No one’s stock in country music has increased more in the past couple of years than Chris Stapleton’s.
The Kentucky native became the darling of the 2015 CMA Awards, winning three trophies, while putting on a show-stopping performance with Justin Timberlake during their collaborations on “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away.”
Grammys Awards, ACM Awards and more CMA Awards have followed for Chris, as well as two albums, From A Room: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
Perhaps in an effort to return the favor to the man who helped shine the spotlight on him, Chris will be lending his talents to a track on Justin Timberlake’s new album, Man of the Woods, which is set to drop on Feb. 2.
The song will be the the tandem’s first official recording together.
Justin’s new album will also include collaborations with Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams and Timbaland.
Thomas Rhett can claim he has the best manners in country music—although that would be rude—thanks to a new list compiled by the National League of Junior Cotillions.
TR landed at No. 8 on the NLJC’s annual Best Mannered People of 2017 list, which also included celebs Selena Gomez, Meghan Markle, David Beckham and more.
Duck Dynasty‘s Sadie Robertson, who starred in Brett Eldredge’s recent “The Long Way” video, cracked the list at No. 5.
The National League of Junior Cotillions forms the list each year after students and directors nationwide nominate people with “commitment to honor, dignity, and mannerly conduct.”
Congrats, Thomas Rhett, you are a gentleman in every sense of the word.
Say this for Tennessee coach Rick Barnes: He says what he thinks.
And what he said after Tennessee blew a 14-point first half lead and lost to Auburn 94-84 Tuesday night was not complimentary.
In fact, Barnes sounded like he was describing the 13th best in the SEC – which is where the media picked the Vols in a preseason poll.
Barnes said UT players had too much “ego’’ and played “casual’’ and didn’t “play their roles’’ and played “awful’’ on defense and were “immature’’ and “guys don’t listen’’ and didn’t practice well.
Was he describing a middle-school team? Or a team ranked as high as No. 4 in one RPI just one week ago?
“We didn’t deserve to win,’’ Barnes said twice after the Auburn defeat.
Barnes was certainly disappointed with the Vols getting outrebounded on the offensive boards by the smaller – but quicker – Auburn Tigers, 22-14. Auburn had a 22-11 edge until the final two minutes. Auburn also took 18 more shots – it had taken 22 more until the final minutes, when UT was fouling and jacking up shots.
Barnes said his team was “outworked’’ on the boards by Auburn.
“We played like it didn’t mean anything,’’ Barnes said of the Vols (9-4, 0-2 SEC).
Barnes felt when his team bolted to a 14-point lead, his players thought: “Hey, this is gonna be easy.’’
It was anything but easy.
“Fool’s gold,’’ Barnes called UT’s early lead.
Asked about the ego comment, Grant Williams, Tennessee’s best player, said: “He’s absolutely right.’’
Williams added: “I’m immature. I need to grow up fast.’’
Williams said Auburn “bullied us’’ on the boards.
Williams’ post game comments sounded mature. Maybe he’s being too hard on himself. Or maybe he handles the media better than he handles issues on the court when things don’t go his way.
Nonetheless, Williams did agree once again with his coach that UT doesn’t practice well and hasn’t all season – which is hard to believe for a team that started 9-2, beat Purdue and pushed Villanova and North Carolina.
“We’re not a good practice team,’’ Williams said. “We don’t compete like we should.’’
While practice is one issue, rebounding is another.
UT assistant Michael Schwartz said rebounding was a UT concern before the season. And he certainly felt it would be a key against Auburn.
As UT was visiting with the ESPNU crew that called the UT-Auburn game, Schwartz said Auburn’s offensive rebounding and UT’s defensive rebounding would be a key.
“It’s been an Achilles’ Heel for us,’’ Schwartz said. “We knew going into the year it’d be a little bit of a challenge.’’
UT allowed 22 offensive rebounds to Auburn and North Carolina, two key reasons why the Vols lost those games. Auburn’s 22 offensive rebounds came off 44 missed shots, thus the Tigers rebounded 50% of their misses.
“It’s something we can’t allow to keep happening and we’re going to fix it,’’ Schwartz said.
Tennessee’s goal this season was to get 30 defensive rebounds per game. UT is averaging 25.
“That’s minus five from where we need to be,’’ Schwartz said.
Schwartz also said UT must do a better job of finishing games and finishing possessions.
Defensively, Schwartz said UT ranks among the top 25 in the nation in forcing turnovers (16.7 per game) and field goal defense (40%).
