KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee junior Garrett Stallings was dominant on Opening Day as the Tennessee Volunteers shut out the Appalachian State Mountaineers 6-0 Friday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Stallings (1-0) dealt seven scoreless innings, fanning a career-high eight batters in the process to earn the win for the Big Orange. The right-hander out of Chesapeake, Va., retired his final 12 batters in order to complete a successful opening night on the mound.
Will Sprinkle (0-1) took the loss for the Mountaineers, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Tennessee (1-0) totaled six runs on 10 hits, headlined by a 2-for-4 performance from cleanup hitter Evan Russell. The outfielder from Lexington, Tenn., cranked a solo homer and a double to left field, in addition to scoring a pair of runs for the Vols. Junior outfielder Jay Charleston (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) also enjoyed a multi-hit effort with a double down the right field line and an infield single to third base.
Leadoff man Justin Ammons (1-for-3, HR, RBI) also went yard for the Vols, while Pete Derkay (1-for-3, 2B, R) and Luc Lipcius (1-for-3, 2B, R, RBI) each knocked doubles deep to right field to round out UT’s group of players with extra-base hits.
App State catcher Riley Smith (1-for-3) tallied the only hit for his squad with a single through the right side in the top of the third.
UT plated its first run of the season on a sac fly to left from Charleston in the bottom of the third inning. Lipcius scored on the play after leading the inning off with a double to deep right field. Freshman Jake Rucker (1-for-2, RBI) moved Lipcius over to third with a sharp single to right – the first hit of his collegiate career.
The Vols tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to gain a 3-0 cushion over the Mountaineers. Ammons started the frame with a solo shot off the scoreboard in right center, then three batters later, Russell launched a solo home run of his own over the porches in left field.
UT widened its advantage to five runs via back-to-back sac flies from Lipcius and Rucker in the bottom of the seventh. JUCO transfers Al Soularie (1-for-1, R, RBI) and Ricky Martinez (1-for-4, R) each crossed the plate in their Tennessee debuts.
The Vols capped the scoring in the bottom of the eighth when Soularie drove in Russell with an infield single to second base. Russell led the inning off with his second extra-base hit of the night, driving a double to the left field wall before moving to third on a failed pickoff attempt from Mountaineer reliever Cam Roberts.
STALLINGS CRUISES TO CAREER NIGHT: Coming off a standout summer-ball season in the Cape Cod League, Garrett Stallings posted a dominant effort on the mound for the Volunteers Friday night. His eight strikeouts set a new career-high, beating his previous record of five that was recorded three separate times. After giving up a single in the third, the junior from Chesapeake, Va., retired the final 12 batters he faced.
RELIEVERS HOLD IT DOWN: Tennessee pitchers Redmond Walsh and Chase Silseth followed Stallings’ gem with two scoreless, hitless relief innings. Walsh recorded a strikeout and a walk in the eighth, while Silseth tossed a perfect ninth frame to seal the Opening Day victory.
UP NEXT: Tennessee goes for the series win over App State Saturday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. with junior righty Zach Linginfelter projected to start for the Vols.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee (16-8, 5-6, SEC), hits the road to take on RV/RV Missouri (19-7, 8-4 SEC) on Sunday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Tip-off is slated for 4:02 p.m. CT (5:02 ET) in a contest that is being carried by ESPN2.
Including this match-up, the Lady Vols have five contests remaining during the regular season. Two are at home (South Carolina, Vanderbilt) and three are away (Missouri, Texas A&M, Ole Miss). UT is in the midst of a five-game stint where it plays four of those contests on the road. The final game of that set comes next Thursday when UT is at Texas A&M.
The Lady Vols enter this contest having won four of their past five games, including victories over LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt and Auburn. The loss was at Mississippi State on Feb. 10. UT claimed a season sweep over Auburn on Thursday night in Knoxville, grabbing a Valentine’s Day win over the Tigers, 73-62.
Mizzou, which is receiving votes in both polls, is coming off a massive upset over No. 5/5 Mississippi State in Starkville. The Tigers’ 75-67 win snapped a 30-game MSU home win streak and a 26-game SEC regular season spree. The Bulldogs had last lost on their home court on Feb. 26, 2017, to Tennessee. The Tigers have won three straight after suffering a spell where they dropped three of four.
Missouri won the first match-up this season between these teams, defeating the (then) No. 10/10 Lady Vols, 66-64, on Jan. 6 in UT’s home SEC opener. Interestingly enough, UT is facing Mizzou right after beating Auburn, just as it did back on Jan. 6.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) will have the call for the ESPN2 broadcast.
Mickey Dearstone is behind the microphone for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th 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.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
UT-MU SERIES NOTES
The Lady Vols hold an 8-3 all-time record vs. Missouri, dating back to Jan. 14, 1978, but the Tigers have won two straight in the series.
Against Missouri, the Lady Vols are 4-1 in games played in Knoxville, 1-0 in neutral sites, and 3-2 in Columbia.
Holly Warlick is 5-3 in the series vs. Missouri, possessing a 3-1 record in Knoxville and 2-2 mark in Columbia vs. Robin Pingeton’s squad.
The two times UT has surrendered more than 70 points in the series during the Warlick era, the Lady Vols have dropped both contests. Both were in Columbia, including one last season.
In games played in Columbia since the Tigers joined the SEC, UT holds a 65.8 to 65.5 edge in scoring.
In the past eight games, the Lady Vols have outscored the Tigers, 551-486, for an average score of 68.9 to 60.8.
The past two meetings between these schools have resulted in a four-point game in Columbia in 2018 (77-73) and a two-point differential in Knoxville in 2019 (66-64), with the Tigers earning victories each time.
