For the second consecutive week, Tennessee senior Admiral Schofield has earned SEC Player of the Week recognition. He does not share the honor this time, however, as his first double-double of the season set him apart from all his peers.
Schofield totaled 29 points and 11 rebounds to power the Volunteers to a 102-92 victory at Memphis Saturday. In front of a sellout FedExForum crowd, he shot .667 from the field, connected on four of eight 3-point attempts and made all nine of his free-throw attempts. The victory also marked the second consecutive game in which Schofield scored more than 20 points in the second half.
Schofield—who dropped 30 points in UT’s Dec. 9 victory over then-top-ranked Gonzaga—became the first Vol to post score at least 25 points in consecutive games since 2016. The Zion, Illinois, native has scored at least 20 points in five of Tennessee’s last six outings.
A 6-6, 241-pound force who impacts games on both ends of the floor, Schofield’s 19.1 points per game rank second in the SEC (behind teammate Grant Williams, who averages 19.8 ppg), and his .426 shooting percentage from 3-point range ranks seventh in the SEC.
Schofield has made multiple 3-point shots in six straight games, with 20 makes during that span. His 23 treys this season lead the Vols and rank fifth in the conference.
This is the fifth SEC weekly honor of Schofield’s career. He earned Freshman of the Week acclaim on Jan. 11, 2016, and he was named Co-Player of the Week twice last season before sharing last week’s POW award as well.
Schofield and the Vols return to action Wednesday night when they host Samford at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Alabama will celebrate a half-century of making music with their upcoming 50th Anniversary Tour in 2019. The 27-date tour will kick off in Detroit on Jan. 10, making additional stops in New Orleans, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and more. Additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Alabama’s Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook formed the band in 1969 when the cousins journeyed to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to play at a bar called The Bowery.
“We never thought playing for tips at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that 50 years later we would still playing arenas, stadiums and festivals,” says Randy. “Teddy, Jeff and I are humbled at the amount of fans that are coming out to see us. We are finding out that we are playing to three generations of fans who have followed us and our music from day one. The fans are the ones responsible for our continued success on the road and we love them.”
The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Oak Ridge Boys, Restless Heart, Chris Janson, Tracy Lawrence and Exile will join Alabama on select dates.
Alabama 50th Anniversary Tour
Jan. 10 | Detroit, MI | The Fox Theatre (w/ Chris Janson)
Jan. 11 | Indianapolis, IN | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (w/ Restless Heart)
Jan. 19 | Atlantic City, NJ | Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
Jan. 20 | Albany, NY | Times Union Center (w/ Exile)
Feb 14 | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
Feb 15 | New Orleans, LA | Smoothie King Center (w/ Tracy Lawrence)
Feb 28 | Plant City, FL | Florida Strawberry Festival
March 1 | St. Augustine, FL | The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
March 14 | Salem, VA | Salem Civic Center (w/ The Oak Ridge Boys)
March 15 | Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena (w/ Tracy Lawrence)
March 22 | Springfield, MO | JQH Arena (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
March 23 | North Little Rock, AR | Verizon Arena (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 5 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 6 | Charlottesville, VA | John Paul Jones Arena (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 12 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Mohegan Sun Arena (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 13 | Hartford, CT | XL Center (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 26 | Providence, RI | Dunkin’ Donuts Center (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
April 27 | State College, PA | Bryce Jordan Center (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
May 31 | Cedar Rapids, IA | U.S. Cellular Center
June 1 | La Cygne, KS | Tumbleweed
June 6 | Myrtle Beach, SC | Carolina Country Music Festival
June 7 | Macon, GA | Macon Centreplex Coliseum (w/ The Marshall Tucker Band)
June 13 -16 | Grand Junction, CO | Country Jam (performance date TBA)
June 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | Maverik Center
June 26 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center (w/ The Charlie Daniels Band)
’Tis the season for giving . . . and Blake Shelton is giving back to his home state in a major way by helping establish the Blake Shelton Cancer Research Program at Oklahoma University’s Children’s Hospital.
Blake created the program in honor of his infant cousin, who underwent cancer treatment at the hospital’s Jimmy Everest Center when she was five months old. The center is Oklahoma’s only full-service children’s cancer program. After two blood transfusions, surgery and three rounds of chemotherapy, Blake’s cousin is getting ready to celebrate her third birthday in January.
