Luke’s current single, “Even Though I’m Leaving,” ascended to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart this week.
With his latest No. 1 single, Luke is first country artist in history whose first seven singles have reached No. 1, following previous chart-toppers “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “One Number Away,” “She Got the Best of Me,” “Beautiful Crazy” and “Beer Never Broke My Heart.”
When “Beautiful Crazy” topped the charts in March, Luke became the first country artist in history whose first five singles reached No. 1.
Penned by Luke, Wyatt B. Durrette and Ray Fulcher, “Even Though I’m Leaving” is featured on Luke’s 2019 EP, The Prequel.
“‘Even Though I’m Leaving’ was the first song I wrote with Wyatt Durrette, who I wrote ‘Beautiful Crazy’ with, and my buddy Ray, who I write with a lot—it was our first time writing with Wyatt, and, man, it’s just one of those tunes that . . . Wyatt, he’s a dad and he has written a lot of stuff about being a dad, and you kind of wanted to just tap into that thing,” says Luke. “Sometimes when you sit down to write, it may not be necessarily a story about yourself, it may be a story about your co-writer or a friend of yours or your mom or somebody like that. And so it was just kind of one of those things where he was like, “Hey man, I’m in the mood to write like a dad song.’ And I had had that idea in my phone for awhile and it was a tough write too. Really had to work at it. It wasn’t one of those songs that just kind of came out. It was definitely more of a construction project than just . . . because sometimes you get in there and a song just kind of writes itself. But that one was tough. We wanted to get it right and make sure that people could relate to it and see a bit of themselves in it. And I think we did a good job of that.”
Luke dropped his highly anticipated sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get, on Nov. 8. The new offering debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart this week, moving 172,000 equivalent units, according to Nielsen Music.
Blake Shelton has been swiveling his chair toward talented singers for 17 seasons as a coach on The Voice. In fact, Blake has been the only coach to be a part of every season since the show’s inception in 2011. At this point, it’s hard to imagine the show without him.
However, Blake dropped a bit of knowledge to media members during a The Voice event at Nashville’s Ole Red on Nov. 14. Blake revealed he wasn’t the show’s first choice as a coach from the country community—Reba McEntire was.
“If I’m not mistaken, they wanted Reba to be a coach on The Voice first,” said Blake. “I hope I’m not saying something I shouldn’t say. It’s out there now. But they wanted Reba, and they knew they wanted a country artist to be a coach on The Voice to fill that lane.”
Blake revealed that Starstruck Entertainment owner—and Reba’s husband at the time—Navel Blackstock recommended him for the gig.
“So, Narvel told them, you know, Reba can’t do it, you know, but hey, I got this other guy that I manage that’s got all the time in the world.”
As to why Reba passed on the job, Blake recalled the timing just wasn’t right for her.
“They called Starstruck, and Reba at the time, you know, for whatever reason, I can’t remember,” said Blake. “She may have had her Malibu Country show going at the time, for whatever reason, she couldn’t do it, or they just decided it wasn’t the thing for her at the time. ‘What is The Voice? It sounds dumb, right? I don’t know, I’m Reba McEntire. I’m in this chair and I hit a button and my chair turns around.’ Like, it sounded weird to probably anybody they pitched it to, honestly.”
Southington, CT – November 1, 2017 – Crystal Bee’s: Portrait of Paul Biancardi during the 2017 College Basketball Seminar (Photo by Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)
Paul Biancardi, the National Recruiting Director for ESPN College Basketball and NBA draft analyst, joined me for a 1-on-1 interview to talk about the great recruiting class signed by Rick Barnes and the Tennessee basketball staff.
He shared his detailed analysis of each of the three players in Tennessee’s 4th-ranked 2020 signing class in basketball, the class overall, how Rick Barnes recruits and builds teams and talks about what he thinks of this year’s Vols team.
Here are just a few of his quotes on the Tennessee signees from the interview.
On Keon Johnson: “Absolutely love him. Just an elite athlete.”
On Jaden Springer: “He plays with urgency on both ends of the court.”
On Corey Walker Jr: “He’s a gifted scorer. He’s got length. Another high-level athlete.”
On the 2020 Signing Class Signed By Rick Barnes: “What I love about this class is…Rick understands to recruit talent but also build a team, a lot of coaches recruit talent and they have a very talented group of guys, but they’re not a team, they’re not a unit. I think Rick Barnes is one of the absolute best at taking talent and turning it into a team.”
Listen to the entire interview below.
Read about the backgrounds of the three Vols signees HERE.
Check out the just announced Geico ESPN High School Showcase that will feature Jaden Springer playing for IMG Academy three times and Paul as an analyst during the games. See the release and schedule HERE.
Excellent breakdown from the Hoops National Recruiting Director for ESPN.
