KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee redshirt junior specialist Parker Henry was named to the Academic All-America Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Henry is a finance and political science major with a 4.0 grade-point average.
The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native is the fifth Volunteer to earn the distinction and the first since James Wilhoit was named a second-team All-American in 2006.
An SEC Academic Honor Roll selection in 2015 and 2016 and the recipient of the 2017 East Tennessee Outstanding Finance Award, Henry is a two-year starter for the Big Orange. In November, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District squad for the second straight year. Henry is only the second Tennessee player to receive CoSIDA All-District honors in back-to-back seasons and became the first Vol to accomplish the feat since Peyton Manning did so during the 1996 and 1997 campaigns. Overall, Henry is just the third Vol to earn the recognition two times and the first since Daniel Lincoln was named to the All-District team in 2007 and 2009.
During his Tennessee career, Henry appeared in 24 games as the Vols’ primary holder. The former Beech Senior High School quarterback plans to continue his education and pursue a master’s degree after graduating from the University of Tennessee with honors this May.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America program is administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Top student-athletes, who have already earned Academic All-District first-team honors, are eligible for inclusion on the Academic All-America team. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their current institutions, have a grade-point average above 3.30 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. The Academic All-America ballot is voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in NCAA Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
This is the seventh year of the expanded Academic All-America program, with separate teams comprising NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, along with a College Division team of NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools. First-team Academic All-District members advance to the Academic All-America ballot, voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — No. 7/7 Tennessee (10-0) is in the midst of an eight-day West Coast trip, beginning with a Sunday contest vs. Long Beach State (2-7) at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. Tip time is slated for 2 p.m. PT (5 ET).
The Lady Vols returned to the top 10 in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls this week, rising to No. 7/7 from No. 11/13 last week after knocking off No. 2/4 Texas last Sunday in Knoxville, 82-75.
The Big Orange women are back in the top 10 for the first time since the third poll of the 2015-16 season, when the Lady Vols were rated No. 4/5 on Nov. 23. The triumph over Texas was Tennessee’s seventh at home this season and ninth in a row at Thompson-Boling Arena after closing out the 2016-17 with a pair of victories on the Summitt.
The Lady Vols will be aiming to go 11-0 for only the eighth occasion in school history and for the first time during the Holly Warlick era. The last time Tennessee began a season 11-0, 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.
Long Beach comes into the game after edging Grand Canyon on the road, 65-63, on Dec. 7. The 49ers’ only other victory came against Arizona in Tucson on Nov. 28, by a score of 80-72. That win brought an end to a five-game season-opening losing streak.
Broadcast Information
Jay Holloway, the radio voice of the Long Beach State 49ers women’s team, will be the voice you hear describing the action for the Tennessee-LBSU online broadcast on Beach Vision.
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.
Sunday’s air-time won’t follow that timeline, however, as the Lady Vols’ game will air immediately following the conclusion of the UT men’s game vs. North Carolina.
Coming Up On The Schedule
Following the Long Beach State contest, UT will head north and play Stanford in its second match-up of the West Coast swing.
Tip time for the Lady Vols and Cardinal is slated for 6 p.m. PT (9 ET), and the game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
Tennessee will conclude a three-game string of road games at Kentucky on Dec. 31 (Noon, Rupp Arena, SEC Network).
The Lady Vols will next play at home on Jan. 4, as Auburn comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for UT’s first game of 2018 and the second game of the SEC schedule. Tip time is 7 p.m., and the game can be seen on SEC+ (WatchESPN).
Tennessee Reset
At 10-0, the Lady Vols are in the midst of their longest winning streak since reeling off 11 in a row from Dec. 3, 2014 to Jan. 15, 2015.
Holly Warlick‘s team is No. 9 in the latest NCAA RPI.
Tennessee was named the NCAA Women’s Basketball Team of the Week on Monday.
UT went 2-0, cruising past Troy, 131-69, and outlasting No. 2/4 Texas, 82-75. The win over Texas was the highest ranked team the Lady Vols had beaten on their home floor since taking down Stanford at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2010.
