Josh Ward’s take: Peterson chose Tennessee over Alabama and Georgia and should play a major role in Jeremy Pruitt’s defense in the future. Peterson is an elite athlete and the type of player Tennessee will have to land in the future if Pruitt’s defense is going to become what he plans.
Composite Ranking:
National Rank: No. 48
Position Rank: No. 3 OLB
State Rank: No. 7 in GA
ESPN:
National Rank: No. 44
Position Rank: No. 1 OLB
State Rank: No. 7 in GA
247 Sports:
National Rank: No. 74
Position Rank: No. 8 OLB
State Rank: No. 8 in GA
Rivals:
National Rank: No. 71
Position Rank: No. 5 OLB
State Rank: No. 9 in GA
High School
Selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
Competed at the Nike The Opening Finals
Named to the All-USA Georgia First Team by USA Today
Named to Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) Class 7A All-State first team as a senior in 2017
Named to Georgia Sports Writer’s Association (GSWA) Class 7A All-State second-team defense in 2017
Was an GSWA Class 7A All-State Honorable Mention as a junior in 2016
Led Colquitt County High School to the GHSA Class 7A state championship game in 2017
Totaled 199 tackles (28 TFLs) and 14.5 sacks in three seasons at Colquitt County
Had a career-year in 2017, making 110 tackles, including 19 TFLs and five sacks, while forcing one fumble and recovering three loose balls
During his junior campaign, he totaled 59 tackles and 6.5 sacks
Made 30 tackles as a sophomore, including four TFLs and three sacks
Selected Tennessee over offers from several schools, including Alabama, Auburn and Florida
Mercedes Russell – Lady Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11/11 Tennessee (19-4, 7-3 SEC) is back on the road Thursday night, traveling to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (12-11, 3-7 SEC) at Bud Walton Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. CT (8 ET).
This will mark the Lady Vols’ first visit to Arkansas since Jan. 14, 2016, when they dropped a 64-59 decision to the Razorbacks.
Points have been hard to come by for the visiting teams in this series of late, with UT scoring 60, 60 and 59 in its last three trips to Bud Walton and UA tallying 60, 57 and 46 in its last three treks to Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee has won two straight and three of its last four recently after dropping three of four vs. a quartet of ranked foes.
The Lady Vols are coming off a road win on Sunday, scoring 31 points in the fourth quarter to gain a season sweep and extend a series win streak vs. Vanderbilt to nine games, 74-64.
Arkansas, meanwhile, has won only twice in its last nine games, but it halted a four-game losing skid on Sunday with a breakthrough road win at Alabama, 74-66.
The Razorbacks also own a road win against Auburn this season.
BROADCAST INFO.
Brett Dolan (play-by-play) Kikko Haydar (analyst) and Haley Maxwell (reporter) will describe the action for the UT-Arkansas online broadcast on SECN+.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th 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.
42ND STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON IN SIGHT
UT takes aim at victory number 20 this season, and it will have to go through Arkansas to get it.
The Lady Vols are seeking to hit 20 for the 42nd consecutive season.
When UT reaches 20 wins, it will have matched its victory total from last season’s 20-12 campaign.
UT’S UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tennessee is in a stretch where it is playing three out of four games on the road, with the Arkansas contest serving as the final date.
UT began at LSU, hosted A&M and visited Vandy on Sunday.
The Lady Vols are back home this Sunday, as Georgia comes to Rocky Top for the annual “Live Pink, Bleed Orange” game at 3 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
UT will play two in a row at home, hosting Alabama next Thursday (6:30 ET, SEC Network).
In another scheduling note, UT’s Feb. 18 game at Missouri has been set for 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on ESPNU.
RPI WATCH / STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Tennessee ranks No. 11 in the NCAA Women’s Basketball RPI, as of the Feb. 5 report.
Below are 15 teams (17 games when UT meets South Carolina for the second time) on UT’s schedule this season that are ranked in the top 100. The teams the Lady Vols already have played are underlined.