Mizzou has turned in repeat-digit numbers vs. UT in the past four meetings, including 55, 66, 77 and 66 from 2016 to 2019.
Tennessee beat MU, 84-39, in Knoxville on Jan. 10, 2013, in their first-ever SEC meeting. Later that season Mizzou evened the score, defeating UT, 80-63, in Columbia.
Prior to 2013, the Lady Vols defeated Missouri as a non-conference foe three times, most recently at the 2010 Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 82-44, with Holly Warlick serving as UT’s assistant coach.
UT’s best performers vs. Mizzou have been Rennia Davis (12.5 ppg. and 6.0 rpg. in two games), Evina Westbrook (12.5 ppg. and 2.5 apg. in two games) and Zaay Green (11.0 ppg. and 4.0 rpg. in one game).
Davis and Westbrook each scored 16 vs. Mizzou in January and tallied nine each in last season’s meeting. Cheridene Green had 13 pts., 14 rebounds in January vs. the Tigers.
Sophie Cunningham has been a thorn in UT’s side, turning in games of 16 pts., 6 rebounds and 3 assists in 2017, 32/5/5 in 2018 and 20/6/6 in 2019. That’s an average of 22.7 ppg., 5.7 rpg. and 4.7 apg. in those contests.
LADY VOL NOTES
UT features four players scoring in double figures, including two sophomores and a freshman.
After seeing Davis mired in a four-game slump, she has reemerged as a go-to player, firing in 24, 19, 17, 29 and 15 points in the past five games to average 20.8 ppg. during that span.
Senior forward Cheridene Green continues to step up, pulling down double-figure totals in rebounds in eight of her past 11 contests after grabbing 11 vs. Auburn.
Freshman Zaay Green has averaged 12.0 ppg. over the past five contests, scoring a career-high 25 vs. Auburn and yanking down a career-high-tying 11 boards vs. Vandy.
Over the long haul, UT has demonstrated that its rebounding is its most consistent strength. The Lady Vols have out-rebounded 20 of 24 opponents, with only Texas, Stanford, Notre Dame and Mississippi State topping the Big Orange.
The Lady Vols have hit .804 from the line over their last five games.
Rennia Davis (.877) and Meme Jackson (.838) are UT’s best at the line. Jackson is hitting .938 in SEC play, while Davis is at .912. Evina Westbrook is up to .800 for league play. She shot .513 for the season in all games last year.
With five assists vs. Auburn, Evina Westbrook dished five or more dimes in a contest for the 15th time this year. She now has 122 on the season after totaling 143 as a freshman a year ago in 33 games.
Rennia Davis and Cheridene Green each posted double-doubles vs. Auburn. Green had 16 points and 11 rebounds to log her fifth double-double of the season and seventh of her career. With 15 points and 10 rebounds, Davis recorded her seventh double-double of the season and the 16th of her career. Davis has the second-most career double-doubles of any current underclassmen in the SEC, trailing only AU’s Unique Thompson, who has 18.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LADY VOLS
Freshman guard Zaay Green logged 19 of her career-high 25 points in the second half, powering Tennessee past Auburn, 73-62, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday night.
The Lady Vols recorded their third-straight home win, as the duo of senior Cheridene Green (16 points and 11 rebounds) and sophomore Rennia Davis (15 points and 10 rebounds) each tallied double-doubles on the evening. Sophomore Evina Westbrook, meanwhile, dished out 10 assists and added nine points and five rebounds in the victory.
Junior guard Daisa Alexander led Auburn with 22 points. Sophomore Unique Thompson paced the Tigers on the boards with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Janiah McKay also chipped in 12 points.
TIGER NOTES
Missouri welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters from last year’s squad. Another letterwinner/starter, Cierra Porter rejoined the program midway through the year after initially retiring from basketball following the 2017-18 season.
Among the returnees is senior guard Sophie Cunningham, a three-time All-SEC selection who is averaging 17.4 ppg. and 6.0 rpg.
Junior guard Amber Smith is MU’s other double figures scorer, averaging 12.8 ppg. to go with a team-leading 7.2 rpg.
Last season, Missouri went 24-8 overall and finished tied with UT in fourth place in the SEC at 11-5.
The Tigers fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida Gulf Coast, 80-70.
In addition to having Sophie Cunningham on the All-SEC Team, Mizzou had Jordan Frericks earning second-team accolades.
MIZZOU’S LAST GAME
Mizzou (19-7, 8-4 SEC) recorded one of its best wins in program history, as the Tigers defeated No. 5-ranked Mississippi State (22-2, 10-1 SEC), 75-67, on Thursday night in Starkville, Miss. It’s the highest-ranked team MU has ever beaten on the road.
Senior guard Sophie Cunningham produced her sixth 20-point game in the last eight contests, and her 12th of the season with 24 points on 4-for-9 shooting from three and 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
No. 10/10 Tennessee was edged out by Missouri, 66-64, in its SEC home opener on Jan. 6 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee trailed by five points with less than 90 seconds remaining but fought back and had a shot to tie at the buzzer. Rennia Davis’runner in the lane fell short.
Davis and Evina Westbrook led the way for Tennessee (12-2, 1-1 SEC) with 16 points each. Cheridene Green finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, her second double-double of the season and a (then) career-high mark on the boards.
Missouri (13-3, 2-0 SEC) was paced by senior guard Sophie Cunningham, who finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
LAST TIME IN COLUMBIA
No. 11/11 Tennessee dropped a hard-fought thriller at No. 13/13 Missouri on Feb. 18, 2018, falling to the Tigers by a score of 77-73 in front of a record crowd of 11,092 at Mizzou Arena.