In 2016, Blake donated $600,000 to the Jimmy Everest Center during a concert stop in Oklahoma City on Sept. 10. Blake brought his young cousin onstage and told the fans in attendance about her battle with cancer.
“This time last year, we had a scare,” said Blake. “And, we didn’t know what was going going to happen. And, you can see that she’s here right now . . . [Jimmy Everest Children’s Hospital doesn’t] turn any kids away. You come in there, you have a problem, they don’t turn anybody away, so I thought ‘That’s a place that needs some money. Let’s all do the right thing.’ This is our money, Oklahoma.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In one of women’s basketball’s classic rivalries, No. 9/9 Tennessee (8-0) and No. 11/11 Stanford (7-1) face off Tuesday in the 36th meeting between these storied programs. Tip-off is slated for 6:02 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game available on the SEC Network and the Lady Vol Radio Network.
The Lady Vols will have gone eight complete days between games, entering with the momentum of an 88-82 victory over No. 12/12 Texas in Austin on Dec. 9. Stanford, meanwhile, comes to Knoxville after a 68-63 home win over No. 3/4 Baylor on Saturday. The Cardinal bounced back in strong fashion after falling at Gonzaga, 79-73, on Nov. 25.
UT has won two straight in the series and three of the past four, giving Holly Warlick a 3-3 record against one of college basketball’s coaching giants.
Tennessee’s Lou Brown (out for season/knee injury) and Stanford’s Alanna Smith both hail from Melbourne, Australia. The duo played against one another while Brown was in the Pac-12 at Washington State before becoming a graduate transfer to UT. The Lady Vols’ Kasiyahna Kushkituah and the Cardinal’s Maya Dodson were high school teammates at St. Francis High School in suburban Atlanta, Ga.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (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 (after football season has concluded), the Lady Vol Network has a low-power transmitter that makes the game available on the radio at 99.3 FM.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Tuesday night is designated as an ORANGE OUT game! Wear your best Tennessee Orange!
The UT-Stanford contest will feature a $2 Tuesday promotion, with $2 Petros OR $2 drinks. Fans must get a voucher at participating concession stands inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
There will be $2 off any TeamShop purchase at the Arena on game day. No voucher necessary. $5 minimum purchase required.
Halftime performance by The Knoxville Pipes & Drums.
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 discount group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
It’s the Twelve Names of Volidays! This game features the second and third names of Volidays! If your name is Carol or Jack, receive a complimentary ticket to the game at the ticket window with ID.
Help us Spark the Summitt during introductions at the game! Download our 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 will be free parking & shuttle service available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off.
UT-STANFORD SERIES NOTES
This is the 36th all-time meeting between these programs, and the Lady Vols own a 25-10 record vs. the Cardinal in a series that dates back to Dec. 18, 1988.
This will mark the 32nd time these teams have played when both schools are ranked in the top 15 of at least one of the polls.
There have been 14 occasions when both programs were ranked in the top five of either the AP or coaches polls and 25 top-10 match-ups, pending the teams’ Dec. 17 and 18 poll positions.
Tennessee is 13-2 in Knoxville vs. Stanford, 6-0 at neutral sites and 6-8 at Maples Pavilion.
One of those neutral site wins for Tennessee, came in the Lady Vols’ run to NCAA Championship trophy number eight, when the Lady Vols defeated Stanford, 64-48, on April 8, 2008, in Tampa, Fla.
The programs have combined for 10 National Championships (UT 8, SU 2), 31 NCAA Final Fours (UT 18, SU 13) and 2,419 victories (UT 1,352, SU 1,067).
The Lady Vols have won two straight in the series and three of the past four meetings.
Last season, the Lady Vols defeated Stanford, 83-71, on Dec. 21, 2017, for UT’s first victory at Maples Pavilion since a 74-67 win on Dec. 4, 2005.
In the last meeting in Knoxville, an unranked UT squad toppled a No. 10 Cardinal club, 59-51, on Dec. 18, 2016.
Tennessee won 11 games in a row over their West Coast foes from 1997-2006, but the series has been even (6-6) since then, with UT posting a 4-1 mark in Knoxville during that time.