Senior forward Jaime Nared was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week, the SEC Player of the Week and the College Sports Madness National and SEC Player of the Week.
Nared averaged 25.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field and 79 percent from the line last week.
The Big Orange women have won eight of 10 games by double-digit margins, including by 43 vs. Central Arkansas and 53 vs. Alabama State and 62 vs. Troy in three of their last four games.
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.
The last time Tennessee opened a season with a starting five and utilized the same quintet this long was in 2007-08, when Pat Summitt chose the lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle to report for the opening tip the first 11 games of that campaign. 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.
Russell has led Tennessee in scoring five times, while Nared has done so four times, and Davis and Hayes tied for honors on one occasion.
Russell has scored in double figures in every game, while Hayes and Nared have done so eight times and Davis has hit 10 or more in seven games.
Holly Warlick‘s squad has led at the half of all 10 games, including a double-digit margin in seven of those.
Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the points-in-the-paint category in nine of 10 games, averaging a 46.6 to 29.4 difference.
The Lady Vols bested their foes in second chance points eight times and tied another time. UT averages 17.4 second chance points, while its opponents tally 10.6.
UT Statistical Nuggets
Tennessee ranks No. 3 nationally and leads the SEC, pulling down 50.2 rebounds per game, with Jaime Nared(9.3), Mercedes Russell (8.6) and Rennia Davis (8.2) leading the way.
UT’s school record for season rebound average is 46.9, set in 1992-93.
The team is No. 1 nationally in defensive rebounds per game, grabbing 35.
The Big Orange women have won the battle of the boards in every game, forging a +12.7 advantage on the glass that ranks No. 9 nationally.
The squad from Rocky Top has shot a higher percentage than nine of 10 opponents (not Marquette) and stands at 48.9 for the season. That rate ranks Tennessee No. 11 nationally and second in the SEC.
Mercedes Russell continues to shoot at an extremely high percentage, connecting on 67.0 percent of her shots (73 of 109). She leads the SEC with that accuracy and ranks No. 4 nationally.
The Lady Vols are No. 1 in the NCAA in free throws attempted (280) and No. 1 in free throws made (193).
Anastasia Hayes ranks No. 7 in free throw attempts (79) and No. 11 in free throws made (56).
The Lady Vols are No. 9 in scoring margin (27.6) and No. 7 in scoring offense (88.7).
That per game average would rank third-best in UT annals if the season ended today.
Tennessee ranks No. 7 in three-point field goal defense (.221).
With four double-doubles, Rennia Davis is tied for No. 35 in the nation (first among freshmen) and already stands ninth all-time among Lady Vol freshmen.
A Look At Last Week
Tennessee outscored its two opponents last week, 106.5 to 72.0.
Six Lady Vols averaged 8.0 rebounds or better, led by Nared (9.5), Russell (9.0) and Green (9.0). Others at or above eight were Davis (8.5) as well as Dunbar and Jackson (8.0).
Cheridene Green led UT, which shot 51.3 percent from the field, in field goal percent at 71.4 percent for the week (10-of-14). Kortney Dunbar shot 70 percent (7-of-10).
Davis and Hayes are UT’s third and fourth-leading scorers at 12.8 and 12.1 points per game, and Davis is the team’s third-leading rebounder (8.2 rpg.). Westbrook is the team’s sixth-highest scorer at 8.0 ppg. after netting a career-high 15 vs. Texas.
They rank four, five and nine in the SEC among freshmen scoring, while Davis is second in rebounding.
Hayes has gotten to the free throw line an average of 7.9 times per game, hitting 56 of 79 for 71 percent. She ranks seventh nationally for free throw attempts and 11th for makes.
Freshman Evina Westbrook has recorded at least six assists in four games and is leading UT with an average of 4.9 dimes per game while adding 8.0 points and 2.7 rebounds. Hayes is second at 4.3 assists per contest. They had career highs of 12 and nine vs. Troy, with Westbrook’s total tying for seventh best ever at UT and matching Ariel Massengale’s freshman record.
Westbrook (4.9), Hayes (4.3) and Davis (1.9) rank second, third and 10th in assists per game among SEC rookies.