Senior Jaime Nared led the Lady Vols (21-6, 9-5 SEC) with 25 points, while Mercedes Russell added 10 points and nine rebounds.
UT overcame a 13-point second-quarter deficit and worked the game into a 62-62 tie with 5:18 remaining. However, the Tigers (22-5, 10-4 SEC) used clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to pull ahead late, including two from Sophie Cunningham with one second remaining that put them ahead by four. Cunningham netted 32 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead Missouri.
COMING UP FOR UT AND MU
Tennessee is back on the road again on Thursday, playing at No. 22/23 Texas A&M. Tip is slated for 8:02 p.m. CT (9:02 ET) in a game that will be carried by the SEC Network.
Missouri, meanwhile, is off Thursday before heading to Auburn for a 2 p.m. CT game on Sunday (SECN+).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman guard Zaay Green logged 19 of her career-high 25 points in the second half, powering Tennessee past Auburn, 73-62, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday night.
The triumph gave UT a season sweep of the Tigers (18-7, 6-6 SEC). The Big Orange (16-8, 5-6 SEC) had won at AU in the SEC opener back on Jan. 3, 78-69.
The Lady Vols recorded their third-straight home win, as the duo of senior Cheridene Green (16 points and 11 rebounds) and sophomore Rennia Davis (15 points and 10 rebounds) each tallied double-doubles on the evening. Sophomore Evina Westbrook, meanwhile, dished out 10 assists and added nine points and five rebounds in the victory.
Cheridene Green recorded her fifth double-double of the season, while Davis charted her seventh on the year and her third in the past four games.
Junior guard Daisa Alexander led Auburn with 22 points. Sophomore Unique Thompson paced the Tigers on the boards with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Janiah McKay also chipped in 12 points.
A deep ball from Westbrook gave the Lady Vols their first lead of the game at the 7:39 mark of the first quarter at 7-5. Tennessee forced four turnovers over the next two minutes and shot 5-of-7 from the field to take a 15-11 lead with four minutes left to play in the opening stanza. Auburn stormed back with a 7-0 run and a 3-pointer to knot things up at the end of the quarter, 18-all. Each member of the Lady Vol starting five notched three or more points during the game’s 10 minutes.
Each team started 1-of-7 from the floor to begin the second quarter, as things were tied at 23-23 with five minutes remaining until the half. A pair of quick buckets from the Tigers helped them regain a four-point lead, 25-23, as Tennessee suffered a two-minute scoring dry spell. A Zaay Green layup with under two minutes remaining in the first half ended another drought, this one five minutes long, making it 29-25 Auburn. The Tigers ended up taking a 32-27 advantage into the locker room, with Rennia Davis fueling Tennessee over the opening 20 minutes with seven points and eight rebounds. The Lady Vols out-rebounded AU by a 20-19 margin through the first two quarters.
Zaay Green recorded 10 points in the first six minutes of the third quarter to power a 14-3 Tennessee run and give the Lady Vols a 39-35 lead. Tennessee, meanwhile, locked down the Auburn offense, holding it to 1-of-9 shooting from the floor to begin the second half. Zaay Green and Davis combined for 16 of the Lady Vols’ 22 points in the third quarter, as the Tigers shot below 30 percent from the floor while scoring 10 points. As a result, UT took a 49-42 lead into the final frame.
Meme Jackson kept the Lady Vols’ hot streak going with a deep 3-pointer to kick off Tennessee’s fourth-quarter scoring. The Tigers didn’t register their first points of the period until after more than two minutes had gone by. The Lady Vols continued applying pressure with a 10-2 run to give them a 64-51 lead (their largest of the game) with four minutes remaining. Auburn kept fighting, but a 3-pointer from Zaay Green with two minutes left pushed the lead back to 71-60 and dashed any hopes of an AU comeback.
Up Next: The Lady Vols head to Columbia for a rematch with #RV/RV Missouri on Sunday. The game will tip at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) and be televised by ESPN2.
Seeing Double:Rennia Davis and Cheridene Green each posted double-doubles. Cheridene had 16 points and 11 rebounds to log her fifth double-double of the season and seventh of her career. With 15 points and 10 rebounds, Davis recorded her seventh double-double of the season and the 16th of her career. Davis has the second-most career double-doubles of any current underclassmen in the SEC, trailing only AU’s Unique Thompson, who has 18.
Evina Dishin’: Westbrook finished the game with 10 assists, moving her total of games with five or more assists to 15 on the season. This is the second time Westbrook has had double-digit assists during her career with the first being 12 against Troy during the 2017-18 season. Prior to that, the last Lady Vol to tally 10 or more assists was Alexa Middleton, who had 11 against Tennessee State on Nov. 30, 2016.
Big Night For The Greens: Freshman Zaay Green led UT in scoring, firing in a career-high 25 points, while Cheridene Green had a season-high 16 points and tied her career high of four steals.
Cleaning The Glass: UT out-rebounded the Tigers, 45-30, and is averaging 45.4 rpg in SEC play while holding opponents to an average of 34.8 rpg. UT has now outworked 20 of 24 opponents on the glass this season, including 10 of 11 in SEC play.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For only the third time in program history, No. 1 Tennessee is set to compete in a top-five matchup Saturday, taking on No. 5 Kentucky on the road in Rupp Arena.
The game marks the first meeting of two top-five SEC teams since March 8, 2003, when third-ranked Florida fell to second-ranked Kentucky, 69-67, in Gainesville. The game will tip at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN 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.