UT and SU have needed overtime to settle scores in six contests, with the club from Rocky Top holding a 4-2 record. Tennessee is 2-0 in OT games played in Knoxville, 1-2 at Stanford and 1-0 at neutral sites.
UT is 68-20 all-time vs. schools currently in the Pac-12 Conference, forging a 1-1 record in 2017-18 with a road win over Stanford and a home loss to Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament.
ABOUT THE LADY VOLS
CONSECUTIVE 20S: Point guard Evina Westbrook has scored 20+ points in three straight games, the most by a Lady Vol since Diamond DeShields put together three in a row in 2016-17. The only other Warlick-era players to drop three 20s in a row were Meighan Simmons twice in 2013-14 and Isabelle Harrison once that season. The last UT player to produce four in a row was Candace Parker during the first four games of 2007-08.
LET IT FLY, M3M3?!:Meme Jackson had herself a day at Texas on Dec. 9, firing in a career-high 33 points and helping key a UT victory. She leads the Lady Vols with 18 three-pointers after knocking down a season-best-tying four vs. the Longhorns.
LONDON CALLING: Cheridene “London” Green is gaining confidence with each outing. The redshirt senior had five double-figure scoring efforts all last season and already has four in eight games this year.
FACING RANKED FOES: Tennessee is 42-35 vs. ranked foes during the Holly Warlick era, including 20-10 at home. UT was 7-6 vs. ranked teams in 2017-18, including a win at Stanford.
WINNING BOARD BATTLES: UT has out-rebounded all of its foes except a taller Texas team, which held a 41-35 advantage with Lady Vol Kasi Kushkituah out due to injury.
REBOUNDING RANKINGS: Tennessee ranks No. 7 nationally in reb. margin (13.3), No. 13 in rebs. per game (45.8) and No. 14 in off. rebs. per game (17).
MATCH-UP ON THE GLASS: As noted, the Lady Vols rank as a strong rebounding team. Stanford is solid as well, ranking No. 10 in rebound margin per game at 12.4.
A GAME OF KEEP AWAY: UT ranks No. 26 in turnovers forced (22.5) and No. 28 in steals (12.0) per game, while Stanford is No. 5 in fewest turnovers (13.3) and has allowed only 6.4 steals per contest (no rank).
TENNESSEE’S LAST GAME
Senior Meme Jackson fired in a career-high 33 points to lift the No. 9/9 Lady Vols to an 88-82 victory over No. 12/12 Texas at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin on Dec. 9.
Sophomore Evina Westbrook posted 23 points for her third straight 20+ point performance. Cheridene Green was also in double figures for Tennessee (8-0), adding 10 points and six rebounds.
Texas (7-2) was led in scoring by Audrey Warren with 21 points. Danni Williams, Destiny Littleton and Sug Sutton were also in double digits for the Longhorns with 14, 13 and 11, respectively.
In the 40th meeting between the two teams, the win moved Tennessee’s record to 25-15 all-time against Texas and 4-3 under Holly Warlick. UT has won the last two meetings.
ABOUT THE CARDINAL
Stanford is the No. 6 all-time winningest women’s college basketball program and is directed by one of the game’s all-time greatest coaches in Tara VanDerveer.
VanDerveer owns an 891-192 record in her 33rd season at the helm of the Cardinal and is 1,043-243 in 40 seasons as a head coach.
Stanford returned 12 letterwinners from a year ago, including three players who were starters the majority of the season (Alanna Smith, Kiana Williams and Marta Sniezek).
Stanford overcome a 6-6 start to finish 24-11 overall last season and place second in the Pac-12 with a 14-3 league mark.
The Cardinal fell in the NCAA Sweet 16 to Louisville, 86-59.
Brittany McPhee led SU in scoring at 16.7 ppg.
STANFORD’S LAST GAME
Alanna Smith had 21 points and eight rebounds, Shannon Coffee made a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and No. 11 Stanford held on to beat previously undefeated #3/4 Baylor, 68-63, on Saturday afternoon.
Kiana Williams had 13 points and five assists, DiJonai Carrington scored 10 points, and the Cardinal (7-1) ended the Bears’ 36-game winning streak in the regular season. The 6-foot-5 Coffee set season highs with nine points and 19 minutes.
