Tennessee guard Jordan Bone after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee forward Grant Williams after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
Tennessee forward John Fulkerson after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
The Tennessee guard after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
This is funny! Tennessee was having fun in the locker room after the Vols defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-76 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville. Our coverage of the SEC Tournament in Nashville is brought to you by Image Matters and Hiwassee Window & Door.
With 16 shows already under his belt, Eric Church’s 37-date Double Down Tour is in full swing. Now, the tour is getting additional dates.
Eric announced 13 new shows in eight new cities, including stops in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Calgary, Sacramento and more.
“I don’t want to be two months from the end of this thing—so we’re going to play a little more,” said Eric. “I can’t thank you enough for what this is and what I’m seeing every night. I appreciate everybody giving me everything they’ve got and I look forward to seeing you on the road!”
A pit ticket pre-sale for all added shows—except the Oct. 25 Little Rock, Ark. show—begins on March 19 at 9:30 a.m. through the Eric Church Official App with an additional pre-sale for paid fan club members running from March 19 at 10 a.m. through March 21 at 10 p.m. Tickets to the general public go on sale on March 22 at 10 a.m. All times are local.
Double Down Tour
March 15 & 16 – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.*
March 22 & 23 – Allstate Arena, Chicago, Ill.*
March 29 & 30 – Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wis.*
April 12 & 13 – American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas*
April 19 & 20 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio*
April 26 & 27 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C.*
May 3 & 4 – PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.*
May 10 & 11 – Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.*
May 17 & 18 – STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, Calif.*
May 25 – Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.*
June 28 & 29 – The Gorge Amphitheatre, George, Wash.*
Sept. 13 & 14 – Resch Center, Green Bay, Wis.
Sept. 20 & 21 – Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Oct. 11 & 12 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 25 – Verizon Arena, Little Rock, Ark.
Nov. 1 – SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.
Nov. 2 – XL Center, Hartford, Conn.
Nov. 15 & 16 – The Anthem, Washington, D.C.
Nov. 22 & 23 – Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.
*previously announced dates
photo by Jason Simanek
Chris Young cranks up the volume in his new video for “Raised On Country.”
Directed by Peter Zavadil, the new clip was filmed at a Nashville-area dive bar, as well as the WSM Radio Tower, a historic tower built in 1932 that was responsible for broadcasting the Grand Ole Opry from New York to California.
“As a member of the Opry, I was honored to be allowed to film ‘Raised On Country’ in and around the WSM Radio Tower and the same airwaves where songs from my musical icons have played over the years,” said Chris. “It was a long day and I had a lot of fun filming the video, even in the scenes where we had debris flying in our faces inside the studio.”
Chris is trying to score the 12th No. 1 single of his career with “Raised on Country,” which is currently No. 29 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after nine weeks. Co-penned by Chris with frequent collaborators Corey Crowder and Cary Barlowe, “Raised on County” name-drops some of Chris’ country music heroes, including George Strait, Merle Haggard, Joe Diffie and Willie Nelson.
Watch Chris’ new video below.
photo by Nash Country Daily
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 8 Tennessee opens play in the SEC Tournament on Friday night in the quarterfinals against Mississippi State.
The game will tip at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network and can also be viewed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee (27-4, 15-3 SEC) claimed the No. 3 seed in the tournament and earned a double bye. The Vols are one of the favorites to win the championship and have the opportunity to earn a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this week, Grant Williams became just the 10th player in conference history to win SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back season and was the first since Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson did so in 1994 and 1995. Williams was also tabbed first-team All-SEC after finishing the regular season as the top scorer in the SEC with 19.3 points per game. He has been one of the nation’s most versatile and reliable players this season, averaging 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Senior wing Admiral Schofield earned first-team All-SEC recognition from the coaches after averaging 16.3 points per game, which ranked second on the team and fifth in the SEC, to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Jordan Bone rounded out the Vols’ All-SEC performers, earning a nod on the second team by both the coaches and the AP. The junior point guard led the SEC in assists per game (6.1), ranked second in assist/turnover ratio (3.0) and seventh in field-goal percentage (.475).