The Vols (23-1, 11-0 SEC) have been rolling through their SEC slate so far, surpassing the 1976-77 squad for the best start to conference start ever at 11-0. Nine of those wins were by double digits, as UT boasts the best scoring offense in the conference and fifth nationally at 85.5 points per game. However, starting with Saturday’s game, Tennessee’s next seven matchups will be its toughest stretch of the entire season, with two games against Kentucky as well as road contests at Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss.
Prior to Kentucky’s loss to LSU on Tuesday, John Calipari’s squad had been playing the best basketball of any team in the country. UK has logged ranked wins over Auburn, Louisville, Kansas, Mississippi State and North Carolina, while playing a similar style as the Big Orange. UT ranks first in the SEC in field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage defense, while UK ranks second (.475 FG%, .407 FG% defense) in those categories. Sophomore forward P.J. Washington (14.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg) has inserted himself into the National Player of the Year conversation with his impressive play lately.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee trails the all-time series with Kentucky, 154-71, dating to 1910. The Vols have won two of the last three meetings.
• The Wildcats have a 90-17 edge when the series is played in Lexington.
• Tennessee is 1-0 vs. Kentucky when the Vols are the AP’s top-ranked team (March 2, 2008).
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s program-record win streak to 20 games (it’s also the longest win streak of Rick Barnes‘ 32-year head coaching career).
• Stretch the Vols’ true road game win streak to nine.
• Make the Vols 9-1 all-time as the AP’s top-ranked team.
• Extend Tennessee’s program-record win streak in regular-season SEC games to 16 games.
• Improve Tennessee’s record on Saturdays to 10-0 this season.
STORYLINES
• This is the first matchup of two top-five SEC teams since March 8, 2003, when third-ranked Florida fell to second-ranked Kentucky, 69-67, in Gainesville.
• Saturday’s game is the first time an SEC team ranked in the top five has hosted the top-ranked team since Feb. 2, 1966, when No. 3 Vanderbilt hosted No. 1 Kentucky.
• At tipoff Saturday, 85 full days will have elapsed since Tennessee’s last loss.
• The Vols have shot 50 percent or better 16 times this season and rank second in the country with a .515 field-goal percentage.
• Point guard Jordan Bone is directly responsible for 33.1 percent of Tennessee’s total scoring this season when you factor in his points scored and the points resulting from his assists.
• In SEC games, Tennessee averages a league-best 11.3 turnovers per game.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
• Prior to Kentucky’s loss to LSU on Tuesday, John Calipari’s squad had been playing the best basketball of any team in the country. In non-conference play, UK logged ranked wins over North Carolina, Louisville and Kansas. Kentucky dropped its first matchup of the SEC slate but responded by winning its next nine conference games.
• Sophomore forward P.J. Washington (14.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg) has inserted himself into the National Player of the Year conversation with his impressive play lately. As the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Washington has scored at least 20 points in five of the last six games and recorded three of his seven double-doubles during that stretch.
• Forward Keldon Johnson (14.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) is second on the team in scoring and one of several talented freshmen on the team. The backcourt duo of Ashton Hagans (7.1 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.4 rpg, 2.1 spg) and Tyler Herro (13.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg) leads Kentucky in assists and steals per game and has been crucial in the maturation of the team.
• In a freshman class that featured multiple guards, UK needed some depth in the frontcourt and landed graduate transfer forward and All-Pac 12 performer Reid Travis (11.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, .519 FG%) from Stanford. Travis also brings much-needed experience to the Wildcats, who also returned several pieces from last season’s SEC Tournament Championship squad.
• Kentucky plays a similar style to Tennessee. UT ranks first in the SEC in field-goal percentage and field-goal percentage defense, while UK ranks second (.475 FG%, .407 FG% defense). In scoring defense, the Wildcats are second in the conference, holding opponents to an average of 65.5 points per game.
LAST MEETING VS. KENTUCKY
• Despite erasing a 17-point deficit, No. 2-seeded Tennessee fell to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, 77-72, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 11, 2018.
• All-SEC wing Admiral Schofield led the Vols with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He was Tennessee’s lone representative on the All-Tournament Team.
• SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams chipped in 15 points, nine boards, three assists and three steals.
• After a corner three by Jordan Bone banked off the glass for a much-needed basket, Tennessee made it a 68-67 game in favor of UK with 1:13 remaining. The Wildcats sealed the game, though, after a step-back jumper and a pair of free throws made it 72-67. Bone finished with 12 points and four assists.
• The Big Orange were aggressive to start the second half, using a 10-2 run capped off by a three from Schofield to give UT a 41-38 lead at the 16:34 mark.
• Kentucky responded with a 14-2 run of its own to gain a 52-43 advantage with 12:29 left, forcing the Vols to call a timeout. Just when it seemed the Wildcats were going to pull ahead, the Volunteers went on a 14-3 run of their own to regain a 57-55 lead, finished by SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year Lamonté Turner’s deep three to beat the shot clock. He finished with 10 points and four assists.
• Everything was falling for Kentucky in the first half, as the Cats took a 33-16 lead with less than five minutes left in the period. With the game on the line, the Vols responded by going on a 15-3 run to go into halftime down just five at 36-31.
• Freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Kentucky with a game-high 29 points.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST KENTUCKY
• Kevin Punter Jr.’s 27 points were the most scored by a Vol against the Kentucky in 10 years as Tennessee defeated the Wildcats, 84-77, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville. The senior point guard made three 3-pointers and was 11-of-12 at the free-throw line.
• Chris Lofton reeled off 31 points, Major Wingate scored 12 and longtime NBA point guard C.J. Watson added 10 as No. 11 Tennessee beat Kentucky 75-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7, 2006.