Stanford led 58-42 entering the final stanza and had to withstand a 21-10 fourth-quarter blitz by the Bears to earn the victory. BU was eight of 12 from the field for 66.7 percent in the fourth.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
Senior Jaime Nared posted a 28-point effort to lead the No. 7 Lady Vols to an 83-71 victory on the road against No. 18 Stanford (6-6) on Dec. 21, 2017.
The win improved Tennessee to 12-0 on the season and broke a five-game Tennessee losing streak at Maples Pavilion dating back to Dec. 4, 2005. That season also marked the last time UT opened a campaign with 12 straight wins.
Senior Mercedes Russell contributed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds on the night, while freshman Evina Westbrook posted a (then) career high of 17 points. In addition to a season-high 28 points, Nared also posted a career-best seven steals.
Brittany McPhee was Stanford’s leading scorer and the only Cardinal in double digits, notching 27 points on the night
COMING UP FOR TENNESSEE AND STANFORD
After the Stanford game, UT will play host to ETSU on Friday at 7 p.m. (SECN+) in the final contest before winter break. Following a six-day respite from the action, the Lady Vols return to host Murray State and Belmont on Dec. 28 and 30, respectively, to close out 2018.
The ETSU contest is a “School’s Out” game. All Kids 12 & younger receive complimentary admission at any arena ticket window.
The game vs. ETSU also is a “Big Orange Friday” contest. Download a Buy One/Get One free ticket voucher available exclusively at BigOrangeFriday.com.
Stanford continues an East Coast swing on Friday, when it plays at Buffalo at noon. The Cardinal then head back home for an eight-day holiday break.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A double-double by Admiral Schofield fueled No. 3 Tennessee to a tough, 102-92 win over in-state rival Memphis on the road in FedExForum.
Schofield finished with 29 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, while helping the Vols’ eclipse the 100-point margin for the first time since putting up 103 against Appalachian State on Nov. 15, 2016.
Four other players chipped in double-digit scoring performances. Grant Williams had 19 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Jordan Bonedropped 17 points behind 11-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe. Jordan Bowden finished with 12 points, and Kyle Alexander just missed a double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
It was a physical game from start to finish, with a total of 57 fouls called on both teams. The Vols (8-1) were able to capitalize at the stripe, knocking down 39 of their 46 attempts. The last time UT made 30 free throws in a game was last season vs. Auburn (1/2/18), when the Big Orange made exactly 30. In the second half alone, Tennessee was 25-of-29 from the line.
The second half was a high-scoring affair for both teams. The Vols scored 52 points, which is the most they’ve put up in a half this season. The Tigers (5-5), meanwhile, went off for 57 points.
Despite Memphis refusing to go quietly , the game was never closer than seven points during the entire period. The Tigers’ Kyvon Davenport posted an impressive performance with 31 points and 11 rebounds. At one point in the second half, he scored 18 consecutive points for the Tigers to keep Memphis in the game.
Ultimately, it was Tennessee’s offensive production that lifted the Vols to victory, shooting 52 percent from the floor and assisting on 21 of its 27 baskets.
The Vols began the game on a 15-5 run in the opening 3:43 of play. After Schofield knocked down his second 3-pointer in the stretch, the Tigers were forced to call a timeout.
However, Memphis fought back to make it a game, cutting UT’s lead to six points at 28-22. With the arena ready to burst, the Big Orange responded by rattling off a 15-3 run to regain the momentum.
Tennessee took a 50-35 lead into halftime. Williams led all scorers with 14 points, while Schofield chipped in nine points behind three 3-pointers and six rebounds. This marked the sixth-consecutive game the senior wing has knocked down multiple threes.
The first frame saw a major difference in shooting percentage between the two teams, as the Vols shot a 52-percent clip (15-of-29) from the floor while holding the Tigers to just 27-percent shooting (10-of-37).
AD FROM THREE: Schofield, who leads the Vols in 3-point shooting (23 3FGM), continued to show his range in UT’s 102-92 win against Memphis, knocking down four threes in his 29-point performance. The senior wing has made a three in 15 consecutive games as well as multiple treys in each of Tennessee’s last six outings.