Tennessee’s perimeter defense has struggled lately. UT’s guards haven’t been able to guard Arkansas’ or Auburn’s guards. And that is a major concern. Arkansas’ top two guards combined for 61 points. Auburn’s trio of starting guards scored 52 combined points and drove around UT’s guards at will.
“I don’t think it’s a concern of, if we can guard them,’’ Schwartz said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re executing our game plan. … Team defense is a big piece of it.’’
UT seeks its first SEC win Saturday night, hosting Kentucky. If the Wildcats guards have their way against the Vols, then Barnes might once again rip into his team.
And if he uses the words “casual’’ and “ego’’ and “awful’’ and “immature’’ in his post game comments, then you know it’s been another long night on Rocky Top.
The Recording Academy announced its first round of performers for the 60th Grammy Awards on Jan. 28.
Little Big Town, Lady Gaga, Pink and Childish Gambino will all take the stage on “Music’s Biggest Night.”
Little Big Town is nominated for both Best Country Album (The Breaker) and Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Better Man”).
In addition, Patti LuPone will reprise her 1981 performance of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” from Evita and Ben Platt will perform a classic from West Side Story, in a special Broadway tribute honoring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leonard Bernstein.
Hosted by James Corden, the Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Jan. 28, 7:30–11 p.m. ET, on CBS.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 7/7 Tennessee (13-0, 1-0 SEC) plays its first home game in 25 days and its initial contest of 2018, as Auburn (10-3, 1-0 SEC) comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for an SEC match-up at 7:02 p.m. ETon Thursday.
The last time the Lady Vols appeared in a game on The Summitt, Holly Warlick‘s squad upended #2/4 Texas, 82-75, on Dec. 10.
UT has gone 3-0 in road games since that victory over the Longhorns, taking care of Long Beach State (90-61) on Dec. 17, #18/24 Stanford (83-71) on Dec. 21 and Kentucky (63-49) on Dec. 31.
The Lady Vols will be aiming to go 14-0 for only the fifth occasion in school history and for the first time during the Holly Warlick era.
The last time Tennessee began a season 14-0, the Lady Vols extended the streak to 18 games before finally falling during the 2005-06 season en route to a 31-5 overall record an Elite Eight finish.
Auburn enters Thursday night’s match-up on a seven-game winning streak after defeating Florida at Auburn Arena, 84-55, on Sunday.
The Tigers stood 3-3 on Nov. 26 after losing to Chattanooga, 50-41, in Nashville at the Challenge in Music City, but they have bounced back in strong fashion, going 5-0 at home and 2-0 on the road since that date.
Broadcast Information
Bob Kesling (play-by-play), Andraya Carter (analyst) and Maddie Glab (reporter) will describe the action for the Tennessee-Auburn online broadcast on SECN+ (WatchESPN).
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.
Game Promotions/Information
Thursday is Youth Sports Night. For more information on how to bring your youth team, contact 865-946-7000.
High five tunnel for the first 50 kids every game! Pick-up a wristband for the tunnel at section 113 on the concourse.
Free parking & shuttle service from UT’s Ag Campus.
Coming Up On The Schedule
Vanderbilt travels to Knoxville on Sunday to face the Lady Vols at noon. The SEC Network will have the telecast.
After the current two-game home stand, the Lady Vols begin what appears to be their most grueling stretch of the season, playing at #19/19 Texas A&M (Jan. 11, 7 p.m. ET), at #4/5 South Carolina (Jan. 14, 1 p.m. ET), at #2/2 Notre Dame (Jan. 18, 7 p.m. ET) and at home vs. #5/3 Mississippi State (Jan. 21, 3 p.m. ET) during an 11-day span.
Tennessee In SEC Play
UT is 378-64 in SEC regular-season games through the Kentucky game, winning 18 championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles.
During the Holly Warlick era, Tennessee is 61-20 in league games, making Warlick the top-ranked active SEC coach in terms of winning percentage in league play at .753 among coaches with at least one season at a school.
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley is the next coach behind Warlick at .685 (98-45), followed by UK’s Matthew Mitchell at .646 (102-56).
In only her sixth year as a head coach, Warlick already ranks fourth in total league wins among active SEC coaches and has won regular season titles in 2013 and 2015, and a tourney crown in 2014.
Warlick’s record stands 80-26 in non-conference games.
