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.
Holly Warlick – Lady Vols HC / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Head Coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media on Saturday ahead of the No. 11/13 Lady Vols’ home matchup with No. 2/4 Texas at 3 p.m. on Sunday (ESPN2). She discussed what to expect in the marquee matchup and how the former players from three Tennessee national championship teams (1987, 1997, 2007) returning for tomorrow’s game are a great testament to the heritage of the program and what it means to be a Lady Vol.
Both Tennessee (9-0) and Texas (7-0) are looking to remain unbeaten. The two teams have played at least once every season since 1982. Tennessee leads the series 23-15 and has an 11-6 edge in Knoxville.
Head Coach Holly Warlick
On how this Texas team compares to Texas teams Tennessee has played in the past:
“(They’re) a year older, more mature. They play very well together. They’re just a hard-nosed Texas team. I watched quite a bit of them, and they’re very good.”
On how Texas’s backcourt has improved:
“They’ve improved just because they’re older, and they just work extremely hard. When you’ve been together – their backcourt – you play very well together. And they know each other, so they’ve just got great experience, and there’s nothing like time and playing together and getting that great experience that helps you and gives you a lot of confidence.”
On why last year’s Lady Vols team tended to play their best against tough competition:
“They thought that we were gonna get beat. I think last year, the teams we should’ve won (against), we didn’t appear to get up for those games. We got up for the games we weren’t supposed to win. That’s what brought the inconsistency. This year’s team has been very consistent. We’ve played well against teams we’re supposed to beat, we’ve played well against teams that are very competitive. So I’ve seen a very even keel of play from us, just because we approach every game the same, and that’s been really a positive for us.”
On whether the team will be addressed by former Lady Vols who are returning for national championship recognitions on Sunday:
“Absolutely. They’ll have the opportunity to meet our players and get to know them. The players coming back just want to to meet our players, and they’re not going to be coaching them, they’re just going to show them their support, and I think it’s awesome. It’s awesome to understand the Lady Vol brand, and the sisterhood that we have being a Lady Vol, it’s truly special. When you bring your alumni back, you can feel it, you can see it, and I know our kids are looking forward to it.”
On what matchups will be most important during the Texas game:
“They’re great defenders, they’ll turn you over, which leads to what I think is one of the best parts of their game, their transition offense. And they’re tremendous rebounders. So, we’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got to keep them off the boards, and we’ve got to make them try to play in the half-court game.”
On whether she feels the 1987 national championship was the most special in program history:
“Well, probably so. It took a while for us to win a championship. We had been to the final four and in championship games for a long time and didn’t win them. So, to get that opportunity, it was special. It’s your first one. And so, then you get hungry and want more, but that set the tone for the rest.”
On what the scheduling process was like when making Sunday’s game the last home game for three weeks:
“Exams. Every other year we go to the West Coast. We’ve got two games out there, then we’ll take a break. The SEC schedule kind of starts a little early, so we couldn’t get a game in between. We’ve had some games here, but exams kind of dictate what we need to do.”
On how the team will stay fresh during upcoming period with no games:
“We’ll practice. We’ll just do what we’ve been doing. We’ll practice, we’ll scrimmage, prepare for Long Beach (State), prepare for Stanford, take a break, and then we will get after it starting our SEC and preparing for Kentucky. So, we’ll just do what we’ve been doing. Like in the preseason, you break down, you do fundamentals, you do a lot of shooting, you do a lot of different defensive breakdowns, and you just get better.”
On how to make sure the team does not lapse after Texas game:
“That’s not the feel of this basketball team. We’ve been really good at taking it one game at a time. We’re excited about this game, obviously. It’s a measuring stick for us, but the outcome is not going to determine how our year’s going to go. Regardless of win or lose, we’re going to go back to work, and that’s just how this team has operated. Whether we’ve won big, we’ve not won big, we go back to work, and that’s what I love about this team. They get the win and then we go back and focus and get ready for the next game and that’s what makes me excited about this basketball team.”
On whether the freshman class may be too hyped up for Texas game:
“I haven’t seen it. It’s their personality – they don’t get too high and they don’t get too low. They attack the game of what we’re doing, and that’s just their demeanor. And that’s a good thing. They stay in the moment, and that’s a great thing for a basketball team.”