CONVERTING FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE: Tennessee shot 46 free throws in Saturday’s win at Memphis. The Vols made those attempts count, knocking down 39 (85 percent) of them. During the final 5:26 of play, 16 of UT’s 20 points came from the charity stripe, including the final nine points to seal the victory. The last time the Vols had at least 42 attempts in a game was on Dec. 21, 2012, against Western Carolina.
UP NEXT: The Vols return home for a four-game stretch, beginning with Samford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. That game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
Each of the past two years, the SEC has had a losing record in bowl games.
In a conference where it “just means more,’’ the SEC had two teams play for the national championship last season but went 4-5 in bowls and lost to Central Florida (Auburn), Notre Dame (LSU), Northwestern (Kentucky), Wake Forest (Texas A&M) and Texas (Missouri).
Two years ago, the SEC went 6-7.
In 2015, the SEC set a record for bowls wins, going 9-2.
Can this season’s bowl matchups produce a repeat of 2015? Odds-makers think so. Based on point spreads, the SEC should go 9-2 with Alabama advancing to the national title game.
During the last weekend of the season we went 8-1 with our SEC picks and finished the regular season 94-16.
Cole Swindell stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Dec. 10 to perform his new single, “Love You Too Late.”
Penned by Cole, Michael Carter and Brandon Kinney, “Love You Too Late” follows No. 1 lead single, “Break Up in the End,” from Cole’s third album, All of It, which was released in August. The tune is currently No. 53 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after two weeks.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For the first time since 2013, the Tennessee Volunteers and the Memphis Tigers will face off on the hardwood Saturday as part of a three-game series between the in-state foes.
The game will tip at 12 p.m. ET at the FedExForum in Memphis. ESPN2 will carry the broadcast, which can also be streamed online through WatchESPN. Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
No. 3 Tennessee (7-1) enters the game on the heels of a 76-73 victory over then-top-ranked Gonzaga. Admiral Schofield was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for his career-high 30 points in the performance. The senior wing knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the final 1:20 of play, including the game-winner with 24 seconds left, to seal the win.
The last time the Tigers (5-4) played a top-3 team at home was in the memorable No. 1 vs. No. 2 game between Memphis and the Vols in 2008, when UT reigned victorious and ended the Tigers’ hopes for a perfect season. The Big Orange leads the all-time series, 44-39, but has dropped the last three meetings.
The matchup is Tennessee’s first true road game of the season, and it’s one that has been highly anticipated by fans from West Tennessee. The game is sold out and will prove to be a great test for the squad before entering conference play in a couple of weeks. However, since the start of last season, the Vols boast 15 wins away from home.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads its all-time series with Memphis 14-11, dating to 1969.
• The teams have met 12 times in Memphis, with each team winning six games.
• The Vols are 44-39 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference.
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s win streak to four games.
• Give Tennessee four straight wins over in-state opponents, dating to last season.
• Snap UT’s current three-game losing streak to Memphis.
• Give the Vols eight wins in their last 11 games away from home, dating to last season.
STORYLINES
• This is Tennessee’s highest AP ranking since it earned the nation’s No. 1 spot on Feb. 25, 2008. That ranking came after the Vols beat Memphis, 66-62, in the FedEx Forum two days earlier.
• 381 miles of I-40 separate these in-state rivals.
• This is the first meeting since 2013, as Memphis chose to discontinue the series under former coach Josh Pastner. Rick Barnes and his longtime friend Tubby Smith (now at High Point) agreed to renew the rivalry with a three-game contract that includes a game next year in Knoxville and a clash in Nashville in 2020-21.
• Fall semester exams are taking place this week at Tennessee.
• As a team, Tennessee leads the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (.368), 3-point field-goal defense (.296), assists per game (21.1 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
LAYUP LINES
• According to KenPom, Tennessee ranks in the top 15 in both offensive efficiency (15th) and defensive efficiency (13th).
• Tennessee has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent in all eight games this season.
• Tennessee’s 21.1 assists per game rank tied for second nationally.
• Grant Williams leads the SEC in scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) and ranks second in field-goal percentage (.574) and seventh in assists (4.6 apg). He also owns the team’s best plus-minus per 40 minutes rating at +23.16.
• Reigning SEC Co-Player of the Week Admiral Schofield leads the Vols with 19 made 3-pointers this season. He has made at least one 3-pointer in each of UT’s last 14 games, dating to last season.