Tennessee Reset
At 13-0, the Lady Vols are in the midst of their longest winning streak since reeling off 25 in a row from Dec. 18, 2010, to March 28, 2011.
UT is one of only four undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I basketball. The other squads are Connecticut, Louisville and Mississippi State.
The Big Orange women have won 11 of 13 games by double-digit margins, including by 43 vs. Central Arkansas , 53 vs. Alabama State, 62 vs. Troy, and 29 vs. Long Beach State.
Tennessee opened league play with a 14-point win at Kentucky, UT’s biggest margin of victory over the Cats in Lexington since 2008.
UK’s 49 points in Lexington were the fewest points Tennessee has allowed an SEC opponent on that team’s home court since holding Ole Miss to 49 in Oxford on Feb. 12, 2015.
UT has led every game this season at the half and has owned a double-digit advantage at the intermission in 10 of 13 contests (Marquette, Texas and Wichita State are the exceptions).
The Lady Vols have allowed only two opponents to score more than 71 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75) and a have allowed only one team to shoot better than 40 percent from the field (Marquette, .437).
They’ve scored 100 or more points three times in a season for the first time since doing so in 2010-11. UT hasn’t had more than three 100+ games in a campaign since hitting that mark four times in 2000-01. The Big Orange record for 100-point efforts in a year is seven in 1987-88.
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 previous 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 went on to win 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.
Russell and Nared have led Tennessee in scoring five times each, while Hayes has done so twice, and Davis, Meme Jackson and Evina Westbrook once each.
Russell has scored in double figures in every game, while Nared has done so 11 times, Hayes 10 times, and Davis and Westbrook on seven and six occasions, respectively.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in 11 of 13 games, averaging a 42.9 to 29.5 difference.
The Lady Vols bested their foes in second chance points 10 times and tied another time. UT averages 15.8 second chance points, while its opponents tally 10.5.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Jaime Nared has averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 steals over her past four games. She has hit 34 of 40 free throws for 85.0 percent.
Nared has tallied double-doubles in three of her last four games.
Evina Westbrook has averaged 15.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 3.3 apg., 1.3 bpg. and 1.0 spg. over the last four contests, hitting 52.4 percent from the field (22-42), 44 percent from the three-point arc (8 of 18) and 73 percent from the free throw line (11 of 15).
Westbrook has scored 15, 14, 17 and 17 points during that span, her longest streak of double-figures scoring this season.
Mercedes Russell has three double-doubles in her last four games, averaging 14.0 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Reserve guard Anastasia Hayes has hit 54 percent of her field goal attempts (13-24) and 77 percent of free throws (13 of 17) over the past four outings.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents 85 to 35 at the free throw line, getting 58 more shots there the past four contests (111-53). UT has hit at a 77 percent clip.
Meme Jackson is seven of 15 (46.7 percent) from the three-point arc over her last four games and has recorded a team-low four turnovers among regulars during that time frame.
Tennessee has outscored opponents 92-48 in the first quarter over the past four contests.
Best Starts
Tennessee has recorded its best start since 2005-06 and has one of the top five opening efforts in school history.
1997-98: 39-0 (NCAA Champs/SEC Champs)
2005-06: 18-0 (Elite Eight/SEC Runner-up)
1994-95: 16-0 (NCAA Runner-up/SEC Champs)
1993-94: 14-0 (Sweet 16/SEC Champs)
2017-18: 13-0 (TBD)
UT Statistical Nuggets
Tennessee ranks No. 12 nationally and leads the SEC, pulling down 49.9 rebounds per game, with Jaime Nared (9.0), Mercedes Russell (8.7) and Rennia Davis (8.4) setting the tone.
As a note, UT’s school record for season rebound average is 46.9, set in 1992-93.
The team is No. 2 nationally in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 35.
The Big Orange women have won the battle of the boards in every game but one (Stanford), forging a +12.7 advantage on the glass that ranks No. 6 nationally.
The squad from Rocky Top has shot a higher percentage than 12 of 13 opponents (not Marquette) and stands at 47.6 for the season. That rate ranks Tennessee No. 16 nationally and third in the SEC.
Mercedes Russell continues to shoot at an very high percentage, connecting on 63.8 percent of her shots (88 of 138). She ranks No. 9 nationally and second in the SEC.
The Lady Vols are No. 1 in the NCAA in free throws attempted (354) and No. 1 in free throws made (252).