2. Notre Dame (L), 3. Mississippi State (L), 10. Texas (W), 12. Stanford (W), 15. Texas A&M (L & W), 16. Missouri, 20. Georgia, 21. South Carolina (W), 25. LSU (L), 31. Marquette (W), 55. Oklahoma State (W), 71. South Dakota (W), 82. James Madison (W), 87. Arkansas, 99. Alabama.
Based on cumulative opposition (past and future opponents, Tennessee is No. 13 this week in the NCAA Toughest Schedule Report.
BRACKETOLOGY SAYS…
ESPN’s Charlie Creme has UT projected for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and slotted in the Spokane Regional in his Feb. 5 edition of Bracketology.
Creme has the Lady Vols hosting a first round game vs. No. 14 Drake and meeting either No. 6 Duke or No. 11 Quinnipiac in the second round.
THE LATEST ON TENNESSEE
Jaime Nared (26.5 ppg., 10.0 rpg., 52% FG, 84% FT) was named the SEC Player of the Week on Tuesday, while Anastasia Hayes (13.0 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 50% FG, 50% 3FG) was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Hayes, Rennia Davis and Evina Westbrook make Tennessee the only school to have three SEC Freshman of the Week honorees.
Mercedes Russell is 18 rebounds shy of 1,000 and 21 points short of 1,500 for her career.
She is on track to become only the sixth Lady Vol to reach 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. The others in that club are Chamique Holdsclaw, Glory Johnson, Bashaara Graves, Sheila Frost and Tamika Catchings.
Holly Warlick is three wins shy of her 150th career victory.
Evina Westbrook‘s 5.0 assists-per-game average ranks No. 1 all-time by a UT freshman.
Only five players in Lady Vol history have averaged 5.0 assists for a season, including Dawn Marsh (three times), Holly Warlick (twice), Ariel Massengale, Michelle Marciniak and Lea Henry.
UT has led every game this season at the half except for two. UT trailed Mississippi State by 13 and was tied vs. Auburn.
UT’s roster features seven players 6-2 or taller, tying the 2004-05 team as the second tallest in Lady Vol history behind the 2014-15 unit that boasted eight.
Tennessee is 17-1 when it out-rebounds its opponents and 1-3 when it doesn’t.
UT is 17-0 when leading with 5:00 left in the game and 1-4 when trailing at that point.
The Lady Vols have allowed only five opponents to score more than 71 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75, Vandy – 73, A&M – 79, Notre Dame – 84) and have allowed only six teams to shoot better than 41 percent from the field (Vanderbilt in Knoxville, .491; Texas A&M, .484 in Knoxville; Notre Dame, .478; Vanderbilt, .469; Marquette, .437; and Miss. State, .418).
After turning the ball over 28 times vs. Notre Dame, UT has averaged 13.4 turnovers in its last five contests.
It’s the longest Tennessee has opened a season with the same starting five since at least the 1977-78 season. Box scores that season and prior do not indicate who started.
In Lady Vol history, the most recent long streak for the same starting five reached 11 games in 2007-08, when Pat Summitt chose the same lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle to report for the opening tip. UT went 10-1 in that span and won the NCAA title with a 34-3 record and the SEC title with a 14-0 mark. In game 12, in the team’s visit to Chicago, Parker missed curfew and didn’t get the starting nod vs. DePaul on Jan. 2, 2008.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in 16 of 23 games, averaging a 41.1 to 32.3 difference.
The Lady Vols bested their foes in second chance points 14 times and tied on three occasions.
Tennessee has won the points on fast break war in 17 games, averaging 13.2 per contest. In losses, that number is 9.8.
UT has held four teams to 0 fast break points, including its last opponent, Vanderbilt.
UT-ARKANSAS SERIES NOTES
Tennessee holds a 29-3 all-time record vs. Arkansas, dating back to Feb. 29, 1992, when UT prevailed, 105-59, in the initial meeting.
The Lady Vols are 14-1 in Knoxville, 13-2 in Fayetteville and 2-0 at neutral sites.
Tennessee is 1-0 in overtime and 2-0 in the postseason vs. UA, meeting for the first time in SEC Tournament play in 2016. UT prevailed, 68-51, in the second round in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 3 of that year.
UT is 6-1 vs. the Razorbacks during the Holly Warlick era, including 3-0 at home, 2-1 on the road and 1-0 in SEC Tournament play.
