LOS ANGELES — Grant Williams racked up his third preseason national player of the year consideration on Tuesday, as the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s announced its Preseason Top 50 Watch List.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year is also a potential candidate for the Citizen Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year and NABC Division I Player of the Year, being tabbed to the watch lists for those awards on Monday.
Throughout the preseason, Williams has also been named to preseason All-SEC teams by every major sports publication, while also earning the SEC’s Preseason Player of the Year honors from the league’s media back in October. He was named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the top power forward in college basketball, and was selected via fan vote as the NCAA March Madness Preseason Player of the Year.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native opened the 2018-19 campaign with 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in an 86-41 win over Lenoir-Rhyne in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2019 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 12, 2019.
The sixth-ranked Vols return to the hardwood on Friday night, hosting Louisiana in a 7 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcasted online through SEC Network+, and tickets are available at AllVols.com.
Before the 52nd CMA Awards kick off at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC, we asked 10 people around the Nash Country Daily office to predict which artists will be taking home trophies.
There was no back-and-forth debate, no who “should” win, and no waffling. Each panelist was simply asked: Who WILL win in each category?
Panel
Ty Bentli, co-host Ty, Kelly & Chuck
Glenn Johnson, executive producer Ty, Kelly & Chuck
Bryan Webb, digital coordinator Ty, Kelly & Chuck
Elaina Smith, co-host Nash Nights Live
Shawn Parr, co-host Nash Nights Live
Blair Garner, host Blair Garner Show
Eric Garner, producer Blair Garner Show
Nikita Palmer, producer Nash Network
Lonnie Napier, producer American Country Countdown
Jim Casey, editor in chief Nash Country Daily
Here’s who we think WILL win each award . . . but seriously, what do we know?
Each ♦ represents one vote.
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean ♦
Luke Bryan ♦♦♦♦
Kenny Chesney♦
Chris Stapleton ♦
Keith Urban ♦♦♦
AFF-USA.com
Female Vocalist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Kacey Musgraves ♦
Carrie Underwood ♦
AFF-USA.com
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley ♦
Luke Combs ♦♦♦
Thomas Rhett ♦
Chris Stapleton ♦♦♦♦♦
Keith Urban
AFF-USA.com
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Florida Georgia Line ♦♦♦
Maddie & Tae
Sugarland
AFF-USA.com
New Artist of the Year
Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Chris Janson
Midland
Brett Young ♦
AFF-USA.com
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum ♦
LANCO
Little Big Town ♦
Midland
Old Dominion ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
AFF-USA.com
Album of the Year
From A Room: Volume 2 – Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton ♦♦
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves; Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Daniel Tashian, Kacey Musgraves ♦♦
Graffiti U – Keith Urban; Producers: Keith Urban, Dan McCarroll, J.R. Rotem, Josh Kerr, Jason Evigan, Greg Wells, Benny Blanco, Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Jesse Shatkin, Jimmy Robbins, Oscar Holter, Matt Rad, Eric Valentine, Ian Kirkpatrick, Mike Elizondo, Captain Cuts, Ross Copperman, Dann Huff, Peter Karlsson
Life Changes – Thomas Rhett; Producers: Julian Bunetta, Jesse Frasure, Dann Huff, Joe London, Thomas Rhett ♦♦♦♦♦
The Mountain – Dierks Bentley; Producers: Ross Copperman, Jon Randall Stewart, Arturo Buenahora Jr. ♦
AFF-USA.com
Single of the Year (Awarded to Singer, Producer and Engineer)
“Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
Carly Pearce and Russell Dickerson are having so much success on the charts that the old friends decided to team up for the co-headlining The Way Back Tour in 2019.
After topping the charts earlier this year with “Yours,” Russell earned his second No. 1 hit with “Blue Tacoma” in October, while Carly copped her first No. 1 with “Every Little Thing” in 2017 before recently scoring a Top 15 hit with “Hide the Wine.”
Carly and Russell’s 11-date co-headlining tour kicks off on Jan. 24 in Cleveland and makes additional stops in Myrtle Beach, Tulsa, Chicago and more.
“Carly and I go way, way back, and we have cheered each other on for years,” says Russell. “Breaking onto the scene together has been such a fun ride, so we had to book a tour together to celebrate.”
“It’s crazy to think about eight years ago when Russell and I had a residency in Nashville together,” says Carly. “Now, to see the evolution of our careers that have mirrored in so many ways is a dream come true. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, and I couldn’t be more proud of how far we’ve come.”
