Keith Urban recently stopped by Nashville’s Sound Stage Studios to record two songs for Spotify Singles, an ongoing series that beckons artists to record original tracks as well as unexpected covers of songs that have inspired them from a wide range of genres.
In addition to recording his current single, “Never Comin’ Down,” Keith put his pipes to Marshmello’s chart-topping dance hit, “Happier.”
“The first time I heard ‘Happier,’ it spoke to me lyrically,” says Keith. “Underneath that badass track, there’s an incredible story of emotional conflict being told. I could really relate to it and so I set about trying to frame that in my own way.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt announced the hiring of Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator on Wednesday.
Chaney, a 34-year veteran of the coaching ranks, returns to Rocky Top, where he served as the Vols’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2009-12, following impressive stints coordinating the offenses at Georgia (2016-18), Pitt (2015) and Arkansas (2013-14). He also has experience as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Rams (2006-08) and as the offensive coordinator at Purdue (1997-2005) and Cal State Fullerton (1988-92).
“I’m thrilled to announce Jim Chaney as our offensive coordinator,” Pruitt said. “Jim couldn’t be a better fit for our program at the University of Tennessee. His track record of success guiding offenses speaks for itself from his time at Purdue with Drew Brees to his time in the NFL and his success in the SEC at Georgia, Arkansas, and, of course, previously with the Vols.
“What most impresses me about Jim is his knowledge of the game and also the way he has adapted his offenses to his players’ strengths. He’s had years where he has guided one of the nation’s top passing offenses and years where his offenses have been near the top in rushing. He could coach every position on offense and is a true teacher of the game.
“Jim has proven to be a great mentor for young men, and I’m excited to have him here at Tennessee.”
Chaney replaces Tyson Helton, who was named the head coach at Western Kentucky in December.
Led by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Chaney-coached players are featured prominently throughout the NFL and include Browns running back Nick Chubb, Patriots running back Sony Michel, Ravens running back Alex Collins, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, Patriots wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson and Dolphins’ offensive linemen Travis Swanson and Ja’Wuan James, among several others.
Since returning to the college ranks in 2009, Chaney has coached 27 NFL Draft picks and 11 1,000-yard rushers. He also has seen all five of his draft-eligible starting quarterbacks get drafted or make an NFL roster.
Chaney’s offenses led the SEC in fewest sacks allowed over three straight seasons from 2012 to 2014 at Tennessee and Arkansas.
Tennessee had 12 offensive players drafted from Chaney’s previous stint with the Vols from 2009-12. He served as interim head coach for the season finale in 2012, a 37-17 victory over Kentucky.
In 2012, the Vols averaged 475.9 yards per game – the second-most in school history and the second-best mark in the SEC that season, while scoring 36.9 points per game. Quarterback Tyler Bray passed for 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns and broke Peyton Manning’s single-game school record with 530 passing yards against Troy.
Most recently, Chaney guided Georgia to some of the most prolific offenses in Bulldogs’ history, coaching quarterbacks in 2016 and 2017, and the tight ends in 2018, in addition to coordinating the offense.
Georgia led the SEC in rushing in 2017 (258.4) and 2018 (238.79) and had four different players eclipse 1,000 yards rushing over the two-year span. Georgia set school records in rushing yards (3,876) and rushing touchdowns (42) in 2017.
Georgia won the SEC and advanced to the College Football Playoff Championship in 2017 with a true freshman at quarterback in Jake Fromm. The Bulldogs went to a second consecutive SEC Championship game in 2018 and appeared in the Sugar Bowl, while ranking second in the SEC in scoring (37.9 ppg) and averaging 464.4 total yards per game.
Chaney has found success at every stop in his collegiate coaching career.
During his nine seasons as the offensive coordinator at Purdue, Chaney’s offenses ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total offense six times and led the Big Ten in passing five times.
In 2000, Brees led the NCAA in total offense and received the Maxwell Award as the Boilermakers won the Big Ten and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 33 years.