Hayes (1.6), Davis (1.2) and Westbrook (1.0) stand second, third and eighth among SEC freshmen in steals.
The fourth rookie, center Kasiyahna Kushkituah, returned after missing the UCA and Alabama State games with a left lower extremity injury and tallied six points, five rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes vs. Troy. She is third among SEC freshmen in field goal percentage (.625).
Getting Defensive
Tennessee faced foes who entered scoring 91.8 (Troy) and 93.0 (Texas) points per game and held those squads to 69 and 75, respectively.
Troy hit only 29 percent from the field vs. UT, while Texas shot 36.8 percent.
Tennessee ranks 12th nationally and No. 1 in the SEC in field goal percentage defense at 33.3.
The Lady Vols are seventh nationally and first in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage defense at 22.1.
On the season, Holly Warlick‘s squad has held opponents to an average of 61.1 points per game, with six foes failing to score more than 60 and only two scoring above 70 (Marquette, 99, in OT, and Texas, 75).
Tennessee set a school record for fewest points allowed in a second half, giving up only 10 to Central Arkansas on Nov. 30.
All 10 of those points came in the third quarter, as the Lady Vols shut out the Sugar Bears in the final stanza, marking the first time UT had “pitched a shutout” in a quarter.
UCA finished with 34 points for the game, marking the 10th-lowest total ever scored by a Tennessee foe.
UT’s forced Central Arkansas and Alabama State into 24 and 23 turnovers, respectively. Those totals are the highest this season.
The Series vs. LBSU
Senior Jaime Nared scored 23 points and recorded 13 rebounds to lead No. 11/13 Tennessee to a signature win over No. 2/4 Texas in front of a crowd of 9,651 on Dec. 10 at Thompson-Boling Arena
After another strong start in front of their home fans, the Lady Vols (10-0) never trailed during the game and held the Longhorns (7-1) to 36 percent shooting. Fueled by clutch rebounding and aggressive defense, Tennessee answered every Texas run to hang on down the stretch and earn its first home win over a top-two ranked opponent since beating No. 2 Stanford in 2010. It also halted a three-game losing skid to the Longhorns.
The Lady Vols opened the game on a 6-0 run and limited Texas to two points through the opening seven minutes of the game. The Longhorns were also held to just four field goals, as Tennessee finished the quarter ahead, 16-11. The 11 points were the fewest Texas has scored in a quarter this season. Mercedes Russell led the Big Orange offensively, shooting 3-for-6 for six points.
Russell finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 34th of her career. Evina Westbrook added a career-high 15 points of her own on 5-for-11 shooting in the winning effort. Ariel Atkins led the Longhorns offensively, shooting 6-for-14 with 21 points.
Last Meeting Between UT & LBSU
No. 8 Long Beach State put four players in double figures to overcome an eight-point lead at the half by No. 4 Tennessee and beat the Lady Vols, 62-58, at University Gym on Dec. 19, 1989.
Dana Wilkerson dropped in 14 points, with Angie Lee contributing 12 and Trise Jackson and Penny Moore adding 10 each to the cause.
Daedra Charles had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds for UT, but no one else could get going offensively in a game that saw two Lady Vols foul out and another in jeopardy.
Tennessee dominated the boards, 57-41, it but committed 25 turnovers and was whistled for 28 fouls. LBSU, consequently, went to the free throw line 27 times, connecting on 16 of them.
Long Beach State Reset
Long Beach State returned only five letterwinners and two starters from last year’s Big West Conference championship team that made the NCAA Tournament.
There are eight newcomers to the team, including seven freshmen
LBSU also has a first-year head coach, as Jeff Cammon came onboard after Jody Wynn was hired at Washington to replace Mike Neighbors.
The 49ers were 23-11 a year ago, losing by one, 56-55 at No. 8 Oregon State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s team is led by 5-foot-8 freshman guard Shanaijah Davison, the team’s only double-figure scorer at 14.6 per game.
With Cammon tinkering with his lineup during the early going, eight different players have started, and not one player has reported to the jump circle for all nine games.