Anastasia Hayes ranks No. 18 in free throw attempts (91) and No. 25 in free throws made (67), while Jaime Nared ranks No. 27 (85) and No. 21 (69) in those categories.
The Lady Vols are No. 10 in scoring margin (25.5) and No. 12 in scoring offense (86.4).
That per game average would rank fourth best in UT annals if the season ended today.
Tennessee ranks No. 2 in three-point field goal defense (22.9 percent).
The Lady Vols are shooting 47.6 from the field this season, ranking No. 16 nationally, and holding opponents to .336, which is ninth.
Series Notes vs. Auburn
Tennessee holds a 41-11 all-time record vs. Auburn, dating back to Feb. 9, 1980, and has won 25 of the past 28 games in the series.
The Lady Vols had won nine in a row in the series before dropping a 79-61 decision at Auburn last season on Jan. 19, 2017.
The Lady Vols are 20-2 in games held in Knoxville, 13-5 in games played at Auburn and 8-4 at neutral sites.
UT is 2-0 vs. AU in overtime games, winning extra-frame contests in Knoxville vs. the Tigers in 1996 and 2004.
Auburn has managed to claim only two victories in Knoxville, with those coming on Jan. 9, 1988 (#2/3 AU def. #4/4 UT, 71-68) and Feb. 8, 1986 (#11/13 AU def. #10/12 UT, 66-60), meaning it’s been 29 years and 17-straight UT home wins since it last occurred.
Tennessee has won in 13 of its last 15 trips to The Plains.
Tennessee has limited Auburn to 66 points or fewer in nine of the last 10 times they’ve met and to 61 or less on seven of those occasions.
Chamique Holdsclaw scored a career-high 39 points vs. the Tigers on Feb. 14, 1998, marking the sixth-highest point total in Lady Vol history.
Tennessee and Auburn played for the 1989 NCAA Championship in Tacoma, Wash., with the Lady Vols prevailing, 76-60.
Tennessee also beat the Tigers in regional finals in 1987 and 1991 en route to NCAA Final Fours they would end up winning.
UT and AU four times played for SEC Tournament titles from 1985 to 1990, with the Lady Vols winning three of those.
The Last Meeting Between UT & AU
Mercedes Russell scored a career-high 26 points and logged her 11th double-double of the season, but Tennessee fell to Auburn, 79-61, on Jan. 19, 2017, at Auburn Arena.
Tennessee (11-7, 2-3 SEC) committed 22 turnovers in the loss. Auburn (14-5, 4-1 SEC) scored 33 points off turnovers and surged in the second and third quarters to take control of the game.
Russell was 11-of-14 from the floor and collected 11 rebounds. Diamond DeShields was close to pulling off a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Jaime Nared added 12 points.
Janiah McKay scored a career-high 29 points, including a 3-for-3 effort from 3-point range, to lead Auburn. Katie Frerking added 22 points and seven boards.
Tennessee opened the game with a 14-0 run, holding the Tigers scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. The Lady Vols made five of their first six shots. Russell led the way in the first quarter with 11 points and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor as UT took a 25-10 lead to the second. DeShields also had a strong start with eight points and four of UT’s eight assists in the opening quarter.
Auburn responded with a 13-0 run to open the second quarter with McKay accounting for eight points during that stretch. Brandy Montgomery made a layup with 5:30 left in the first half to knot the game at 26-26. Frerking made a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to give the Tigers a 38-36 lead at the half.
Last Time In Knoxville For UT & AU
Diamond DeShields scored 25 points, Bashaara Graves added 18 points and Mercedes Russell posted a double-double to lead No. 12/11 Tennessee to a 79-52 win over Auburn on Jan. 10, 2016, the last time these teams met at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (11-4, 2-1 SEC) dominated the paint, outscoring Auburn (11-5, 1-2 SEC), 48-26, down low. UT also enjoyed a 42-30 rebounding edge.
DeShields enjoyed a great all-around game, going 9-of-14 from the floor and contributing seven assists and six rebounds.
Graves scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half and shot an efficient 8-of-9 on the day.
Russell scored 10 points and hauled down 13 rebounds to post her fifth double-double on the year.
Tennessee’s bench contributed 22 points in the win. Alexa Middleton had eight points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench and Jordan Reynolds had four points, four rebounds and five assists.
Tra’Cee Tanner paced Auburn with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Brandy Montgomery had 11 points and Janiah McKay added 10 points.