Chaney also helped Pitt go 8-5 and developed future NFL Draft pick Nathan Peterman at quarterback in 2015, and he guided an Arkansas offense, featuring a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, that averaged 31.9 points per game in 2014.
Before his first stint at Tennessee, Chaney was an assistant with the Rams in the NFL for three seasons, coaching offensive line and tight ends.
Chaney broke into coaching at Cal State Fullerton in 1985 and served in many areas, including offensive coordinator before a stint at Wyoming, where he was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in 1995 and 1996.
A native of Holden, Mo., Chaney earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Central Missouri State University in 1985 after a career at nose guard. He earned all-conference honors as a senior.
Chaney and his wife, Lisa, who hails from Rock Springs, Wyo., are the parents of daughters Elizabeth and Sara.
Tennessee, Florida State, Purdue and VCU will converge in the Florida panhandle Thanksgiving weekend for the sixth annual Emerald Coast Classic, presented by Global Sports.
The eight-team tournament is set for Nov. 29-30 on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida. Tickets will go on sale in September. The full field has yet to be announced.
Niceville is located in the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin metropolitan area, which is a popular getaway destination for Tennessee fans. The Arena at NFSC is a 15-minute drive from the nearby Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and a less-than-30-minute drive from the US-98 hotel/condo corridor in Destin along the Gulf Coast.
“This will be the best field we’ve ever assembled for the Emerald Coast Classic, and it shapes up as one of the strongest preseason college basketball tournaments next season,” tournament director Maury Hanks, chief executive officer of Global Sports, said. “We continue to strive in bringing the best college basketball teams possible to the emerald coast of Florida.”
Florida State is off to a 12-2 start this season and is ranked No. 12 in this week’s AP Top 25. Head coach Leonard Hamilton has guided the Seminoles to six trips to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure in Tallahassee.
Tennessee owns a 5-3 all-time record against Florida State, with the most recent meeting coming 1989.
Purdue, under the leadership of head coach Matt Painter, has been one of the top programs in the Big 10 in recent years and won the league title in 2017. The Boilermakers won a school-record 30 games last season while advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.
One of Purdue’s losses last season came against the Volunteers at the Battle 4 Atlantis. That victory evened UT’s all-time series with the Boilermakers at 2-2.
VCU is 10-4 this season under first-year head coach Mike Rhoades. The Rams reached appeared in seven straight NCAA Tournaments from 2011–2017.
Tennessee and VCU last met at the 2015 Veterans Classic. That is UT’s only loss in the series, which it leads, 4-1.
The semifinals and championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Cassadee Pope will drop her sophomore album, Stages, on Feb. 1.
The 11-song collection, which was produced by Corey Crowder, features Cassadee’s two most recent singles, “Take You Home” and “One More Red Light.” The new album follows Cassadee’s 2013 debut album, Frame By Frame.
“For the first time in my life, I’m confident in the way I navigate things thrown my way, and I hope someone listening finds the same strength,” says Cassadee.
Florida Georgia Line will embark on a 36-city Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour this summer. The tour takes its moniker from the duo’s upcoming fourth studio album, which is slated to drop on Feb. 15.
Kicking off on June 12 in Rogers, Ark., the tour will make additional stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego and more. Dan + Shay and Morgan Wallen will join FGL for the tour, while Canaan Smith and Hardy will perform on select dates.
Tickets for the Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour go on sale on Jan. 25.
Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour
June 13 | Rogers, AR | Walmart AMP*
June 14 | Dallas, TX | Dos Equis Pavilion*
June 15 | Southaven, MS | BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove*
July 11 | Holmdel, NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center*
July 12 | Boston, MA | Xfinity Center*
July 13 | Philadelphia, PA | BB&T Pavilion*
July 18 | Bangor, ME | Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion*
July 19 | Hartford, CT | XFINITY Theatre*
July 20 | Jones Beach, NY | Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater*
July 25 | Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach*
July 26 | Raleigh, NC | Coastal Credit Union Music Park*
July 27 | Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion*
Aug. 1 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center*
Aug. 2 | Burgettstown, PA | KeyBank Pavilion*
Aug. 3 | Bristow, VA | Jiffy Lube Live*
Aug. 8 | St. Louis, MO | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre*
Aug. 9 | Chicago, IL | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre*
Aug. 15 | Syracuse, NY | St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview+
Aug. 16 | Scranton, PA | The Pavilion at Montage Mountain+
Aug. 17 | Hershey, PA | Hersheypark Stadium+
Aug. 22 | Clarkston, MI | DTE Energy Music Theatre+
Aug. 23 | Cleveland, OH | Blossom Music Center+
Aug. 24 | Darien Center, NY | Darien Lake Amphitheater+
Aug. 29 | West Palm Beach, FL | Coral Sky Amphitheatre+
Aug. 30 | Tampa, FL | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre+
Aug. 31 | Atlanta, GA | Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood+
Sept. 7 | Indianapolis, IN | Indianapolis Motor Speedway (FGL Fest)
Sept. 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | USANA Amphitheatre+
Sept. 13 | Denver, CO | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre+
Sept. 14 | Albuquerque, NM | Isleta Amphitheater+
Sept. 19 | Phoenix, AZ | Ak-Chin Pavilion+
Sept. 20 | San Diego, CA | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre+
Sept. 21 | San Bernardino, CA | Glen Helen Amphitheater+
Sept. 26 | Sacramento, CA | Toyota Amphitheatre+
Sept. 27 | Mountain View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre+
Sept. 28 | Irvine, CA | FivePoint Amphitheatre+
Steve Earle & the Dukes will release a Guy Clark tribute album, aptly titled Guy, on March 29. The upcoming record includes 16 songs that were penned by Guy and features guest appearances from Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Terry Allen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mickey Raphael, Shawn Camp, Verlon Thompson and Gary Nicholson.
Steve, who lists Townes Van Zandt and Guy as his two primary songwriting mentors, released a Townes tribute album in 2009. Guy passed away in March 2016 and is best known for penning tunes such as “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “L.A. Freeway,” “That Old Time Feeling,” “She Ain’t Going Nowhere,” “Let Him Roll,” “Rita Ballou,” and “Texas 1947.”
“No way I could get out of doing this record,” says Steve. “When I get to the other side, I didn’t want to run into Guy having made the Townes record and not one about him. Guy wasn’t really a hard record to make. We did it fast, five or six days with almost no overdubbing. I wanted it to sound live . . . When you’ve got a catalog like Guy’s and you’re only doing 16 tracks, you know each one is going to be strong.”
1. “Dublin Blues”
2. “L.A. Freeway”
3. “Texas 1947”
4. “Desperados Waiting For A Train”
5. “Rita Ballou”
6. “The Ballad Of Laverne And Captain Flint”
7. “The Randall Knife”
8. “Anyhow I Love You”
9. “That Old Time Feeling”
10. “Heartbroke”
11. “The Last Gunfighter Ballad”
12. “Out In The Parking Lot”
13. “She Ain’t Going Nowhere”
14. “Sis Draper”
15. “New Cut Road”
16. “Old Friends”
The University of Tennessee’s extended offensive coordinator search has come to an end.
According to multiple reports, and confirmed by our Sports Director Jimmy Hyams, Georgia OC Jim Chaney has been hired as Jeremy Pruitt’s new offensive coordinator at UT. Chaney returns to Rocky Top after OC stints under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.
BREAKING: #Vols hire Georgia's Jim Chaney as new offensive coordinator. HUGE move from Jeremy Pruitt. (FREE) https://t.co/cZE8GC9iJL
Jim Chaney is returning to @Vol_Football as offensive coordinator, ESPN confirms. GoVols247 first reported. Chaney is expected to be formally announced Wednesday. Vols ponying up a lot of money to get Chaney, who just finished his third season as @FootballUGA's OC.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Tennessee has hired Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator. Chaney served as UT's OC from 2009-2012. He has been at Georgia the last 2 years and the Bulldogs led the SEC in rushing this year.