Long Beach State opened the year with three straight at home. After six away from the Walter Pyramid, the squad returns to its home court vs. UT.
LBSU is being outscored 71.6 to 61.6 and outrebounded, 40.9 to 35.0, thus far.
LBSU Last Time Out (LB 65, GC 63)
Long Beach State trailed by as many as six points early before rallying for a 65-63 victory at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix on Dec. 7.
Freshman center Emma Merriweather had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Cecily Wilson added 14 points and 13 boards to lift a young 49ers squad to its second win of the season.
After shooting only 30.8 percent in the opening stanza to trail 17-11, LBSU finished at 46.3 percent and outscored GCU in the final three periods to get the two-point win.
LBSU overcame 20 turnovers by playing team ball (18 assists on 25 baskets) and winning the battle on the boards, 43-32, as well as points in the paint (32-14).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time since 2010, a pair of AP Top-25 Teams will clash in Thompson-Boling Arena this Sunday, as the 20th-ranked Volunteers host No. 7 North Carolina. The game will tip at 3 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN and streamed online via WatchESPN.
Tennessee announced plans earlier in the week to “checker” Thompson-Boling Arena for next Sunday’s highly anticipated game against the defending national champion Tar Heels. Fans planning to attend the sold-out showdown, which tips off at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, are encouraged to visit CheckerTBA.com to learn whether their seats are in a section designated to wear orange or white. VolShop locations are offering t-shirts in both colors; the shirts feature the state outline filled in with a checkerboard.
Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) are on the call for Sunday’s matchup for ESPN. Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to catch Bob Keslingand Bert Bertelkamp describing the action. The contest is officially sold out, but tickets for upcoming games can be purchased at AllVols.com.
The Volunteers (7-1) have begun the season on a hot streak, earning their best starting record since 2010-11, when they opened with seven straight wins. UT was recently rewarded for its strong play, making its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since December of 2010. After a win over Lipscomb last Saturday, Tennessee moved up to 20th in the polls and are now in search of its second consecutive win over an AP Top-10 at home. Grant Williams has stepped up his game across the board this season, posting 16.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.9 bpg for the Vols.
North Carolina (9-1) has double-digit wins over “Power 5” foes in Stanford, Arkansas and Michigan this season and enters Sunday’s contest riding a four-game winning streak, during which the Tar Heels have averaged 93.0 ppg while holding their opponents to 73.0 ppg. Junior forward Luke Maye leads the charge for UNC, averaging a double-double with 19.6 ppg and 10.5 rpg.
THE SERIES
• Overall: UNC leads, 9-1
• In Knoxville: Series tied, 1-1
• In Chapel Hill: UNC leads, 3-0
• Neutral Sites: UNC leads, 5-0
• Current Streak: UNC has won four straight
• Last Meeting: UNC won, 73-71, in Chapel Hill, 12/11/16
• Rick Barnes vs. UNC: 6-11
• Rick Barnes vs. Roy Williams: Tied, 6-6
RIGHT NOW
• UNC is the third of four ACC opponents on Tennessee’s schedule during a 30-day span.
• The Vols are rated No. 7 in the ESPN InsideRPI, with the nation’s 24th-rated SOS.
• At 7-1, the Volunteers are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season, when they went 7-1 though their first eight games.
• Tennessee leads the SEC in assists per game (19.1) and 3-point percentage (.412).
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 11 games. That streak dates to last season’s win over Appalachian State on Nov. 15, 2016
• Give the Vols six straight home wins over teams that are the defending national champion, dating to 1999
• Give the Volunteers a 17-game home winning streak during the month of December
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA
• North Carolina, the defending NCAA champions, visit Knoxville as the Vols and Tar Heels close out a two-game, home-and-home series, which began last season.
• Under the direction of head coach Roy Williams, the Tar Heels are 9-1 this season (lone loss came against No. 4 Michigan State in the PK80 Tournament) and are ranked No. 7 by the AP and coaches.
• The Tar Heels received a huge boost in the offseason when Joel Berry II, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and announced he would return for another season in Chapel Hill. In nine games, he’s averaging 16.0 ppg, 3.7 apg and 2.4 rpg.
