Running from February 27 to March 18—yes, 20 days—Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest rodeo and livestock exhibitions in the world. Rodeo Houston features a carnival, a bar-b-que contest, 10K race and some of the best live entertainment in the country. The event pulled in more than 2.6 million attendees during last year’s festivities and more than 1.3 million showed up just for the concerts.
And why wouldn’t they? Country music dominates the week’s lineup at NRG Stadium, and this year is no exception with a star-studded cast that includes Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town, Chris Young, Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Stapleton and more.
Feb. 27: Garth Brooks
Feb. 28: Little Big Town
March 1: Blake Shelton
March 2: Leon Bridges
March 3: Kelsea Ballerini
March 4: Alessio Cara
March 5: Rascal Flatts
March 6: Jason Aldean
March 7: Thomas Rhett
March 8: Luke Bryan
March 9: Chris Young
March 10: Cody Johnson
March 11: Calibre 50
March 12: Zac Brown Band
March 13: J Bavin
March 14: OneRepublic
March 15: Keith Urban
March 16: Chris Stapleton
March 17: Brad Paisley
March 18: Garth Brooks
During halftime of the NFL playoff game between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints on Jan. 6, fans were given a sneak preview of Carrie Underwood’s new song, “The Champion.”
The new tune will be part of the opening segment before Super Bowl 52 on February 4.
“I’ve been working my whole life / And now it’s do or die / I am invincible, unbreakable / Unstoppable, unshakeable / They knock me down, I get up again,” sings Carrie, in part.
Mercedes Russull – Lady Vols C / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Redshirt senior Mercedes Russell paced No. 7 Tennessee with a career-high 33 points, as the seventh-ranked Lady Volunteers pulled away from Vanderbilt in the fourth period to secure an 86-73 victory Sunday afternoon in Thompson-Boling Arena.
With the win, the Lady Vols improved to 15-0, 3-0 in Southeastern Conference play, and won their 11th consecutive home game dating back to last season. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, fell to 4-13, 0-3 SEC.
Redshirt junior Cheridene Green also had a career day for the Big Orange, pouring in 17 points and grabbing five rebounds. Senior Jaime Nared chipped in 15 points, five rebounds and six steals as the Lady Vols remained unbeaten through their first 15 games for the fourth time in school history.
Vanderbilt was led in scoring by Cierra Walker, who went 6-of-8 from behind the three-point arc and finished the day with 20 points and six assists.Christa Reed (16), Chelsie Hall (15) and Erin Whalen (10) also scored in double figures for the Commodores, who dropped their third straight game and seventh in their last eight.
Russell proved to be too long, too strong and too determined to be contained, connecting on 14-of-20 shots from the field and five-of-six from the charity stripe to surpass her previous career best of 26, which she notched vs. Auburn on Jan. 19, 2017.
Green, meanwhile, exploded in the second half to finish 7-of-8 from the field. She had eight points in the fourth quarter alone. Behind the inside play of Russell and Green, the Lady Vols controlled the paint all day, possessing 42-28 and 56-26 advantages in rebounds and points in the paint, respectively. UT also worked on the offensive glass, pulling down 17 caroms that led to a 23-6 advantage in second-chance points.
The Lady Vols relied on their size advantage and physicality to jump to a quick 8-0 lead versus Vandy. After the hot start, VU was able to find an answer to Tennessee’s physical play, getting a pair of threes from Whalen. As a result, the teams exited the first quarter locked up at 16-all
Vanderbilt led through most of the first half of the second quarter, as the Commodores seemed unable to miss from behind the arc. The Lady Vols tied the game twice before a 10-0 run saw the home team seize momentum and take a 37-32 lead in to the locker room. The advantage was in large part due to a Herculean effort by Russell, scoring 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.
In the third stanza, the teams exchanged the lead four times with Tennessee getting the better of it, entering the final period with a 65-62 lead. Down 62-61, Green drew a foul and gave Tennessee a chance to go on top. She hit the first shot to tie the game at 62-all, but the second rimmed out. Russell collected the rebound, which led to a Meme Jackson three-pointer to give UT a 65-62 lead as time expired. It was a lead the Lady Vols would not relinquish.
Tennessee turned the pressure up in the fourth period, as a successful press slowed down a Vanderbilt offense that was coming off the heels of a 30-point third period. Behind the support of the season’s biggest crowd (10,023), the Lady Volunteers forced eight turnovers that were quickly converted into points. A 10-0 Tennessee run starting with 5:59 remaining put the game out of reach.
Next Up: Tennessee will play the first of three consecutive road games against ranked opponents at No. 19/19 Texas A&M on Thursday. The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET (6 CT) and will be televised on the SEC Network.