• Beating the Wildcats was three times as nice during the 1978-79 season. UT notched program win No. 900 in Lexington on Jan. 20, 66-55, before topping UK 101-84 in Knoxville on Feb. 17. Then the Vols won the 1979 SEC Tournament with a 75-69 win over UK in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 3. Current Vol Network radio analyst Bert Bertelkamp was a junior on that Tennessee team.
• As Bernard King walked off the court at Memorial Gym after a deflating 88-82 loss on Jan. 13, 1975, a Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into the Tennessee legend’s hair. Outraged, King vowed he would never lose to Kentucky again. He vigorously carried out that promise, finishing his career 5-1 against the Wildcats.
SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
• The Kentucky series is UT’s oldest and most-played among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910, and have clashed 225 times over the years.
• On 11 different occasions—first in 1950 and most recently in 2017—Tennessee has defeated a Kentucky team ranked in the AP top five.
• No program in college basketball has logged more wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (71).
• Kentucky is one of only two SEC schools (along with Alabama) to lead its all-time series against the Volunteers.
• Four Tennessee All-Americans were Kentucky natives: Allan Houston, Chris Lofton, Danny Schultz and Paul “Lefty” Walther.
• The Vols have beaten the Wildcats just five times at Rupp Arena, posting victories in 1977, 1979, 1999, 2006 and 2018.
• UT has never won back-to-back games at Rupp.
• Tennessee has 14 all-time wins over the Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena, including three straight.
BARNES + CALIPARI = 1,300+ WINS
• Saturday’s game features the two winningest coaches (total career Division I wins) in the SEC.
• John Calipari is the league’s active leader in career wins, with 698. Rick Barnes is a close second with 683 victories to his credit.
• Among all active Division I head coaches, Calipari and Barnes rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in total head coaching wins.
• Barnes and Calipari became friends while working a Pitt basketball camp in the late 1970s. The star player at that camp? Current Arizona head coach Sean Miller.
CALIPARI AMONG TENNESSEE’S MOST-FACED ACTIVE COACHES
• On Saturday, John Calipari will coach his 25th career game against the Vols. Among active college coaches, that stands as the second-most career meetings against Tennessee.
COACH MEETINGS UT’s RECORD vs.
Tubby Smith 26 7-19
John Calipari 24 9-15
Frank Martin 13 9-4
Mark Gottfried 13 4-9
VOLS HAVE NINE WINS AGAINST CALIPARI 2.0
• Since UK coach John Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01, Tennessee has dealt him nine losses. No team has more wins over Calipari-coached teams during that span.
TEAM WINS
TENNESSEE 9
Florida 8
Louisville 7
Cincinnati 5
Kansas, Ole Miss, Southern Miss 4
NATION’S LONGEST WIN STREAK
• Tennessee is riding a program-record 19-game win streak.
• It is the longest active win streak in Division I.
• The Vols’ eight-game active win streak in true road games also is the longest in Division I and the second-longest in program history.
• Tennessee’s 23-game home win streak is the second-longest active streak in Division I. Houston has won 32 straight at home; Buffalo, like UT, has won 22 straight.
On their final stretch of games:
“I have not looked at it since it came out, because this time of year, I think that your objective is to get your team playing as best as possible. It does not matter if it is front-loaded or back-loaded; it is about being the best you can be. I do not give it that much thought.”
On Kentucky’s PJ Washington:
“I think he made the right decision to come back to school and work more with those guys. I honestly think he is a much more improved player from a year ago.”
On the Kentucky defense:
“I am pretty much locked into what we do, believe it or not. I have so much confidence in what we do. The scouting that we put in, I do not think there is anybody doing a better job.”
On the significance of Saturday’s game:
“Our guys know that, but we are focused on what we have to do to go in there and play good basketball. They are a different team from a year ago. They are starting a group of guys that it is hard to pack it back in there. Regardless of all the outside things that people want to talk about, it is about us keeping focused on what we have to do.”
On what he learned from the Kentucky-LSU game:
“We play totally different from LSU. We are a different team than them. We all know each other this time of year. There will not be any surprising. We have a pretty good feel. They have a pretty good feel. It is going to get down to execution.”
On the benefit of having veteran leadership: “We have been in some big basketball games over the last few years with these guys, and they have grown. They will be ready for it. There is no reason to think of why they will not be. They have handled some tough situations, even this year. Experience is a good thing, but this Kentucky is a totally different team. I hope that we are too, and I know both of us have a chance to get better.”
On if the team likes being on the road:
“There is probably less distractions on the road, because once we get there, we have been doing the same thing for four years now. We go to practice, have a meal and then have a meeting. They would rather be in a hotel than at home. When they are in a hotel, they spend time together. I do not know if that has anything to do with it, but I know we are an older team. What matters the most is locking into what we have to do.”
On defending transition:
“Every game, you are going to look at something, but you have to give South Carolina credit for playing faster. They were getting it out and putting it on top of us quickly. The first thing that goes up on our board every game is transition defense. We will have to do a good job with it tomorrow. They are great. When you turn it over or take bad shots, they are really good at capitalizing.”
On Yves Pons’ minutes on Wednesday:
“He is working his way back after missing a few days. We are going to need him, Jalen Johnson and all of them tomorrow.”
On how sharp the team is heading into a tough stretch:
“I do not know. I think they are all close games myself. We will see. I do not think we go into any game and expect to win by big numbers even though we have been able to do that some. I know we have respect for our opponents, this league and how good this league is.”
