Carrie Underwood has a lot to look forward to this year as she awaits the birth of her second child in the next month or so. The impending bundle of joy will join big brother Isaiah, 3, and daddy Mike Fisher in the growing household.
2019 will also be busy for Carrie on a professional front. In addition to helming her Calia activewear line, the country music star will embark on her headlining Cry Pretty Tour 360 in May. Carrie will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including stops in Las Vegas, Toronto, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, Boston, Atlanta and more.
As Carrie told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, she cherishes her role as a “country music singer, boss and mom.”
“There’s a lot happening, but that is what we take on as women, and I cherish every role I get to be in—the country music singer, you know, the boss, the whatever, the mom,” says Carrie. “Those are all good things, and I feel like moms everywhere just know. They juggle. I juggle. We’re all doing the same things, just in different ways. Um, we’ve all got jobs to do, and we’ve got babies to take care of and it all happens at once, and you figure it out.”
Carrie’s new single, “Love Wins” is currently Top 20 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The single follows Top 10 lead single, “Cry Pretty,” from her 2018 album of the same name.
Newlyweds Scotty McCreery and wife Gabi added a new puppy to their family.
Scotty revealed the news via Instagram with a pic of Gabi holding the new pup named Moose. According to Scotty, Moose is a seven-week-old yellow Labrador retriever from breeder Little Creek Labs is nearby Clayton, N.C.
While Moose is “officially” Gabi’s dog, Scotty assures us he loves Moose very much, saying, in part, “Gabi has always wanted to name her puppy ‘Moose,'” and she finally got her wish. Moose even has his own Instagram account: @MooseMcCreery.
Scotty and Gabi married in June 2018. The couple met in kindergarten in Garner, N.C., and grew up together in the close-knit community. They began dating six years ago during their senior year at Garner High School. Gabi has appeared in several of Scotty’s music videos, including “The Trouble with Girls,” “Feelin’ It” and “Five More Minutes.”
Singer/songwriter Steve Moakler and wife Gracie welcomed their first child—a son named Jackson (Jack) Thomas Moakler—on Jan. 5.
Both Steve and Gracie shared posts on Instagram announcing the special occasion with a pic of baby Jack. According to Gracie’s post, Jack was born around 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 after almost 24 hour of labor.
Steve stated: “Dear World, I’d like to introduce you to our son, Jackson Thomas Moakler. His buddies call him Jack…Words cannot describe how blown away we are to be his parents!! He and his momma are happy and healthy, and his Dad is over the moon. Praising the Lord. 🙌🏼❤️🌙👶🏻.”
Gracie added: “Everyone, meet the newest member of the Moakler family! Jackson Thomas “Jack” joined us this afternoon around 2:30. Almost 24 hours of labor to birth these 9 lbs of chunky love. We are obsessed and overjoyed!!! ✨.”
Steve, who has penned songs for Dierks Bentley (“Riser”), Ashley Monroe (“If Love Was Fair”), Jake Owen (“Surefire Feeling”) and more, released his new album, Born Ready, in 2018.
ATHENS, GA – SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 – The Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee freshman cornerback Bryce Thompson was named to the FWAA Freshman All-American team. He’s joined there by former UT commits OT Cade Mays (Georgia/from Knoxville) and QB Adrian Martinez (Nebraska.) See the full team below in the FWAA release.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (FWAA) – The 18th annual Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team features five players taking part in tonight’s College Football Playoff National Championship at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and includes Clemson starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama starting cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with six total selections, led by Georgia, which led all schools with three: offensive linemen Cade Mays and Isaiah Wilson and and defensive lineman Jordon Davis. The Big 12 was second with five, followed by the Big Ten with four. All 10 FBS conferences and two independents are represented on the team.
Heading into tonight’s National Championship, Lawrence has posted one of the best regular seasons by a true freshman quarterback in history. Lawrence, a highly-touted early enrollee, played in the Tigers’ first four games before taking over as the starter. The Cartersville, Ga., product has thrown for 2,933 yards and 27 touchdowns and only four interceptions while averaging 12.3 yards per completion. Clemson’s offense is just 293 yards shy of breaking its own ACC record of 7,718 total yards set in 2015. The Tigers are averaging 530.4 total yards and 44.3 points per game. Lawrence has completed 65 percent of his passes.