Check out the just announced @GEICO@espn High School Showcase that will feature Jaden Springer playing for @IMGABasketball 3 times and Paul as an analyst during the games.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The well-rested Vols are energized heading into their final road game of the regular season at Missouri on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Preparing for action after last week’s open weekend, Tennessee has narrowed its focus to executing a complete game for its last two outings in regular season play.
Head coach Jeremy Pruitt is confident in the team’s desire to continue its upward trajectory if it takes care of the details and keeps its internal fight.
“I’ve said this all along, this group of guys enjoys being around each other, we enjoy being around them and we still as a team have a lot to prove and our guys are looking forward to having the opportunity to try being our best on Saturday,” Pruitt said at his Monday press conference. “We have yet to play our best game, we have yet to, in my opinion, play a complete game. So, we have lots of things as a staff, as individual players, as a team, we have a lot to prove and this is a great opportunity to do it.”
Despite the team’s uptick, including winning four of its last five games and collecting a handful of individual weekly honors in that span, the Vols have more work to do and are not content with where they are yet.
“If they think that, then they are walking around with blinders on,” Pruitt said when asked if he was worried about the team being satisfied. “I mean, we have showed them lots of ways we can improve offensively, defensively and on special teams. I am pretty sure our guys understand that.
“I think that is one of the things we have improved on as a football team is just self-awareness. We know our limitations, our strengths, where we are at and where we are not. If you know those things, you can fix things.”
Warrior Finds His Stride
Senior DB Nigel Warrior currently sits atop of the SEC with four interceptions along with three other players, and his 58 tackles are the second most for the Vols.
The College Park, Ga., native recorded three of those interceptions across the last five games, including a momentum-shifting pick in the second quarter at Kentucky which halted a Wildcat drive near midfield to keep UK scoreless the remainder of the first half and eventually the rest of the game.
“Nigel has continued to work hard every day at practice,” Pruitt said. “He’s been a really good leader for us. He has improved tremendously from last year to this year and he continues to get better. He’s playing his best football right now.
“He’s kind of turning into a complete player, whether it’s playing the ball, playing man-to-man, or tackling in space, he has improved and continues to improve in all of those areas. Like everybody else, he wants to play his best game this next week. So, he’s going to work hard to do it this week.”
Warrior has been named to the PFF College SEC Team of the Week of two occasions and on the PFF’s National Team of the Week once.
He has also added five pass breakups and a tackle for loss on the season.
Vols Will Have A Big Challenge Against Tigers
The Vols will face another solid quarterback this week in Mizzou’s Kelly Bryant who ranks sixth in the SEC with a 62.50 completion percentage and 2,049 passing yards.
Bryant, a transfer from Clemson, also has the ability to run and will put some pressure on UT’s defensive line.
“I’m very familiar with Kelly Bryant, I coached against him when he was at Clemson,” Pruitt said. “The guy is extremely athletic and can extend plays. He has a big arm. When you look at Missouri offensively, they’re really big and strong and physical up front.
“If you look at what (Kelly Bryant) is doing now at Missouri versus what he did at Clemson, they are a bit different offensively, but you can see that Missouri has done a few things to cater to what he does best.”
The Tigers are currently on the a four-game losing streak, but have managed to keep some of the nation’s top-scoring teams under 30 points and lost their first home game of the season against Florida last weekend. Missouri has the SEC’s top-ranked pass defense and the nation’s 10th-ranked overall defense.
“They’re a team that is 5-1 at home,” Pruitt said. “The game was really close against Florida and a couple of things didn’t go their way down the stretch. They’re very good against the pass and creating negative plays. They have playmakers and have always had a history of having really good pass rushers and when you look at them especially on the defensive side of the ball, they haven’t given up hardly any points.
“They’re a team that’s really kind of dominated this series (against us) in the past, so it’ll be a good opportunity for our guys to go on the road and play a good football team that’s very well-coached.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper met with members of the media on Monday ahead of UT’s home match-up with Stetson.
No. 23/RV Tennessee is set to host the Hatters at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be streamed online via SECN+ and broadcast on Lady Vol Network radio stations.
The Lady Vols enter the contest undefeated at 4-0, while Stetson comes in at 2-2. UT’s most recent win was a 73-43 triumph over Tennessee State at home last Thursday. Stetson played two games over the weekend, defeating Morehead State on Friday, 58-55, before falling to Saint Francis on Saturday, 78-73.
On her thoughts on being ranked No. 23 in AP poll:
“Well, you do what you’re supposed to do, and (you) get some wins early in the season, and they reward you by putting you in a poll. Obviously, it is early, and there is a lot to do, but I am glad we are undefeated at this point.”