On how critical rebounding is and how it keeps the team out of foul trouble:
“It is important as a team that we rebound the ball. I would say that whether we were playing Kentucky or anybody. We have to rebound the ball better, and our guys know that. We are going to have to do that, and they are really good at keeping the ball alive. They have one or two guys that fight and get it. We are going to have to be concise with all five of our guys going down there and rebounding.”
On the novelty of playing games and if it has worn off with this group:
“I like to think that we have seven or eight games left in the regular season, and you should be used to a lot of different things. I know they see the hype around this game, and there are going to be bigger ones. I do not think this game is going to define our season or Kentucky’s season. There is too much basketball left to play. It is a big game because it is the next one on our schedule, and it’s a big game for them because it is the next one on their schedule.”
On if the guys are in a better position to know to treat it like another game:
“A year ago at this time, we were pretty much locked into what we had to do. Last year is when we started playing really good basketball together, and everybody seemed to find their niche. I think our guys are locked in, and we would not be where we are if they were not locked in. I have no reason to say they aren’t locked in.”
On what is keeping Derrick Walker from playing:
“Sometimes, it is hard to play a lot of guys. What Derrick has done is continue to keep himself sharp for when we do need him. If you go back to the South Carolina game, him and Jalen had not played very much and did what they needed to do for us. Some nights, you will get called on and some nights you might not be. What continues to make him a great teammate is he has continued to work in practice. We will need him. We have a lot of basketball left, and we need all of these guys. They know that, and I respect them for how hard they work. The guys that do not play as much and how hard they keep themselves game ready.”
On building up leads in recent games and losing focus:
“I do not think there is any question. It is something we talk about, and it only takes two possessions for a lead to go down from 18 to 12 or less. It can be a bad pass, not getting back in transition defense or it could be a lot of different things. The game can swing that quickly. Whether you want to call it focus or taking things for granted, those things happen and that is what you are always battling as a coaching staff. Those guys understand the importance of fighting for every possession and doing their jobs.”
On the first top-five matchup in over a decade in the SEC:
“I think it is great. I think it is great for our league. I am hoping we can get eight or nine teams from our league in the NCAA Tournament. These next two or three weeks are important for everybody. I do not question that our league is as good as it has ever been. When you think about the two teams at the bottom, they lost two guys that were first-round draft picks. If you threw those guys into the mix, even Texas A&M, this league is a terrific basketball league. I know how far we have come in four years, and I know how far this league has come too.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced the hiring of Derrick Ansley as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach on Friday.
Ansley comes to the Vols following one year as the defensive backs coach for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Prior to this stint in the NFL, Ansley worked with Pruitt at Alabama as the defensive backs coach for the Crimson Tide in 2017 and 2016. He helped Alabama win the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017.
Ansley is a 14-year veteran of the coaching ranks, developing a reputation as one of the Southeastern Conference’s most respected defensive backs coaches and one of the nation’s top recruiters. Ansley coached the cornerbacks (2013-14) and was the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach (2015) at Kentucky after a one-year stint with the defensive backs at Tennessee (2012). Ansley first worked with Pruitt as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2010-11, helping the Crimson Tide capture the 2011 BCS National Championship.
“Derrick was a graduate assistant for me for two years at Alabama and then was the defensive backs coach,” Pruitt said. “We are very familiar with each other. It’s good to work from the back to the front (of the defense). I think he brings a lot of experience. He has coached a lot of really good players. And probably, when I start a sentence, he can finish it.
“Derrick has been in really high demand for several years. He’s a guy who is ready for this. He has been ready for quite some time. With Derrick, Kevin (Sherrer), Chris (Rumph) and Tracy (Rocker) in one room, I can already see the cohesiveness. They communicate well together.”
Ansley got his start in coaching at NCAA Division III Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., where he was an assistant for five seasons (2005-09) after an all-conference career as a defensive back at Troy (2001-04). He finished second in Trojans’ history in interceptions (19) and teamed with future NFL All-Pro Demarcus Ware.
Ansley has been part of two national championship teams at Alabama (2017 and 2011) and directly coached five NFL Draft selections with the Crimson Tide from 2016-17, including first-round picks Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey, as well as Ronnie Harrison, Anthony Averett and Eddie Jackson. Fitzpatrick was a consensus All-American in 2016 and collected unanimous All-America honors in 2017, while also winning the Thorpe Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award. Humphrey grabbed first-team All-America honors in 2016, as well.
In 2018, Ansley coached a Raiders’ defensive back unit that improved dramatically from the year prior to his arrival. The Raiders increased their interception total by +9 under Ansley, totaling 14 picks in 2018 after making only five in 2017. Additionally, the Raiders totaled 73 passes defended in 2018 after tallying 56 in 2017. Ansley coached Gareon Conley in Oakland. Conley finished fifth in the NFL with 15 passes defended as he made tremendous strides in his second year in the league, starting 14 games after appearing in only two games as a rookie.
In 2017 and 2016, Ansley teamed with Pruitt as coaches of the nation’s top defenses at Alabama. Alabama had the nation’s No. 1 total defense and No. 1 scoring defense both seasons, leading the SEC in passing defense (165.7 ypg) and interceptions (19) in 2017. Alabama was tied for the SEC lead with 16 interceptions in 2016 and also led the nation with 11 defensive touchdowns.
At Kentucky, Ansley helped the Wildcat defense record a school-record six defensive touchdowns while creating 23 turnovers that ranked second in the SEC in 2015.
With the Vols in 2012, Ansley coached future NFL defensive backs Justin Coleman and Brian Randolph as well as safety Byron Moore, who led the SEC with five interceptions.