• North Carolina is bolstered by Luke Maye, who won UNC’s Danny Green Award as the team’s most improved player and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA South Regional during the team’s title run last season. The junior has become one of the Tar Heels’ best players after starting only one game in his career prior to this season.
• This year, Maye has started all 10 games and is averaging a double-double behind 19.9 ppg and 10.5 rpg, both of which are team highs. The 6-8 forward is shooting 57 percent (80-140) from the field and has the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc, connecting on 48 percent (13-27) of his attempts from deep.
• Kenny Williams (13.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg) and Theo Pinson (9.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.4 apg) have stepped up as two do-it-all guys for UNC this season.
• The Tar Heels have double-digit wins over “Power 5” foes in Stanford, Arkansas and Michigan this season and enter Sunday’s contest riding a four-game winning streak, during which UNC has averaged 93.0 ppg while holding its opponents to 73.0 ppg.
UNC CONNECTIONS
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Senior Executive Associate AD/Chief Operating Officer Reid Sigmon (who serves as UT’s men’s basketball administrator) both attended college in North Carolina. Barnes attended Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory; he and his wife, Candy, both are Hickory natives, and his mother and brothers still reside there. Sigmon went to Wake Forest.
• Hickory is approximately 150 miles west of Chapel Hill.
• Two current Vols are North Carolina natives: Jalen Johnson (Durham) and Grant Williams (Charlotte). Another current Vol, John Fulkerson, played his high school ball at The Christ School in Arden, North Carolina, near Asheville.
• Third-year UT assistant coach Desmond Oliver spent five seasons as an assistant at Charlotte from 2010-15.
• Tennessee Video Coordinator Riley Davis was a Regional Advance Scout for the Charlotte NBA franchise during the 2013-14 season.
• A former UNC standout used to hold the head coaching reins on Rocky Top. Asheville native Buzz Peterson was UT’s head coach from 2001-05. He and his close friend, Michael Jordan, both played on UNC’s 1982 National Championship Team.
• Peterson’s predecessor at UT, Jerry Green (1997-2001), was an assistant at Kansas for four years under current UNC head coach Roy Williams, before taking the head job at Oregon and later Tennessee.
LAST MEETING WITH UNC
• Tennessee led No. 7 North Carolina by five with just 4:32 remaining in regulation on Dec. 11, 2016, at the Dean E. Smith Center, but the upset bid came up short as the Tar Heels outscored UT 10-5 over the decisive stretch, handing the Vols a 73-71 loss.
• Tennessee was led by senior Robert Hubbs III, who scored a game-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He also had a team-high six rebounds. Freshman Jordan Bowden added 12 points with five boards.
• After leading by as many as 15 in the first half, the Vols successfully fended off North Carolina’s comeback attempts for much of the second half. Vols freshman Grant Williams—a North Carolina native—knocked down a short jumper in the lane to give UT a 68-63 lead with just over 4:30 to play, but a 7-1 run gave the Tar Heels their first lead since the 15:34 mark in the first half. The rally was capped by a driving layup from Carolina’s leading scorer, Justin Jackson, which gave the Tar Heels a 70-69 lead with 2:14 left in the game.
• The Vols hung around, trailing 73-71 with nine seconds left. Lamonté Turner drove the length of the court and into the lane, but his potential game-tying shot attempt was blocked with just two seconds remaining.
• Turner finished with nine points. Williams turned in a nice outing in his home state, posting seven points, six rebounds and four blocks.
• After UNC scored the first four points of the game, the Vols went on a 27-9 run—at one point scoring on 10 consecutive possessions. The Big Orange shot 65 percent as a team in the first half and were 3-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
• Tennessee’s first half field-goal percentage of .654 was the fourth-highest ever recorded by a UNC opponent in a half at the Dean Smith Center, which opened in 1986.
RANKED TEAMS COLLIDE IN KNOX
• Sunday’s game marks the first time two ranked men’s teams have collided at Thompson-Boling Arena since Feb. 27, 2010, when the 19th-ranked Vols upset second-ranked Kentucky, 74-65. That Wildcats squad was led by current NBA stars John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins.