Auburn Reset
Auburn has hit its stride, winning its last seven games in a row, all of them by double digits.
The Tigers are holding opponents to 51.5 points per game and are carding 15.1 steals per game.
AU’s defense is allowing only 46.5 shots.
Junior Janiah McKay leads the way, averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 steals.
Sophomore guard Daisa Alexander (13.5) and freshman forward Unique Thompson (11.3) also score in double figures for Auburn.
McKay (25 points), Alexander (21 points) and Thompson ( 12 rebounds) paced the Tigers vs. UF.
AU returned nine letterwinners and three starters from last season’s squad, which finished 17-15 overall and 7-9 in the SEC, good for a tie for eighth.
The Tigers earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, falling to N.C. State in the first round, 62-48.
Auburn was picked 10th by the media and 11th by the coaches in the preseason polls.
AU is led by head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, who is 97-79 in her sixth year at Auburn and 241-183 overall in her 14th season.
Auburn Last Time Out (AU 84, UF 55)
Janiah McKay had 25 points, Daisa Alexander had 21, and Auburn outscored Florida 49-19 in the second half to earn an 84-55 win in the SEC opener for both teams Sunday at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers (10-3, 1-0 SEC) overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit, thanks in large part to forcing the Gators (8-6, 0-1) into 28 turnovers, converting those into 33 points.
Auburn tied a school record for fewest turnovers in a game with five and held the SEC’s top 3-point shooting team to just six treys while tying a season high with eight 3-pointers of their own.
Auburn matched its record-high for points in a quarter in an SEC game, outscoring the Gators 30-4 in the final period; Florida made its last field goal with 8:19 to play. From the point where Auburn trailed 18-2 in the first quarter, the Tigers outscored Florida 82-37 over the final 33 minutes.
Auburn shot 38.6 percent for the day, but after missing the first 17 shots, the Tigers were 32-of-66 (48.4%). The Tigers hit 20-of-39 shots (51.3%) in the second half while holding the Gators to just 6-of-20 (30%) in the final 20 minutes. Auburn was 32-of-83 on the day while Florida was 18-of-45.
Tennessee Last TIme Out (UT 63, UK 49)
No. 7/7 Tennessee improved to 13-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC on Sunday, defeating Kentucky (8-7, 0-1 SEC) 63-49 in front of a crowd of 8,921 at Rupp Arena.
The victory was UT’s first in the venue in three tries. The Big Orange women lost to the Wildcats during the 2005-06 season and fell to USC here in the 1986 NCAA Final Four semifinals. The triumph was only the third in Tennessee’s last seven trips to the Bluegrass.
The Lady Vols, who improved to 55-11 in the all-time series, were led in scoring by freshman Evina Westbrook who notched 17 points, tying her career high. Senior Jaime Nared recorded her sixth double-double of the season, contributing 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Fellow senior Mercedes Russell added 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, while freshman Rennia Davis just missed a double-double with 11 rebounds and nine points.
Maci Morris was Kentucky’s high-scorer with 18 points. She was the only Wildcat in double figures, as Tennessee held UK to 30.3 percent shooting for the game. The Lady Vols now have held 12 of 13 foes this season under 40 percent from the field (Marquette, .437, is the only one to shoot better than 40 percent).
Evina Westbrook and Meme Jackson set the tone early for the Lady Vols, each knocking down threes for Tennessee’s first two buckets of the game. Kentucky started the game cold, going 0-of-6 from the field. The Wildcats scored their first points off a Morris jumper with 5:50 remaining in the first quarter to end a 10-0 run by Tennessee. Jackson and Westbrook combined for three additional treys before the end of the quarter to help build a 19-point lead and head into the second stanza up 26-7.
Vols redshirt junior defensive back Rashaan Gaulden announced on Twitter Wednesday that he is declaring for the NFL Draft, ending his Tennessee football career.
Gaulden (6’1, 193 from Spring Hill, TN) played in 36 games with 18 starts in his career. He totaled 140 tackles and 1 interception in his time in a Vols uniform. He was a part of arguably the best signing class of Butch Jones’ tenure at Tennessee in 2014. He entered UT as a 3-star prospect in three major recruiting services and a 4-star in one other.
Gaulden joins John Kelly (Instagram announcement below) as recent Vols players opting for the NFL rather than return to school for their senior seasons.
