An impressive showing that led Tennessee to a 76-73 victory over No. 1 Gonzaga in the Jerry Colangelo Classic has drawn national recognition for Admiral Schofield.
The All-SEC guard earned NBC Sports National Player of the Week, College Sports Madness National Player of the Week and SEC Co-Player of the Week honors after posting the best game of his career, as he rallied the Vols with a career-high 30 points and six rebounds.
Schofield was responsible for all of Tennessee’s 11 points during the final 3:17 of play while knocking down three of his career-high six 3-pointers. After scoring just five points in the first half, Schofield erupted after halftime to drop 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five threes.
None were bigger than a deep ball that banked off the glass with 1:20 remaining to give the Vols a two-point lead. The Zion, Ill., native swished another one from beyond the arc on the following possession to break a 73-73 deadlock. That shot ultimately stood as the difference in the game.
This marks the third SEC Player of the Week selection for Schofield, who received the recognition in back-to-back weeks (Feb. 26 and March 5) last season after his performances against Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia to help Tennessee clinch a share of the SEC Championship.
Schofield, who has scored 20 points in four of his last five games, leads the Big Orange in 3-pointers made (19) while ranking second on the team in scoring (17.9 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (25).
On Admiral Schofield’s emotions towards the end of the game:
“We’ve been through it enough with our guys to know the last couple minutes of the game, when you fight back and things swing your way a little bit, that the game is never over. I think they realize that. You just know that so many things can happen in a college basketball game. It can turn quickly where guys stop concentrating and start celebrating, thinking it’s over. It’s just never over. He’s been through enough of them to see it. He can get emotional himself at times, and I did think that he was the latter part of the game. I think our team did. The way we closed the first half and the latter part of the game, we showed some grit and we showed some toughness. We were in some foul trouble as was Gonzaga at the end of the first half. I think both teams were just trying to get through there without any more damage done with fouling. Jordan Bowden was big, but Admiral (Schofield), you could tell he was locked in there at the end. There was no question he was.”
On a tough early-season schedule:
“We still go back and talk about some of the games we’ve been in over the last two years. We refer back to what we learned in the Villanova game a year ago. We did talk about the Kansas game, knowing the mistakes that we made. We talked about being overly emotional and not really being as disciplined as we needed to be offensively against Kansas. We had a lot of possessions that we got just too emotional. We took tough shots. I think what these guys have learned more and more through these games is that you truly have to play for 40 minutes. You have to understand how important every possession is. You don’t have to be perfect, we told them that before both of those games, but we have to be able to try.
“You have to know that you’re going against a team yesterday in Gonzaga, that is one of the best transition teams that we’ve coached against in a long time. They really make you pay if you don’t get back and talk. They hurt us there because they’re really good. They know what they’re doing. They get where they need to go and they’re extremely well coached. If you think about Kansas, it’s the same thing. They hurt you. If you take bad shots or turn the ball over, they’re going to make you pay. That’s one of the biggest things that we would take away from both of those games.”
On Grant Williams’ foul trouble and if he was aware of how many fouls he had:
“He did. He and I were talking about it while walking over here and he said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Early in the game you have to let that go, but at that stage in the game, you have to make that play.’ He’s got to be willing to sacrifice himself and do that. It’s a one or two possession game at that point in time. I don’t know if he can hold himself back anyways because he’s so competitive and he works so hard, trying to challenge things at the rim. What I did tell him about the fouls he can’t commit was when he tried to pick up a charge 15 feet away from the basket. Admiral (Schofield) picked up a cheap one early out on the perimeter, 30 feet from the basket. Those are the fouls those guys have to stay away from. Grant’s last two fouls, there was a lot of wrist-touching in the lane all night long with both teams. Both teams were contesting shots. That happens. He’s probably more upset about his fourth foul. That one, I told him at the point in the game that he has to make that play.”