Chaney had earlier spoken to Pruitt without an offer being issued. Chaney was also said to be hireable as Jimmy Hyams outlined in this article last weekend.
No official release has been distributed from UT. We do not expect a press conference for the hire or an additional media availability with the Tennessee head football coach. The next time we are likely to see Pruitt in a pres conference setting is on February’s National Signing Day.
Jimmy outlined more details on the hire and Chaney tonight.
Two coaches with SEC ties told me that Chaney is the best offensive coordinator and best play caller in the SEC. Chaney will get a 3 year deal at about $4.5 million. He has a $500,000 buyout at Georgia
Chaney coached Drew Brees at Purdue, Tyler Bray and Jonathan Crompton at Tennessee, Brandon Allen at Arkansas, Nathan Peterman at Pitt and Jake Fromm at Georgia. He has shown ability to produce with pass oriented attacks and play-action schemes.
All of our weekday local shows (6a to 7:30pm) will have coverage, information, opinions and reaction to this big hire for the Tennessee football program.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 3 Tennessee rebounded from a slow start to cruise to an 87-63 win at Missouri Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena.
The Vols (13-1, 2-0 SEC) extended their winning streak to nine games with the victory. UT’s 87 points were the most the Tigers (9-4, 0-1 SEC) had allowed this season.
After going down by nine early on, Tennessee rallied to the 24-point win on the road. Kyle Alexander posted another strong performance in the paint, recording 14 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and three blocks for his third double-double of the season–and second in a row.
Jordan Bowden dropped a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 26 minutes of play. Jordan Bone added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Admiral Schofield posted an all-around performance with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
For the sixth consecutive game, Tennessee scored 80 points and shot better than 50 percent (31-of-58) from the floor to find the win column.
Mizzou had all the momentum to begin the game, taking a 27-18 lead behind five 3-pointers. However, the rowdy crowd wouldn’t rattle Tennessee, who answered with a 13-0 run of its own to retake the lead.
After a 10-of-19 shooting start for MU, the Big Orange settled in on defense and didn’t allow a basket during the final 7:04 of the half. UT knocked down eight of its final 12 shots and ended the period on a 24-4 run to lead 42-31 going into halftime.
Bone led all scorers at the break with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, while Bowden chipped in 10 points on his own. Alexander grabbed nine rebounds in the half to go along with six points.
HOT HALF FOR JORDANS: Jordan Bone and Jordan Bowden combined for 25 points in the first half to spark Tennessee’s offense after a slow start. Bone dropped 15 points behind a pair of threes, while Bowden scored 10. The duo scored 20 of UT’s final 31 points in the half to give the Vols a 42-31 lead at the break.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT: For second game in a row, Kyle Alexander went off in the paint for a double-double. He finished with 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. It was his third double-double of the season and the fifth of his career. Alexander became the first Vol since Jarnell Stokes (18 vs. Mercer, 3/23/14) to record at least 15 rebounds in a game.
SHOOTER’S RIM (CONT.): Over the course of its past six games—contests against Memphis, Samford, Wake Forest, Tennessee Tech, Georgia and Missouri—Tennessee shot a combined 194-for-349 (56 percent) from the field. The Vols have eclipsed 50-percent shooting during each of those six wins.
UP NEXT: After Tuesday’s showdown, Tennessee will face another challenging road test by taking on the Florida Gators in Gainesville. That game will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 13/13 Tennessee (12-2, 1-1 SEC) closes out a two-game home stand with a Thursday night clash in Knoxville against border rival No. 16/16 Kentucky (14-2, 1-1 SEC). Tip-off is slated for 7:02 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game being carried by the SEC Network, the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM.
This marks the 67th meeting between these programs in a series that ranks behind only UT-Vanderbilt (80 games) and now ties with UT-Georgia (67 games) for most times played.
The Lady Vols will try to bounce back from a Sunday setback on The Summitt, as Missouri upset Tennessee, 66-64, with a 6-for-9 three-point barrage in the second half providing the catalyst. The UT-MU contest was a back-and-forth affair the whole game, with the Tigers using 4-of-6 long-range shooting in the third stanza to win the period 24-21 and forge a two-point margin they were able to maintain despite repeated UT responses.
