KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 13/18 Tennessee (2-0) closes out a three-game home stand when it hosts Wichita State (0-3) Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena.

UT enters undefeated after rolling past East Tennessee State, 87-49, and James Madison, 89-60, at Thompson-Boling Arena on Nov. 12 and 15, respectively.

Wichita State comes to Rocky Top with an 0-3 record. The Shockers opened with a pair of road losses at Creighton (66-61) and Oklahoma State (91-67) and then dropped the home opener to South Dakota, 62-48, on Saturday in Wichita.

Incidentally, Tennessee will play Oklahoma State and South Dakota, respectively, on Friday and Saturday in the Cancun Challenge in Mexico.

BROADCAST INFO.
• Mick Gillispie (PxP), Andraya Carter (Analyst) and Maddy Glab (Reporter) will describe the action for the Tennessee-Wichita State online broadcast on the SEC Network+ (SECN+) and WatchESPN.
• Mickey Dearstone will handle the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th season.

TENNESSEE RESET
• Tennessee has averaged 88.0 points per contest and won by an average margin of 33.5 points in its first two games this season.
• Despite losing four players from last year’s team, UT is averaging five more points per game this year through two games than it did in 2016-17.
• The Lady Vols have shot a sizzling 50.4 percent from the field while limiting their opponents to 30.3 percent shooting and only 54.5 points per game.
• Seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell, who were named to the John R. Wooden Award Watch List last week, have led the way offensively this season, with Russell hitting for 20 points vs. ETSU and Nared tossing in 25 vs. JMU.
• Nared leads the team at 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, shooting 50 percent from the field. She also is averaging four assists per contest and is second on the team in three-pointers made with four.
• Russell, meanwhile, is posting 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest while firing at an incredible 83.3 percent success rate (15 of 18) from the floor.
• A pair of freshman round out UT’s double figures scorers, with Anastasia Hayes coming off the bench to score 12.0 points and average 5.5 assists, while Rennia Davis contributes 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals as a starting forward.
• Senior Kortney Dunbar has come out strong from beyond the arc. She has knocked down three of five three-point attempts for 60.0 percent. Junior wing Meme Jackson is hitting 50.0 percent (5 of 10).
• After redshirting last season, junior forward Cheridene Green is off to a solid start. She is fifth in scoring (8.5 ppg.), fourth in rebounding (5.5 rpg.) and hits field goals at a 63.6 percent clip (7 of 11).

UT LAST TIME OUT (UT 89, JMU 60)
• No. 13/18-ranked Tennessee rolled to an 89-60 victory over James Madison at Thompson-Boling last Wednesday night, with senior forward Jaime Nared posting 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the way for the Lady Vols.
• UT shot 55 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from behind the arc and had four players in double figures. Freshman forward Rennia Davisfollowed Nared as UT’s second-leading scorer with 17 points, while center Mercedes Russell and forward Cheridene Green tallied 14 and 10, respectively.
• Nared and fellow senior Russell set the tone early, combining for the Lady Vols’ first 11 points and fueling an 11-2 UT run to start the game.  Tennessee opened up a 23-12 lead to close out the first quarter and never trailed in the contest.

NOTABLES FROM THE LAST GAME
• Mercedes Russell added eight rebounds on the night, bringing her career total to 800 and making her just the 18th Lady Vol to reach that mark.
• Tennessee scored 30 of its 89 points off fast breaks and tallied 24 points off JMU turnovers.
• Seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell have combined for 72 points in Tennessee’s first two games and, as a pair, are averaging 63 percent percent shooting.
• Russell connected on seven of eight shots from the field vs. JMU.
• Freshmen Anastasia Hayes and Evina Westbrook have led UT in assists the first two games. Hayes had eight vs. JMU, while Westbrook dished out six last Sunday vs. ETSU.

MILESTONES & RECORDS
• Jaime Nared needs one rebound to reach 500 for her career and stands 52 points away from becoming the 45th Lady Vol to reach the 1,000-plateau.
• Nared entered the season fifth in career free throw shooting at .831.
• Russell has 31 career double-doubles, tying Isabelle Harrison for sixth all-time at UT. Tamika Catchings is next up the ladder with 32.
• Russell became the 18th Lady Vol to reach 800 career rebounds vs. JMU. Only 12 Lady Vols have pulled down 900 and just five have grabbed 1,000.
• Russell has 153 career blocks and needs eight to equal Nicky Anosike in sixth place with 161
• Entering the season, Russell stood fifth at UT in career field goal percentage (.564).
• Russell stands 34th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,127 points. Lea Henry (1,128, 33rd) and Lisa Harrison (1,135, 32nd) are just above her.