10+ Russell: Redshirt senior Mercedes Russell has scored ten or more points in all 15 games this season and on 74 occasions over the course of her career. Her career-best 33 points against Vandy marks the fourth time this season she’s scored more than 20 points, bringing her career total to 11 games with 20+ points.
Streaks Alive: With the win over Vanderbilt Tennessee extends its home winning streak to 11 games, dating back to the Feb. 19, 2017, win over Arkansas. The victory also keeps the Lady Vols’ record against Vandy in Thompson-Boling Arena perfect, extending the win streak to 33-0. Tennessee is 15-0 to start the season for just the fourth time in program history.
Big On The Boards: Tennessee out-rebounded Vanderbilt 42-28 and scored 56 points in the paint. Those numbers were a team effort with six players snagging at least five boards a piece.
Career Days: Russell posted a career-high 33 points against Vanderbilt, upending her previous high of 26 points (Auburn, 1/19/17). Cheridene Green upped her career high to 17 points, besting her previous high of 16 (Troy, 12/6/17).
Knoxville, Tenn. — Admiral Schofield scored 20 points and recorded nine rebounds to lead the 23rd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers to a 76-65 victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday night at a sold out Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols (10-4, 1-2 SEC) shot 54 percent from the field in the second half while using a strong defensive effort to outscore the Wildcats (12-3, 2-1 SEC) in the final period, 47-28, and earn their first conference victory of the season. Grant Williams stepped up offensively down the stretch, scoring 16 of his 18 points in the second half on 7-for-9 shooting.
UT was also fueled by great team play, as it recorded 23 assists on 25 total baskets, led by six assists from James Daniel III. After going into halftime trailing by nine, the Vols went on multiple runs in the second half, including a 10-0 burst that lasted more than three minutes, to reclaim the lead and defeat Kentucky for the third consecutive year at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee struggled offensively in the first half, as it made just eight shots from the floor and committed eight turnovers. Kentucky, meanwhile, was efficient throughout the period, shooting 55 percent from the field and 4-for-8 from behind the 3-point arc. PJ Washington knocked down his first four shots and finished the period with 11 points to lead the Wildcats to a 37-29 advantage at the intermission. Wenyen Gabriel added a spark off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers for nine points.
Schofield paced the Vols offensively at the break with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. The 29-point total tied for the fewest Tennessee has scored in a half this season (Dec. 20 vs. Furman). UT was able to keep the game in reach through solid defense that featured 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Tennessee stormed out of the gate in the second half, going on a quick 6-0 run highlighted by a Schofield breakaway dunk. The scoring outburst continued with a Lamonte Turner 3-pointer three minutes in that put the Vols ahead for the first time since the 16:00 mark of the first half. Turner finished with 11 points and five assists.
UT’s defensive intensity continued into the second half, as Kentucky did not make a 3-pointer for more than nine minutes and was held without a field goal for stretch exceeding five-minutes late in the game. The Wildcats were also held to a season-low 28 points in the second half and were forced into committing nine turnovers. Quade Green led Kentucky with 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting, while Nick Richards added nine points and eight boards.
Kentucky cut the Tennessee edge to seven with less than six minutes to play, but the Vols were able to use clutch free-throw shooting and timely turnovers to pull away down the stretch. A thunderous dunk by Schofield with 23 seconds left increased the lead to 11 and brought the sellout crowd of 21,678 to its feet.
UP NEXT: The Vols hit the road to face in-state rival Vanderbilt on Jan. 9 at Memorial Gymnasium before a matchup at home against Texas A&M on Jan. 13.
WILLIAMS DOMINATES SECOND HALF: Sophomore forward Grant Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, making 7-of-9 field goals after scoring just two points and shooting 0-for-4 from the floor before the break. Williams finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and a season-high-tying four assists.
RARE T: Rick Barnes and Kentucky coach John Calipari each received a technical foul at the 17:17 mark in the second half, marking the first time a Tennessee head coach had been whistled for a technical foul in 216 games (March 11, 2011).
VOLS SHUT DOWN WILDCATS’ BIG THREE: Tennessee held Kentucky’s three leading scorers Kevin Knox (14.6 ppg) Hamidou Diallo (14.4 ppg) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12.1 ppg) to just 16 total points on 5-of-21 shooting (24 percent) from the field. The trio entered the game averaging 41.0 points per game and shooting 46 percent overall.
BOARD WORK: The Vols out-rebounded the Wildcats, 37-30, marking just the third time an opponent has out-rebounded Kentucky this season. The +7 margin is the most by an opponent against the Wildcats this season (previous high was one).