On Jordan Bowden’s play on Sunday:
“There are a lot of ways that you can describe toughness. Toughness is when you are not shooting the ball well, you have to keep taking your shots. You are not going to make the next one if you do not shoot it. You think of what he has gone through these last couple of weeks. First time since he has been here that he was not in the starting lineup. You saw him respond really well. I watched him since and he has really responded well. I will go back and tell you I do not care who starts, we are going to do what we have to do to get everyone playing at the highest level they can play. Then you go back and think about him, he was very good in practice. He was really, really good this week in practice, then on Friday he tweaked his ankle. We were having a great practice and it was just one of those freak things. He went out and it just became a hush at Pratt Pavilion court because he was playing great. He did not practice anymore up until the weekend. Chad (Newman) and Garrett (Medenwald) did a great job. From the time he turned his ankle in practice, they never stopped working on him. He told me he would be ready. I thought he was really the biggest key in the game because when we were really struggling to shoot, score the ball and we missed some shots, he got aggressive. He was the guy that got it going. A big play of the game when (Zach) Norvell got going, we knew they were trying to get him going. They did, and we told (Jordan) Bowden to get on him and just take him out. He had no responsibility other than trying to down him and he did a terrific job. He does a lot of that, and I think he got back in the last week and a half playing the way that we need him to play.”
On if he is ready to play in a hostile environment:
“Well it wasn’t a neutral site yesterday. When the president of Grand Canyon emails his students and tells them to come to the game and pull for Gonzaga, by the way that is one of the great student bodies of all time. If you would have heard the introduction before the game, you would not think that it was a neutral site game. I really do appreciate our fans, because there was some orange in that building the other day. Our last two trips we have had over 40 or 50 people travel with us and make the trips. I really appreciate that, because it shows how our program is continuing to grow. Yesterday’s atmosphere was an unbelievable feel in the building. This week we travel to Memphis, and Memphis is one of the great basketball cities. I have always appreciated what Memphis basketball is about. Penny Hardaway has done a great job creating the excitement. I think he, along with all coaches, when you are in December you are still worrying about getting your team better. I do think our guys embrace being in an environment where there are a lot of people there. Yesterday was truly a great basketball environment.”
On Grant Williams’ ability to pass the ball:
“Well Grant (Williams) can pass the ball, sometimes he is a little over-aggressive with it. He likes to pass the ball, he really does. We had to adjust a little bit last night because they were such a well-coached team. They were sitting on that inside-out pass to the backside and they almost got it a few times. Grant was making the right plays, only one time I thought he took a quick, tough shot. He felt like he was not shooting the ball that well and he was really trying to get other guys involved. That is a sign of maturity, but he does like to pass it.”
On if the players celebrated at Waffle House after the game:
“I do not know if they celebrated with Waffle House, but they told me when they got back to their dorms there were a lot of students waiting on them which is really neat. I like to think our guys understand that we are just a small part of this university and people appreciate the fact that people care about what we are doing. I know we all care about what they are doing. Our guys are in exams right now, but I know they appreciate the support.”
On an update on Lamonte Turner and what beating the No. 1-ranked team in the country does for the program:
“First of all with Lamonte (Turner), it’s up to him. He’s still rehabilitating. When he thinks he can play, I guess he’ll play. It’s December. We’re all trying to build resumes. We know that and is it important? I think all of these games are important, I do. The fact is you go back as far as I can remember now, they’ve been there and the fact that they were the No. 1-ranked team in the country, I will tell you, they are really good. There is no doubt that they’re a national championship contender. There’s no doubt. They’re down a man, a really good player. They get him back and Mark (Few) does such a great job, they are really an explosive offensive team and they were averaging 96-98 points coming in. The official came over to me and said this feels like March. I said well let’s referee like March. It did. It had that feel. It did and I think we all felt that. I thought the officials did a good job. It was a hard-fought game inside of 10-12 feet. It was really hard fought. We knew that coming in that it was going to be. They knew it. Again, it is what it is. They were ranked No. 1 and you saw it could have gone either way, but our guys did finish well in the first half. The latter part of the game when we were down, we did have some good defensive plays. Their zone was okay with us and we showed some grit.