Tennessee won of its lone matchup against Mississippi State this season. UT bested the Bulldogs at home for Senior Night, 71-54, to cap a perfect 18-0 slate in Thompson-Boling Arena this year. MSU cruised past Texas A&M, 80-54, in the second round of the tournament to advance to the quarterfinals.
FRIDAY’S OPPONENT
• Tennessee is 1-0 against Mississippi State this season, posting a 71-54 win in Knoxville.
• The Vols are 1-0 against Texas A&M this season, defeating the Aggies 93-76 in College Station.
• Tennessee swept Vanderbilt this year, winning 88-83 in overtime in Nashville before posting a 58-46 victory in Knoxville.
• Tennessee is 2-1 at neutral sites this season.
A WIN WOULD…
• Give Tennessee 28 wins this season, tying for the second-most victories in program history.
• Signal the most victories by a Rick Barnes-coached team since his 2010-11 Texas squad finished 28-8.
• Prevent the Vols from suffering back-to-back losses, which hasn’t happened since UT’s first two SEC games of last season.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
• Ben Howland’s squad was one of five teams in a battle for the four seed and a double bye in the SEC Tournament during the final week of the regular season. Mississippi State has a chance to compete for the championship and will be a tough test for the Vols in the quarterfinals.
• The Bulldogs (23-9, 10-8 SEC) are led by four-time All-SEC performer Quinndary Weatherspoon (18.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.7 spg). The senior guard led the SEC in scoring (19.4 ppg) during league play and has dropped 20 points in 14 games this year.
• Junior guard Lamar Peters leads MSU in assists (5.2 apg), steals (1.7 spg) and 3-pointers made (79) and is second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Peters, junior Tyson Carter (59) and Weatherspoon (53) are all capable of going off from beyond the arc on any given night. Carter (10.7 ppg, .455 FG%) dropped a season-high 22 points behind four threes against Missouri earlier this season.
• As a team, the Bulldogs are one of the best squads at blocking shots (5.1 bpg), ranking 10th in the country and second in the SEC behind the Vols. They lead the league 3-point field-goal percentage (.376) and are second in second in the league in 3-pointers per game (8.5). MSU is 22nd in the nation and fourth in the conference in steals per game (8.2), as well.
SEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• Tennessee is 67-54 (.554) in 58 all-time previous SEC Tournament appearances.
• The Vols own the third-best SEC Tournament winning percentage among league schools, trailing only Kentucky (.842) and Alabama (.559).
• Since the tournament was renewed in 1979, the Vols are 32-39 (.451).
• Tennessee has won the SEC Tournament four times, tying Florida for third-most among league schools. The Vols won the event in 1936, 1941, 1943 and 1979.
• UT has reached the championship game 11 times (tied for third-most among league schools), most recently last season in St. Louis.
• Tennessee has been the No. 3 seed only once previously, and the Vols fell to sixth-seeded Ole Miss, 81-72, in the 1981 tournament in Birmingham.
• This is the 10th time Nashville has hosted the SEC Tournament. UT is 11-9 in the tournament when it takes place in “The Music City.”
• Tennessee’s SEC Tournament record at Bridgestone Arena is 7-7.
BARNES IN LEAGUE TOURNEYS
• Rick Barnes is 35-30 (.538) in conference tournament games as a head coach.
• He led Providence to the Big East Tournament championship in 1994.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT
• Wayne Chism scored 23, JaJuan Smith added 19 and Tyler Smith put in 13, but it was Chris Lofton’s 25-footer with 12.0 seconds remaining that lifted the Vols to an 89-87 win over South Carolina in the 2008 SEC Tournament in Atlanta on March 14, 2008.
• Carlus Groves went 9-for-10 from the floor, scoring 22 points, to lift Tennessee to an 87-70 upset win over No. 18 Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the 1991 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
• It took Tony White 45 minutes to put 30 on Florida, including five points in overtime, as the Vols beat the Gators, 80-74, in the first round of the 1984 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
• Tennessee topped Kentucky, the third time UT beat the Wildcats that year, in the championship game of the 1979 SEC Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. The Vols prevailed 75-69 in overtime on March 3, 1979.