On if she feels it is unusual for freshmen to have reached that level of maturity:
“I think that our seniors have been great leaders and have prepared them. I’m sure they’ll be a little more hyped tomorrow than they have been for our other games, but they’re going to settle in and just play the game. They’ve been in big situations, not in this, but comparable to them when they played in high school. They played in big games, so we’ll see how they handle it. I can’t imagine them handling it any different.”
On what she expects the tempo to be like in the Texas game:
“I think it’s going to be an up-and-down game. That’s what we want, that’s what they want, but then they want to slow us down and we want to slow them down. I would expect it’s going to be an up-tempo, athletic, physical basketball game.”
On how fun the game style will be for fans:
“I think it’s a great opportunity for fans to come out and see an excellent basketball team in Texas. They’re ranked two in the country because they’re good. It’s a great measuring stick for us to see how good we are. It’s a great opportunity to see women’s basketball at its best, and we get the opportunity to play here in Knoxville.”
On athletic director Phillip Fulmer’s message to the team:
“It was good to see him. I think it was great for our kids to put their eyes on our new athletic director. (He was) positive, just wanted to show his support, and I appreciate that. (He wanted) to make sure that they’re not getting lost in all the football search, tell them he’s proud of the team and they’re extremely important to this university. I was excited he came by.”
On whether players had questions for Phillip Fulmer:
“They didn’t. It was just him talking. They all afterwards got up and introduced themselves to him individually. They appreciate him being here, so it was a good day.”
On if her history with Fulmer provides a level of comfort:
“Sure. He’s been here for a while; I’ve been here for a while. There’s something to be said about a person that’s lived and breathed this program. I’ve been here as a player, he’s been here as a player. I’ve been here as an assistant, he’s been here as an assistant. I’ve been a head coach, he’s been a head coach. So, there’s a lot of love and understanding of tradition from both of us, because we’ve lived it. We know how important it is to us, and we want everybody else to know how special this place is. I think he’s the person to get that out there and (for everyone to) understand that this university is awesome. We have a great chancellor; we have a great administration. We’re building championships, and that’s what we all aspire to do in every sport. I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
KNOXVILLE, TENN. —No. 11/13 Tennessee (9-0) plays host to #2/4 Texas (7-0) at 3 p.m. ETon Sunday in Thompson-Boling Arena, continuing one of the nation’s top rivalries in women’s college basketball.
These programs have met at least once (sometimes twice) every season since 1982. Holly Warlickand Karen Aston coach two of 14 Division I women’s teams that remain unbeaten in 2017-18 (as of Friday).
The Lady Vols remain undefeated after dismantling a Troy team that entered with a 4-1 record by an eye-popping score of 131-69 on Wednesday night in Knoxville. The triumph was Tennessee’s sixth at home this season and marked the first-time the Orange and White had posted 100 points in back-to-back games since the 2001-02 season (Feb. 8 vs. Ole Miss, 119-52 & Feb. 11 vs. Florida, 103-73).
The Lady Vols will be aiming to go 10-0 for only the 10th occasion in school history and for the first time since Warlick’s squad did so at the outset of the 2013-14 campaign en route to a 29-6 mark.
Texas comes to Knoxville on the heels of a resounding 81-53 victory at Georgia last Sunday. The Longhorns have dominated nearly every game they’ve played thus far, except for a nine-point win at LSU (75-66) on Nov. 24.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Sunday’s game vs. the Longhorns is being billed as an ORANGE OUT, with fans being asked to show up in true Tennessee Orange to counter the burnt orange of Texas.
The first 2,000 fans will receive Lady Vol flags.
The first 350 fans receive nachos, and the next 250 fans receive Petros “hint of orange” tea.
There will be a halftime recognition, as UT welcomes back Lady Vol National Champions spanning three different decades, including NCAA title teams from 1987, 1997 and 2007.
Every Sunday home game is Kids’ Day! Check out the fun at Kids’ Corner at Gate F!
There are post-game lay-ups for kids every Sunday home game!
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.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Beth Mowins (PxP) and Debbie Antonelli (Analyst) will describe the action for the Tennessee-Texas broadcast on ESPN2 in the Lady Vols’ first linear telecast of the season.
Mickey Dearstone will handle 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 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.