“Again, we’ve got to get better. I’m telling you, we have to get better and our guys know that. Grant (Williams), we were just talking. He gave me a list of things that he knows he’s got to get better with. When you have a team that thinks like that, Jalen Johnson can help us. He can really be a contributor to us. Yves (Pons) has done a lot of good things but he made some mistakes last night in transition that he’s going to have to communicate better and understand that some of those transition plays are hard, but he’s got to get better there. But Derrick (Walker) and Fulky (John Fulkerson), those guys are key guys. We’ve still got to get better and I’m happy for our guys. I didn’t think they were overly excited. They were excited, they should be. They won a game against an outstanding team, but we’ve got such a long way to go.”
On Lamonte Turner being a leader for the team off the court:
“I thought he was great yesterday. Twice the officials got fouls wrong, they corrected them, but he was the first guy that jumped up and talked about it. He was great with his teammates, trying to encourage them. He’s locked in with his team, he is. He wants to get healthy, there’s no doubt and he’s the guy that’s got to decide when he thinks he can move and play the way (he needs to). It’s physical. It’s not so much just shooting the ball or any of that. When you’re a point guard, you’re getting hit all the time, screens here or there because he’s on the ball quite a bit. The ball screens come up and get you, so he’s just got to feel good about it. I do know yesterday he was really truly locked in with his teammates.”
On Jordan Bone’s performance:
“I want to read you Tom’s (Satkowiak) notes that he does a good job here with. He does this, I don’t do this. He said Jordan Bone scored five points versus Gonzaga and his nine assists directly led to 25 points. Jordan Bone had three assists in the final four minutes that led to eight points. Through his points and assists, Bone has accounted for 32% of our points this season. How was that Tom? So, that’s Tom stats.
“We felt going in that he had a really tough defensive assignment. We told him that their point guard was the head of the snake and he was going to have to try to control as much as he could. I thought both of those guys went at each other pretty good. They did and (Josh) Perkins didn’t have a particularly great shooting game either and they were really daring Jordan to shoot. They were going way under. We actually told him, if you don’t shoot the ball they’re going under. It’s going to really get us stymied on offense. You shoot it, we’ll go get it. We had seven turnovers but two of those turnovers came off of aggressive offensive rebounds. Yves (Pons) went up and got one there and came down and couldn’t get his feet under him. Then at the end of the game, three guys tripped over each other when we had the ball which was one of those plays. Overall, I think he’s getting better and he’s got to continue to improve.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football senior defensive end Kyle Phillips captured the 2018 Piesman Trophy on Monday. He becomes the fourth winner of SB Nation’s award that honors a lineman “who does something truly special with the ball in his hands.”
Phillips won the award for his 27-yard pick-six against Alabama on Oct. 20 inside Neyland Stadium. The 6-4, 273-pounder intercepted a pass by Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts in the third quarter, broke several tackles and rumbled into the end zone for the first touchdown of his career.
“On behalf of us big guys out there – offensive linemen and defensive linemen – I’m honored to take the 2018 Piesman Trophy award,” Phillips said. “I would like to thank SB Nation for making this award for us big guys. A lot of big guys don’t get a lot of credit. “
He was chosen by a media panel and fan voting among 11 nominees and five finalists.
Phillips joins previous winners Ashton Henderson (Southeastern Louisiana), Brian O’Neill (Pitt) and Brock Riggs (Heidelberg).
“I would like to thank our fans for voting for me,” Phillips said. “It’s been a great ride. Go Vols!”
Phillips had a standout senior campaign on Rocky Top and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game last week.
He ranked second on the Vols in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (8.0), and finished third in tackles (56), while starting all 12 games this fall. For his career, he finished with 114 tackles, 16 TFLs and eight sacks, while appearing in 41 games with 20 starts.
In addition to being named a permanent captain for the 2018 season, Phillips took home the Bill Majors Award and Defensive Player of the Year honors at the end-of-season team banquet.
Phillips collected SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors after logging a career-high nine tackles and forcing a fumble in a 30-24 victory at No. 21 Auburn on Sept. 13. Phillips was a semifinalist for the 2018 Campbell Trophy as well as the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, and grabbed Google Cloud Academic All-District honors.