Before his first stint on Rocky Top, Ansley was a graduate assistant at Alabama for two years. The Tide went 12-1 to claim the national championship in 2011, featuring the nation’s best defense, which ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, total defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense. He worked with All-Americans Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie during his time at Alabama.
After he graduated college, Ansley spent five seasons coaching at Huntingdon College. During his tenure with the Hawks, Ansley helped guide the team to its first winning season and the school’s first playoff appearance. Huntingdon produced a winning record in four of the five seasons he was on staff with two eight-win campaigns.
Ansley starred on the gridiron at Troy, starting 40 consecutive games for the Trojans. He finished third in the nation in interceptions as a junior in 2003 with nine picks. Ansley then garnered first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as a senior in 2004, Troy’s first season in the league.
Ansley and his wife, Alaea, have a daughter, Selena.
Pruitt Announces 2019 Coaching Staff
Pruitt announced his complete coaching staff with updated positions and titles for 2019 on Friday, as well.
The 2019 Tennessee football coaching staff features coaches who have won a combined 16 national championships and 29 conference championships, while coaching more than 190 NFL Draft picks, including 37 first-round selections, and 66 All-Americans.
Tennessee’s 2019 football coaching staff:
Jeremy Pruitt – Head Coach Jim Chaney – Offensive Coordinator Derrick Ansley – Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs Chris Rumph – Co-Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers Kevin Sherrer – Special Teams Coordinator / Inside Linebackers Tee Martin – Assistant Head Coach / Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers Will Friend – Offensive Line David Johnson – Running Backs Brian Niedermeyer – Tight Ends Tracy Rocker – Defensive Line Chris Weinke – Quarterbacks
Opening Statement:
“Like every year, this time of year you have changes on your coaching staff. We had some guys that took opportunities for themselves that gave them a better opportunity. If you look at our staff, we have 16 National Championships that our coaches have been associated with, 29 conference championships, coached over 190 draft picks including over 30 first round selections and have 66 All-Americans. I think that speaks highly to the player development that our staff has been associated with and the programs that they have been around. We’re excited to have these guys. We have shuffled a few guys around on our staff. Offensively, we’re going to go with six guys on offense. Jim Chaney is going to be the Offensive Coordinator and he’s going to be able to coach every position. I think that’s going to be important. Chris Weinke is going to coach quarterbacks. Look at his time as a player and the opportunity he has had as a coach in the NFL with the guys he has been around. The quarterback position is a very important position to have one guy coaching it all the time. If you have an Offensive Coordinator coaching it, sometimes you are worried about the splits of the wide receiver or are you getting in the right blocking combination up front. Having a guy who specifically coaches quarterbacks with Chris’ expertise, I think he is going to bring value and it is going to make our football team that much better. David Johnson is going to move from wide receivers to running backs. He has coached that position at a couple of different spots along the way. He is a guy that did a tremendous job for us on the field this past season with the demand he had for the position he coached. Brian Niedermeyer will coach the tight ends. Tee Martin will coach the wide receivers. He will also have passing game coordinator and assistant head coach responsibilities. Will Friend will continue to coach the offensive line. Defensively, Derrick Ansley will be our Defensive Coordinator and coach the defensive backs. He’ll have all four guys. Kevin Sherrer will move from Defensive Coordinator to Special Teams coach and coach inside linebackers. Kevin brings a very unique background. Like me, he was a high school coach where you have to coach everything so, he has done this before. Special teams is a very important part of the game and I think we did a very good job with that last year. We want to continue to stay on the trajectory that we were. He’s the guy that I felt like best suited that spot. If you look at what we did last year defensively, I don’t know exactly how many spots we improved defensively but, I think it was somewhere in defense from 119th to 49th. We improved tremendously defensively. Moving forward in terms of where we want to be from a special teams and team responsibility wise, he is going to be the guy that best fits that. Tracy Rocker will continue to coach the defensive line and Chris Rumph will be the outside linebackers coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator. We lost some guys in our off-field spots and we added some guys. We are really excited about everyone who is associated with our program. We are having a really good off-season. We’re excited to move forward and start with spring football on March 7th.”
On staff and how it better positions the team for success:
“Having six guys offensively is important. When you have an offensive coordinator like Jim who could coach any position. If the running backs need to work on something, tight ends, quarterback or whatever position it is. He can bounce around and do that kind of like myself on defense. I’m really the fifth assistant on the defensive side of the ball. We have someone that is in charge of everything but, if there is something that I see that needs to be tweaked or fixed I can oversee it.”
On the main attributes for the new coaches:
“I think it starts with player development. You have to be good teachers, and our guys are really good teachers. We have done a good job with getting guys that are familiar with a positions that they coach. If you look at their background, 16 national championships for our staff to be a part of is a lot. I do not know how many more staffs out there have many more than that. Being good teachers, good coaches and good recruiters. we have hit it with all of the guys.”
On the goals initially for spring ball with the new staff:
“As a staff, we have hit the ground running. There is really a lot of carry over especially on the offensive side of the ball. We have added Jim (Chaney), but some of the things he has done and some of the things we did last year. He has a very unique way in a teaching progression. He is very efficient in his time and his words. It is simple. Our coaches and players are excited in the direction we are going. Defensively, when you talk about Derrick Ansley, he is a guy that was a graduate assistant for me for two years then the defensive backs coach. We are very familiar with each other. It is good to work from the back to the front. He brings a lot of experience, and coached a lot of really good players.”
On Derrick Ansley and his work ethic:
“Derrick has been in very high demand the past several years. He was the highest-paid DB coach in the NFL after only being there for one year. He is a guy that is ready for this. He has been ready for this quite some time. With the fact that with Derrick, Kevin, Chris and Tracy in one room, I can already see the cohesiveness together. They communicate well together and they have all worked together. Tracy is probably the only one that has not worked with Derrick, but he was a coach at Troy State when Derrick played. So, everybody knows each other. We have had a really productive last week in getting ready for spring ball. I think we are headed in the right direction. Derrick will call the defense this fall.”
