Since July 15, 2016, Charles Esten has released an original song every Friday in his #EverySingleFriday series, culminating today with his 52nd track, “Long Haul.”
In doing so, Charles becomes the first independent country artist to released back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back songs over the course of one year.
That’s 52 “backs,” which is quite a streak.
“I guess I’d have to admit that all of this, in some sense, has been a kind of personal statement that music isn’t just a hobby to me,” said Charles. “It’s a priority. Living in this great city, surrounded by all the incredible writers and musicians I have come to know and work with, has reignited my passion for what was always my first love: music. I honestly can’t conceive of a future that doesn’t include writing, recording and performing my music as a central part of my life. You might say I’m in it for the long haul.”
To mark the milestone, Charles will be hosting the One Single Year Celebration Concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater on Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.m. Attendance is free, but you’ll need to get a ticket, which will be available on July 10 at charlesesten.com.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas headline a challenging non-conference Tennessee women’s basketball schedule that was released Thursday by sixth-year Lady Vol Head Coach Holly Warlick.
Tip times and television network assignments will be available at a later date when the information is approved for release.
UT returns two full-time starters (Mercedes Russell, Jaime Nared) and a part-time starter (Meme Jackson) from a team that finished 20-12 overall and 10-6 in the SEC (fifth place) a year ago vs. the nation’s No. 5-rated schedule. Warlick also welcomes the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class to Knoxville, including guards Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes, wing Rennia Davis and post Kasiyahna Kushkituah.
The 2017-18 non-conference slate features 13 games, with 10 of those coming vs. teams that saw postseason action a year ago. Combined with the SEC teams Tennessee is scheduled to face, the Lady Vols will feature 21 of 29 contests against schools earning NCAA (16) or WNIT (5) berths last season.
Among the marquee out-of-conference match-ups, the itinerary includes a home game vs. Texas as well as road showdowns at Stanford and Notre Dame. Combined with SEC contests vs. defending national champion South Carolina (twice) and runner-up Mississippi State (once), the continuation of Stanford on the schedule gives Tennessee four games vs. teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Final Four.
Texas (4th), Notre Dame (5th), South Carolina (6th), Stanford (7th), Mississippi State (9th), Missouri (15th), Marquette (16th) and LSU (23rd) supply UT nine games vs. teams ranked in Charlie Crème’s ESPN.com Way-Too-Early Top 25. The Lady Vols were rated eighth in that poll when it came out in April.
Thompson-Boling Arena will offer Warlick’s newcomers a chance to get their feet wet in front of the home fans, providing a familiar environment for the Nov. 7exhibition game vs. Carson-Newman as well as in seven of the regular season’s first 10 games.
UT will open the official schedule with a three-game home stand, featuring East Tennessee State, James Madison and Wichita State on Nov. 12, 15 and 20. ETSU finished third in the Southern Conference a year ago, while Colonial Athletic Association runner-up JMU advanced to the WNIT round of 16. WSU returns to Knoxville with new coach Keitha Adams (previously at UTEP) and as a new member of the American Athletic Conference.
UT defeated ETSU and JMU on the road in 2016-17, while WSU returns to the schedule this season after the Lady Vols secured victories vs. the Shockers in Knoxville in 2014 and at Wichita in 2015.
The Lady Vols will then head to Mexico for Thanksgiving, taking part in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Puerto Aventuras on Nov. 23-25. In the opener, UT meets 2017 BIG EAST Tourney champion and NCAA participant Marquette, a team that presumably will be ranked in most preseason polls. Days two and three feature battles vs. Oklahoma State and South Dakota, teams that ended last season in the first and second rounds of the WNIT, respectively.
This will mark the first meeting with Marquette since 2011, the first vs. OSU since 1992 and the first-ever vs. USD.
After several days in the surf and sand, Tennessee heads back to Knoxville for four consecutive games on The Summitt, playing host to Central Arkansas, Alabama State, Troy and Texas on Nov. 30, Dec. 3, Dec. 6 and Dec. 10. UCA (Southland regular-season and tourney champs), Troy (Sun Belt tourney champ) and Texas made the NCAA field a year ago, with the highly-regarded Longhorns expecting big things in 2017-18 after a Sweet 16 exit a year ago.