Phillips graduated in three years with a degree in sports management and was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He was named to the SEC Community Service Team in 2017 and traveled to Vietnam as a member of the 2016-17 VOLeaders Academy class.
Pop the champagne . . . Mitchell Tenpenny has a reason to celebrate.
Mitchell’s lead single, “Drunk Me,” from his upcoming debut album, Telling All My Secrets, hit No. 1 on the Mediabase chart this week. Co-penned by Mitchell, Jordan Schmidt and Justin Wilson, the tune has accumulated more than 120 million streams.
“I recorded ‘Drunk Me’ after pitching it to other artists in town for over six months,” says Mitchell. “I believed in my heart it was such a special song and that it would be a hit for someone. I never dreamt it would be the song labels first heard from me, resulting in a record deal . . . or that it would go on to bring us our first single, yet alone a number one. It’s been a two-year journey with this song, yet so many believed, and so, this is one of those moments we all share together—my co-writers, our band and record label, country radio and all the fans that have streamed it over 120 million times. I can’t get over you. You’ve changed my life.”
Mitchell will drop Telling All My Secrets on Dec. 14. The debut album features 11 songs, all of which Mitchell co-penned. In February, Mitchell will join Old Dominion’s Make It Sweet Tour.
Telling All My Secrets Track Listing & Songwriters
“Truck I Drove in High School” | Mitchell Tenpenny/Jordan Schmidt/Andrew Albert/Devin Dawson
“Alcohol You Later” | Mitchell Tenpenny/Sam Sumser/Michael Lotten
“All On You” | Mitchell Tenpenny/Andrew Albert/Nick Fradiani/Jordan Schmidt
Brett Young’s 2017 self-titled debut album was a smash hit, spawning four No. 1 singles, including “Sleep Without You,” “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Like I Loved You” and “Mercy.” Brett’s ballad-friendly breakthrough album gave fans a heavy dose of “love,” sans the “party” songs that have become so prevalent on country radio.
“Falling in love or falling out of love—those are the easiest songs to write because it’s just straight from personal experience,” said Brett to Nash Country Daily in 2017. “I think everybody’s felt both of those. Everybody’s been in love, everybody’s had heartbreak. We noticed that when we put together the 12 songs that would make the [self-titled debut] record, there was not a party song on this record. I’ve written a ton of party songs and not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think, in trying to tell my story and let people get to know me, it seemed like we should talk about things that I’ve lived.”
In addition to his four No. 1 singles, Brett has had numerous reasons to celebrate since releasing his debut project, including headlining his own tour, playing Nissan Stadium at 2018’s CMA Fest, winning the 2018 ASCAP Songwriter/Artist of the Year award, winning the 2018 ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year award and marrying girlfriend Taylor Mills in November.
With the release of his sophomore album, Ticket to L.A., on Dec. 7, Brett told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown that he’s in a different place in his life since releasing his debut album—and there are some noticeable changes on the new record.
“One thing that we didn’t want to change was just the songwriting,” says Brett. “You know, I wanted to keep coming from the same place of honesty and life experience, and I want to always feel that connection, but one thing that I think is just noticeably different immediately is that I’m in a different place in my life, and so whether the song is happy or sad, the feel is much peppier and up-tempo, and there’s just a vibe in the music itself that just feels different. It kind of shows my heart and where I’m at right now, and so I think that will come across to people.”
Brett co-penned 10 of the 13 tracks on Ticket to L.A., including new single, “Here Tonight.” Check out the new video for “Here Tonight.”
A troupe of Nashville’s top songwriters will embark on a 25-city Hit Makers & Rum Chasers Tour to benefit the Charley Foundation, a non-profit that supports poor, sick and neglected children—and in this case will provide funding for music and arts programs to the hurricane-devastated U.S. Virgin Islands.