SECOND-HALF MOMENTUM SHIFT: After a layup by Kentucky to give the Wildcats a 47-44 lead with 14:07 left in the game, Tennessee responded with nine consecutive points to regain the lead, part of a 16-3 run to give the Vols a 10-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
SHARING IS CARING: Finished off by a dish from James Daniel III to Admiral Schofield for a slam dunk in the final seconds of Saturday’s game, the Vols had a remarkable assist rate of 92 percent (23-of-25) on their field goals in the contest. UT entered the contest as the SEC’s assist leader and ranked 32nd in the nation.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 23rd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers look to gain momentum with a win over No. 17 Kentucky at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday night after a slow start to conference play. The game—already announced as a sellout—will tip at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on the SEC Network and streamed online via WatchESPN.
Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season, most recently dropping a 94-84 contest to Auburn on Tuesday.
UT has several players who can provide a spark offensively on any given night, as Lamonte Turner (25) and Grant Williams (22) both eclipsed the 20-point margin against the Tigers earlier in the week. Tennessee’s recent woes have come on the glass, as Auburn snagged 22 offensive rebounds and thus attempted 16 more field goals than the Vols.
Kentucky (12-2, 2-0 SEC) boasts another talented roster this season, highlighted by freshman forward Kevin Knox and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Knox leads the team with 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 33 minutes of action per game, while Gilgeous-Alexander has led UK in scoring the last three games off the bench.
After Saturday’s showdown, the Vols hit the road to face in-state rival Vanderbilt on Jan. 9 at Memorial Gymnasium before a big matchup at home against Texas A&M on Jan. 13.
THE SERIES
• Overall: Kentucky leads, 153-69
• In Knoxville: UK leads, 52-49
• In Lexington: UK leads, 90-16
• Neutral Sites: UK leads, 11-4
• Current Streak: UK has won one
• Last Meeting: Kentucky won, 83-58, in Lexington, 2/14/17
• Rick Barnes vs. Kentucky: 3-4
• Rick Barnes vs. John Calipari: Tied, 4-4
RIGHT NOW
• This is Tennessee’s second home sellout of the season. UT ranks 11th nationally with an average home attendance of 14,944.
• The Vols are rated No. 19 in the NCAA RPI and own the nation’s fifth-rated SOS, per ESPN.
• Kentucky and Tennessee are among the youngest teams in Division I. Going by class/experience, Kentucky is the youngest, and the Vols are tied as the nation’s fifth-youngest.
• UT ranks 15th nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com.
A WIN WOULD…
• Snap UT’s two-game losing streak and give the Vols their first SEC win of the season.
• Give Tennessee a three-game win streak against Kentucky in Knoxville. That would be its longest home win streak against the Wildcats since winning seven straight in Knoxville from 1979-85.
• Give the Vols two wins over opponents ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll this season.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
• John Calipari once again heads a strong Kentucky team, which was picked to win the SEC this year by select media during the preseason.
• The Wildcats are currently ranked 17th in the AP poll and have an RPI that stands at No. 16. With an 12-2 record entering the matchup, UK holds wins over ETSU, Harvard, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Georgia this season. Its two losses came at the hands of Kansas and UCLA in neutral-site games.
• Kentucky is paced by preseason first-team All-SEC guard Hamidou Diallo, as the redshirt freshman averages 14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 1.7 apg.
• The Wildcats’ lineup is boosted by five-star freshman forward Kevin Knox. The top-10 prospect has made his presence felt at the collegiate level, leading the team with 14.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg in 33 minutes of action per game.
• Another UK player to keep an eye on is freshman Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6-6 guard plays nearly 29 minutes a game off the bench and is averaging 12.1 ppg on 50 percent (58-of-116) shooting, 4.1 apg, 3.5 rpg and 2.3 spg. During his last three outings, he has paced the Wildcats’ scoring attack, dropping 24 points vs. Louisville and 21 vs. Georgia.
SERIES NOTES
• The Kentucky series is UT’s oldest and most-played among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910, and have clashed 222 times over the years.
• In 17 previous meetings, both teams have been ranked in the AP Top 25. Kentucky holds an 11-6 edge in those games.
• No program in college basketball has logged more wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (69).
• Kentucky is one of only three SEC schools (along with Alabama and Arkansas) to lead its all-time
series against the Volunteers.
• Four Tennessee All-Americans were Kentucky natives: Allan Houston, Chris Lofton, Danny Schultz and Paul “Lefty” Walther.
• Tennessee has 13 all-time wins over the Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols have beaten the Wildcats just four times at Rupp Arena, posting victories in 1977, 1979, 1999 and 2006.