JUST A JUNIOR, GRANT WILLIAMS JOINS ELITE SEC COMPANY
• Grant Williams has joined a prestigious group of players in SEC history by being named SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
• Williams, who also was named the SEC POY by the league coaches last year, is the first player to repeat since Arkansas’ Corliss Williamson in 1994 and 1995.
• In total, only nine players have accomplished the achievement since the award was first started in 1965, including VFLs Bernard King and Dale Ellis and other all-time greats such as Williamson, Pete Maravich and Shaq.
• Tennessee has now tied LSU for the most players by a team (3) to earn the achievement in back-to-back seasons in SEC history. See chart below.
• And if Williams were to return next season, he would have a chance to join an even more exclusive and elite group of players during his senior campaign. King (1975-77) and Maravich (1968-70) are the only players to ever win the award in three consecutive seasons.
YEARS PLAYER TEAM
2018-19 Grant Williams Tennessee
1994-95 Corliss Williamson Arkansas
1991-92 Shaquille O’Neal LSU
1989-90 Chris Jackson LSU
1985-86 Kenny Walker Kentucky
1982-83 Dale Ellis Tennessee
1978-89 Reggie King Alabama
1975-77 Bernard King Tennessee
1968-70 Pete Maravich LSU
1965-66 Clyde Lee Vanderbilt
WILLIAMS IS TENNESSEE’S 16th FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
• Junior Grant Williams is the 16th player in Tennessee basketball history to earn first-team All-America honors—and just the second in the last 39 years.
• The Vols had 14 first-team All-America selections between Bernie Mehen in 1940 and Dale Ellis in 1983. Since then, Chris Lofton (2008) was UT’s only first-teamer until Williams joined the club this year.
• Williams is the fifth player to earn first-team All-America laurels under head coach Rick Barnes, joining Chris Mihm, T.J. Ford, Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin.
ADMIRAL EARNS FIRST-TEAM SALUTE
• Senior wing Admiral Schofield earned first-team All-SEC status from the league’s head coaches after landing on the second team a season ago.
• Schofield’s scoring average has increased every year during his career, and he now averages 16.3 ppg to rank fifth among all SEC players. He also ranks fifth in the SEC in field-goal percentage (.476).
BARNES A SEMIFINALIST FOR NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR
• For the second consecutive year, Rick Barnes is one a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s College Coach of the Year.
• One year removed from leading Tennessee to the SEC Championship and a 26-9 overall record, Barnes this season has guided the Volunteers to a 27-4 mark. That impressive record includes a school-record 19-game winning streak and multiple victories over top-five opponents.
• The Vols spent four weeks atop the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, and for the first time in program history, Tennessee spent the entire season ranked among the top 10.
• Four finalists will be announced on March 20.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee hosted its annual Pro Day on Thursday morning with a group of draft-eligible Vols showcasing their talents in front of NFL scouts and executives.
There were a total of 12 UT athletes participating in workouts throughout the day: Micah Abernathy, Paul Bain, Keller Chryst, Malik Elion, D.J. Henderson, Alexis Johnson Jr., Jonathon Kongbo, Madre London, Jesse Medford, Kyle Phillips, Quart’e Sapp and Shy Tuttle.
The day started by the athletes getting their height and weight recorded. Shortly after, they performed on the bench press and took part in the vertical jump.
After performing in the weight room, players competed in the broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, 60-yard shuttle and a 3-cone drill. The day ended with position specific drills for the scouts in attendance.
Phillips Taking Advantage of Opportunities
Kyle Phillips wrapped up his Vol career on Thursday morning at Tennessee’s indoor practice facility. The Nashville native, who collected 114 tackles, eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss in his four-year career, showed scouts his abilities one last time at Tennessee’s 2019 Pro Day.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get more exposure,” Phillips said. “Last week, I went to a regional combine and all 32 teams were there. It’s about getting as many eyes on you as possible.”
Phillips assembled his best season with the Vols in 2018, posting a career-high in tackles (56), sacks (5), TFL (8), and notched a forced fumble while also recovering one fumble.
The 2018 Piesman Trophy winner, which is presented by SB Nation to ‘a defensive lineman who can do something truly special with the ball in their hands,’ flourished in his final year at UT under head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
“This coaching staff did a great job preparing us for these things,” Phillips said. “Just by doing some of these drills during summer workouts, putting them in practice. That’s always good to have these kind of drills engrained into you.”