Kentucky also will attempt to get back in the win column after falling in Starkville to (then) No. 7/6 Mississippi State on Sunday, 86-71. The UK-MSU game also was a back-and-forth battle over the final three periods, with each team winning a quarter and tying in the final one. The Bulldogs, however, built a 15-point edge in a 26-11 first quarter that the Wildcats were never able to trim.
Tennessee enters with a 7-2 home record, its only losses to No. 8/9 Stanford and to Mizzou. Kentucky is playing only its third road game of the season and stands 0-2 with losses at No. 2/2 Louisville (80-75 on Dec. 9) and Sunday at No. 7/6 Mississippi State.
UT and UK both have played Murray State, with the Lady Vols winning 98-77 on Dec. 28 and the Wildcats defeating the Racers, 88-49, on Dec. 21.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) will describe the action for the SEC Network.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call 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.
For UT home games, the Lady Vol Network has a low-power transmitter that makes the game available on the radio at 99.3 FM.
The game also can be found on Sirius 94, XM 190 and on SiriusXM app 961.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame high-five tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
Help us Spark the Summitt during introductions at the game. Download our new free light-up app, courtesy of Coca-Cola. Once downloaded, simply open your Hoops Hype app when the lights go out, and let your phone do the rest.
Tickets are available for as low as $10 at AllVols.com.
There is free parking & shuttle service available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off.
UT-KENTUCKY SERIES NOTES
This marks the 67th edition of UT vs. UK, with the Lady Vols leading the series, 55-11.
UT has faced only two other teams more times than the Wildcats – Vanderbilt in 80 meetings and Georgia in 67 games. This game will tie the UGA series, but the Lady Vols face Georgia in game 68 on Sunday.
The Lady Vols own a 24-3 mark against UK in games played in Knoxville, with the Wildcats only winning on Rocky Top in 1983, 1985 and 2014.
Tennessee is 21-8 vs. UK in Lexington and 10-0 at neutral sites. The Lady Vols are 9-0 in postseason games.
UT is 3-1 in overtime games vs. Kentucky, including 3-0 in Lexington and 0-1 in Knoxville, with the last OT contest in the series coming in 1994.
Holly Warlick is 6-3 as head coach vs. Kentucky, including 2-1 in games played on The Summitt, and was 7-1 as a player vs. Kentucky from 1976-80, going 3-0 in Knoxville vs. the Wildcats.
Tennessee has won two straight and six of the past seven games vs. Kentucky.
NOTING THE LADY VOLS
HOT SHOTS: Rennia Davis (14-23/.609) and Cheridene Green (8-13/.615) are both off to great shooting starts from the field, sizzling the nets for 61 percent accuracy. Zaay Green is hitting 50 percent (8-16).
WORKING THE GLASS: UT has been led in rebounding the past two games by Rennia Davis(11.5 rpg.) and Cheridene Green (9.0), with Zaay Green (6.0) right behind them. UT is +10.5 on the boards, with an average tally of 42.0 to 31.5 in two league contests.
FREE THROW ACCURACY: Meme Jackson (8-8/1.000) and Rennia Davis (8-9/.889) have set the tone from the charity stripe in SEC play, and Zaay Green (3-3/1.000) appears to be following their lead.
AS JACKSON GOES…: In the 12 games UT has won, Meme Jackson has averaged 14.7 points per game (58-122 FG, .475). In the Lady Vols’ two losses, the senior has averaged 9.5 ppg. (4-23 FG, .174).
WE LIKE ROAD GYMS: Wait. What? Everyone likes playing in their home gym and having the home crowd behind them, but thus far the Lady Vols actually shoot better on the road in all categories. UT is shooting .439 (FG), .341 (3FG) and .687 (FT) in nine home games and is shooting .489 (FG), .392 (3FG) and .727 (FT) in three road contests.