• That game also is the last time Tennessee faced a top-10 opponent at home when the Vols were ranked as well.
• Tennessee went on to advance to the Elite Eight, its deepest-ever run in the NCAA Tournament.
SUNDAY’S GAME A SELLOUT
• Sunday’s game was officially announced as a sellout several weeks ago. It is Tennessee’s first sellout at Thompson-Boling Arena since Feb. 17, 2015.
VOLS’ SCHEDULE IS ACC HEAVY
• Tennessee’s 2017-18 schedule features four games against ACC opposition in a 30-day span: Nov. 24 vs. NC State, Dec. 3 at Georgia Tech, Dec. 17 vs. North Carolina, Dec. 23 at Wake Forest.
• The Vols defeated NC State, 67-58, at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Then, in its first true road game of the season, Tennessee toppled Georgia Tech, 77-70, in Atlanta.
• Additionally, Tennessee traveled to Clemson for a charity exhibition on Nov. 5. The Vols defeated the Tigers, 71-67.
VOLS HAVE WON LAST FIVE AT HOME vs. DEFENDING NAT’L CHAMPS
• Tennessee has won five straight home games against the defending national champion, dating to 1998-99. UT possesses an overall record of 7-4 at home against the defending national champion.
• Only one of those games came against a non-conference opponent: Tennessee’s 60-57 win over then-Big East member UConn on Jan. 21, 2012. DEFENDING CHAMP DATE RESULT
#25 Kentucky Feb. 16, 2013 W, 88-58
#13 UConn Jan. 21, 2012 W, 60-57
Florida Feb. 5, 2008 W, 104-82
#5 Florida Feb. 27, 2007 W, 86-76
#13 Kentucky Feb. 28, 1999 W, 68-61
#3 Kentucky Feb. 25, 1997 L, 74-64
Kentucky Feb. 17, 1979 W, 101-84
#1 Kentucky Feb. 28, 1959 L, 69-56
#3 Kentucky Jan. 19, 1952 L, 65-56
#2 Kentucky Jan. 14, 1950 W, 66-53
Kentucky Jan. 15, 1949 L, 66-51 BARNES VS. THE TAR HEELS
• Vols coach Rick Barnes, a native of Hickory, North Carolina, owns a 6-11 career record against UNC and a 6-6 career head-to-head record against current UNC coach Roy Williams.
• Barnes has led his teams to one win over UNC when the Tar Heels were ranked in the AP top 10, leading Texas to a 103-90 victory in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 19, 2009, when UNC was ranked 10th in both polls.
• Barnes never faced the Tar Heels during his tenure at Providence from 1988-94. He went 1-9 vs. UNC while he was the head coach at Clemson from 1994-98.
• As the head coach at Texas from 1998-2015, Barnes led his Longhorns teams to a 5-1 record against UNC. Here is a breakdown of those six meetings: DATE SITE UNC RANK RESULT
March 20, 2004 Denver #18 W, 78-75
Dec. 19, 2009 Arlington #10 W, 103-90
Dec. 18, 2010 Greensboro NR W, 78-76
Dec. 21, 2011 Chapel Hill #5 L, 82-63
Dec. 19, 2012 Austin #23 W, 85-67
Dec. 18, 2013 Chapel Hill #14 W, 86-83
VOLS CLIMB INTO TOP 20
• Tennessee on Dec. 4 made its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since 2010—nearly seven full years. The Vols landed at No. 24 in that week’s AP poll.
• Prior to that week, the last time Tennessee appeared in the top 25 was Dec. 20, 2010 (19th AP, 18th coaches).
• This week, UT stands at No. 20 both major polls.
UT IN RARE RANKED COMPANY
• Tennessee is one of seven schools whose men’s and women’s basketball teams are both ranked in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll.
• The Vols are ranked 20th, and the unbeaten Lady Vols are ranked seventh under coach Holly Warlick.