COMING UP FOR UT
Following the Texas contest, UT will head west and play its first two true road games of the season at Long Beach State on Dec. 17 (5 p.m. ET/2 PT) and at #18/18 Stanford on Dec. 21 (9 p.m. ET/6 PT).
The Long Beach State game will be streamed on Beach Vision, while the Stanford match-up will be carried by the Pac-12 Networks.
Tennessee will conclude a three-game road swing 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 VS. NO. 2 TEAMS
Tennessee is 30-26 all-time vs. No. 2 teams (either poll), including 12-6 at home.
UT is 5-12, though, vs. No. 2 teams at all locations since 2000, including 3-3 at home.
UT is 1-4 (0-3 at home) vs. No. 2-ranked opponents under Holly Warlick, beating No. 3/2 Mississippi State in Starkville last season, 82-64, in the regular season finale on Feb. 26.
UT has come close vs. No. 2 teams at home in recent years (L, 62-56 vs. South Carolina in 2016; L, 71-66 vs. South Carolina in 2015), but the last victory at home over a top-two team came in 2010, when No. 6/6 UT toppled No. 3/2 Stanford, 82-72, in overtime on Dec. 19.
TENNESSEE RESET
The Big Orange women have won eight of nine games by double-digit margins, including by 43 vs. Central Arkansas and 53 vs. Alabama State and 62 vs. Troy in their last three games.
The Lady Vols have posted 61 or more points in three of their last four halves of basketball, marking the first time in program history that has been accomplished.
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.
This is the longest Warlick has gone with the same lineup to open a season since she began the first six games of the 2013-14 campaign 6-0 with the same starting five of Cierra Burdick, Bashaara Graves, Isabelle Harrison, Ariel Massengale and Meighan Simmons.
The last time Tennessee opened a season with a starting five and utilized the same quintet this long was in 2007-08, when the lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle reported 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 three times, and Davis and Hayes tied for honors on one occasion.
Russell has scored in double figures in every game, while Hayes has done so eight times and Nared and Davis have hit 10 or more in seven games.
Holly Warlick‘s squad has led at the half of all nine games, including a double-digit margin in seven of those.
LADY VOLS LAST TIME OUT (UT 131, TU 69)
Senior Jaime Nared scored 27 points and freshman Evina Westbrook dished out a career-high 12 assists to lead No. 11/13 Tennessee to a 131-69 victory over Troy on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Lady Vols (9-0) used a balanced offensive effort to put away the Trojans (4-2), as seven players reached double figures in points. Defensively, UT was able to hold the nation’s fifth highest scoring offense to 22 points below its average of 91.8 per game.
Tennessee was ready from the tip again, racing out to a 12-0 lead for the second consecutive game. UT’s All-SEC duo of Nared and classmate Mercedes Russell led the way offensively through the first quarter, with Nared going 5-for-7 from the field for 14 points and Russell scoring nine points on 3-for-3 shooting. The Lady Vols led 34-15 at the end of the frame.
Tennessee’s unselfishness was on full display throughout the game, as the team finished with 38 assists on 54 baskets. The assist total ranked second in school history, while the number of field goals made ranked fourth.
Davis and Meme Jackson recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds each, while Cheridene Green picked up a double-double of her own, scoring a career-high 16 points and bringing down 13 boards in just 20 minutes of play. It was Davis’ fourth of the season and the first of Jackson’s and Green’s careers.
Freshman point guard Anastasia Hayes also tossed in 12 points and notched career highs with nine assists and seven rebounds. Kortney Dunbar shot 6-for-7 from the floor in the second half to finish with 17 points, and Kasiyahna Kushkituah added six points and five boards. Shatterika O’Neal finished with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting to lead Troy offensively.
IMPRESSIVE MARKS VS. TROY
Tennessee set a school record for points in a quarter (44, 3Q) and broke arena marks for field goals (54) and assists (38).
Evina Westbrook tied a UT freshman record with 12 assists, matching Ariel Massengale, and that mark tied for seventh among all UT players.
The point total of 131 was third all-time at UT and second all-time at home, rating as the most points the program has registered since 2002 (11/29, 136 vs. Puerto Rico Mayaguez).
The 38 assists were second all-time at UT, while the rebound total (73) was third, field goals made (54) were fourth and field goals attempted (91) were fifth.