The tour will feature songwriters JT Harding (“Somewhere in My Car”), Jim Beavers (“Red Solo Cup”), Justin Ebach (“Sleep Without You”), Jon Nite (“We Were Us”), Jimmy Robbins (“I Could Use a Love Song”), Bridgette Tatum “She’s Country”) and Chase McGill (“When Someone Stops Loving You”) performing their hits and sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the music and the writing process. Guests will enjoy Blue Chair Rum Bay cocktails, a silent auction and an island-inspired dinner menu created by renowned chefs from the Virgin Islands. Songwriter JT Harding will also serve as emcee.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting this Hit Makers and Rum Chasers tour,” says JT. “There’s no app or streaming service of any kind that can give you this kind of experience. Non-stop hit songs performed by the people who wrote them in an island-vibe setting. We’ll make you laugh and pull on your heartstrings. Music City is coming to your city, so don’t miss it!”
All proceeds from the 2019 tour will benefit the Charley Foundation. Tickets are on sale now. More dates will be announced soon.
Hit Makers & Rum Chasers Tour
Jan. 29 | Nashville | City Winery: JT Harding, Jon Nite, Bridgette Tatum and Justin Ebach
Feb. 7 | Chicago | City Winery: JT Harding, Jim Beavers and Justin Ebach
Feb 8. | Kansas City | Cherry Hall: JT Harding, Jim Beavers and Justin Ebach
Feb. 16 | Atlanta | GA Freight Depot: JT Harding, Jimmy Robbins, Bridgette Tatum and Corri English Bentley
March 7 | New York City | City Winery: JT Harding, Jimmy Robins and Jim Beavers
March 8 | Boston | City Winery: JT Harding, Jimmy Robins and Jim Beavers
March 9 | Cambridge, MD | venue TBA: JT Harding, Bridgette Tatum and Jim Beavers
March 20 | Charleston | Galliard Center: JT Harding, Jon Nite and Chase McGill
March 21 | Washington, DC | City Winery: JT Harding, Jon Nite and Chase McGill
April 13 | St John, USVI | venue TBA: JT Harding, Jimmy Robbins and Bridgette Tatum
Reba McEntire returns for a second year as host of the ninth annual CMA Country Christmas, a two-hour music celebration that airs on ABC on Dec. 10.
CMA Country Christmas was taped on Sept. 27 at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center in Nashville. In addition to Reba, this year’s lineup includes performances by Tony Bennett, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Amy Grant, Diana Krall, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Brad Paisley, Michael W. Smith, Lindsey Stirling and The Isaacs.
“I’ve always cherished celebrating Christmas alongside family and friends, taking time to reflect on the season,” says Reba. “I’m so excited CMA invited me back to host their show and am looking forward to fun singing carols with my friends.”
CMA Country Christmas airs on ABC on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. CT.
Watch Reba’s performance of “Hard Candy Christmas,” a song Dolly Parton made famous in 1982’s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
PHOENIX, Ariz. — A finish for the ages ended in Tennessee’s favor, as the seventh-ranked Vols rallied to beat top-ranked and previously unbeaten Gonzaga, 76-73, in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at Talking Stick Resort Arena Sunday.
Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield, who finished with a career-high 30 points, buried a pair of 3-pointers from NBA range as part of an 11-5 run over the final 3:17 of play. The senior wing scored all 11 points during the run, knocking down three of his career-high six treys.
Tennessee (7-1) handed the Bulldogs (9-1) their first loss of the season in the nail-biter, marking UT’s fifth all-time win against the nation’s No. 1 team. Tennessee’ defense stepped up to hold one of the nation’s best offenses to no field goals during the final 4:16 of the game.
The Volunteers took a one-point lead into halftime, but the Zags jumped ahead within the first minute of the second half and held on to the their lead until 1:20 left on the clock. Gonzaga pulled ahead by as many as nine points before UT started chipping away at the lead.
After scoring just five points in the first half, Schofield erupted after halftime to score 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five threes. None were bigger than a deep ball that banked off the glass with 1:20 remaining to give the Vols a two-point lead. His swish from beyond the arc on the following possession broke a 73-73 deadlock and ultimately stood as the difference in the game.
The Zags had two looks during the final 24 seconds to tie the game but both were off line, including an attempt by Rui Hachimura, who finished with 21 points and eight rebounds for Gonzaga.
Grant Williams posted another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds to go along with seven assists. Jordan Bowden was the other Vol to finish with double-digit scoring, tallying 11 points behind three treys in the second half.