• Other schools with two ranked hoops squads (AP poll) are Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Texas A&M, Villanova and West Virginia
As this year comes to a close, we thought it would be an apropos time to comb our photo archives and pick 17 of our favorite pics from red carpet events in 2017, including the Grammys, ACM Awards, CMT Awards, ACM Honors Ceremony, CMA Awards and BMI Awards. Take a look at some of country brightest stars, including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Chris Young, Garth Brooks and more.
Dustin Lynch took his Ride or Die Tour to Los Angeles on Friday night (Dec. 8). In addition to treating the crowd to his catalogue of hits, he helped a firefighter named Tony Cresta propose to his girlfriend, Taylor Hill.
Watch Dustin welcome Tony onstage to make his move.
The city of New Orleans is below sea level, but Alvin Kamara is playing in rarified air.
Kamara is one of only four NFL rookies in history to have at least 600 rushing and 600 receiving yards in their first season.
The former Tennessee Vol has been an explosive toy in the tool box of coach Sean Payton.
NFL draft analyst Mike DeTillier, who has covered the Saints for over 30 years, is blown away by Kamara’s performance.
“If you didn’t say it was shocking,’’ DeTillier said, “you’d be lying.’’
DeTillier said Payton discovered Kamara’s abilities when Payton went to Knoxville to work out former UT quarterback Josh Dobbs. Kamara volunteered to run routes, Payton gave Kamara some complex patterns and Kamara handled them with ease.
So when it came draft time, the Saints moved up in the third round by trading two picks to select the native of Norcross, Ga., even through the Saints had foolishly acquired Adrian Peterson, who didn’t fit New Orleans’ system.
Peterson was traded and Kamara traded places with Peterson in the lineup.
The results have been spectacular.
Despite suffering a concussion in the Saints most recent game, Kamara has 608 yards rushing and 639 receiving. Only Charley Taylor, Billy Sims and Herschel Walker have achieved those numbers right out of college.
Kamara is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and has had five 60-yard games. He is averaging 10.3 yards per catch and has had seven 50-yard games.
“I knew he was a good fit for what Sean Payton wants to do here in New Orleans,’’ DeTillier said. “But to see him excel at this level, I don’t think anyone thought that this would happen.’’
DeTillier has covered the NFL for 33 years, He’s seen some great ones. And he puts Kamara in elite company.
“He is the best open-field, make-you-miss runner I have seen hit the league as a rookie since Marshall Faulk,’’ DeTillier said. “He is stunning the way he runs with the football, so effortlessly – almost like when you watch Usain Bolt run. You’re like, `It doesn’t look like he’s running fast until you are on the track with him.’’’
Kamara’s ability to make the first man miss is “tremendous,’’ DeTillier said.
An NFL study revealed that Kamara makes the first man miss about 26% of the time, the most of anyone in the NFL.
Kamara and the veteran Mark Ingram might be the best 1-2 running back duo in the NFL. Kamara has 1,247 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Ingram has 1,296 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. That’s over 2,500 yards from scrimmage and 20 scores.
They are known as Thunder and Lightning in the Saints backfield.
DeTillier said Kamara and Ingram go together like Dean Martina and Jerry Lewis, or like Cheech and Chong – minus the bong.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees told DeTillier a few days into practice that Kamara has the “wow’’ factor. According to DeTillier, Brees never said that about Ingram or receiver Michael Thomas or tight end Jimmy Graham.
When Payton worked out Kamara in Knoxville, the coach gave the running back some intricate routes to run, testing Kamara’s football IQ.
After successfully negotiating Payton’s challenge, Kamara was “almost yelling at him, like, what else you got, coach? Throw it at me.’ He won over Payton pretty quickly.’’
DeTillier said on Day 2 of the most recent NFL draft, Saints fans were livid that the team drafted Kamara after acquiring Peterson.
DeTillier said nine out of 10 callers said, `What in the world is Sean Payton doing trading a second and a seventh-round pick for a running back when you got Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram?’ Now I can’t find any of those people to call back.’’
DeTillier would give them a pass, but he also notes that Kamara has been “a fantastic football player for the Saints and an electrifying guy.’’