UT posted 60+ points in both halves of a game for only the third time (67-63=130 vs. Hawaii Pacific, 1/20/85 and 69-67=136, 11/29/02 vs. Puerto Rico Mayaguez).
UT posted 60-point halves in back-to-back games for only the second time. The previous time was 68 in the second vs. Ole Miss and 62 in the second vs. Florida on Feb. 8 & 11, 2001.
THE SERIES VS. TEXAS
Tennessee leads the series with Texas, 23-15, and has an 11-6 edge in Knoxville, a 10-8 record in Austin and a 2-1 mark at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols have dropped three straight to the Longhorns, including two straight in Austin and a 64-53 decision in Knoxville on Nov. 29, 2015.
While the first meeting in the series was on Dec. 8, 1978 (Tennessee 84, Texas 60), this marks the 36th-consecutive season these programs have met. The UTs played twice in 1986-87 and 1991-92 in regular-season tourney match-ups in addition to the regularly-scheduled games.
Last season marked the first time in the series Tennessee was not ranked entering the game. Texas has been unranked six times in 38 meetings. An unranked team has never won in this series.
Tennessee ran off 13-straight wins over Texas from Jan. 20, 1990, to Dec. 22, 2000, but since then the series is tied, 8-8.
Head coaches Holly Warlick and Karen Aston have some common ground, with both having served as assistants (HW: 1985-2005/KA: 1998-2000) and associate head coaches (HW: 2005-12/KA: 2000-06) for two of women’s basketball’s legendary coaches.
Warlick, of course, follows in the footsteps of Pat Summitt (NCAA-best 1,098-208 record in 38 seasons) at Tennessee, and Aston, with some stops at other schools from 2006-12, holds a job her mentor Jody Conradt (900-307) had for 31 years.
When the statue and plaza bearing Summitt’s name was dedicated on Nov. 22, 2013, Conradt was in Knoxville for the festivities. Likewise, Summitt was in Austin when Conradt’s statue was dedicated on Oct. 5, 2012.
Longhorn senior Ariel Atkins hails from Duncanville (Texas) High School, the alma mater of Lady Vol and WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, as well as the current school of Tennessee signee Zarielle Green.
Three Texas players may be familiar to SEC followers, as post Jatarie White began her career at South Carolina, and Vanderbilt was the first stop for the Caron-Goudreau twins.
LAST MEETING BETWEEN TENN. & TEXAS
Tennessee made a valiant rally after trailing by 15, but fell 72-67 against #17 Texas on Dec. 11, 2016, at the Erwin Center.
Tennessee (4-4) trailed by 15 in the second quarter but made a run to bridge the last part of the second period and the first five minutes of the third quarter to take the lead. Texas was able to recapture the lead and withstood late three-pointers from Alexa Middleton and Diamond DeShields to hold on for the win.
Jaime Nared tallied a career-high 22 points to go with five rebounds and two blocks. DeShields chipped in 16 points to score in double figures for the seventh time in eight games this year.
Texas (3-4) started the game on a 9-0 run and led 22-12 after the first quarter. The Lady Vols were out-rebounded 17-9 in the opening frame, which helped the Longhorns score nine second-chance points.
Texas had five players score in double figures, led by 13 from Brooke McCarty and 12 from Joyner Holmes, Lashann Higgs and Kelsey Lang. Lang also added eight rebounds and six blocks for the Longhorns.
TEXAS RESET
Texas comes in at 7-0 and is averaging a sizzling 93.0 points per game.
Like Tennessee the Longhorns have four scoring in double figures, led by senior guards Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins at 13.4 points per game each.
Another guard, Lashann Higgs (11.9), and forward/center Jatarie White (11.4) round out that quartet.
Another similarity to the Lady Vols, Texas is shooting 49.9 percent from the field and out-rebounds its opponents, 46.6 to 31.1.
The Longhorns return two starters and nine letterwinners from a squad that finished 25-9 overall and 15-3 in the Big 12 to finish second. UT made it to the Sweet 16 round in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas is coached by Karen Aston, who is 121-55 in her sixth year in Austin and 222-118 overall in her 11th season.
The Longhorns will be playing their third SEC foe this season, as they already took care of LSU, 75-66, on Nov. 24 and Georgia, 81-53, on Dec. 3.