Purdue’s Rondale Moore, among two Freshman All-Americans to be named to the FWAA’s All-America Team last month, leads the FBS with 114 receptions, the second-most in a season by a Big Ten player, and led the conference with 1,258 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Including his special teams yardage, Moore led the conference in all-purpose yards with 2,215, fourth nationally. In his debut, Moore set the Purdue single-game record with 313 all-purpose yards against Northwestern on Aug. 30, gaining 79 rushing yards, 109 receiving yards and 125 kickoff return yards.
Kicker Andre Szmyt of Syracuse was also a first-team FWAA All-America selection. He led the nation in scoring with 151 points, making 30 of 34 field goal attempts – including 3-for-3 beyond 50 yards – and all 61 extra-point attempts. Szmyt’s teammate, safety Andre Cisco, among the national leaders with seven interceptions, gives the Orange a pair of players on the team. Alabama is the only other school with teammates honored, as wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was selected to the team.
Josh Heupel, who coached UCF to a 13-0 regular season and the American Athletic Conference title, is the First-Year Coach of the Year.
The 13-person panel of nationally-prominent college football experts represented each of the FBS conferences along with independents in the selecting the team. Both true freshmen (18 players) and redshirt freshmen (14 players) were considered for the team and are so noted on the list below.
2018 FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA TEAM OFFENSE (13)
Pos., Player, School (Ht., Wt., Hometown)
• QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (6-6, 215, Cartersville, Ga.) • QB Adrian Martinez, Nebraska (6-2, 220, Fresno, Calif.)
• RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State (5-11, 211, Harbor City, Calif.)
RB Anthony McFarland, Maryland (5-8, 193, Hyattsville, Md.)
• WR Rondale Moore, Purdue (5-9, 175, New Albany, Ind.)
• WR Jayden Reed, Western Michigan (6-0, 170, Aurora, Ill.)
• WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama (5-10, 177, Houston, Texas)
• OL Trace Clopton, Southern Miss (6-2, 290, Brookhaven, Miss.)
OL Keegan Cryder, Wyoming (6-4, 291, Littleton, Colo.)
OL James Empy, BYU (6-4, 297, American Fork, Utah)
OL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma (6-5, 325, Shawnee, Okla.) • OL Cade Mays, Georgia (6-6, 318, Knoxville, Tenn.)
OL Isaiah Wilson, Georgia (6-7, 340, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
DEFENSE (14)
Pos., Player, School (Ht., Wt., Hometown)
• DL Jordan Davis, Georgia (6-6, 320, Charlotte, N.C.)
• DL Jamal Hines, Toledo (6-2, 216, Cincinnati, Ohio)
DL Juwuan Jones, WKU (6-3, 270, Sugar Hill, Ga.)
• DL Austin Lewis, Liberty (6-6, 230, Jonesborough, Tenn.)
LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa (6-4, 250, Hominy, Okla.)
LB Carlton Martial, Troy (5-10, 216, Mobile, Ala).
• LB Merlin Robertson, Arizona State (6-3, 235, Gardena, Calif.)
• LB Mike Rose, Iowa State (6-3, 228, Brecksville, Ohio)
DB Paulson Adebo, Stanford (6-1, 189, Mansfield, Texas)
• DB Andre Cisco, Syracuse (6-0, 199, Valley Stream, N.Y.)
DB Adrian Frye, Texas Tech (6-1, 175, Houston, Texas)
• DB Caden Sterns, Texas (6-1, 192, Cibolo, Texas)
• DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama (6-2, 202, Plantation, Fla.) • DB Bryce Thompson, Tennessee (5-11, 180, Irmo, S.C.)
SPECIALISTS (5)
Pos., Player, School (Ht., Wt., Hometown)
P Clayton Howell, Appalachian State (6-0, 183, High Point, N.C.)
K Andre Szmyt, Syracuse (6-1, 195, Vernon Hills, Ill.)
KR K.J. Hamler, Penn State (5-9, 173, Pontiac, Mich.)
PR Marcus Hayes, New Mexico (6-0, 199, Rockford, Ill.)
AP Pooka Williams Jr., Kansas (5-10, 170, Marrero, La.)
HEAD COACH
Josh Heupel, UCF
• Denotes true freshman
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at [email protected].