After Kenny Chesney’s 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour hit more than a dozen major stadiums and more than 20 amphitheaters, the Tennessee native is scaling back his 2019 tour, which he has dubbed the Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour.
“I wanted to change it up,” says Kenny. “Last year was so intense, and amazing. No Shoes Nation took it to a whole other level, and they blew all of us away. It was the kind of energy you don’t take for granted. So when we started thinking about next year, they made me wanna come to them. Rather than the massive two-day set-up, make everyone come to a stadium away from their homes, I wanted to go to where the fans live . . . strip things back a bit, and make it a little more intimate.”
While dates haven’t been announced yet, Kenny has revealed 11 cities and venues, including Washington, D.C., Wichita, Kan., Atlantic City, N.J., and more.
“This is the kind of thing you do for passion,” Kenny says. “To rein things in a bit, change up the way we present the music, I know these songs will show us things they don’t when we’re in those massive stadiums. I never worry about the energy or the passion, but I think the songs are different depending on where you play them. So I’m fired up for 2019.”
Dates and more cities will be announced in the coming weeks.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – All five of Tennessee’s starters scored in double digits as the Vols rolled to a 86-41 season-opening victory over Lenoir-Rhyne in front of a crowd of 16,156 at Thompson-Boling Arena Tuesday.
The sixth-ranked Vols built a 20-point halftime lead before opening the second half on a 19-0 run over the first 8:47 of play to put the game away. In the second half, Tennessee held Lenoir-Rhyne to 11 points on 4-of-32 (12.5 percent) shooting during the period.
Jordan Bone led Tennessee (1-0) in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with six boards and three assists, followed by a career-high 16 points from Kyle Alexander. Alexander also added five rebounds and four blocks.
Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield both chipped in 13 points. Williams finished with seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Schofield tallied a game-high nine boards and four assists. Jordan Bowden recorded 11 points and a game-high six assists.
Cory Thomas led the Bears in scoring with seven points.
Lenoir-Rhyne started the game hot from 3-point range, hitting six of its first 10 attempts. All of the Bears’ first 18 points came by way of 3-pointers.
Tennessee built an early lead, but the Bears cut that lead to 20-18 on a Jalen Johnson 3-pointer, their sixth converted three of the first half.
The Vols quickly responded, however, coming out of the timeout and executing a quick, 13-2 run that featured three forced turnovers in a 40-second span to push the lead back to 13 points.
From there, Tennessee gradually built on its lead before ending the first half on a 13-4 run, taking a 50-30 advantage into the break.
Tennessee’s 50 first-half points marked the first time the Vols reached the half-century in a half mark since Nov. 14, 2017. Bone and Alexander both reached double-digit scoring in the first half with 12 points apiece.
HOME OPENER ATTENDANCE: A crowd of 16,156 witnessed the Vols’ opening night win over Lenoir-Rhyne. It marked the largest home-opener crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena since 2012.
VOLS TALLY 11 BLOCKS: Tennessee blocked 11 shots during Tuesday’s triumph, the most blocks in a single game since having 11 on Dec. 23, 2013, against Morehead State. Kyle Alexander led the team with four blocks, Yves Pons added three, Grant Williams had two and Jordan Bowden had one.
LOCKDOWN SECOND HALF DEFENSE: Tennessee held Lenoir-Rhyne to just 11 second-half points during Tuesday’s win, which was fewer than any UT opponent managed during a half last season. After starting the game 6-for-10 from 3-point range, the Bears finished the game 1-of-25 from beyond the arc. Of the 11 Lenoir-Rhyne players who attempted a shot in the second half, only three made a basket. Overall, the Bears finished 4-for-32 (12.5 percent) from the field in the second half.
PONS FILLS THE STAT SHEET: Sophomore swingman Yves Pons got it done in several statistical categories, setting several career-highs. Pons finished the game with seven points (on 3-of-4 shooting), five rebounds and three blocks. In 21 minutes of play, the Fuveau, France, native finished with a plus-minus rating of +31.
WILLIAMS RECORDS 50TH DOUBLE-DIGIT GAME: Junior forward and reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams logged his 50th career double-digit scoring game with his 13-point performance against Lenoir-Rhyne. Dating to last season, Williams has scored in double digits in seven straight games. The Charlotte, N.C., native scored in double figures in 29 of 35 games as a sophomore last season.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. ET for its second home game of the week as it hosts Louisiana. The game will be streamed online and viewable worldwide through SEC Network+ (WatchESPN).
Tennessee men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes spoke to the media in his postgame press conference after the Vols defeated Lenoir-Rhyne in the season opener at home 86-41.