On the difference on going from three voices to two in the secondary:
“Derrick is the defensive back coach, but one thing you need is another guy back there that can help because when you do individual drills, for the safeties or corners, are really different. So, somebody has got to run the safeties drills and corner drills. Last year, I ran most of the corner drills. We will continue on that path. We have a young graduate assistant, Nate Andrews, who played for me at Florida State and he is a guy that has a very bright future also. That gives us three guys back there.”
On if he optimistic on if Solomon and Gibbs will be eligible:
“I am really not that familiar with what is going on. We will see. That will be up to the people that review those situations.”
On why he chose to hand over the defensive play calling duties to Derrick:
“Derrick’s heart is in college football. He is a tremendous recruiter. He has passion for young people and is a very good teacher. He had lot of opportunities to leave the Oakland Raiders this offseason and he chose to stay. The opportunity to be the Defensive Coordinator here and to work with the men on our staff is something he could not turn down.”
On why he chose Ansley to call plays:
“He is ready. He is somebody that has been in the back end with me, not last year, but the two previous years. He has a pretty good idea of when we want to call something and when we want to call it.”
On how David Johnson is handling the coaching shuffle:
“Anytime you get men that are used to running organizations, David was a head coach in high school. When you do that, you have to coach a number of positions. Everyone wants to do what is best for the team and everybody figures out what their role is and does the best at their role. I think David is a guy that is willing to do whatever he needs to help get Tennessee football back where it is supposed to be.”
On adding Jim Chaney to the staff:
“Jim has done it a bunch of different ways. If you track his career, he has thrown it 50 times in a game, he is a guy that has had a lot of balance and has been dominant running the football. He figures out the strengths of his players and tries to find a scheme that fits them. He is tough to defend. He is very multiple. Just being around him, I think he is a great evaluator, he has command in a room, and he sees the big picture. I am excited to see what we do this summer as we move into the spring and then fall.”
On pursuing Chaney:
“I do not think it matters where we start, it is all about where you end up. It is like recruiting; we start recruiting a bunch of them right now but really the only ones that matter are the ones you get. We got him, and that is the most important thing.”
On how much has changed over the last year:
“If you look at us this time last year, there was not a lot of familiarity with the roster. There were very few guys that I had a relationship with, there were very few guys that I even recruited at other stops. We really did not know bunch about what we were getting in each individual player. So when you are doing your OTA’s and you are getting ready for spring practice, you put guys at spots that you think they can be successful. It is very interesting when you go back and watch the first practice last year, where they started out and how they ended up. As far as positions, a lot of them changed positions. One thing that is going to give us a jump start in the second year is we know they players and the guys we recruited. We know how the puzzle is supposed to fit together and our returning guys have an expectation of off season conditioning. To me that is exciting, because the first day of spring ball we will have a chance for guys to be playing positions that they will be playing in the fall. They will get 15 practices in positions that they will play in the fall, and that did not necessarily happen last year. From a player standpoint guys are going to have a chance to improve in a hurry.”
Reba McEntire released the title track from her upcoming album, Stronger Than the Truth, which will drop on April 5.
Penned by Hannah Louise Blaylock and Autumn McEntire, who is Reba’s niece, “Stronger Than the Truth” is one of 12 tracks from the new album, Reba’s first since her 2017 Grammy-winning Christian album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope.
In addition to co-producing the project with Buddy Cannon, Reba co-penned two of the 12 tracks. Additional songwriters include Brandy Clark, Ronnie Dunn, Dallas Davidson, Hillary Lindsey and more.
“The response to Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope reinforced my love for recording songs that speak to the heart,” says Reba. “So when I started selecting songs for this album, I stuck with that same formula—go with the songs that touch my heart, and hopefully when you hear me singing it, they’ll touch yours too. That honesty once again revealed itself. I grew up on an 8,000-acre family ranch singing at dance halls, honky-tonks and rodeos with my brother and sister. Stronger Than the Truth takes me back to that kind of country music that I grew up with. I haven’t gotten to do that in a while, so I’m thrilled to pieces to release this new music.”
Listen to “Stronger Than the Truth” below.
Stronger Than the Truth Track Listing & Songwriters
1. “Swing All Night Long With You” | Written by Sidney Cox, Jon Randall
2. “Stronger Than The Truth” | Written by Hannah Louise Blaylock, Autumn McEntire
3. “Storm In A Shot Glass” | Written by Mary Browder, Will Robinson, Leslie Satcher
4. “Tammy Wynette Kind Of Pain” | Written by Brandy Clark, Mark Narmore, Shelley Skidmore
5. “Cactus In A Coffee Can” | Written by Steve Seskin, Allen Shamblin
6. “Your Heart” | Written by Kellys Collins
7. “The Clown” | Written by Dallas Davidson, Hillary Lindsey, James Slater
8. “No U In Oklahoma” | Written by Reba McEntire, Ronnie Dunn, Donna McSpadden
9. “The Bar’s Getting Lower” | Written by Kellys Collins, Erin Enderlin, Liz Hengber, Alex Kline
10. “In His Mind” | Written by Reba McEntire, Liz Hengber, Tommy Lee James
11. “Freedom” | Written by Jay Brunswick, Tommy Cecil, Jaida Dreyer, John Pierce
12. “You Never Gave Up On Me” | Written by Billy Aerts, Burton Collins