LAST MEETING WITH KENTUCKY
• Admiral Schofield scored 17 points and Jordan Bone had 15, but Tennessee could not keep pace with Kentucky’s strong 3-point shooting early on, falling to the Wildcats, 83-58, on Feb. 14, 2017, at Rupp Arena.
• UT struggled from the floor, shooting just 34.6 percent on the night and 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point range. Kentucky shot 44 percent (11-of-25) from 3-point range with 10 treys in the first half.
• Schofield scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half. He was 6-of-10 from the floor for the night and collected a team-high seven rebounds. Bone’s 15 points featured a pair of 3-pointers.
• Kentucky’s Malik Monk scored a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds and a 4-of-7 effort from 3-point range. Derek Willis, who rained seven treys in last year’s UT-UK contest in Lexington, enjoyed another strong night from beyond the arc, scoring 16 points and connecting on four of his seven 3-point attempts.
• Kentucky took control of the game midway through the first half, going on an 18-3 run to build a 31-15 advantage. The Wildcats made five 3-pointers in that stretch, with Willis and Monk draining two each. Willis was 4-of-4 from downtown in the first half. Monk also made all four of his treys before the break.
• The Wildcats took a 47-32 lead in to halftime with 30 of those points coming on 3-pointers (10-of-18). Monk led all players with 16 points in the first 20 minutes, and Grant Williams paced the Vols with eight. UK prevented Williams from scoring in the second half.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST KENTUCKY
• Kevin Punter Jr.’s 27 points were the most scored by a Vol against the Kentucky in 10 years as Tennessee defeated the Wildcats, 84-77, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville. The senior point guard made three 3-pointers and was 11-of-12 at the free-throw line.
• Chris Lofton reeled off 31 points, Major Wingate scored 12 and current Orlando Magic guard C.J. Watson added 10 as No. 11 Tennessee beat Kentucky 75-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7, 2006.
• Beating the Wildcats was three times as nice during the 1978-79 season. UT notched program win No. 900 in Lexington on Jan. 20, 66-55, before topping UK 101-84 in Knoxville on Feb. 17. Then the Vols won the 1979 SEC Tournament with a 75-69 win over UK in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 3. Current Vol Network radio analyst Bert Bertelkamp was a junior on that Tennessee team.
• As Bernard King walked off the court at Memorial Gym after a deflating 88-82 loss on Jan. 13, 1975, a Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into the Tennessee legend’s hair. Outraged, King vowed he would never lose to Kentucky again. He vigorously carried out that promise, finishing his career 5-1 against the Wildcats.
BARNES & CALIPARI: 1,300+ WINS
• Saturday’s game features the two winningest coaches (total career Division I wins) in the SEC.
• John Calipari is the league’s active leader in career wins, with 664. Rick Barnes is a close second with 644 victories to his credit.
• Among all active Division I head coaches, Barnes and Calipari rank sixth and eighth, respectively, in total head coaching wins.
• Barnes and Calipari became friends while working a Pitt basketball camp in the late 1970s. The star player at that camp? Current Arizona head coach Sean Miller.
CALIPARI AMONG TENNESSEE’S MOST-FACED HEAD COACHES
• On Saturday, John Calipari will coach his 22nd career game against the Vols. Among active college coaches, that stands as the third-most career meetings against Tennessee.
COACH MEETINGS UT’s RECORD vs.
Kevin Stallings 37 21-16
Tubby Smith 26 7-19
John Calipari 21 7-14
Andy Kennedy 15 7-8
Mark Fox 13 4-9
VOLS HAVE SIX WINS vs. CALIPARI
• Since UK coach John Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01, Tennessee has dealt him six losses. Only Louisville has more wins over Calipari-coached teams during that span.
TEAM WINS
Louisville 7
TENNESSEE 6
Cincinnati 5
Ole Miss 4
Southern Miss 4
TRENDING NOW
• Over Tennessee’s last three games, sophomore point guard Jordan Bone is averaging 17.0 points and 4.0 assists with a 2.4 assist/turnover ratio.
• UT and Arkansas combined to score 42 points in a five-minute overtime period on Dec. 30. The Division I record for total points in an OT period is 45, set by VCU and Texas A&M on Dec. 2, 2000.
• Sophomore guard Lamonté Turner scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in one-plus minute during the overtime period at Arkansas on Dec. 30 and followed that up with a 25-point effort Tuesday vs. Auburn.