UT last met UCA in 2015, Alabama State in 2003 and Troy last season. Tennessee and Texas, meanwhile, have met at least once every year since the 1982-83 campaign. The Lady Vols own a 23-15 series advantage, but the Longhorns have won three straight.
Warlick and company will head west prior to the holiday break, visiting Long Beach State on Dec. 17 and playing at Stanford on Dec. 21. The 49ers made the NCAA field a year ago after winning the Big West Tournament title. Stanford, a loser to UT in Knoxville on Dec. 18, 2016, went on to win the Pac-12 tourney crown and advance to the NCAA Final Four before falling to eventual champion South Carolina.
Tennessee defeated Long Beach State en route to its first two NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989, with the 49ers’ Cindy Brown famously dubbing the Lady Vols “corn-fed chicks” after the Big Orange overpowered LBSU in the ’87 national semifinal match-up in Austin, Texas.
The series with Stanford dates back to 1988, with UT owning a 24-10 advantage. The Lady Vols have won two of the last three meetings, but Tennessee will be seeking its first victory at Maples Pavilion since 2005.
The annual contest with Notre Dame closes out the non-conference portion of the regular-season schedule on Jan. 18. The Lady Vols, who lead the series 21-6 after knocking off the No. 6 Irish in Knoxville last season, will attempt to end a three-game skid at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame, the defending ACC regular-season and tourney champion, made it to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago and appears poised for a Final Four run in 2018.
“We are very pleased with our non-conference schedule,” Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick said. “With the SEC being as strong as it is right now, we already had a high-quality strength of schedule built in. You add Texas, Stanford, Notre Dame and Marquette, and now you run the total of projected games against top 25 teams to nine. Several of the other non-conference and conference foes could end up being ranked before it’s all over, so I feel like we have a quality slate of tournament-tested teams as well as a variety of styles that will prepare us for conference and post-season play.
“After opening with three straight games at home over the span of nine days, I am looking forward to seeing how our young team responds to playing three days in a row in Cancun vs. some really solid opponents. It should serve as a great early season measuring stick and provide an excellent opportunity for growth and improvement in a neutral setting.
“In terms of non-league marquee-type games, we have the home battle with Texas and the road contests at Stanford and Notre Dame. Everyone knows the intensity of those match-ups. Several of the other teams we’re facing will get after it, too, including Long Beach State, a place where we’ve never won in two tries. That West Coast trip will test us and reveal where we stand heading into league play.”
If you needed another reason to come to Nashville, the sun and moon are providing one next month—and so is the Grand Ole Opry.
A total solar eclipse will be occurring on Monday, August 21. And Nashville just happens to be the biggest city in the country in the direct path of the eclipse (beginning at 11:58 a.m. CT in Nashville with the total eclipse at 1:27 p.m.).
The Grand Ole Opry will be getting the party started a day before on August 20 with a special Sunday show dubbed Total Eclipse that features Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, Wynonna and more.
The Opry eclipse celebration is set to continue the next day with a free Total Eclipse Plaza Party. Guests can expect live music on the Plaza stage, commemorative gifts, food and drinks and eclipse glasses. The Opry will feature a one-of-a-kind Total Eclipse soundtrack to accompany the approximately two minutes of eclipse totality.
Today (July 6), California native Devin Dawson released a new video for his debut single, “All On Me,” which is currently No. 51 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after five weeks.
“It’s so cool to finally have music out,” says Devin to Nash Country Daily. “There’s so much work and time and effort that goes in behind the scenes. As an artist, there are always peaks and valleys, ups and downs, and that’s kind of what ‘All On Me’ is about. Life will get you up and down, whether you are in music or whether you have a 9-to-5 job or whatever you do. There’s going to be negatives, and this song is about being here for you to help bring you out of that, and if you need to lean on me, I’m here for you. This song has been really inspiring for me.”
Devin is currently working on his debut album, which is being produced by Jay Joyce and is set to be released later this year. Devin will open a handful of dates beginning on July 28 on Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul Tour.
Miranda Lambert will grace the cover of the upcoming August issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, dubbed as the “First-Ever Country Issue Starring Miranda Lambert.”