On why the team is rebounding so well:
“It’s funny, when I watch film I don’t think we are rebounding well enough. We are getting a lot of boards right now because of our size. We are being aggressive, but I think there is room for improvement there. I think that later on when we match up with folks that size-wise look like us, it will be much more difficult. I want to be disciplined now and be more consistent now so that it will pay off later.”
On if she is content with the minutes from her players throughout the first four games:
“Right now, I think the minutes have been good. We have to try and monitor that. One of my big concerns with that is the five-guard rotation with really six slots. So we may be looking at Lou Brown moving over and playing some perimeter position for us. She can do that. That is one area I am keeping an eye on, but right now, I think our minutes are pretty well dispersed.”
On what it means to this team to have three (four before Zaay Green was injured) different leading scorers:
“I think we have players that can make plays. I think it is good to have multiple options. So if we are in a situation that we have to have different folks step up, hopefully they are capable and feel confident to do that now after the first four games.”
On if the rest of the team is healthy other than Zaay Green being out:
“We are still the same group we have had. We are working with Jaiden McCoy and hope to get her back soon, but right now, everybody is a go.”
On the status of when Jaiden McCoy could return:
“Jaiden could actually play right now. We are just trying to be a little bit cautious with her finger and make sure we don’t get it re-injured in this transition period.”
On if she plans on using the ranking as motivation for players:
“I haven’t even thought about it. I just found out a few minutes ago, so I haven’t processed that. It has not ever been anything that is my goal for this team. Obviously, if you are where you are supposed to be, you are going to be ranked here at Tennessee. I think that it is just byproduct of what you’re supposed to be doing here.”
On if the team has progressed like she expected:
“We are probably where I thought we would be. The Notre Dame game was a little bit of a question mark for me, just because I didn’t know with that atmosphere, that environment, that quality of team, how we were going to respond. That was a really good positive for us. I didn’t think we came out of it great. I thought we weren’t as sharp in our next game, so hopefully we can use that as a learning experience and we can do better. But in terms of where we are, I think we are where I expected this team to be at this point.”
On if beating Notre Dame at South Bend built the team’s confidence:
“I thought that win was huge for our confidence in what we are doing, confidence in each other, and really sparking this team to dream bigger and push for more.”
On the players that signed for the Lady Vols last week and what they can contribute in the coming years for the program:
“Both players that we signed are really good people and high-character individuals. They are very competitive. They love the University of Tennessee. They are so excited to put on that jersey, and I think all of those things are imperative right now. Skills-wise, Tess Darby is a really good shooter. She has good length. She understands the game, and she is a hard worker. Destiny Salary also has a really good understanding of the game. She brings more athleticism on the perimeter. She is also a really hard worker. She is a little slippery offensively and a pretty good on-ball defender.”
On what challenges to expect from Stetson:
“I think the first thing that stands out to me is, when I remember this game from last year, I remember watching and keeping an eye on that game last year. I think Tennessee was down and had to make a comeback to get the win. I’m hoping that this is not a team that we will take lightly. I think our players’ attention has been grabbed from the previous season. They (Stetson) are young, but they are athletic, and they have players that can make plays. They have a really good shooter on the perimeter. When you have players that can score, I don’t care who you are, what you run, or what defense you play; you are dangerous if you can score. On any given night, all of those shots can be going in.”
On getting after her team after a win because it wasn’t up to Lady Vol standards:
“Absolutely. We had that discussion after our Tennessee State win. I didn’t think we played well. We won easily, but I don’t think that we played well. We talked about the standard that we needed to have and the discipline that we need to have and the carry over. I didn’t think that our practices leading up to that game were very good. I think our players really rebounded from that game well. We had a really good practice yesterday. We challenged them there. We hope to have another good one and be very prepared going into the Stetson game. Sometimes, you have to not play well to learn a lesson. I’m glad that we can not play well, learn a lesson and still get a win. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it was enough.”
On embracing the ups and downs that come with a young team:
“I think the biggest thing is that you’ve got to continue to push your team. We want to be good because we out-executed our opponent. We want to be good because we were better than them, not because we’re bigger, faster, stronger. We want to do things the right way. That’s where we can build more consistency as a team. I think it’s important that our players are always pushing and always looking for ways to improve. We’re going to do that as a staff, and we talk openly about it. We talk openly about who we’re playing and what we can do well against them and how that carries over from practice to games and then game to game.”
On if freshman guard Jordan Horston has exceeded expectations:
“Obviously, she’s shooting the ball really well. There’s no doubt about that. That’s been exciting to see. Her play… she’s so competitive, so when she gets out on the court, we expect her to make plays. We’ve expected that from the moment she got on this campus. I think when she gets out on the court, she’s taken it to another level in games, and we’re trying to be patient with her. She’s going to make plays. She’s going to make some turnovers. We’re working through those right now, and I think as her game matures, you’re going to see her even improving on her great start.”