TENNESSEE IS FIFTH-YOUNGEST TEAM IN DIVISION I THIS SEASON
• Bowling Green State University basketball SID James Nahikian painstakingly compiled a list of the youngest teams (based on class/eligibility) in college basketball this season, and Tennessee was one of three SEC teams to make the top five.
• With 10 underclassmen and only one senior, Tennessee is tied with Wofford and Toledo as the fifth-youngest team in Division I.
• Kentucky (12 underclassmen, no seniors) is the nation’s youngest team, and Auburn is the second-youngest (12 underclassmen, one senior).
RANK TEAM BREAKDOWN
1 Kentucky 12 (7 FR, 1 R-FR, 3 SO, 1 R-SO) – 0 SR
2 Auburn 12 (3 FR, 9 SO) – 1 SR
T-3 American 10 (7 FR, 3 SO) – 0 SR
T-3 The Citadel 10 (6 FR, 4 SO) – 0 SR
T-5 Wofford 10 (4 FR, 1 R-FR, 5 SO) – 1 SR
T-5 Toledo 10 (4 FR, 1 R-FR, 5 SO) – 1 SR
T-5 Tennessee 10 (3 FR, 3 R-FR, 3 SO, 1 R-SO) – 1 SR
8 Holy Cross 9 (6 FR, 3 SO) – 0 SR
T-9 Montana 9 (6 FR, 2 SO, 1 R-SO) – 1 SR
T-9 Bowling Green 9 (5 FR, 1 R-FR, 3 SO) – 1 SR
T-9 Marquette 9 (5 FR, 4 SO) – 1 SR
T-9 Oklahoma 9 (5 FR, 2 SO, 2 R-SO) – 1 SR
T-9 Kansas State 9 (3 FR, 2 R-FR, 4 SO) – 1 SR
T-9 Louisiana Tech 9 (3 FR, 1 R-FR, 5 SO) – 1 SR
Dapperly dressed Chris Janson stopped by the Today show (Jan. 5) to perform his new single, “Drunk Girl.”
The tune—which was co-penned by Chris, Tom Douglas and Scooter Carusoe, is the second single from Chris’ 2017 sophomore album, Everybody.
“Both of my co-writers are legendary,” said Chris to Nash Country Daily. “They certainly didn’t need me in the room. I can tell you that ‘Drunk Girl’ basically wrote itself. We were just stewards of the ship. And I say that in regard to, sometimes songs happen like that. You can’t really twist and turn ’em. If you try, you mess ’em up. If you let them lead, they lead. We wrote ‘Drunk Girl’ from a father’s perspective. We are all dads. I would hope after hearing the lyrics, if my daughter was in that situation, I hope someone would take care of her. Being a husband, being a dad of girls, I have such a great respect for women in general. I think this song needed to be said.”
Mickey Gilley, 81, is recovering after fracturing his left ankle and right shoulder in an automobile accident on Jan. 3.
Mickey and his son were on their way back to Branson, Mo., after an event in Texas when the accident occurred. Mickey’s son also sustained minor injuries and is on the mend.
“I had an accident yesterday,” said Mickey in a video post on Facebook. “We rolled a car about three times over. I have a fractured left ankle and a fractured right shoulder. I am having a hard time walking because I have a big boot on my left leg. But other than that I’m doing pretty good. To be 81 years old and put myself through what I’ve been through it’s kinda tough sometimes on the old man but I don’t intend to retire. I will be out there on the road and I’ll see you real soon.”
Mickey will reschedule his Jan. 6 show in Greenville, Texas. He expects to resume his touring schedule on Jan. 20 in Weirsdale, Fla.
Mickey achieve success on the country charts in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of No. 1 hits, including “Room Full of Roses,” “Stand By Me,” ″Window Up Above,” “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time” and more. His namesake Texas honky-tonk, Gilley’s, was the central location for the 1980 movie, Urban Cowboy.
A public memorial will be held for Mel Tillis at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 10 a.m. CT.
Mel, one of country music’s most versatile artists, died on Nov. 19, 2017, of respiratory failure at age 85. Mel battled intestinal issues since early 2016 and never fully recovered.
Those scheduled to take the stage at the memorial service include Ricky Skaggs, Ray Stevens, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Brenda Lee, Alison Krauss with the Street Corner Symphony, Jamey Johnson, Collin Raye, Daryle Singletary, Lorrie Morgan, Ira Dean, Pam Tillis, Sonny Tillis, and Carrie April Tillis. The Statesiders, Mel’s band, will accompany select performances.
The event is free and open to the public.
Mel won the CMA Entertainer of the Year award in 1976 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
![Carrie Underwood Previews New Super Bowl Song, “The Champion” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/01/08084316/Carrie-Underwood1.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
