After a five-year hiatus, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland surprised the country music-loving world by reuniting at the CMA Awards on Nov. 8 to present the trophy for Duo of the Year to Brothers Osborne.
Now, a month later, the duo has some definitive plans for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018, including a new soaring single, “Still the Same,” which will drop on Dec. 21.
“The first time we were in a room together in almost six years, ‘Still the Same’ is the first song we wrote,” said Jennifer to Nash Country Daily. “This song is quintessential Sugarland, sound and message-wise.”
“Normally, it takes 100 songs to write three good ones, but it’s different if you’re working with Jennifer,” says Kristian to NCD. “It takes one song to write one good one. That’s cool. You can’t ever underestimate the power of that.”
Other projects in the works include recording a full-length album, hammering out new tour dates, making an appearance on Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on Dec. 31 and performing at the Country to Country (C2C) Festival on March 9–11 in Dublin, London and Glasgow.
“We’ve played C2C individually, but never together as Sugarland,” says Jennifer.
“C2C is going to be so much fun—2018 is going to be so much fun,” adds Kristian.
Evina Westbrook – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Knoxville, Tenn. — 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 Sunday afternoon 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.
The Longhorns’ defense turned it on in the second quarter, holding Tennessee to 13 points on 27 percent shooting from the field. Texas used a 6-0 spurt of its own in the last five minutes of the half to claw its way back. Thanks to nine points from Evina Westbrook and eight from Nared, however, the Lady Vols went into the intermission leading, 29-27. Jatarie White led Texas in the first half with seven points and five rebounds.
Tennessee came out of the locker room ready in the second half, going on a 7-0 run in the early stages of the third quarter. The Lady Vols remained efficient offensively throughout the quarter, shooting 7-for-15 from the field for 19 points. Westbrook hit two 3-pointers for six points as the Big Orange took a 48-44 edge into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter proved to be a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair, as both teams traded baskets in the closing minutes. As the clock wore down, Tennessee’s guards were continuously met by an aggressive full-court press. Forward Cheridene Green emerged as a force in the post, scoring six of her eight points and bringing down three crucial offensive rebounds to provide the Lady Vols second chances on key possessions.
After trailing by as many as 10 points in the game, a layup by Texas’ Lashann Higgs cut the score to 74-73 with one minute remaining. Tennessee, however, was able to ice the game from the free-throw line over the final moments, including four from Nared.
Russell finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and 34th over her career. 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.
Up Next: Tennessee will take its 10-0 record on the road for the team’s first two true road games of the season. The Lady Vols face Long Beach State on Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) and then face a test at #18/18 Stanford at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) on Dec. 21. The Long Beach State game will be streamed on Beach Vision, and the Stanford contest will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
Playing Up To The Competition: The Lady Vols are 2-0 this season versus ranked opponents (101-99 over No. 20/20 Marquette on Nov. 23 and 82-75 over No. 2/4 Texas on Dec. 10). Sunday’s win was the program’s first victory over a top-two opponent at home since defeating No. 3/2 Stanford in overtime, 82-72, on Dec. 19, 2010.
Orange Out: This is just the fourth time Tennessee has worn orange at home. The win moves the Lady Vols’ record to 3-1 when wearing orange at home. Their only home loss when wearing orange came against Notre Dame in 2013.
Seniors Lead The Way: Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell led the team in scoring and rebounding, combining for 38 points and half of Tennessee’s 50 rebounds. Each had a double-double on the night, with Nared posting 23 points and 13 rebounds and Russell logging 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Balanced Offense: Tennessee had three players in double figures (Nared, Russell, Westbrook), and everyone who entered the game for the Lady Vols contributed at least four points. Tennessee has had at least three players score in double digits every game this season.
Tennessee has announced plans to “checker” Thompson-Boling Arena for next Sunday’s highly anticipated men’s basketball game against defending national champion North Carolina.
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.
“First, we’re excited about the opportunity to play a great team like North Carolina at home in front of a sold-out crowd,” Vols junior Admiral Schofield said. “But to envision playing that game in front of a human checkerboard of more than 21,000 fans… we can’t wait to see it. I know Thompson-Boling Arena is going to be electric.”
Tennessee football has created stunning visuals with “Checker Neyland” games in recent years at Neyland Stadium, but UT’s very first attempt to “checker” the crowd at one of its athletic events was a men’s basketball game. Thompson-Boling Arena’s lower bowl was impressively transformed into a human, orange and white checkerboard when the Vols hosted rival Kentucky on March 1, 2006.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Four scorers in double digits helped No. 24 Tennessee to an 81-71 win over Lipscomb on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Grants Williams led the way for UT, dropping 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with eight boards and three blocks in 27 minutes of action. Admiral Schofield pitched in an additional 13 points and six rebounds. James Daniel III and Chris Darrington were the other Vols to score in double figures, tallying 12 and 11, respectively.
Darrington enjoyed his most productive game at Tennessee, as 11 points, five assists and three rebounds were all season-highs for the junior guard.
Garrison Mathews led the way for the Bisons, totaling a game-high 22 points and six rebounds.
Lipscomb never stopped fighting despite a double-digit deficit at intermission, pulling within three of UT in the second period, but Tennessee’s 20-of-24 performance from the charity stripe in the half kept the Vols in the lead.
Williams scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to fuel UT’s offense, which shot 42 percent (25-59) from the field in the contest.
The Vols jumped out to a 17-7 lead early in the first half behind a pair of treys from Schofield, but a 12-5 run by the Bisons made it a 22-19 game with 6:24 left in the half.
Tennessee would pull away in the final minutes of the frame, using an 18-8 run and knocking down its last six shots to go into halftime up, 40-27. Schofield and Daniel paced the Vols with nine points each in the half.
TEAM EFFORT: The Vols have scored 20 or more bench points in each of their games this season, and scored 30 in the win against Lipscomb today.
HOT FIRST HALF: Tennessee has scored 30 or more points in the first half of all games this season and scored 40 in the first half today.
DARRINGTON GETTING IT DONE: Junior guard Chris Darrington recorded a season-high with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win on Saturday.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will stay home to welcome No. 10/11 North Carolina to Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN). The game is a sellout, and fans planning to attend are encouraged to visit CheckerTBA.com to see what color shirt their section is designated to wear.
Here is Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer introducing new football coach Jeremy Pruitt at the Tennessee basketball game Saturday afternoon vs. Lipscomb.