All three road games in the series under Warlick have been close, with UT winning by six in 2013 (60-54) and by nine in 2015 (60-51), while losing by five (59-64) in 2016.
Since then, however, UT has won by 18 at home, by 17 in the SEC Tournament and by 13 at home vs. Arkansas.
UT’s only setback to the Razorbacks in Knoxville came at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 23, 2012, when Arkansas walked away with a 72-71 overtime victory and ended an 18-game Lady Vol winning streak in the series.
A 75-57 triumph over Arkansas in Knoxville on Feb. 4, 2016, gave Holly Warlick the 100th win of her head coaching career in year number four at Tennessee.
Despite the series disparity, Tennessee has overcome some significant deficits to claim some recent wins vs. UA.
UT overcame a nine-point second-half gap in Fayetteville on Jan. 11, 2015, to win, 60-51; an eight-point first-half deficit to win 70-60 in Knoxville on Jan. 30, 2014; and an 11-point second-half gap on Feb. 24, 2013, in Fayetteville to win, 60-54.
The last time the two teams faced each other as ranked squads was in 2003 when #4-ranked Tennessee won, 92-79, over #12-ranked Arkansas in Fayetteville.
No. 1/1 Tennessee and unranked Arkansas met in an NCAA Final Four semifinal game in Kansas City, Mo., on March 27, 1998, and the Lady Vols cruised past the Razorbacks, 86-58, en route to their perfect 39-0 season.
Tennessee has had one player from the state of Arkansas in its history. Standout Shekinna Stricklen (2008-12) hailed from Morrilton, Ark.
LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT AND UA
Led by Mercedes Russell‘s 15th double-double of the season, Tennessee took care of business over Arkansas, 59-46, in Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 19, 2017.
After a 2:52 scoring drought by UT to start the first quarter, Russell got things going for the Lady Vols (17-10, 8-6 SEC) by scoring the first five points. She finished the day with 13 points and 10 rebounds, passing Candace Parker for the third most double-doubles by a junior in Tennessee history.
Jaime Nared broke out of her recent shooting slump to account for a game-high 19 points behind 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. She added nine rebounds and two steals in the contest despite early foul trouble.
All-SEC forward Jessica Jackson shouldered much of the scoring burden for the Razorbacks (13-14, 2-12 SEC), accounting for 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. However, Tennessee’s defense kept the remaining Razorbacks in check, with Jackson’s teammates shooting just 33 percent from the field. Malica Monk was the only other Razorback who scored in double figures with 11.
Alexa Middleton started slow in the game but picked up momentum in the second quarter, connecting on her first 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining in the period. She continued to serve as a spark for Tennessee’s offense in the second half, finishing the contest with 15. Sunday marked the third consecutive game Middleton has recorded double-digit scoring and the ninth time this year.
LAST TIME IN FAYETTEVILLE
Second-half turnovers proved troublesome for No. 13/15 Tennessee on Jan. 14, 2016, and the Lady Vols’ late rally fell short in a 64-59 loss to Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena.
Diamond DeShields paced Tennessee (11-5, 2-2 SEC) with 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but the Lady Vols committed 15 of their season-high 24 turnovers in the second half as Arkansas (7-10, 1-3 SEC) seized control of the game.
Mercedes Russell posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
After trailing by 11 points at halftime, Arkansas opened the third quarter red hot with a 17-2 run, capitalizing on five-straight Tennessee turnovers early on to take a 38-34 lead. Jackson scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Razorbacks played with renewed confidence and headed to the fourth up 43-40.
Arkansas’ Jessica Jackson made all four of her free throws in the final 20 seconds to hold off UT’s late comeback attempt. Jackson led all scorers with 25 points on 7-of-18 shooting and went 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
ABOUT ARKANSAS
Arkansas, picked to finish 14th in the SEC by both the coaches and media, stands in 10th place entering this game at 12-11 overall and 3-7 in the SEC.
The Razorbacks returned three starters and seven total letterwinners from last season’s squad, which finished 13-17 overall and 2-14 in the SEC in 14th place.
UA replaced Jimmy Dykes with Arkansas native and graduate (1993) Mike Neighbors as head coach.