COMING UP FOR UT
• On Tuesday afternoon, Tennessee will wing its way to Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday, taking part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Puerto Aventuras.
• UT will face #16/19 Marquette on Nov. 23 (6:30 p.m.), Oklahoma State on Nov. 24(4 p.m.) and South Dakota on Nov. 25 (4 p.m.). CBS Sports Digital will handle the online broadcast.
• The Lady Vols are back at home on Nov. 30, as Central Arkansas comes to town for a 7 p.m. contest.

WICHITA STATE RESET
• Wichita State is paced by 6-1 redshirt senior forward Rangie Bessard, who averages 17.0 ppg. and 8.3 rpg.
• Bessard has gotten to the free throw line 14 times in three games, hitting 11 for 78.6 percent.
• Angiee Tompkins, a 6-2 senior forward is WSU’s second-leading scorer and rebounder at 10.3 ppg. and 4.7 rpg.
• Wichita State returned four starters, nine total letterwinners and 79.9 percent of its points from a year ago.
• Eight of WSU’s players are seniors.
• WSU is hitting only 38.0 percent from the field (23.5 on threes) and averages 58.7 ppg. while allowing 73.0 ppg.
• The Shockers are led by head coach Keitha Adams, who is in her first season in Wichita but owns a 411-249 record in her 22nd year as a head coach.

WSU LAST TIME OUT (USD 62, WSU 48)
• After opening with a 13-11 lead after the first quarter, Wichita State was outscored the rest of the way by South Dakota, 51-35, en route to a 62-48 homecourt loss to the Coyotes.
• Rangie Bessard paced WSU in scoring with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. She made it a double-double with 11 rebounds on the afternoon.
• The Shockers shot only 35.6 percent for the game, including 11.1 percent (2-18) from the three-point arc.
• WSU forced USD into 20 turnovers, though.

THE SERIES VS. WICHITA STATE
• Tennessee leads 2-0 in the series vs. Wichita State, defeating the Shockers in Knoxville on Dec. 16, 2014, 54-51, and in Wichita on Dec. 11, 2016, 58-51.
• In 2015, Wichita State put up a great fight in Knoxville during Lady Vol homecomings for (then) head coach Jody Adams and (then) assistant coach Bridgette Gordon, who is now at Tennessee.
• n that game, Cierra Burdick posted a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Isabelle Harrison scored 14 points as the No. 11/13 Lady Vols held on for the win.
• The game ended with a thrilling final minute, as Harrison made a layup with 38 seconds left to push the Lady Vols’ lead to 52-48. Kelsey Jacobs answered at the other end of the floor with a three-pointer from the corner to pull Wichita State to within one point with 24 seconds remaining. Ariel Massengale made two big free throws with 5.1 seconds on the clock to put Tennessee’s lead back to three for the final tally, 54-51.
• In 2016, Tennessee went six-of-six at the free throw line over the final 1:20 to ice a 58-51 road victory and improve to 7-2 on the season.
• The Lady Vols are 9-0 vs. teams from the state of Kansas, including 4-0 vs. the University of Kansas, 3-0 vs. Kansas State and 2-0 vs. Wichita State.
• UT is 42-17 vs. teams from the American Athletic Conference.

LAST MEETING BETWEEN UT-WSU
• Bashaara Graves and Andraya Carter both scored 12 second-half points to lead No. 16/15 Tennessee to a hard-fought 58-51 win over Wichita State on Dec. 11, 2015, at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
• The game marked the first road contest of the season for the Lady Vols after opening the year with eight consecutive home games.
• Graves posted her fourth double-double of the season and led all players with 18 points and 13 rebounds on the night. Carter also provided a major boost offensively, scoring 12 of her season-high 14 points in the second half while going 5-of-7 from the floor on the night.
• The Lady Vols outscored the Shockers, 18-12, in the fourth quarter and iced the game at the free-throw line, going 6-6 in the final 1:20
• Diamond Lockhart and TaQuandra Mike led the Shockers with 11 points each.

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee takes on No. 20 LSU on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The game will feature a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.

Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst) will be in the booth and Allison Williams will report from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest, Brent Hubbs and Maddy Glab. Sirius Channel 138 and XM Channel 190 will also carry a live audio broadcast.

Tennessee (4-6, 0-6 SEC) is coming off a 50-17 road loss to Missouri on Nov. 11. True freshman quarterback Will McBride made his first start and completed 16 of 32 passes for 139 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. McBride also led the Vols in rushing with 63 yards on 14 carries.

LSU (7-3, 4-2 SEC) took a 33-10 home win over Arkansas last week. Junior running back Derrius Guice led the Tigers with 21 carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Danny Etling went 11-for-16 for 217 yards and two scores.