2018 FWAA FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA COMMITTEE
Shaun Alexander
Mark Anderson, Las Vegas Review-Journal (MW)
Mark Blaudschun, TMGCollegeSports.com (ACC)
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic (Big Ten)
Mike Griffith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Chair/Independents)
Tommy Hicks, Freelance (Sun Belt)
Ron Higgins, Freelance (SEC)
Blair Kerkhoff, The Kansas City Star (Big 12)
Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel (American Athletic)
Nick Piotrowicz, Toledo Blade (MAC)
Steve Richardson, FWAA Executive Director
Grant Traylor, Huntington Herald-Dispatch (Conference USA)
Ryan Young, Rivals.com (Pac-12)
The Grand Ole Opry’s most energetic performer, Chris Janson, needs your help.
After performing at the Opry over the holiday break, Chris’ Fender guitar was stolen out of his car.
Chris posted a notice on social media, saying, in part, “If anyone sees or hears about it, please notify local PD and me! Thanks y’all. And if by chance the thieves read this post, please know that I forgive, and will accept an apology and a return, with no repercussion.”
While it sounds like Chris is willing to forgive and forget if the stolen guitar is returned, no update has been reported since the initial Facebook post on Jan. 3.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 10/10 Tennessee was edged out by Missouri, 66-64, in its SEC home opener Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena in front of a season-high crowd of 9,113.
Tennessee trailed by five points with less than 90 seconds remaining but fought back and had a shot to win 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 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.
The contest was back-and-forth for the entire game, as the lead changed 13 times and neither team ever held a lead larger than five points.
Missouri was threatening to pull away late, taking a 65-60 lead with just under two minutes to play. On the ensuing Lady Vol possession, however, freshman Zaay Green drove to the basket and converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to two points. A free throw by Westbrook on Tennessee’s next possession trimmed Missouri’s lead to one.
After another stop by the Tennessee defense, the Lady Vols had an opportunity to take the lead, but a 15-foot jump shot by Davis rimmed in and out. Cunningham then converted a free throw to extend Missouri’s lead to two points just before Davis’ final shot missed at the buzzer.
The opening half of play was just as close as the second.
A driving layup by Westbrook with seven seconds remaining in the half gave Tennessee a 25-24 halftime lead to close out an opening 20 minutes that was a defensive battle on both ends.
Neither team built an advantage larger than four points, while the lead changed hands eight times.
Westbrook led the way for the Lady Vols in the first half with 11 points, while no player for Missouri had more than six.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will host No. 16/15 Kentucky on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena. Kids 12 and younger are invited to participate in the pregame high-five tunnel on the court by picking up a free wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse.
Battle Of The Boards: After out-rebounding the Tigers 41-34, the Lady Vols now have beaten 12 of 14 opponents on the glass this season.
New Highs:Cheridene Green recorded the fourth double-double of her career with 13 points and 14 rebounds, besting her previous SEC high of five rebounds and career high of 13 set earlier this season against OSU. Evina Westbrook set a new SEC high of four steals.
A wise businessman once told me he didn’t intend to offer everyone he interviewed a job – that some of the sessions were designed to learn from the applicant.
Perhaps that’s what Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt has been doing in his search for an offensive coordinator – which has exceeded 40 days and 40 nights.
Since Tennessee last had an offensive coordinator, we’ve seen Christmas, we’ve seen New Year’s Day, we’ve seen Bevo square off with UGA. and we’ve seen a female politician call the President a bad name.
Maybe some Vol fans have called Pruitt a bad name, frustrated by the fact that Miami’s new coach, Manny Diaz, hired an offensive coordinator in about 72 hours.
Pruitt has been more deliberate – much more deliberate.
Here’s what I think has transpired.
I think Pruitt was ready to hire an offensive coordinator in mid-December after interviewing Kendal Briles, Mike Yurcich and Hugh Freeze.
I think Pruitt prodded Briles for offensive ideas but didn’t offer. Briles has since been hired as Florida State’s offensive coordinator.
I think Pruitt wanted to hire Yurcich because Yurcich did more with less for six years as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator. But Yurcich held out for the Ohio State OC job – which he got.
I think Pruitt wanted to hire Freeze but didn’t get the endorsement of athletic director Phillip Fulmer.
I think Pruitt talked to Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, a former OC at Tennessee, in December, but didn’t make an offer.