On if Horston has been different in practice, compared to games:
“I think she’s been a little bit different. I think she’s one that loves the competition and loves the game. I think, again, as she understands what being a college athlete’s like, you’re going to see her get better.”
On how she found out that the Lady Vols are ranked No. 23 in the latest AP poll:
“I think somebody in the office mentioned it to me. I was working on planning a practice and somebody said, ‘I think we’re ranked.’ They looked it up and said, ‘Yeah, it looks like we’re ranked.’ So, it was very anti-climactic, actually.”
On what her thought was when discovering the team was ranked:
“I remember thinking we would probably be ranked, but I had completely forgotten about the rankings coming out, so it was, ‘Oh yeah, we probably should be ranked at this point.'”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – 20th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball returns to action on Wednesday night when Alabama State rolls into Knoxville for a 7 p.m. ET tip inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The matchup can be seen online on SEC Network+.
Wednesday’s contest is available through the online only platform SEC Network+, which can be accessed at espn.com/watch, or through the ESPN app on any mobile device. Roger Hoover (play-by-play), Vincent Yarbrough (color) and Kasey Funderburg (sideline reporter) will have the call.
Fans can also listen on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
The Vols left Canada Saturday night with their first win over a ranked opponent after taking down 20th-ranked Washington, 75-62 inside Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. UT was led by reigning SEC Player of the Week Jordan Bowden who dropped 18 points, knocking down three-of-five attempts from 3-point land. 15 of Bowden’s points came in the first half, spearheading the Vols 11-2 run early in the first half. A run that gave them a lead they held through the game’s final buzzer.
Tennessee is making its first appearance in the weekly Associated Press poll, coming in at No. 20 this week. UT is also ranked in the Coaches Poll moving up eight spots from 25th to 17th.
This will be the second all-time meeting between Tennessee and Alabama State, with the Vols defeating the Hornets 71-45 in the programs lone matchup on Dec. 27, 2005. This will also be head coach Rick Barnes‘s second meeting against ASU, when he led Providence past the Hornets on Dec. 26, 1991.
Barnes will look to uphold his current undefeated record against current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A win would improve his career mark to 10-0.
Up next, Tennessee will take on Chattanooga for the second game of its two-game homestand on Monday, Nov. 25. Tipoff for that matchup is set for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee won its only previous game against Alabama State, defeating the Hornets, 71-45, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 27, 2005.
• The Vols are 4-0 all-time against current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
• Rick Barnes is 1-0 in his career against Alabama State, having led Providence to a home win over the Hornets on Dec. 26, 1991. Barnes owns a 9-0 career record against SWAC opponents.
A WIN WOULD…
• Give the Volunteers their 29th consecutive home win; it is the longest active home win streak in Division I.
• Leave Rick Barnes‘ four wins away from recording his 700th career head coaching victory.
STORYLINES
• Vols senior Lamonté Turner is an Alabama native. His hometown of Florence is located three hours north of the ASU campus in Montgomery.
• The Vols have are 4-1 against teams from the state of Alabama during the Barnes era.
• Civil rights activist Ralph David Abernathy Sr. graduated from ASU in 1950. His grandson, Micah Abernathy, was a defensive back on the Tennessee football team from 2015-18.
• 2 Chainz and Lil Yachty also attended ASU.
• Vols seniors Jordan Bowden (995) and Lamonté Turner (989) both are on the verge of reaching the 1,000-career-point milestone.
• Wednesday’s contest is the first of two straight home games for the Vols before they travel to the Destin, Florida, area for the Emerald Coast Classic during Thanksgiving week.
LAYUP LINES
• Tennessee returned to the top 25 this week, landing at No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the coaches poll. The Vols spent all of last season ranked in the AP top 10.
• Lamonté Turner ranks second among Division I players with 9.3 assists per game, trailing only Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton (10.7 apg).
• Rick Barnes used only seven players during Saturday’s win over 20th-ranked Washington. That marked the fewest Vols to appear in a game since Barnes used just seven players in a 2016 SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt. Eight or more Vols saw action in all other 139 games during the Barnes era.
• Yves Pons made 39 field goals in his first two seasons as a Vol (59 games). He has 21 made field goals in UT’s first three games this year.
• Tennessee leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in 3-point shooting percentage at .462.
ABOUT ALABAMA STATE
•Alabama State has seen a rough start to its 2019-20 campaign, losing its first three contests—all on the road.
•In those three games, the Hornets have received solid production from senior guard Tobi Ewiosho, who leads the team in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg) while coming off the bench in two of ASU’s three games.
•Junior guard Kevin Holston has also impressed, averaging 4.0 assists per game, providing a steady presence at the point.
•Alabama State will also look for new production in 2019-20 after Reggie Gee (13.5 ppg, .405 FG%) and Brandon Johnson (4.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .604 FG%) both transferred at the end of last season.