TEXAS LAST TIME OUT (TEXAS 81, UGA 53)
The Texas Women’s basketball team earned its seventh win of the season, handing the previously undefeated Georgia Lady Bulldogs their first loss of the 2017-18 season, 81-53, last Sunday in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Longhorns shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) for the game with 46 points in the first half and 35 in the second.
Senior Ariel Atkins led the way for the Longhorns, scoring 17 points overall with 14 in the first half alone. The guard was 3-for-3 in three-pointers and tallied nine defensive rebounds, both season highs.
Additional top performers for Texas were junior Jatarie White who had 13 points, six rebounds, and a steal, and junior Lashann Higgs with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds. Senior Brooke McCarty also joined in the double-digits for points with 12.
Texas went on an early 12-0 run to separate the score to 19-4 before closing out the first quarter 22-9.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee men’s basketball team is set to begin a three-game home stand this weekend, beginning with Lipscomb on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will tip at 2:15 p.m. and will be televised live on SEC Network and streamed online via WatchESPN.
Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) are on the call for Saturday’s matchup for SEC Network. Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to catch Bob Keslingand Bert Bertelkamp describing the action. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online through AllVols.com.
The Volunteers (6-1) have started the season on a hot streak, earning their best starting record since 2010-11, when they opened with seven straight wins. UT was rewarded for its strong player earlier in the week as Tennessee made its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since December of 2010, coming in at No. 24 in the rankings.
Lipscomb (6-3) enters the contest with a pair of big wins over Belmont, who defeated Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt this season. The Bisons are led by junior guard Garrison Mathews, who is the team’s leading scorer at 19.6 ppg. In last year’s matchup, Mathews led Lipscomb in scoring with 28 points.
Tennessee is coming off its first true road win of the season, downing Georgia Tech, 77-70, on Dec. 3 at McCamish Pavilion. Lamonte Turner led the way for the Volunteers (6-1), tying a career-high with 24 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. He was also crucial in the closing minutes of the game, when Tennessee made 17-of-19 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of action, burying all seven of his attempts during that stretch.
After the Lipscomb game, UT will host the reigning national champions and top-15 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Dec. 17 in front of a sold-out crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena.
THE SERIES
• Overall: Tennessee leads, 3-0
• In Knoxville: UT leads, 3-0
• In Nashville: No meetings
• Neutral Sites: No meetings
• Current Streak: Tennessee has won three straight
• Last Meeting: Tennessee won, 92-77, on Dec. 15, 2016
• Barnes vs. Lipscomb: 2-0
• Barnes vs. Alexander: 2-0
RIGHT NOW
• Grant Williams scored 30 points in last season’s win over Lipscomb.
• Tennessee this week made its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since December 2010.
• At 6-1, the Volunteers are off to their best start since the 2010-11 season, when they opened with seven straight wins.
• The Vols are rated No. 10 in the ESPN BPI, with the nation’s ninth-rated strength of schedule.
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 10 games. That streak dates to last season’s win over Appalachian State on Nov. 15, 2016.
• Give the Vols a season-best four-game win streak
• Give the Volunteers a 16-game home winning streak during the month of December
ABOUT LIPSCOMB
• Head coach Casey Alexander is in his fifth season with the Bisons, who are members of the Atlantic Sun conference.
• Lipscomb returns three of its four double-digit scorers from last season, led by Garrison Mathews, a junior out of Franklin, Tenn. Lipscomb’s leading scorer last season, Mathews put up 20.4 ppg and garnered unanimous first-team All-Atlantic Sun honors. Nashville native and Western Kentucky transfer Rob Marberry (12.7 ppg, .610 FG%) earned second team All-Atlantic Sun recognition.
• This season, Mathews has been the Bisons’ primary scoring attack, posting 19.6 ppg while 45 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Marberry has claimed the role of most versatile player for Lipscomb, tallying 13.8 ppg, a team-high 7.4 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.4 bpg.
• Another do-it-all player for the Bisons is sophomore guard Michael Buckland, who is averaging 8.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 3.1 apg in nearly 32 minutes of action per game. Buckland and Tennessee’s Jalen Johnson played together at Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, N.C.
• Lipscomb (6-3) enters Saturday’s contest riding a two-game win streak after victories over Tennessee State and Belmont, who has defeated Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt this year.