I think Pruitt then decided to focus on recruiting and re-start the process after Jan. 1.
I think Pruitt interviewed former Maryland interim head coach Matt Canada (former OC at LSU and play-caller for Nathan Peterman at Pitt) but didn’t offer and won’t.
I think Pruitt has contacted former USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin, who famously led Tennessee to the 1998 national championship.
I think Pruitt or someone representing Tennessee has talked to Steve Sarkisian, recently fired as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. Sarkisian and Pruitt worked together at Alabama in 2016.
I think Freddie Kitchens, Jim Bob Cooter and Jeremy Bates – all current or recent NFL coaches – are NOT in the picture.
I think Chaney is hirable. I didn’t think that in December. I think it now. But Pruitt might have to move relatively fast or Chaney might lose interest.
Chaney enjoyed his time at Tennessee (2009-12) and would probably like to retire in East Tennessee.
One long-time college coach with SEC experience told me Fulmer likes Chaney and Pruitt respects Chaney. How could you not, after what he did at Purdue with Drew Brees and at Tennessee with Tyler Bray and at Arkansas with Brandon Allen and Pitt with Nathan Peterman and Georgia with Jake Fromm.
“Chaney is the best play-caller in the SEC,’’ one source told me.
Of all the potential hirable candidates, I think Chaney has the best resume’.
Chaney would command a salary of at least $1 million a year and he has about a $500,000 buyout at Georgia. But he’d be worth it.
I think one other thing – Pruitt will hire someone within a week.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick met with the media on Saturday morning in advance of Sunday’s showdown at Thompson-Boling Arena between the No. 10/10 Lady Vols (12-1, 1-0 SEC) and the Missouri Tigers (12-3, 1-0 SEC). Tip-off is at 2 p.m. ET, with ESPN2 televising.
UT and MU both come into the match-up on four-game winning streaks. The Lady Vols picked up an impressive road win at Auburn, 78-69, while the Tigers took care of Ole Miss, 78-55, at Mizzou Arena on Thursday.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 8-2 and is 4-0 in games played in Knoxville, but Missouri got the win in Columbia last season, holding off the Lady Vols, 77-73. Tickets are priced as low as $10 are available at AllVols.com.
On transitioning from Auburn’s style of play to Missouri’s:
“They’re a little similar. (Missouri) won’t press as much, but they’ll shoot the three, and that’s probably the similarity. They’ll spread the floor on us, so they’ll be a challenge for us. (Sophie) Cunningham is just a hard worker and a really great basketball player, so yes, it will be a little different.”
On the challenge of guarding Missouri:
“They run a motion, so it’s not a lot of set plays, and we have to guard concepts. We’ve worked a lot on concepts like flare screens, backdoor cuts, back screens – those type of things. It’s a bit of a challenge because all of them can step out and shoot the three. They spread the floor really wide, so it goes back to why we play Belmont and those type of teams. It’s to get us ready for a team like Missouri.”
On Cierra Porter being back:
“She’s experienced. She plays hard. She’s a great rebounder, so that’s a great addition for them. If you have a starter that’s been out and comes back in, that’s got to be a bonus and a plus and a boost for the team just knowing that she’s available.”
On being mindful of how physically taxing the Auburn game was on some players:
“We were (mindful). We didn’t do a lot yesterday. You have two days to prepare after Thursday’s game, so you have to get back about your daily business, but we didn’t do a lot of up and down. We did a lot of half court things. Mentally you have to be focused. We didn’t get in until 1:30 or 2:00 (a.m.) because our plane was late, so those are the types of things you’ve got to deal with. But they’re out of school. They got to sleep, and they look like they’ve got a lot of energy in there.”
On how big it is to get their first SEC win:
“It’s on the road. It’s at Auburn. Auburn has always been a challenging game for us, so to get that win, it’s huge. It’s a confidence builder. We talked a lot about setting a foundation going into the SEC, so it was big for us.”
On if she knew going into this season they would be so successful at shooting 3-pointers:
“I thought we were capable of shooting the three, probably not as many as we’re shooting and not the percentage, but that we had the capability of doing that. When I saw them in the fall and what they’d done in the summer and working on their range and their ability to score, then I thought we’d be a better offensive shooting team.”