The first half was a game of momentum shifts. The Vols started things off with a 7-0 run before jumping out to a 17-8 lead behind 8-of-13 shooting. Tennessee’s offense would go cold, though, hitting just four of its final 20 shots in the half.
During the drought, Gonzaga’s high-scoring offense caught fire for an 11-of-17 shooting stretch to take a 33-27 lead with 3:22 left in the frame. However, UT finished the half strong with a 7-0 run to take a 34-33 advantage into the break.
Williams paced the Big Orange in the period with 12 points and seven boards, while Yves Pons chipped in seven points and three rebounds.
Meme Jackson – Lady Vols senior Guard / Credit: UT Athletics
AUSTIN, Texas — Senior Meme Jackson logged a career-high 33 points to lift the No. 9/9 Lady Vols to an 88-82 victory over No. 12/12 Texas in the Frank Erwin Center on Sunday.
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.
Texas led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, fueled by a 47.1 field goal percentage and 12 first-quarter points from Warren, but Jackson hit two foul shots at the end of the period to cut the deficit to nine at 23-14.
Jackson carried that momentum into the second quarter, converting an and-one on Tennessee’s first possession to cut Texas’ lead to six. The teams traded buckets until Tennessee mounted a 10-0 run to take the lead at 29-27 with 4:56 to play in the half. Jackson hit back-to-back treys to close out the quarter, giving Tennessee a 40-35 lead at the break. After allowing Texas to shoot eight of 17 from the floor in the first quarter, the Lady Vols held the Longhorns without a field goal for more than eight minutes in the second period.
The Longhorns came out firing in the second half with Williams connecting on a long-range three on their first possession. With just under five minutes to play in the quarter Texas tied it up at 52-all on a Sutton layup, but Tennessee answered with a 7-0 run to move ahead 59-52 at the 2:44 mark. The Lady Vols maintained a lead through the rest of the period, entering the final stanza up 62-57.
Texas pulled within two at 65-63 with 7:06 left in the game, but a three-point play by Westbrook and a quick trey from Mimi Collins extended the Lady Vols’ lead to 71-65 less than a minute later. The Longhorns rallied again, pulling within one with just over three minutes to play, but the Lady Vols hit nine free throws in the closing minutes to secure an 88-82 victory.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will return to Knoxville for final exams before hosting No. 11/11 Stanford on Dec. 18. The game will tip at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Turn ‘Em Over: With 17 turnovers forced against Texas, the Lady Vols have caused 17 or more turnovers in seven of eight games thus far this season. On the year, Tennessee is averaging 22.5 turnovers forced per game.
20+ Performances: With 23 points against Texas, Evina Westbrook posted her third 20+ performance in as many games. Meme Jackson also had a 20+ (33) game against the Longhorns, marking the second contest in a row with two Lady Vols over 20 points and UT’s sixth 20+ performance of the season.
Against Texas: In the 40th meeting between the two teams, the win moves Tennessee’s record to 25-15 all-time against Texas and 4-3 under Holly Warlick. UT has won the last two meetings.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 9/9 Tennessee (7-0) and No. 12/12 Texas (7-1) renew their rivalry in Austin on Sunday, as these storied programs meet for the 40th time during the 40-year run of a series that began on Dec. 8, 1978, on a campus with an original footprint of land known as the “Forty Acres.” Tip-off is slated for 12:02 Central (1:02 ET), with the game available on ESPN2 and the Lady Vol Radio Network.
UT head coach Holly Warlick, then a junior, started at point guard for the Lady Vols in that first UT/UT match-up, leading her squad to an 84-60 victory over the Longhorns in Columbia, Mo., at the Midwestern Classic Tournament.
Warlick played 39 minutes in that contest, scoring four points and adding two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal while helping her squad improve to 4-0. On Sunday, she will direct the Lady Vols as a head coach in this series for the seventh time. She stands 3-3 so far, winning her first two times and in the most recent one in Knoxville last season.