Neighbors was 98-41 at Washington from 2014-17, guiding the Huskies to the 2016 NCAA Final Four and a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
Arkansas is led by a trio of guards in Malica Monk (16.0 ppg.), Devin Cosper (15.0) and Jailyn Mason (10.3), who have combined to connect on 105 of 330 three-point attempts (.318)
Including other sizable long-range contributions from Raven Northcross-Baker (28-100) and Keiryn Swenson (24-78), the Razorbacks are 171 of 591 (.289) from three-point land this season.
ARKANSAS LAST TIME OUT (ARK 74, BAMA 66)
Senior Devin Cosper led four Razorback women’s basketball players in double-figure scoring in a 74-66 Southeastern Conference win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.
It was the sixth time that Cosper scored 20 or more points this season. Junior Malica Monk added 17 points, followed by junior Bailey Zimmerman with 11 and 10 points for sophomore Kiara Williams. The win by Arkansas (12-11, 3-7 SEC) avenged an earlier season loss to the Crimson Tide (14-9, 4-6 SEC).
TENN. LAST TIME OUT (UT 74, VU 64)
Seniors Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared combined for 50 points to lead #12/13 Tennessee (19-4, 7-3 SEC) to a hard-fought 74-64 victory on the road at Vanderbilt (6-18, 2-8 SEC) on Sunday.
Russell logged her 41st career double-double and 11th this season, scoring 20 points while reeling in 11 rebounds. Additionally, she recorded a career-high four steals.
Nared tallied her ninth double-double of the season and 18th of her career, pouring in 16 points and grabbing five rebounds in the final five minutes of the game. She tied her career high of 30 points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds on the day. She connected on 15 of 17 free throw attempts, tying for the fourth-most ever by a Lady Vol.
Vanderbilt was led in scoring by freshman Chelsie Hall who had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Advertisers aren’t the only ones that can get a huge sales bump via their Super Bowl spots—artists Carrie Underwood and halftime performer Justin Timberlake got a boost on Super Bowl Sunday, too.
Justin performed a medley of some of his biggest hits, including “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body.” Justin’s song catalog copped a sales bump of 36,100 downloads compared to totals from the previous day, according to Nielsen Music. Justin’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” had the biggest surge, moving nearly 8,000 units more on Super Bowl Sunday than the previous day.
Carrie, on the other hand, kicked off the Super Bowl TV broadcast with the debut of her new video for “The Champion,” which featured Ludacris.
After earning nearly 2,900 downloads on Saturday, Feb. 3, “The Champion” netted 16,000 downloads on Super Bowl Sunday, up 444 percent from the previous day.
The television sales bump could continue for Carrie—NBC will also incorporate “The Champion” into its coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, which begin on Feb. 9.
Watch the video for “The Champion” below.
.@carrieunderwood kicks us off on the biggest Sunday Night of them all.
The Academy of Country Music announced the Radio Awards nominees for the 53rd ACM Awards.
Nominees include Ty, Kelly & Chuck (pictured with Blake Shelton), Country Gold With Terri Clark and more.
The Radio Awards will be presented at the annual Radio Winners reception on Saturday, April 14, the day prior to the ACM Awards live telecast from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET. on CBS.
The full list of 53rd ACM Awards nominations will be announced in early March.