On the effort the team showed at Auburn:
“I was concerned that we had 23 turnovers, but I looked back on it, and we had a couple jump balls; we went into the lane on a free throw once. We had a lot of self-inflicted turnovers that I can live with. We’ve got to clean them up, but I thought we handled their press really, really well, and in the past we’ve struggled with it. I’ll tell you, I was worried about Auburn. I have a lot of respect for them, and for us to come out of there (with a win), and as hard as we played, and as many people as we played, and the productivity we got out of everybody, it’s very reassuring going into tomorrow’s game.”
On if she feels this team will have consistent effort:
“I think that’s us. We’ve seemed to battle all year. When our backs have been against the wall, we’ve seemed to come back and battle. So yeah, I would like to think that is us. We saw a lot of kids getting on the floor, a lot of kids battling and playing hard, so they had a lot of confidence going into that game.”
On the freshmen contributing:
“They’re growing up. Every game I think they grow up, and I’ve played them a lot early for that particular reason. They’re going to have to come in. Someone is going to get in foul trouble or something is going to happen, and I thought Jaz (Jazmine Massengill) came in and did a great job for Evina (at Auburn). And Evina has done a great job of helping Jaz get to that point and have a great prep. I was really proud of Jaz. That’s a tough environment to be in against a pressing team, and I thought she handled it very well.”
On Zaay Green’s performance:
“Here’s what I loved about Zaay (against Auburn): she got two quick fouls and came out and wasn’t happy with herself, but she came back in and played steady. She took great shots. She didn’t take a lot of floaters. Her defense was solid; her rebounding was solid. Zaay brought up the ball just like Jaz did, so that’s an extra guard out there. Zaay is just getting more and more confident and better as each game goes.”
On the team’s conditioning:
“We’re in great shape. When you first start off, I think it takes a while to get your second wind, but I think down the stretch we’re in really good shape. Coach Taylor has done a really good job, and we’ve played a lot of up and down. Now it’s a battle of not overtraining and not getting them hurt, but then keeping them in condition.”
On Rennia Davis’ postgame comment at Auburn about the players and coaches believing in each other:
“I wouldn’t trade these kids for anybody. I told them I get upset by two things: if they don’t play hard and if we don’t listen. But you’ve got to have great leadership. Rennia has stepped up. She’s stepped out of her comfort zone. Rennia is not a natural born leader, and so she’s had to step out. And Meme has stepped up and Evina stepped up. I just love their effort, and I trust them. I do trust them. They’re going to get the best out of their coaching staff, and we want their best.”
On limiting Sophie Cunningham:
“We have to try to limit her touches. She works hard. She gets (points) off rebounds, shooting the three, driving… she’s just tough to guard because she’s a tough kid. She gets it off steals. We’ve got to really try to limit her touches, deny her, make her have to work for the ball. Take the ball at her and maybe get a couple fouls on her. You have to come ready to play when you play Sophie Cunningham because she lays it all on the line. She lays every game on the line, and I respect her for that. She plays the game hard, and that’s how you should play.”
On Missouri’s defense:
“They play passing lanes. They play off of you. They play a little bit of a pack. They protect the basket. They’re very good at protecting the basket and only allowing you to get one shot. We can’t get a little antsy and catch and shoot quick. We’ve got to make the defense move and make them have to work. We want them to have to work. It’s just a matter of are we going to be patient? Are we going to take great shots? Or are we going to take quick shots and be one-and-done? And that’s one thing I thought we did well at Auburn was rebounding the basketball, and that’s what we have to do tomorrow. Rebounding and dominating the boards, it helps us be so successful.”
On Missouri’s offense:
“They’re more methodical (than Auburn). They’ll spread the floor. They run a very good motion offense. They press, but it’s not going to be the get-up-in-your-face pressure every time to try to make you turn it over. I think they press more to delay and disrupt and get you in the half court where you’ve got 15 seconds to run your offense.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In front of a sold out Thompson-Boling Arena crowd, No. 3 Tennessee dominated its Southeastern Conference opener from the opening whistle, blitzing Georgia in a 96-50 win.
Led by a combined 56 points from Jordan Bowden (20), Grant Williams (18) and Admiral Schofield (18), Tennessee (12-1, 1-0 SEC) led Georgia (8-5, 0-1 SEC) by as many as 49 points en route to a 46-point victory Saturday afternoon. The 46-point scoring margin tied the second largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in Tennessee program history.