•The Hornets are looking to build off last season’s 9-9 record in SWAC play. It was the squad’s first season at .500 or better in conference action since 2015-16.
•The Hornets will play all 13 of their non-conference games away from home this season, meaning ASU won’t see their home floor until Jan. 11 in its SWAC home-opener against Mississippi Valley State.
•Alabama State is a Historically Black University based out of Montgomery, Alabama. Its athletic programs compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
•One of ASU’s notable alumni is current rapper Tauheed Epps, also known as “2 Chainz.” The Atlanta-based artist went to ASU on a full-scholarship, where he played basketball from 1995-97.
•Alabama State was founded in 1867, two years after the conclusion of the Civil War, and currently stands as one of the oldest HBCUs in the nation.
LAST TIME VS. ALABAMA STATE
• Brandon Crump scored 17 points and Scooter McFadgon added 16 as Tennessee pulled away early in a 71-45 win over Alabama State on Dec. 14, 2004, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Chris Lofton added 12 points—all on 3-pointers—for the Volunteers
• Tennessee struggled in the opening minutes, missing nine of their first 16 shots, but took control before halftime.
• Joel Bosh’s jumper with 4:35 left tied it at 20 for Alabama State, but Tennessee responded with an 18-2 run to finish the half and go ahead 38-22.
• Alabama State’s Jermaine Smith scored the first basket in the second half to cut the lead to 14, but that was as close as the Hornets would get the rest of the way.
• Alex Oliver led Alabama State in scoring with 12 points. His father, Charles Oliver, at the time was an administrative assistant for event management in Tennessee’s athletic department.
BOWDEN & TURNER APPROACHING 1,000-POINT MILESTONE
• Senior guards Jordan Bowden and Lamonté Turner are less than a dozen points away from eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for their respective careers.
• A total of 50 Vols have accomplished that feat during their time on Rocky Top, with Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams being the most recent additions to the 1,000-Point Club last season.
• Turner (989 points) and Bowden (995 points) could both reach the milestone Wednesday. Last season, Schofield and Williams achieved the feat in the same game, surpassing the mark in UT’s win over Louisville in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
• Tennessee has reached the Sweet Sixteen each of the last two seasons in which two players joined the 1,000-Point Club. In 2014, Jordan McRae and Jarnell Stokes joined the club.
• All-time, UT has had 11 duos reach 1,000 points in the same season, including Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King in 1975-76.
LEADING THE SEC
• Lamontè Turner leads the SEC in assists per game with 9.3 apg. The next closest SEC player is Auburn’s J’Von McCormick, with 6.8 apg.
• Jordan Bowden’s .643 3-point percentage also leads the SEC and ranks 10th in Division I.
NATION’S LONGEST HOME WIN STREAK
• Tennessee is riding a 28-game home win streak that is the longest active streak among Division I teams.
• The streak dates to the 2017-18 season. The Vols won their final eight games at Thompson-Boling Arena that year before going 18-0 at home last season.
• Tennessee’s last loss in Knoxville was a 94-84 loss to Auburn on Jan. 2, 2018.
• The program record for consecutive home wins is 37 (2006-09). The current streak is tied as the third-longest in UT history. The Vols have also authored home win streaks of 33 games (1966-68) and 28 games (1935-37).
SHORTENING THE BENCH
• For just the second time during his four-plus-year tenure as Tennessee’s head coach, Rick Barnes used only seven players during UT’s neutral-site win over 20th-ranked Washington on Nov. 16.
• The only other time a Barnes-coached Tennessee team used fewer than eight players in a game was a 2016 SEC Tournament win over Vanderbilt.
• As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how deep Tennessee’s bench will be in tight games.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Lady Vols (4-0), who made their 2019 debut at No. 23 (tied with Gonzaga) in the AP poll on Monday and are receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, welcome Stetson (2-2) to Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday night for a 7 p.m. ET match-up.
This marks the 500th Lady Vol game played at T-BA since the venue came online during the 1987-88 season. UT has a 454-45 (.910) record there.
Tennessee is playing its second of six straight games on Rocky Top after opening with two of the season’s first three games on the road. After facing Stetson, the Lady Vols welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 26), Air Force (Dec. 1), Texas (Dec. 8) and Colorado State (Dec. 11) to The Summitt. The UAPB and Air Force games are part of UT’s Salute to Service Week, while the Texas match-up is part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The meeting with the Hatters is the eighth between the programs, with the teams most recently playing on Dec. 5, 2018, in Knoxville. UT holds a 7-0 advantage in the series.
Tennessee enters on the heels of a 73-43 home triumph over in-state foe Tennessee State last Thursday evening. The Hatters, meanwhile, come off a three-game swing through the Bluegrass State before heading south to Tennessee.