The Lady Vols enter this match-up with a perfect 7-0 record after surviving a serious upset bid by Stetson on Wednesday night in Knoxville. The Hatters had Tennessee down by 20, 42-22, with 7:16 to go in the third period before UT used a 22-0 run to flip the script and remain unbeaten with a 10-point win, 65-55.
Texas enters on the heels of a 67-49 loss to No. 6/6 Mississippi State last Sunday, the first setback of the campaign for the Longhorns.
The Lady Vols are 1-0 in road games this season, winning by 13 at Oklahoma State, 76-63, last Sunday. Including a pair of neutral site wins over Clemson and UAB at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, Tennessee is 3-0 away from Knoxville in 2018-19. The Longhorns are 3-1 at home this season, picking up wins vs. Duquesne, McNeese State and UTSA before dropping one to Mississippi State last Sunday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Adam Amin (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst) and Andy Landers (analyst) will describe the action for ESPN2.
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.
NOTING THE LADY VOLS
A STAR IS BORN: Point guard Evina Westbrook has developed into the player she was projected to be. The sophomore leads UT in scoring (15.7) and already has three games of 20+ points this season in addition to 4.6 apg., 3.4 rpg. and 2.0 spg.
SMOOTH OPERATOR: Rennia Davis has upped her game as a sophomore, averaging 15.3 ppg., 7.3 rpg. and shooting 52% on FGs, 44% on 3FGs, and 83% on FTs. She has been in double figures in all six of her games.
ACTION JACKSON: Meme Jackson brings the energy for Tennessee. She leads UT in 3FGs (14), but her ability to provide relentless defense and fill up a stat sheet in other categories (stls., rebs., assts.) is key to the team’s success.
NKOTB: Zaay Green (9.3 ppg.) has made the biggest statistical splash so far of the “new kids,” but all four freshmen have carved out roles and found ways to help this team.
DON’T FORGET THE WINDEX: UT has shown signs of being a solid team on the glass, ranking No. 4 nationally in reb. margin (16.0), No. 10 in off. rebs. per game (18) and No. 11 in rebs. per game (47.4). The Lady Vols have out-rebounded their opponents in all seven games thus far.
PACK YOUR DEFENSE: In addition to rebounding, Tennessee’s defense is a catalyst for its offense. UT ranks No. 11 in steals per game (13.4) and No. 19 in turnovers forced (23.29. Meme Jackson is ranked No. 48 in steals per game (2.86).
GET OUT OF THE BLOCKS: The Lady Vols have been slow starters the past four games, being outscored in the 1Q (82-69) and 2Q (69-54) during that span before bouncing back to win the 3Q (82-52) and 4Q (79-46).
FACING RANKED FOES: Tennessee is 41-35 vs. ranked foes under Holly Warlick, including 25-16 vs. those ranked 11 through 25. UT was 7-6 vs. ranked teams in 2017-18.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LADY VOLS
The sophomore duo of Rennia Davis and Evina Westbrook joined forces for 44 points to lead No. 9/9 Tennessee to a 65-55 victory over Stetson at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday night.
Davis (24 points and nine rebounds) and Westbrook (20 points) hit a combined 20 of 21 free throws in the win, as the Lady Vols finished 25 of 30 for the game from the charity stripe for 83.3 percent. Freshman Zaay Green tallied eight points and five rebounds, while Mimi Collins was strong on the glass with seven points and seven rebounds.
After being held to just 22 points at the half and trailing by 20 (42-22) early in the second half, Tennessee (7-0) rallied with a 22-0 run in the third quarter to outscore the Hatters 43-17 in the second half. Westbrook and Davis led the charge for the Lady Vols with 30 combined points in the final two quarters.
NOTING THE LONGHORNS
The Longhorns are led by Karen Aston, who is 149-63 in her seventh season in Austin. She has a career record of 250-126 in her 12th year.
Texas returned three starters and eight letterwinners from a year ago and welcomed six newcomers. UT lost Ariel Atkins (14.9 ppg.) and Brooke McCarty (13.6 ppg.) to graduation.
The starters back and their scoring in 2017-18 are Lashaan Higgs (12.8 ppg.), Jatarie White (10.8 ppg.) and Joyner Holmes (6.8 ppg.). Higgs is out for the year after suffering a knee injury on Nov. 23. Holmes has yet to make her season debut while sitting out due to an ankle injury suffered in early October.