Kelly (5’9, 205 from Detroit, MI was a part of the 2015 signing class as a consensus 3-star recruit. Kelly rushed for 1,573 yards and 15 TDs in three seasons at UT. He also caught 43 passes for 350 yards in his career.
Lady Vols HC Holly Warlick & team / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman Evina Westbrookand Head Coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media prior to No. 7/7 Tennessee’s practice on Wednesday. The Lady Vols (13-0, 1-0 SEC) are preparing for their SEC home opener against Auburn (10-3, 1-0 SEC) on Thursday.
Answering questions from the media, Westbrook shared her thoughts on what has prompted her recent increase in scoring and how she has adjusted to college basketball. Warlick’s answers included discussion on how the team is preparing for Auburn’s press and what returning player she feels has elevated her game the most this season.
Tennessee will host Auburn at 7 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena. The game is available for viewing online via SECN+.
On what she expects from Auburn based on last year’s game:
“Auburn is a pressing, active-zone team. They’re difficult to play. (Last year) we got up by 20, and then we relaxed, and then they made a swing and beat us by 20. It’s a four-quarter game, and we played great one quarter and held on the second quarter down there, and then in the third and the fourth we were not very good. I don’t think any lead against Auburn is comfortable. We’ve got to turn people over, we’ve got to take care of the ball, and we’ve got to move the ball and attack their press. (Those are) things we’ve been working on, so I think we’re going to be ready for them.”
On if the team will go over what went wrong in last year’s game against Auburn:
“Absolutely. That’s Auburn, that’s their style. We’ll talk about their style and how they disrupted us. They said we got tired down there, so we’re going to bring that up. We’re going to have to be in good condition because when you get pressed for 40 minutes, it takes a toll on you. We’re going to have to be ready and have everyone ready, and I think the biggest thing for us is taking care of the basketball.”
On addressing the turnovers from Kentucky:
“I thought we made some passes that were more difficult than we needed. We can’t make soft passes against Auburn, that’s going to be a steal as well. It has to be a deliberate, on-the-money pass. We did some things in Kentucky that we haven’t been doing, and we’ve watched it. We’ll correct it, and we’ll have a better outcome against Auburn.”
On how freshmen guards will handle the press:
“Our guards have handled the pressure (thus far). They’ve handled the pressure, so we’ve got the ability to dribble through a press. We’ve got the ability to pass. I think they’re intelligent. We’ve worked on it, we’ve worked on it all year. They’re prepared, and the great thing is they don’t have to break it on their own. We’re trying to get people in spots where we can break it and attack.”
On Auburn’s style of play:
“I think they score a lot out of their defense. For us, we want to get them to play in a half-court offense. They’ve got a freshman inside who is really doing well and rebounding the ball well. (They have) guards that can attack. If we can get them in a half-court game, I think that would be great for us.”
On how much fun the team is having:
“They’ve had a lot of fun. Winning is fun. They’re playing hard, and they’re playing together. Any time you have a great feel for each other on the court, it is fun. They’re college students – sometimes they want to practice, sometimes they don’t. But they’re extremely competitive, and that’s what I love about them. When game time comes they’re ready to play, and they’re focused. The freshmen are in tune, and that’s a tribute to the upperclassmen. They love to play, and I know they’re going to be extremely excited to get back in here and play in front of the home crowd.”
On who she feels is the most improved returning player:
“Probably Meme Jackson (is the most improved returning player). Meme was used sparingly last year and was inconsistent. I think Meme has elevated her game. She’s elevated her confidence; she’s elevated her leadership. I think we play a lot off her energy, so I’ve just been really proud of what Meme has done and the consistency she’s had. That’s from being consistent in practice. She has played really, really hard in practice, and that’s carried over into her game.”
On recent increase in scoring:
“It’s really just looking for my shot. If the defense is going to leave me open, I’m going to look for my shot as well. My primary focus as a point guard is to get the team started, but at the same time I have to look for my own shot, so it’s just a combination of both.”
On her biggest adjustment from high school to college:
“I would say (the biggest difference is) the pace of the game and the intensity and really just the IQ of basketball players all around. My team has a great IQ, and we’re all learning so well how to play together. It’s been amazing so far.”
On figuring out her role was on this team:
“I think I kind of knew, honestly, from the first practice what my role was going to be, so I really just had to adjust from there. It really makes the games a lot easier.”
On if she’s surprised to be undefeated this far into the season:
“(I’m) not really (surprised). We’ve worked really hard to get to where we are, and we just have to continue working.”