DEFENDING THE THREE: The Lady Vols have lost two games, and the common denominator in those setbacks was UT allowing double figures in three-pointers made. UT gave up 14 to Stanford and 10 by Missouri. UK comes in shooting .401 and averaging 8.1 threes per contest.
MORE ASSTS.=MORE PTS.: UT managed only seven assists vs. Missouri on 22 made baskets. The result was only 64 points and a loss. Tennessee’s second lowest point total this season (65 vs. Stetson) came when the Lady Vols tallied only nine assists on 19 made baskets.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LADY VOLS
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.
NOTING KENTUCKY
Kentucky returned 11 letterwinners, including three starters from a year ago.
Seniors Maci Morris (16.2 ppg.) and Taylor Murray (13.1) have picked up where they left off last season, and freshman Rhyne Howard (Cleveland, Tenn.) has started every game and leads UK in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (7.0).
KeKe McKinney (Knoxville, Tenn./Fulton H.S.) is the other returning starter (5.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg.).
Murray is the SEC active career leader in steals (243) and assists (394), while Morris is fourth in scoring (1,468) and Murray is eighth (1,171).
Howard is the SEC’s No. 6 scorer at 17.4 ppg.
Wildcats head coach Matthew Mitchell was on the UT staff in 1999-2000 as a graduate assistant.
UK Associate Head Coach Kyra Elzy played at Tennessee from 1996-2001 and was an assistant coach and associate head coach at UT from 2012-16 in between stints working with Mitchell at Kentucky as an assistant coach and associate head coach (2008-12, 2016-present).
Kentucky assistant Niya Butts played at Tennessee from 1996-2000, while Amber Smith, who played at Kentucky from 2008-12 and was a graduate assistant in 2013-14 at Tennessee, also is a UK assistant.
Lin Dunn, assistant to the head coach, earned her master’s degree from Tennessee in 1970 after completing her undergraduate work at UT-Martin.
A youthful UK team finished 15-17 overall and 6-10 in SEC play, good for ninth, in 2017-18.
Maci Morris was named All-SEC Second Team and Taylor Murray made the SEC All-Defensive Team.
THE CATS’ LAST GAME
Maci Morris scored 20 points and Rhyne Howard added 15, but it was not enough as 16th-ranked Kentucky lost to seventh-ranked Mississippi State, 86-71, on Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State (14-1, 2-0 SEC) took advantage of its superior size, controlling the paint for most of the game. The Bulldogs had a 48-24 advantage on the boards, outscored Kentucky 25-12 in second-chance points and scored 48 points in the paint compared to Kentucky’s 22.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
No. 7/7 Tennessee improved to 13-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC on Dec. 31, 2017, defeating UK (8-7, 0-1 SEC) 63-49 in front of a crowd of 8,921 at Rupp Arena.
The victory was UT’s first in the venue in three tries.
The Lady Vols were led in scoring by freshman Evina Westbrook, who tied her career high with 17 points. Maci Morris led Kentucky with 18.
LAST TIME UT AND UK PLAYED IN KNOXVILLE
Redshirt junior Diamond DeShields made a huge return to the hardwood in Tennessee’s 72-65 home win over No. 17/23 Kentucky on Jan. 1, 2017.
After missing the last previous two games, DeShields scored 21 points on 50 percent (8-of-16) shooting. Fellow redshirt junior Mercedes Russell scored 22 points and grabbed nine boards.
Taylor Murray finished with 23 points for the Cats.
COMING UP FOR UT AND UK
After hosting UK, UT hits the road for games at Georgia on Sunday (3 ET/ESPN) and at Alabama next Thursday (8 CT/9 ET/SEC Network).
Kentucky, meanwhile, returns home to host Ole Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
![Keith Urban Covers Marshmello’s No. 1 Dance Hit, “Happier” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2017/12/07094008/Keith-urban1.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
The 11-song collection, which was produced by Corey Crowder, features Cassadee’s two most recent singles, “Take You Home” and “One More Red Light.” The new album follows Cassadee’s 2013 debut album, Frame By Frame.