Stetson opened the trip in Lexington, falling to No. 13 Kentucky, 67-48, last Wednesday. SU played in the Morehead State Eagle Invitational over the weekend, defeating Morehead State, 58-55, on Friday and falling to St. Francis (Pa.), 78-73, on Saturday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday night’s game will be streamed live on SECN+ with Andy Brock (PxP) and Steve Hamer (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 Hoops for Hunger Night. Donate two non-perishable food items and receive one complimentary ticket. Donations benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank, helping to feed East Tennessee families in need. Please bring all donations in a clear or disposable bag.
Tickets are available at AllVols.com. Spark the Summitt with tickets starting at $5! Gates open at 6 p.m.
It’s $2 Tuesday! Petros are only $2 from the time gates open until tip with a voucher.
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 Lady Vols moved their record to 4-0 last Thursday night, defeating Tennessee State, 73-43, in front of a crowd of 7,213 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The win marked the third-straight year that UT has started out 4-0, and the Lady Vols improved to 6-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers (1-1).
Eight players for the Big Orange scored, with three of them hitting double digits. Sophomore Rae Burrell came off the bench to lead the way with a career-high-tying 14, while junior Rennia Davis and junior Kasiyahna Kushkituah added 12 and 11, respectively.
Davis, the current SEC Player of the Week, led UT in rebounding for the second time this season, grabbing 10. Her double-double was her third of the season and 21st of her career.
Tennessee State was led by Taylor Roberts with 12 points, followed by Deaja Richardson who logged 11.
NOTES FROM THE TSU WIN
Owning The Glass: UT out-rebounded Tennessee State, 60-38. Through four games, Tennessee has beaten every opponent on the boards, averaging 54.3 rebounds per game while holding opponents to 36.0. The school record rebound average for a season is 46.9 in 1992-93.
Rennia Climbing The Record Book: Junior Rennia Davis recorded her 21st career double-double, moving her into a tie with Bridgette Gordon and Cierra Burdick at 14th all-time in Lady Vol career double-doubles.
Run Tracker: Tennessee put up a 10-0 run during the fourth quarter against Tenn. State, notching its fourth 10+ run of the season.
Balanced Attack: Of the 10 Lady Vols active against Tennessee State, eight contributed at least six points while three players ended the day in double figures.
TENNESSEE TOPICS
For the first time since the 11th polling period of 2018-19, the Lady Vols are back in the AP Top 25. They made their season debut tied for 23rd with Gonzaga on Nov. 18. The Vols (No. 20) also joined the men’s poll, making UT one of eight schools to have their men’s and women’s teams ranked and one of only three where both were also unbeaten.
Tennessee has opened a season 4-0 for the third year in a row.
Kellie Harper will attempt to open a season 5-0 for the first time in her head coaching career. She twice opened 4-0 at NC State in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
After opening up the season with three games in seven days and four in 10, UT will play two contests in the next 10 days, allowing growth to take place.
The Lady Vols have won the rebounding battle in all four games and have a +18.3 margin vs. opponents.
Eight players currently are averaging at least 4.5 rebounds per game, led by Rennia Davis at 8.8 and both Lou Brown and Kasiyahna Kushkituah at 6.3. Six different players have led the squad in rebounds during the first four games.
The Big Orange have been big on swatting shots, averaging 8.3 blocks per contest. Tamari Key averages 3.3 per game.
UT is allowing only 52.5 points per game, 28 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent from the three-point arc. The 28-percent figure ranks UT No. 9 nationally in field goal pct. defense. The 19 percent mark ranks No. 15 in 3-point field goal pct. defense.
There have been four different leading scorers thus far, including Zaay Green vs. ETSU (17), Jordan Horston vs. Central Arkansas (17), Rennia Davis vs. Notre Dame (33) and Rae Burrell vs. Tennessee State (14).
UT-SU SERIES NOTES
Tuesday night’s match-up between Tennessee and Stetson will be the eighth meeting between these schools and the first between Kellie Harper and Lynn Bria.
UT is 7-0 all-time vs. the Hatters, including 6-0 at home and 1-0 at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols had to come back from being down 20 points with 7:29 to go in the third quarter in last season’s meeting. That comeback was the second largest in school history behind a 23-point comeback at Rutgers on Jan. 3, 2009
Tennessee had scored 90+ points in five of six previous meetings before tallying only 65 last season.
Also, a year ago, Tennessee went a perfect 13 of 13 from the charity stripe in the third quarter against Stetson and was 25 of 30 on the game for a free-throw percentage of 83.3%. That was the team’s highest free-throw percentage since going 20-24 (83.3%) against Auburn in the SEC Tournament on March 1, 2018.
The Lady Vols held Stetson to six third-quarter points last season, tying for the (then) sixth fewest points scored by an opponent in any quarter.