With the help of Kamara, the Saints offense has been much more efficient on the ground and relied less on Brees to pile up gaudy passing numbers.
DeTillier said the Saints, under Payton, are 47-4 when rushing at least 30 times in a game and they win 15% of the time when Brees throws at least 45 passes.
“I didn’t go to MIT or Cornell or Yale or Harvard,’’ DeTillier said, “but I can figure out that if your running game gets cranked up early and you can finish a game off with a running attack, you can win a lot of games in this league.’’
Kamara’s value to the Saints was underscored in a recent 20-17 loss to Atlanta, when Kamara suffered a first quarter concussion and the offense bogged down.
Payton said recently the only person that could keep Kamara from winning NFL offensive rookie of the year was Payton.
Payton might be right.
“Alvin Kamara is built like a sports car,’’ DeTillier said. “And when he gets that thing in high gear, all you see is the back of his heals.’’
Cole Swindell dropped his new EP, Down Home Sessions IV, on Nov. 24.
The five-song EP features acoustic versions of songs Cole wrote for other artists, including “Beer in the Headlights,” a tune Luke Bryan recorded on his 2013 album, Crash My Party.
“‘Beer in the Headlights’ was the song that—when Luke recorded it, it was right before I got my record deal—I said, ‘Man, if I ever write another song I love this much, I’ve got to keep it,’” said Cole to Nash Country Daily. “Two months later, I wrote ‘Chillin’ It’ and here we are.”
Watch Cole’s new video for “Beer in the Headlights” below.
With the November release of his new single, “Female,” Keith Urban gave fans the first taste from his upcoming—and as of yet unannounced—10th studio album.
Keith heard the empowering tune on Oct. 11, one day after it was penned by Nicolle Galyon, Ross Copperman and Shane McAnally. On Oct. 31, Keith recorded the song that boldly tackles themes of misogyny and rape culture—especially heavy topics when compared to the Top 40 stylings of recent No. 1 hits like “Body Like a Back Road” and “All the Pretty Girls.”
“I had an immediate reaction to ‘Female’—as a father of two daughters, as a husband, as a son, it just resonated with me,” says Keith to Nash Country Daily. “I went and grabbed my acoustic guitar and started playing it right away.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes and sophomore forward Grant Williams visited with media Wednesday before practice to preview UT’s upcoming home game against seventh-ranked North Carolina on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Sunday’s game is a sellout, and Tennessee is encouraging fans to “checker” Thompson-Boling Arena by wearing the color shirt designated for the section in which they’re seated. Fans can visit CheckerTBA.com to learn whether their section is designated to wear orange or white Sunday. A limited number of t-shirts will be provided for UT students who attend the game.
Fans also are encouraged to arrive early Sunday and be in their seats in time for tipoff, which is set for 3:01 p.m. ET.
The 20th-ranked Volunteers enter Sunday’s showdown with a 7-1 record. Tennessee’s only loss came against the now top-ranked Villanova Wildcats last month at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
Tennessee’s RPI sits at No. 8. The Tar Heels (No. 5) will be the fourth UT opponent this season that currently owns a top-50 RPI.
“When we started the year, we had one thing in mind and that was being as good as we can possibly be,” Barnes said Wednesday. “We knew that we had a schedule to start the season that would give us opportunities. If you go back to last year in Maui, we played two games against teams that ended up (making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament in Wisconsin and Oregon), but we weren’t able to get it done. I have talked about this with our league. We want to be known as the league gets seven or eight great teams in the tournament a year. You have to win early, though. I don’t think you can read too much into rankings and all of that at this time in the year. Our goal has to stay the same. We have to get better.”
Williams, who stands as Tennessee’s top scorer (16.1 ppg) this season and is a Charlotte native, said the Tar Heels will present a great challenge, and that he’s looking forward to the atmosphere in Thompson-Boling Arena this weekend.
“I see this as another game to try and win,” Williams said. “It will be a fun environment, and the game will be competitive. It’s the first hard sellout for us in two years. It’s should to be a fun time.”
Barnes’ full media session Wednesday can be viewed HERE, and complete video of Williams’ media session can be accessed HERE.