Radio Nominees
NATIONAL ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Ty Bentli, Kelly Ford and Chuck Wicks: Ty, Kelly & Chuck
Cody Alan: CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan
Bobby Bones, Amy, Lunchbox, Eddie: The Bobby Bones Show
Terri Clark: Country Gold with Terri Clark
Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase: Crook and Chase Countdown
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
Bud and Broadway: WIL-FM St. Louis, MO
Cadillac Jack: WQYK-FM St. Petersburg, FL
Chris Carr, Kia, Maverick and McKaila: KEEY-FM St. Louis Park, MN
Paul Schadt, Meg Butterly, Geof Knight: WKKT-FM Charlotte, NC
Roxanne Steele: WYCD-FM Detroit, MI
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET
Dale Carter: KFKF-FM Kansas City, MO
Double-L: KWNR-FM Las Vegas, NV
Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt & Kevin Freeman: WFMS-FM Indianapolis, IN
Johnson and Johnson: KUBL-FM Salt Lake City, UT
The Randy, Jamie and JoJo Show: KAJA-FM San Antonio, TX
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET
The 97.5 WPCV Breakfast Club with Roger Todd, Julie Kay and DJ Thee Trucker: WPCV-FM Lakeland, FL
Carina With A Twist Of Lime: WCYQ-FM Knoxville, TN
Buzz Jackson: KIIM-FM Tucson, AZ
Steve & Geoff: KUZZ-AM/FM Bakersfield, CA
The Odd Squad: CKRY-FM Calgary, AB
ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET
Ben Butler and Arnie Andrews: WCOW-FM Sparta, WI
Bobby and Steve (and Mandi!) :WKYQ-FM Paducah, KY
Dave Daniels: KHAY-FM Ventura, CA
Pat James: KHUT-FM Hutchinson, KS
The Q Crew with Jason and Ashley on Q100.3: KRWQ-FM Medford, OR
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
KILT-FM Houston, TX
KMLE-FM Phoenix, AZ
KSCS-FM Dallas. TX
WIL-FM St. Louis, MO
WPOC-FM Baltimore, MD
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET (tie within category increased nominees)
Josh Ward’s take: Flowers is a dual-sport standout who plans to play both baseball and football in college. Tennessee needs to add depth at all secondary positions, and Flowers should do just that. Beating out Clemson for Flowers’ services indicates his strong potential.
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 84 S
State Rank: No. 100 in GA
247 Sports:
Position Rank: No. 58 S
State Rank: No. 72 in GA
Rivals:
High School
Originally committed to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky
Took a three-year break from high school football to focus on baseball but played his fall 2017 senior season of football, starring at free safety for Tucker High School
Helped lead the Tigers to a 12-2 overall record and the Georgia Class 6A State semifinals as a senior in 2017
Three-sport star who also played basketball, earning GACA Class 6A North All-State honors for the 2016-17 season
Chose Tennessee over several Power 5 offers, including Clemson and Kentucky
Composite: Not ranked/247 Sports (3-star)/Rivals (NR)/ESPN (NR)
Josh Ward’s Take: Tennessee has continued to look for help at wide receiver. Tillman blossomed from his junior to his senior season at Bishop Gorman, a power program in Las Vegas. The Vols hope they’ve found a diamond in the rough after offering him just a few days ago.
247 Sports:
Position Rank: No. 180 WR
State Rank: No. 10 in NV
High School
Played for national high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman during his junior and senior seasons
Helped lead Bishop Gorman to its third straight USA Today High School Football National Championship in 2016 after posting a 15-0 record and extending the school’s win streak to 54 games
Helped lead Bishop Gorman to a pair of Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Class 4A State titles in 2016 and 2017
Earned second-team NIAA All-State honors as a senior in 2017
Earned first-team All-Southwest League honors as a senior in 2017
Josh Ward’s take: Tennessee is happy to land Mincey and just as happy to keep him from joining Will Muschamp’s defense. Tennessee’s staff believes Mincey can grow into a solid pass rusher.
Bio from UT
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 38 SDE
State Rank: No. 79 in GA
ESPN:
Position Rank: No. 69 DT
State Rank: No. 87 in GA
247 Sports:
Position Rank: No. 39 SDE
State Rank: No. 92 in GA
Rivals:
Position Rank: No. 40 SDE
State Rank: No. 68 in GA
High School
Named to Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) Class A (Public) All-State team in 2017
Named to Georgia Sports Writer’s Association (GSWA) Class A (Public) All-State first-team defense in 2017
Collected Defensive Player of the Year honors from Region 2-A
Helped lead Clinch County to a 12-2 record and the GHSA Class A-Public State Championship in 2017, the program’s seventh state title
Also played basketball for Clinch County
ESPN scouting report described Mincey as flashing “strong point of attack skills with ability to fire out, uncoil and shoot hands and use his reach to press blockers”
Held numerous Power Five offers and chose Tennessee over Arkansas, South Carolina and Auburn among several others
After winning three Grammys on Jan. 28 for Best Country Album (From A Room: Vol. 1), Best Country Song (“Broken Halo”) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”), Chris Stapleton is feeling a “Grammy Bump” on all fronts
The No. 1, 2 and 3 spots on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart this week belong to Chris’ From A Room: Vol. 2, Traveller and From A Room: Vol. 1, respectively.