Through nine games inside of Thompson-Boling Arena this season, the Vols have outscored their opponents by an average of 25.9 points, as Saturday was the largest margin of victory this season.
Kyle Alexander finished with a career-high 14 rebounds as he notched his second double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points in the game. Alexander grabbed eight rebounds in the first half to pace him to his new career high. It was the second time this season he had double-digit rebounds in a game.
After taking a 29-point lead into halftime, Tennessee continued to build on its lead, as a Williams 3-pointer from the left wing pushed the lead over the 30-point barrier.
The Vols continued to clamp down defensively as they limited the Bulldogs to just 30.8 percent shooting in the second half and allowing just one 3-pointer on 12 attempts. Georgia finished 1-of-20 in the game from beyond the arc.
Tennessee was able to get to rim in the second half, as 10 of its 17 made buckets were layups, with five of those coming on fast breaks.
Williams proved tough to handle from the jump. The junior forward got to the free-throw line on the opening two possessions. Williams then worked his post game to extend the lead to 9-4 at the 16:31 mark after a knocking down a fadeaway over two Georgia defenders.
Williams was fouled eight times in the first half, attempting 11 free throws in total. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native converted nine of his attempts, leading the team with 15 points in the first half.
Schofield picked up the scoring from there, scoring the next eight points for the Vols, including converting an and-one layup off a pass from Williams.
A Schofield three from the right wing at the 12:02 mark in the half helped spark an 18-2 Vols run over the next 5:00 to extend the lead to 32-14. Schofield finished with 13 points in the first half, knocking down both of his 3-point attempts.
Bowden joined Williams and Schofield in double figures, converting on 5-of-7 attempts from the field in the first half. Bowden punctuated his 13-point first half with a run-out slam to extend the lead to 23 with just under two minutes to play in the first.
A Derrick Walker free throw with 13 seconds remaining in the first half extended the Tennessee lead to 29 points as the Vols took a 53-24 edge into locker room. It was the most points Tennessee scored in the first half this season and their largest lead after 20 minutes of play,
SHOOTER’S RIM: Over the course of its past five games — contests against Memphis, Samford, Wake Forest, Tennessee Tech and Georgia — Tennessee shot a combined 163-for-291 (56 percent) from the field. The Vols have eclipsed 50-percent shooting during each of those five wins.
DIMES FOR DAYS:Tennessee registered 25 assists in the win over Georgia, the 10th game of 20 or more assists for the Vols this season. All 10 UT players who notched more than two minutes of court time had an assist in the game, with Jordan Bone and Williams tying for the team-high with five a piece.
Among SEC teams, no other team has more than five games of that variety, while no other team ranked in this week’s AP Top 25 has done it more than seven times.
CHARITY STRIPE: Tennessee converted 22-of-26 free-throw attempts in the game, as the Vols helped build their first half lead from the charity stripe. They knocked down 15-of-18 tries in the first half, as Georgia fouled Tennessee 13 times–including eight drawn by Grant Williams.
LIMITING THE BULLDOGS: Entering Saturday’s game against Tennessee, Georgia ranked second in the country in defensive rebounding (32.0 rapg), fourth in blocks per game (6.3 bpg) and seventh in total rebounds per game (43.2 rpg). The Vols held Georgia to just 21 defense rebounds, two blocks and 30 total rebounds.
The Bulldogs had also scored at least 80 points in six games and were limited to just 50 on Saturday.
Georgia’s Nicolas Claxton came into Saturday’s contest as the reigning SEC Player of the Week. The Vols were able to get the 6-11 sophomore in early foul trouble; by the 4:01 mark in the first half, Claxton had picked up his fourth foul of the game.
Claxton, who came in to the game ranked eighth in the nation in blocks and 15th in rebounding (10.2 rpg), finished the day with just six points and five rebounds in 24 minutes of play.
Bulldog’s leading scorer, Rayshaun Hammonds, finished with zero points in the game after coming in averaging 15.0 points per game. The sophomore forward was also limited to one rebound in the game after coming in averaging 6.9 per game.
UP NEXT: The Vols travel to Columbia, Missouri, on Tuesday for their first road contest in SEC play. Tennessee will square off with Missouri at 7 p.m. ET, with the game airing on ESPN2.