• Lipscomb represents the only in-state opponent on UT’s non-conference slate this season.
THE LAST TIME vs. LIPSCOMB
• Freshman Grant Williams scored a career-high 30 points, and Robert Hubbs III had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds as Tennessee defeated Lipscomb, 92-77, on Dec. 16, 2016, night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Tennessee dominated the second half to respond to Lipscomb’s strong start. In the second half, the Vols shot 53.8 percent (14-of-26) and enjoyed a 25-13 advantage on the glass. UT finished with 41 rebounds to Lipscomb’s 29.
• Williams was 10-of-12 for the night and also made 10 of his 13 free-throw attempts to finish with 30 points, the most in a game by a Vol this season and the most by a UT freshman since Chris Lofton had 30 against Arkansas in 2005. Hubbs notched the first double-double of his career with 9-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds. Detrick Mostella added 11 points.
• Garrison Mathews led Lipscomb with 28 points, doing most of his damage before the break.
• Lipscomb’s early sharp 3-point shooting created problems for the Vols, as the Bisons were 11-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half. Matthews connected on his first four 3-pointers and was 5-of-7 from long range with 20 points in the first half. Lipscomb led by as much as 15 points and took a 58-49 lead into halftime.
• The Vols opened the second half with renewed energy and a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to knot the game at 58-58. The game stayed within one possession until a 3-pointer by Hubbs with 12:17 left sparked a 19-0 UT run.
• UT limited Lipscomb to a 25.8 field goal percentage in the second half (and just 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range).
VOLS, BISONS RARELY MEET
• Despite their arenas being separated by just 104 miles along Interstate 40, Tennessee and Lipscomb have met just three times previously, with all meetings taking place in Knoxville (12/1/54, 12/29/05 and 12/15/16).
BARNES’ LONGHORNS SQUAD HIT 100 AGAINST LIPSCOMB IN 2014
• Rick Barnes‘ final Texas team hosted Casey Alexander’s Lipscomb squad in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2014, and the ninth-ranked Longhorns routed the Bisons by 45 points, 106-61.
• Texas shot 59 percent and committed just two turnovers in the first half, taking a 58-32 lead into the break.
• NBA Lottery Pick and current Indiana Pacers star, Myles Turner, totaled 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocks for the Longhorns.
• Said Alexander after the game: “They were on a mission, offensively, tonight. They played with so much more speed, so much more purpose.”
TENNESSEE’S NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE RIPE WITH OPPORTUNITIES
• A cursory glance at UT’s non-conference schedule reveals a handful of “Power Five” opponents—Purdue, NC State, Georgia Tech, UNC, Wake Forest and Iowa State—that stand as potential RPI boosters. But dig a little deeper and one discovers additional opportunities for resumé-building wins outside of SEC play.
• Two other Tennessee foes appear in the Dec. 4 update of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, with Mercer and Furman landing at Nos. 21 and 23, respectively. The Vols cruised past Mercer, 84-60, Nov. 29 in Knoxville.
• This article from HeatCheckcbb.com outlines why, based on their schedule, the Vols have more opportunities to log resumé-boosting wins than any other team in the country.
• As of Dec. 5, UT’s strength of schedule was rated ninth in the ESPN BPI.
VOLS VAULT INTO TOP 25
• Tennessee this week made its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since 2010—nearly seven full years.
• Prior to this week, the last time Tennessee appeared in the top 25 was Dec. 20, 2010 (19th AP, 18th coaches).
DECEMBER HOME WIN STREAK = 15
• The Volunteers have won 15 consecutive December home games, dating to 2013.
• UT’s last December loss at Thompson-Boling Arena was a 65-58 setback at the hands on NC State on Dec. 18, 2013.
• The 15-game streak includes victories over Morehead State, Virginia, Kansas State, Butler, Tennessee Tech (twice), Mercer, Tennessee State (twice), ETSU (twice), Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech and Presbyterian and Lipscomb.
BOWDEN LEADS SEC FROM 3FG
• Tennessee sophomore Jordan Bowden leads the SEC with a red-hot 3-point percentage of .640 (16-of-25) through seven games this season.
• As a team, the Vols are shooting .426 from long range, which ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally.