• Guard Lamonté Turner remains sidelined with a left shoulder injury. He has only appeared in three games this season.
UT’s HISTORY VS. PENNY
• During his illustrious two-year collegiate career at Memphis (then Memphis State), Penny Hardaway averaged 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
• He starred for the Tigers during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. Memphis State faced Tennessee in each of those years, with the coach Wade Houston’s Volunteers defeating Penny’s Tigers both times.
• On Dec. 14, 1991, Tennessee edged the Tigers, 65-64, at the Great American Pyramid. Allan Houston scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and sank two free throws with two seconds left to lift UT to victory. Hardaway finished with 21 point and 10 boards.
• On Dec. 6, 1992, Tennessee upset eighth-ranked Memphis State, 70-59, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. Allan Houston led the Vols with 20 points and became UT’s second all-time leading scorer during the victory (he became No. 1 during the next game, vs. Syracuse). Hardaway led the way for the Tigers with 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
LAST MEETING VS. MEMPHIS
• The Vols made a furious comeback in the second half, but were unable to overcome a 21-point deficit and fell to Memphis 85-80 before 19,535 on Jan. 4, 2013, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Memphis was on fire from floor most of the night as the Tigers shot 56.4 while the Vols battled to cut the deficit to four with less than a minute left. But the Vols were unable to overcome the steep margin.
• Jordan McRae had his best game of the season and tallied a then-career-best 26. He was one of four scorers in double-figures. Josh Richardson also had a then-career-high with 20 points and tied his career high with nine boards.
• Kenny Hall had his third-career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jarnell Stokes added 11 points and nine rebounds.
• Down by as many as 21 with 14:04 left in regulation, the Vols mounted a comeback. McRae canned back-to-back 3-pointers followed by a Richardson jumper to cut the deficit to 13 at 62-49 with 10:38 left. McRae’s fourth 3-pointer of the half—with 9:20 left—cut the margin to 10, 64-54, at the 9:20 mark.
• The loss was Tennessee’s first of the season at home after winning the first six. It was also the Vols’ first regular-season home loss in 13 contests dating to the 2011-12 season.
• Tennessee debuted new adidas orange-on-orange uniforms for its “Orange-Out.” It was just the fifth time the Vols wore orange at TBA.
• Joe Jackson led Memphis with 20 points while Adonis Thomas added 18.
• The Tigers’ 11 blocks were an arena record for a UT opponent (has since been broken).
RECENT VOLS-TIGERS CLASHES MEMORABLE
• Will Barton scored 17 first-half points to propel No. 8 Memphis to a 10-point halftime lead at the 2011 Maui Invitational, but Tennessee rode forward Jeronne Maymon in the second half to force overtime, and the Vols eventually fell in double overtime by a score 99-97 on Nov. 22, 2011. Maymon drew national attention with his gutsy 32-point, 20-rebound performance. He grabbed nine offensive rebounds, shot 8-of-15 from the floor and went 16-for-17 at the free-throw line.
• On Jan. 5, 2011, the Volunteers had their highest point total ever in the Memphis series when they defeated the 21st-ranked Tigers 104-84 (first time in the series either team exceeded 100 points). It was also the most points allowed by the Tigers in a regulation game since the 1987-88 season (112-104 loss to Virginia Tech on March 5, 1988).
• Tennessee’s win over Memphis at the FedEx Forum in 2010 snapped a 23-game home win streak for the Tigers.
• When the Tigers and Vols met in Memphis on Feb. 1, 2008, they were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the national polls. In what was the most-watched college basketball game in ESPN history (5.28 million viewers), Tennessee toppled Memphis 66-62 to earn the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking.
VOLS SUCCESSFUL ON THE IN-STATE CIRCUIT
• Tennessee has won its last three games against in-state opponents and is 9-4 vs. in-state foes under coach Rick Barnes.
• Those nine wins include triumphs over ETSU (twice), Tennessee State, Vanderbilt (three times), Tennessee Tech and Lipscomb (twice).