Tennessee-LSU History

Saturday’s game will mark the first meeting between Tennessee and LSU since 2011. Tennessee holds a 20-9-3 all-time edge in the series, which dates back to 1925. The Vols are also 11-3-1 all-time against LSU when the game is played in Knoxville.

The Tigers have won each of the last four times the teams have played with wins in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011.

Tennessee’s last win over LSU was on Sept. 27, 2005. The 10th-ranked Vols traveled to Baton Rouge to face the No. 4 Tigers in their home opener after LSU’s first game was changed to a road game because of Hurricane Katrina. After trailing 21-0 at halftime, LSU-transfer Rick Clausen led the Volunteers to a 30-27 victory in overtime. Clausen finished the game 21-for-32 passing for 196 yards and a touchdown to go along with a rushing score. Running back Gerald Riggs Jr. had 89 yards rushing a pair of scores on 24 carries, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime. That 2005 win was Tennessee’s most recent victory over a team ranked inside the top-5 of the AP Poll and is the last ranked win the Vols have against a team from the SEC West.

Hoke Takes Over

Associate head coach/defensive line coach Brady Hoke was named Tennessee’s interim head coach on Sunday, replacing Butch Jones, who finished with a record of 34-27 in five seasons.

Hoke has 34 yards of coaching experience, including 12 years as an FBS head coach at Michigan (2011-14), San Diego State (2009-10) and Ball State (2003-08). He was a conference coach of the year in three difference leagues and in 2011 he was named the National Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club. He has a 78-70 record as a head coach.

On Monday, Hoke emphasized that he and the coaching staff are focused on the team’s seniors.

“These last two games are only about one thing, and that’s the seniors on this football team,” Hoke said. “They have been part of 29 wins, three bowl wins and they’ve laid a foundation for this program that was badly needed. They’re the ones who we play for.”

Smith Continues To Impress On O-Line

When Trey Smith started at left tackle against Southern Miss on Nov. 4, he became Tennessee true freshman to start at left tackle in at least the last 30 years. He followed that with a second start at left tackle last week against Missouri.

Smith is a frontrunner for Freshman All-America, All-SEC and All-America honors as he leads the Vols with 48 knockdowns. He is the second-highest grade Vol on the offensive line behind only senior Jashon Robertson.

Smith started the first eight games of the season at right guard before moving to left tackle for the last two games. He enrolled at UT in the spring of 2017 and was the nation’s No.1 overall recruit in the class of 2017 according to ESPN.

Daniel Making Case for Ray Guy Award

Redshirt senior punter Trevor Daniel is one of 78 final candidates for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation’s top collegiate punter.

Through 10 games this season, Daniel has 62 punts for 2,919 yards and a 47.1-yard average, which ranks fourth in the nation. Daniel’s 26 punts inside opponents’ 20 are tied for third in the nation and lead the SEC. His 29 punts of 50 or more yards lead the nation.

His 45.7-yard career average is the best in Tennessee history and is third among active NCAA punters, regardless of division.

1997 SEC Champs To Be Honored

The 1997 SEC Champion Tennessee team will be honored on the field on Saturdayduring the first quarter.

Coached by Phillip Fulmer and led by quarterback Peyton Manning, defensive end Leonard Little, linebacker Al Wilson, running back Jamal Lewis and wide receiver Marcus Nash, the 1997 Vols finished 11-2 and overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Auburn 30-29 in the 1997 SEC Championship Game.

Navy Captain Stan Jones and Air Force Captain Leigh Smith To Provide VFL Flyovers on Saturday

A pair of VFLs will lead military flyovers prior to this Saturday’s game versus LSU.

At 4:45 p.m., Air Force Captain Leigh Smith will pilot one of five F-15 jets for a flyover during the Vol Walk. Smith was a three-time All-American and a 2008 Olympian in the javelin.

VFL and former Tennessee football player Capt. Stan Jones will fly an F-18 Hornet over Neyland Stadium before the start of Saturday’s game at 6:55 p.m. at the end of the national anthem.

Capt. Jones joined the Vols as a walk-on and was on the team during the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

Capt. Jones earned a bachelor’s of science in industrial engineering and a master’s of science in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee. He has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours and 623 carrier arrested landings and he has flown 30 different aircraft types. His personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medals (three), Strike Flight Air Medals (three), Navy Commendation Medals (two), Navy Achievement Medal (two), and various campaign and unit awards. Capt. Jones joined the Navy and entered Aviation Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, in April of 1991 and earned his wings in January of 1994.

On Friday, the public can meet Capt. Jones and view the F-18s at McGee-Tyson/TAC Air from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

-UT Athletics