Tennessee legend Bridgette Gordon (1985-89) is a native of DeLand, Fla., where Stetson is located
The Lady Vols are 11-0 all-time against schools from the Atlantic Sun Conference.
ABOUT STETSON
Stetson returned six players and three starters from last season’s 16-16 squad that finished second in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-5 record.
The top returnee is Day’Neshia Banks, who averaged 14.9 ppg. and 6.6 rpg. last season en route to ASUN Newcomer of the Year and All-ASUN First Team accolades.
Banks was a teammate of Tennessee’s Rennia Davis at Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Fla.
SU aide Shanasa Sanders was an assistant coach for Davis and Banks at Ribault.
The Hatters are led by Lynn Bria, who is in her 12th season at the school and has a 212-147 record. She is 365-360 in her 25th year as a head coach.
Stetson has earned three NCAA berths since 2005, plus five WNIT appearances and two WBI invitations.
RECAPPING SU’S WEEKEND
Stetson went 1-1 at the Morehead State Eagle Invitational over the weekend, defeating the host school, 58-55, on Friday and falling to St. Francis, 78-73, on Saturday.
St. Francis outscored SU in the fourth period, 24-18, to earn the win, hitting 14 of 19 free throw attempts during that stanza.
Maddie Novak came off the bench to hit six of 10 field goal attempts and lead the Hatters with 18 points.
On Friday, Stetson overcame 34 turnovers and got a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double from Day’Neshia Banks to hold off Morehead State.
The Hatters connected on 50 percent of their attempts from the field (21-42) vs. MSU.
SU averaged 37.0 points per game in the paint at the tourney.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
Sophomore Rennia Davis fired in 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead No. 9/9 Tennessee to a 65-55 victory over Stetson at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 5, 2018.
Davis hit 11 of 12 free throws in the win, as the Lady Vols finished 25 of 30 for the game from the charity stripe for 83.3 percent. Freshman Zaay Green tallied eight points and five rebounds to aid the cause.
After being held to just 22 points at the half, Tennessee (7-0) rallied from a 20-point deficit with a 22-0 run in the third quarter to outscore the Hatters 43-17 in the second half.
Stetson (1-7) was led by redshirt-senior forward Sarah Sagerer, who logged 19 points and six rebounds. Addi Walters was the only other Hatter with double-digit points (17), as she displayed 3-of-5 accuracy from deep range.
“Our guys are excited to get back into game week. They should be fresh, I know I definitely am, had a good weekend. When you look at Missouri, they’re a team that is 5-1 at home. They lost this past weekend; the game was really close against Florida and a couple of things didn’t go their way down the stretch. They’re a team that’s really kind of dominated this series in the past, so it’ll be a good opportunity for our guys to go on the road and play a good football team that’s very well-coached. When you look at them especially on the defensive side of the ball, they haven’t given up hardly any points, they’re very good against the pass and creating negative plays. They have play-makers and have always had a history of having really good pass rushers.
Credit: UT Athletics
“Offensively, like a lot of teams in this league, the have had to bounce around a couple of quarterbacks due to injury. I’m very familiar with Kelly Bryant, I coached against him when he was at Clemson. The guy is extremely athletic and can extend plays. He has a big arm. When you look at Missouri offensively, they’re really big and strong and physical up front. To me they have two really unique tight ends that can present a lot of issues. They have multiple guys they play at the running back position and they all are plenty capable, and they have plenty of playmakers on the outside.
“You look in the kicking game, they do a really nice job in punt returns. They present you a lot of different problems on the punt team and with their kickoff cover team their kicker kicks it into the stadium every time, so there are lots of issues there. We have a huge challenge for us and we have to continue to improve as a football team. I’ve said this a bunch of times, we have yet to play our best game, we have yet to, in my opinion, play a complete game. So, we have lots of things as a staff, as individual players, as a team, we have a lot to prove and this is a great opportunity to do it.”
On Missouri’s offensive struggles being attributed to quarterback injuries and differences in Kelly Bryant at Clemson versus Missouri:
“I think when you change quarterbacks it definitely presents some issues. There are very few teams that have multiple quarterbacks that can come in there and run the offense. I’m sure even with the guys that are capable, it’s different. We went through that a little bit ourselves. Probably turning the football over has had something to do with it, as well as creating explosive plays in the throw game. If you look at what (Kelly Bryant) is doing now at Missouri versus what he did at Clemson, they are a bit different offense, but you can see that Missouri has done a few things to cater to what he does best.”
On how Nigel Warrior’s play this season compares to last season:
“Nigel has continued to work hard every day at practice. He’s been a really good leader for us. He has improved tremendously from last year to this year and he continues to get better. He’s playing his best football right now. He’s kind of turning into a complete player, whether it’s playing the ball, playing man-to-man, or tackling in space, he has improved and continues to improve in all of those areas. Like everybody else, he wants to play his best game this next week. So, he’s going to work hard to do it this week.”