To earn the Piesman Trophy, Phillips cut off a screen pass against Alabama and intercepted the ball, returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. The versatile lineman also registered four pass breakups and one blocked kick on the year.
The trophy wasn’t his lone one at UT, as Philips also collected the Bill Majors Award and Defensive Player of the Year at the year-end team banquet.
Phillips continued to show up in Tennessee’s biggest games of the year. In upsets over No. 21 Auburn and No. 11 Kentucky, he logged a combined 15 tackles, one TFL and forced a fumble that resulted in a touchdown against the Tigers.
Among other awards Philips collected in his four-year career at UT were three SEC Academic Honor Roll honors. Philips was also a member of the second VOLeader Academy Class in 2017.
As impressive as a career as he had at UT, Phillips is now looking forward to living out a childhood dream.
“Growing up, most of us always dreamed of playing in the NFL,” Philips said. “I’ve seen other guys go through this process, and the fact that now it’s me, it happens really fast. Time really does fly by.”
Tuttle Ready to Compete at the Next Level
Shy Tuttle’s Tennessee career concluded on the indoor practice field on Thursday morning, showing out for NFL scouts.
“It’s a good feeling,” Tuttle said. “We’ve been training for eight months. Some of us longer than that. I’m finally getting it out of the way. I feel I came out and competed well.”
In his lone season in Pruitt’s system, Tuttle started all 12 games and received the “Trenches Award” at the year-end banquet. The Midway, N.C., native posted career-highs in tackles (33), TFL (2.5), and recorded his first sack and interception in 2018.
The 300-pound lineman also showed off his versatility on special teams, blocking two FG attempts and a PAT in his career.
One of his blocked kicks came in an upset win over No. 11 Kentucky this season while also registering three tackles.
Over his time at Tennessee, Tuttle finished with 79 tackles, one sack, three fumble recoveries and one interception. Fighting injuries for the majority of his period at UT, he flourished in his final season – playing and starting in every game for the first time in his career.
After finishing his career with the Vols, he has now shifted his focus to playing at the next level.
“I’m trying to lean up my body and get in the best shape as possible,” Tuttle said. “Eating right, training and skills training. I didn’t do much football specifically; I just ran a lot. I weigh 290 right now. I’ve trimmed a bunch of fat.”
Tuttle was a participant of the 2019 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 21 Tennessee hits the road to open Southeastern Conference play this weekend against No. 15 Auburn at Plainsman Park.
The Volunteers will look to win their SEC opener for the fourth time in the last five years when they travel down to Auburn to face off against the Tigers on the Plains.
UT is coming off a midweek sweep of UNC Asheville on Tuesday and Wednesday to improve to 17-1 on the year, which is tied with the 1997 SEC Eastern Division championship team for the best record through 18 games in program history.
Broadcast Info
Friday’s series opener and Sunday’s series finale will be streamed online via SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Andy Burcham (PxP) and Mark Fuller (Analyst) will have the call for those contests.
Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network with Clay Matvick (PxP), VFL Chris Burke (Analyst) and Ben McDonald (Analyst) calling the action.
Fans can also listen to Tennessee play-by-play man John Wilkerson call all three games for the Vol Network on FM 99.1 / AM 990 as well as online at UTSports.com.
Projected Starting Pitchers
Friday: RHP Garrett Stallings (4-0, 1.63 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Burns (3-0, 0.67 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Zach Linginfelter (4-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. LHP Jack Owen (3-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Will Neely (2-1, 6.16 ERA) vs. TBD
Series History vs. Auburn
Overall: Auburn leads, 92-39
In Knoxville: Auburn leads, 40-20
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 52-19
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: April 15, 2017 in Knoxville (L, 8-1)
The Vols will look to secure their first series win over the Tigers since May of 2011 and their first series win on the road at Auburn since March of 2005.
Need to Know
Opponent Scout
No. 15 Auburn Tigers (15-2)
On Deck for the Vols
Tennessee will finish its four-game road trip with a midweek contest at ETSU on Tuesday 6 p.m. ET in Johnson City. The matchup will be the first of two for the Vols against the in-state Bucs this season.
-UT Athletics