Chris is the first artist to accomplish the top trifecta since Garth Brooks’ in 1992. According to Billboard, the only other artist to accomplish the feat was Charlie “The Silver Fox” Rich in 1974.
According to Nielsen Music, From A Room: Vol. 2 moved 20,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 1, while Traveller sold 17,000 and From A Room: Vol. 1 sold 16,000.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A poised, all-around effort in the closing minutes lifted 15th-ranked Tennessee to a 61-59 victory over 24th-ranked Kentucky Saturday night at Rupp Arena. The Volunteers have now won six straight games and stand alone in second place in the Southeastern Conference standings.
The triumph was Tennessee’s fifth all-time win over the Wildcats at Rupp Arena (1977, 1979, 1999, 2006). It also gave the Vols (18-5, 8-3 SEC) their first regular-season sweep over Kentucky since the 1998-99 season.
SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Lamonte Turner drained the go-ahead 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to play and finished as Tennessee’s top scorer on the night with a game-high 16 points.
Knoxville native Jordan Bowden scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, while Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Neither team led by more than three points until a pair of free throws by Williams gave UT a 50-46 advantage just inside the five-minute mark.
A putback basket in transition by Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt tied the game at 50 inside the four-minute mark, and a Tennessee turnover coming out of the final media timeout then enabled Kentucky’s top scorer, Kevin Knox, to complete a three-point play that gave the Wildcats a 53-50 lead with 3:17 to play.
Kentucky (17-7, 6-5 SEC) retained its lead until the 1:53 mark, when Williams knotted the score at 56 with two free throws. But Wildcats guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—who finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists—put the Wildcats back on top by two with a floater in the lane.
Moments later, a diving defensive effort on the perimeter by Vols junior Kyle Alexander forced a Kentucky turnover, and rather than call a timeout, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes opted to let the Vols run offense. The decision paid off, as Turner found space to launch the 3-pointer that gave the Big Orange a 59-58 lead.
A breakaway slam dunk by Schofield off Kentucky’s 15th and final turnover of the night made the final score 61-59 and ran the Volunteers’ win streak to six games.
Powered by a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range, Turner led the Vols with 11 first-half points as Tennessee took a 27-26 lead into the break.
Both teams struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end during the first 20 minutes, which featured nine lead changes. Tennessee entered the game ranked sixth in the nation in defensive efficiency, and for the first 10 minutes of action, the Vols looked the part, forcing five turnovers and holding Kentucky to 1-of-9 shooting.
Alexander totaled four points, two rebounds and two blocks in the first half despite playing just six minutes before heading to the bench with his second foul. Alexander’s absence in the paint late in the half enabled Kentucky to make six of its final seven field-goal attempts heading into the break.
Alexander’s final stat line included six points, four rebounds, two blocks and arguably the biggest steal of his career.
UP NEXT: The 15th-ranked Volunteers remain on the road this weekend, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday at 6 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: During Tennessee’s current six-game win streak, the Vols have not allowed an opponent to score more than 63 points. The Vols’ scoring defense during the streak stands at 58.5 points allowed per game.
VOLS SWEEP RIVALS: Tennessee has now completed the regular-season sweep of “permanent opponents” Vanderbilt and Kentucky this season. Tennessee’s third permanent opponent is South Carolina. The Vols defeated the Gamecocks last month in Columbia and host the Gamecocks at Thompson-Boling Arena next Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 9 p.m. ET. Tickets remain available by visiting AllVols.com or calling the UT Ticket Office at 1-800-332-8657.
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR: Despite not starting a game for the Vols this season, sophomore guard Lamonte Turner is Tennessee’s third leading scorer, averaging 11.0 ppg overall and 12.6 ppg in SEC play. Turner has come off the bench to score 15 or more points seven times and has scored 20 or more points four times this season.