On Daniel Bituli being on pace to lead the team in tackles for a third straight year and what his return has meant to the defense this season:
“Obviously, he’s one of our better players. So, when you have one of your better players not playing, there’s a drop off. He’s a guy that, to me, has worked extremely hard to learn the ins and outs of what we’re trying to do on the defensive side of the ball. He’s an instinctive guy, he’s a tough guy, he works hard at it to be a good player. So, we’re glad he’s back and I’m glad to see that he’s having the success that he’s having.”
On how much you can use the experience of going against players at a different school, like Kelly Bryant:
“I think you always have to take in the whole body of work. I think it’s an advantage, playing against somebody for us, where at least we’ve prepared against him before and probably have a good idea of their skillset. The offenses are different, but there are some things that they do that are similar, so you probably would draw on some of the past to kind of help create a plan.”
On players being healthy after bye week and what he wants to see from team in practice to know they are back and ready to go:
“I saw the team last night and I think the guys are excited about getting going today; the clock is ticking on the 2019 team. I’ve said all along this group of guys enjoys being around each other, we enjoy being around them and we still as a team have a lot to prove and our guys are looking forward to having the opportunity to try being our best on Saturday. For injuries, we’re probably as healthy as we’ve been in a long time.”
On why he likes to be aggressive at the end of the first half and how important the middle eight minutes are:
“I feel like in the last five games we’ve improved in the middle eight minutes, it probably cost us a chance to win some football games early in the season, whether it was not capitalizing on touchdowns, or turning the football over, or letting someone score at the end of the half so we’ve tried to focus on improving there. On being aggressive, you’re probably not supposed to do that but sometimes you just take a chance, sometimes it might work out sometimes it might not.”
On Baylen Buchanan’s outlook for the rest of the season:
“He’s not going to play the rest of the year. He’ll continue to work on his rehab and hopefully we will get him back soon.”
On if there is any change in Jarrett Guarantano’s hand and how they are handling the quarterback position this week:
“He has been able to do everything except maybe clap his hand to take the snap. We probably cut down the reps to eliminate the contact there so it would reduce the swelling, so we would have a better opportunity on Saturday. We will see these guys out here today and the way we practice, they all get the same amount of reps. We will see as the week goes, we will narrow it down a little bit and probably focus on two guys.”
On if they players understand that they have not played their best for a complete game yet this year or if winning four of the last five games means they have played the best football:
“If they think that, then they are walking around with blinders on. I mean, we have showed them lots of ways we can improve offensively, defensively and on special teams. I am pretty sure our guys understand that. I think that is one of the things we have improved on as a football team is just self-awareness. We know our limitations, our strengths, where we are at and where we are not. If you know those things, you can fix things.”
On Nigel Warrior having a light come on and what process it took for him to get it to:
“Well I didn’t say a light came on, you did. I said he has continued to improve and he does that because he works hard every day at practice. He is a very gifted athlete that has ball skills. He can play man-to-man, he can tackle in space, he has toughness and he has instincts. He wants to be really good. He has taken to the coaching that he has received. He has improved tremendously in the last 18 months. Probably just as much as any player that I have ever been around. I have really seen him hitting his stride and hopefully he will continue to work hard and he will continue to improve.”
Following two lights-out shooting performances and a career-high scoring output, senior Jordan Bowden has been named the SEC’s Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
The award marks Bowden’s second career SEC weekly honor, as he was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 12, 2016.
In Tennessee’s two wins last week, Bowden shot 14-of-28 from the field (.500) while nailing an impressive 9-of-13 shots from 3-point range (.692).
Against Murray State last Tuesday, the Knoxville native poured in a career-high 26 points, draining six of his eight attempts from behind the 3-point arc. He scored 19 of those points in the second half, helping the Vols erase a nine-point halftime deficit on the way to an 82-63 victory over the Racers.
On Saturday against 20th-ranked Washington, Bowden scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, knocking down three-of-four 3-point attempts while spearheading the Vols’ early 11-2 run, giving them a lead they held through the game’s final buzzer.
His 44 points last week leave him just five points shy of becoming the 51st member of UT’s 1,000-Point Club.
Bowden’s play through Tennessee’s first three games has him leading the SEC and ranking 10th nationally in 3-point percentage (9-14, .643). He has also been a key contributor toward Tennessee ranking first in the SEC and fifth in the country with a team 3-point shooting percentage of .462.
Tennessee players have now earned a dozen SEC Player of the Week awards during the Barnes era (2015-16 to present).
Big Orange fans can catch Bowden and the rest of the undefeated Vols in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET when UT hosts Alabama State at Thompson-Boling Arena.