One of Texas’ newcomers is grad. transfer Danni Williams, a three-year standout at Texas A&M.
Texas was 28-7 overall and finished second in the Big 12 with a 15-3 mark last season.
The Longhorns finished #8/10 in the 2017-18 final polls after making it to the NCAA Sweet 16.
THE LONGHORNS’ LAST GAME
Junior guard Sug Sutton’s 16-point outing was not enough, as No. 10 Texas (7-1) lost at home to No. 6 Mississippi State (8-0), 67-49, last Sunday.
Sutton led the Longhorns in points (16), assists (five) and rebounds (eight). Sophomore guard Destiny Littleton also had a solid performance, contributing nine points and three rebounds.
MSU outscored Texas 48-28 in the paint, and Texas committed a season-high 22 turnovers.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads the series with Texas, 24-15, and has a 12-6 edge in Knoxville, a 10-8 record in Austin and a 2-1 mark at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols ended a three-game overall losing skid in the series last season and will attempt to stop a two-game road losing streak in the series on Sunday.
While the first meeting in the series was on Dec. 8, 1978 (Tennessee 84, Texas 60), this marks the 37th-consecutive season these programs have met. The UTs played twice in 1986-87 and 1991-92 in regular-season tourney match-ups in addition to the regularly-scheduled games.
Tennessee ran off 13-straight wins over Texas from Jan. 20, 1990, to Dec. 22, 2000, but since then the Lady Vols have forged a 9-8 mark with Holly Warlick standing 3-3 vs. the Longhorns.
Head coaches Holly Warlick and Karen Aston have some common ground, with both having served as assistants (HW: 1985-2005/KA: 1998-2000) and associate head coaches (HW: 2005-12/KA: 2000-06) for two of women’s basketball’s legendary coaches.
Warlick, of course, follows in the footsteps of Pat Summitt (NCAA-best 1,098-208 record in 38 seasons) at Tennessee, and Aston, with some stops at other schools from 2006-12, holds a job her mentor Jody Conradt (900-307) had for 31 years.
Texas Senior Associate A.D. and women’s basketball administrator Kathy Harston was women’s basketball director of operations and worked with Summitt, Warlick and UT assistant Dean Lockwood on the Lady Vols staff from 2008-12. She also was at Texas before that.
Lady Vol freshman Zaay Green hails from Duncanville (Texas) High School, the alma mater of Lady Vol and hoops legend Tamika Catchings.
Longhorns post Jatarie White and guard Danni Williams started their careers in the SEC at South Carolina and Texas A&M, respectively.
Tenn. is 57-22 all-time vs. the Big 12, including 1-0 this season with a win over Oklahoma State.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
Senior Jaime Nared scored 23 points and recorded 13 rebounds to lead No. 11/13 Tennessee to an 82-75 win over No. 2/4 Texas in front of a crowd of 9,651 at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 10, 2017.
After another strong start in front of their home fans, the Lady Vols (10-0) never trailed during the game and held the Longhorns (7-1) to 36 percent shooting.
UT earned its first home win over a top-two ranked opponent since beating No. 2 Stanford in 2010. It also halted a three-game losing skid to Texas.
Mercedes Russell finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 34th of her career. Evina Westbrook added a career-high 15 points of her own on 5-for-11 shooting in the winning effort. Ariel Atkins led the Longhorns offensively, shooting 6-for-14 with 21 points. Atkins hails from Duncanville (Texas) H.S., the same alma mater as former Lady Vol Tamika Catchings and current freshman Zaay Green.
NEXT UP FOR TENNESSEE AND TEXAS
After the Texas game, the Lady Vols will be off until Stanford comes to Knoxville on Dec. 18 for a 6 p.m. ET tussle at Thompson-Boling Arena. The SEC Network will televise that contest.
Interestingly enough, Texas’ next opponent is Stetson, UT’s last opponent before coming to Austin. The Hatters and Horns meet at the Frank Erwin Center on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. CT.
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