On finding areas to improve upon even at 13-0:
“Our coaches put it into our head every day that we have to stay humble and hungry. We have to work even harder than before because we have a huge target on our back being 13-0. We just have to keep up the intensity and maintain being humble at all times.”
On her first SEC game:
“I loved it. How many fans we had – the fans that we have are amazingly crazy. Over the break we’ve had so many fans come out and support us, and I love it. It really does impact us.”
On preparation for Auburn:
“We worked a lot on their pressing yesterday and all their trapping and those sorts of things that they do. We’re definitely getting prepared, and I think we’ll be fine… Teams are going to have their ups and downs, but at the same time, we just have to remain level headed.”
On the camaraderie on the team:
“I think we all really enjoy playing with each other. You can just kind of tell with how we interact with each other on the bench or on the court. The chemistry is just there.”
On how much fun the season has been thus far:
“Personally, I’m having so much fun. Right now, I just love coming to practice and then in a couple days, playing a game. I think everyone else feels the same. We’re around each other 24/7, and I love it… This is my favorite part of the year. We come in and just hoop, and that’s it.”
On how Tennessee attracted three Oregon players:
“I don’t know what it is (about Tennessee), but obviously it’s something because there are three of us on the team. Honestly, I think the fan base has a lot to do with it, just showing how much the fans care for us and how they show their love for women’s basketball. Looking back in the past years, there have been a lot of players coming from Oregon, but I think that just comes back to the history of this school.”
Tennessee’s men’s basketball game against SEC rival and 17th-ranked Kentucky on Saturday (9 p.m. ET, SEC Network) has been announced as a sellout. It is Tennessee’s second sellout in eight games this season at Thompson-Boling Arena. UT currently ranks 11th in the country with an average home attendance of 14,944.
Vol Pass holders will have access to select their seats for Saturday night’s game 48 hours prior to tipoff.
While spring classes will not have begun by Saturday, all residence halls on campus are opening Saturday at 3 p.m. so that UT students can make plans to arrive back in Knoxville in time to cheer on the Volunteers as they seek to record their third consecutive home win over the rival Wildcats. Student ticket requests for the game have already exceeded 3,400.
For the convenience of fans, free parking is provided on the Ag Campus off Neyland Drive for all men’s basketball games. The Ag Campus is served by a free shuttle service to Thompson-Boling Arena, which begins two hours prior to tipoff and runs one hour postgame. The shuttle loading and unloading area is on Joe Johnson Drive directly in front of the Pendergrass Library. Postgame, the shuttle loading area is on Phillip FulmerWay, on street level outside of Arena Dining. All shuttles are fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
The G16 garage and Staff 9 Lot will be available for paid parking.
The Vols have defeated the Wildcats in Knoxville in each of the last two seasons, with UK ranked 20th in 2016 and fourth last year.
Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC) enters Saturday’s showdown ranked 23rd in the country and looking to rebound from Tuesday’s home loss to Auburn, while Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) visits LSU Wednesday night in pursuit of a third straight win before coming to Knoxville.
No program in college basketball has logged more all-time wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (69).
Sugarland is back . . . and they may be coming to a city near you.
After dropping a new single, “Still the Same,” and performing as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in December, the duo has announced plans for a new 40-plus-city tour.
And now for the moment we’ve certainly been waiting for… we are headed to a city near you this summer!!!
Sugarland’s Still the Same 2018 Tour will visit more than 40 cities, including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, L.A., Las Vegas, Seattle and more. Although dates for the cities have not been revealed, ticket pre-sale begins on Jan. 9.
TJ and John Osborne of Brothers Osborne are giving fans a taste of their upcoming sophomore album with the release of a new single, “Shoot Me Straight,” which will be available for download and stream on Jan. 5.
The reigning CMA and ACM Duo of the Year says the song bridges the gap between their debut album, Pawn Shop, and their new project.
“We thought this lead single off of our new record would be a really great representation of just kind of what’s to come on this new record, but also was kind of a good little second story to ‘It Ain’t My Fault,’” says TJ. “The song really being about the double entendre of just the saying, ‘shoot me straight,’ ‘give it to me straight,’ but also make it burn like a shot of whiskey and shoot me straight. It’s one of the songs that kind of ties the last record into this one.”
![Brothers Osborne Give Fans First Taste of Upcoming Album With New Single, “Shoot Me Straight” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/1446/2018/01/03122402/Brothers-Osborne.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