VOLS LOGGED SIGNATURE WIN OVER TOP-RANKED GONZAGA
• Admiral Schofield exploded for a career-high 30 points—with 25 coming in the second half—to lift Tennessee past No. 1-ranked Gonzaga in Phoenix on Dec. 9. Schofield also drained a career-high six 3-pointers.
• Tennessee held the high-powered Bulldogs to 73 points. On the season, Gonzaga ranks third in the country with a scoring offense of 94.1 points per game.
• Schofield became just the second Vol ever to score 30 or more points against the nation’s top-ranked team.
• Grant Williams flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists before fouling out with 2:30 left to play.
• The win was Rick Barnes‘ first head coaching victory over the nation’s top-ranked team, and it marked Tennessee’s fifth all-time win over the nation’s No. 1 team. All-American Carl Widseth scored 32 in a triumph over No. 1 Kentucky on Jan. 23, 1954).
• Jordan Bone dished out nine assists (that led directly to 25 points) and also scored five points on his own.
• The Bulldogs were led by Rui Hachimura (21 points, eight rebounds) and Brandon Clarke (21 points, nine rebounds).
• This season marked the first time in program history that Tennessee played multiple opponents ranked in the top five of the Associate Press poll before the start of conference play. Tennessee fell in overtime to No. 2 Kansas in New York City on Nov. 23 before upsetting top-ranked and previously unbeaten Gonzaga.
• Following the win, Tennessee was named the NABC Division I National Team of the Week, and Schofield was named the Oscar Robertson National POW.
ROAD WARRIORS
• Dating to the start of last season, Tennessee has won 15 games away from home.
• That includes victories this year over Louisville and Gonzaga (both at neutral sites).
Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell have teamed up for a new duet, “What Happens in a Small Town,” which is the lead single from Brantley’s upcoming fifth studio album.
Penned by Brantley, Brock Berryhill, Josh Dunne and Rhett Atkins, “What Happens In A Small Town” was produced by Dann Huff, who has helmed Brantley’s three previous albums.
“This song builds and burns,” Brantley says. “It really has that want for someone you can’t have, and having to live in all the places they are. I wanted to have someone on the record who could match those feelings, to really push the song. It’s not just any female who makes sense, and we knew that. But Lindsay is a whole other kind of artist, and she understands that power.”
Not only does Lindsay add her vocal prowess to the single, but she also lends her guitar chops.
“It was great that they wanted me to play,” Lindsay says. “To be part of a song like this is great, but to be asked to play on someone’s song who I respect so much takes it up another level. Obviously playing in front of Dann Huff is something else, but he knew how to really push me—and get a vocal that contains everything situations like this one are made of.”
“What Happens in a Small Town” will ship to country radio on Jan. 14. Check out the lyric video for the new tune below.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee punter Joe Doyle was named to the USA Today Sports’ Freshman All-America football team on Wednesday, making the 25-man list of college football’s brightest up-and-coming stars.
The list features freshmen standouts such as Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore and Alabama defensive back Patrick Surtain II. Doyle was one of four players chosen from the Southeastern Conference, joining Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson and the aforementioned Surtain. The complete list of USA Today Freshman All-Americans can be found HERE.
Tennessee has had a player earn Freshman All-America honors in five of the past six years. In that span, Vols that have been named freshman All-Americans include Marquez North and Cameron Sutton (2013), Derek Barnett, Evan Berry and Jashon Robertson (2014), Chance Hall (2015) and Trey Smith (2017). With Doyle’s selection, UT has had a player garner USA Today Freshman All-America accolades in back-to-back seasons after Smith did so last year.
Doyle, a redshirt freshman, led the SEC in total punting yards with 2,673 and tied for second in the conference with 23 punts inside the 20, a figure that was also tied for second nationally among freshman. Despite punting a league-leading 65 times, Doyle allowed just eight returns for a total 15 yards, the fewest by any full-time punter in the SEC.
The Knoxville native boomed 12 punts of 50 yards or longer as well, with a long of 71 yards in Tennessee’s game at Georgia on Sept. 29. His 41.1-yard average ranked second among all Power 5 freshmen punters and earned him a spot on the Final Candidate List for the 2018 Ray Guy Award.
![Brantley Gilbert & Lindsay Ell Team Up for Big Duet, “What Happens in a Small Town” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/12/14075526/Brantley-Gilbert-Lindsay-Ell.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
