior forward Makenzie Ellis chipped in 14 and 6-0 redshirt junior guard/forward Jamie Bonnarens added 12, all via three-pointers.
• The Rams hit 49.1 percent from the field, but 17 turnovers helped limit them to 55 shots for the game.
• CSU trailed by seven at the half, 40-33, but outscored BSU 36-32 over the final 20 minutes to make a push toward earning a victory.
• Plagued by injuries, Colorado State played only eight players and received no bench points vs. BSU.

UT Athletics

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee had five players named to the All-SEC postseason teams as voted on by the league’s 14 coaches, the conference announced on Tuesday.

Trey Smith earned a spot on the first team while the foursome of Nigel Warrior, Daniel Bituli, Marquez Callaway and Brent Cimaglia were all named to the second team.

The five players honored are the most for the Vols since they also had five on the 2012 All-SEC teams.

A two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week, Smith started the last 11 games at left guard and is Tennessee’s highest-graded player on the offensive line with 46 knockdowns. The Jackson, Tenn., native made way for one of the best passing performances in recent history as Jarrett Guarantano recorded 415 passing yards against Missouri’s sixth-ranked pass defense on Nov. 23 to help the Vols gain bowl eligibility.

Smith is also a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist and an Orange Bowl Courage Award nominee. The junior was a first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press earlier this week, as well. This marks the second season that Smith has earned All-SEC recognition after garnering All-Freshman team and second team honors in 2017.

Tied for the SEC lead with four interceptions, Warrior has commanded UT’s secondary this season. The senior safety is second on the team with 68 tackles and also leads the Vols with seven pass breakups.

The College Park, Ga., native was named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week on three occasions and was also a PFF College National Team of the Week honoree for his performance in a 45-0 win over Chattanooga on Sept. 14.

Warrior, who was a Preseason All-SEC third-team selection by the coaches, was also named first team All-SEC by the Associated Press earlier this week. This is Warrior’s second time garnering SEC postseason honors after earning a spot on the All-Freshman team back in 2016.
The quarterback of Tennessee’s defense from his middle linebacker position, Bituli led the Big Orange in tackles for the third consecutive season with 82, making him just the second player in program history to lead the team in tackles for three years in a row. The senior was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice and was a PFF College National Team of the Week selection two times, as well.

Bituli had three games with double-digit tackles, including an incredible 19-tackle effort in a road win at Kentucky on Nov. 9, which was the most tackles by an SEC player in a conference game this season. His 8.2 tackles per game ranks fourth in the conference.

The Nashville native had 4.5 tackles for loss and set a career high with three sacks. He also blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown in UT’s win over South Carolina on Oct. 26. This is the first time Bituli has earned SEC postseason honors in his career.
A dynamic playmaker at receiver and in the return game, Callaway earned All-SEC honors for the first time in his career. The Georgia native earned a spot on the second team as a return specialist after ranking fifth in the league with 150 punt return yards and averaging 15.0 yards per return. Callaway had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Vols’ win over South Carolina, the third of his career, and currently ranks fifth among active players in the FBS in career punt return average (13.8 avg).

The senior wideout also had his best season offensively, setting career highs with 616 receiving yards, six touchdown catches and four 100-yard receiving games. Callaway also leads the SEC in yards per catch at 21.2.

Cimaglia posted one of the best seasons by a Tennessee kicker in program history, going 20-of-24 on field goal attempts while connecting on all 33 of his extra points. He led the conference in field goal percentage (83.3 percent) and ranked second in field goals made per game (1.67).

The Nashville native was an incredible 8-of-10 on kicks of 40-plus yards, including 2-for-2 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Cimaglia drilled a career-long 53-yarder in the Vols’ victory over UAB, which was the longest made field goal by a UT kicker since Jeff Hall hit a 53-yarder against Oklahoma State back in 1995.

The full All-SEC teams can be found HERE.

The Tennessee football team finished 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the SEC during the 2019 regular season, tying for its best mark in conference play since 2007. Led by head coach Jeremy Pruitt and a 13-member senior class, the Vols rebounded from a 1-4 start to win six of their final seven games and will take a five-game win streak into the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 against Indiana. Tennessee is undoubtedly one of the hottest teams in the nation and collected nine SEC weekly honors during the season, the most since 2004.

UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o and offensive lineman Wanya Morris were named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team on Monday.

To’o To’o and Morris have had standout freshman seasons for the Vols this season, helping lead one of the nation’s most impressive mid-season turnarounds as UT won its final five games to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

To’o To’o was a day-one starter at linebacker for the Big Orange and finished third on the team in tackles with 64. He also added five tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and a half a sack.

The Sacramento, Calif., native was on the FWAA Freshman All-America Midseason Watch List and The Athletic Midseason Freshman All-America Team. He was named to the PFF College National Team of the Week and PFF College SEC Team of the Week for his performance in a 30-7 win over UAB on Nov. 2.

In his collegiate debut, To’o To’o led the Vols with seven tackles to become the first UT freshman since 1996 to lead the team in tackles in a season opener. He played in all 12 games while making 11 starts and became the first Tennessee true freshman since 2011 to start at linebacker in a season opener.

On the offensive side of the ball, Morris was a staple on the Vols’ offensive line, making 11 starts and playing in all 12 games. He became the first Tennessee true freshman to start on the offensive line in a season opener since Trey Smith did so in 2017. They are the only two Vol freshmen to start at left tackle in the last 30 years. Smith was also the last UT player to earn True Freshman All-America status from 247Sports, doing so in 2017.

Like To’o To’o, Morris was also named to the 2019 FWAA Freshman All-America Midseason Watch List and The Athletic Midseason Freshman All-America Team.

The Savannah, Ga., native helped pave the way for a season-high 526 yards of total offense against Missouri, which entered the game with one of the nation’s top defensive lines and ranked 10th in the nation in total defense and had the SEC’s top pass defense.

Tennessee will take on Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.

Fans interested in a premium travel package, including hotel stay, game ticket, reception, bowl souvenir and game day transportation can visit VolSportsTravel.com. Tickets can be purchased at the Gator Bowl website (TaxSlayerGatorBowl.com) by clicking HERE.

Gray & McCollough Earn PFF College All-Freshman Honors

Running back Eric Gray and safety Jaylen McCollough were recognized as honorable mention selections for the PFF College All-Freshman Team.

McCollough saw his role expand as the year went on, starting the final five games at safety. The Powder Springs, Ga., native racked up 26 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack on the season. He was named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week following his performance against UAB.

Gray displayed flashes of his potential throughout the season and had a breakout game in the regular season finale, rushing for 246 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in a 28-10 win over Vanderbilt.

The Memphis native captured SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance. His 246 rushing yards are the fifth-most ever by a Vol and the highest rushing total ever by a Tennessee true freshman.

Behind touchdown runs of 94 and 56 yards, Gray ran for 181 yards in the first half against the Commodores, marking the second-most rushing yards in a half by a UT player in program history. His 94-yard run was the second-longest in school history, tied for the 10th-longest rushing score in SEC history and is the longest touchdown run by a true freshman in SEC history.

For the year, Gray finished with 453 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 87 attempts and pulled in 11 receptions for 81 yards and a score.

UT Athletics