In addition to appearing on the cover in a denim skirt and jacket with a low-cut white Henley, Miranda takes the Cosmo Quiz, where she reveals how she de-stresses (“drink wine, ride horses and go glamping”), her favorite way to celebrate (“Titos and Cheetos”), who she calls when she’s on the verge of a meltdown (“my boyfriend”) and more.
The new issue of Cosmo hits newsstands on July 11.
Watch the video below to see Miranda’s Cosmo Quiz.
Singer/songwriter Lee Brice has a heart as big as his 6-foot-3-inch football-playing frame.
Lee made a $1,335 donation to the family of a Franklin, Ohio, fan who died in a car crash on June 17, according to Journal News.
Courtney Trent, 20, passed away after an oncoming motorist fell asleep at the wheel and struck her car head-on. In an effort to raise money for funeral expenses and her six-month-old son, Courtney’s family set up an online campaign via Meal Train.
After Courtney’s brother reached out to Lee on Twitter to let him know that the “I Don’t Dance” singer was his sister’s favorite artist, Lee made the thoughtful donation and helped the family raise more than $3,000.
“Our fans treat us so well,” Lee said to Journal News. “We love them. I felt like I was part of their family and I wanted to help—just like I’d help my own family.”
Shania Twain revealed the track listing to her upcoming album, Now, on Instagram yesterday (July 5).
Now, which drops on Sept. 29, will be offered as both a 12-track standard album and 16-track deluxe album.
“The new music is more celebratory, more inspirational, more about coming from somewhere bad and going somewhere good, dark to light, and that whole transition emotionally,” says Shania to NCD. “So, it’s a little deeper emotionally, for sure, this new album. There’s a lot of optimism, like ‘Life’s About to Get Good.’ The words are quite melancholy, but it’s just a happy song. It makes me feel happy when it comes on.”
Shania not only served as the album’s co-producer, but she also wrote every song . . . by herself.
“I wrote it alone,” says Shania. “I wanted to exercise independence, and I think that’s really where the power of this album is. Everyone talks about the female power with my music in the past . . . and the whole attitude there, but this one is even more about just personal power and exercising independence and putting myself forward and scaring the hell out of myself by taking on that challenge of saying, ‘Ok, I take full responsibility for the songwriting and if it sucks, then I take responsibility for that.’ But I needed to try to do this, not try, ‘I’m going to do this by myself.’ I was determined to do it alone. Because I had been in a co-writing scenario for all those years, and this was going to be the first time after all that time that I’ve written solely alone, so it’s all about independence, and I needed to learn that about myself, I needed to rediscover that about myself.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Offensive lineman Jashon Robertson, defensive back Emmanuel Moseley and defensive lineman Kendal Vickers have been selected to represent the University of Tennessee at the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days next week in Hoover, Alabama.
On Monday, July 10, the senior trio and Tennessee head coach Butch Jones will make the media rounds at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel starting at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT. Tennessee, Arkansas and LSU will be the first three teams featured at SEC Media Days, which runs July 10-13.
For the third-consecutive year, SEC Network and ESPN will have live, on-site coverage of SEC Media Days. Live coverage on July 10 starts at 12:30 p.m. ET with SEC Now and continues with The Paul Finebaum Show at 5 p.m. ET.
Robertson, Moseley and Vickers will all be making their SEC Media Days debuts. This year marks the second-straight year that Tennessee will bring three seniors to SEC Media Days as Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Suttonwent in 2016.
Robertson is the Volunteers’ most-experienced offensive lineman with 39 games played and 35 starts in his career. He is also one of the most versatile offensive linemen on the roster as he started 12 games in 2016 at left guard and worked at center for much of the spring. In 2016, he helped pave the way for a UT offense that scored a program-record 437 points (36.4 points per game). The Nashville native started at left guard in UT’s 49-36 win vs. Kentucky on Nov. 12, 2016, blocking for 599 yards of offense and UT’s most rushing yards (376) in an SEC game since 406 vs. Vanderbilt on Nov. 26, 1994. As a sophomore in 2015, Robertson helped the Vols rush for a 2,908 yards, which was the second-most in UT history. He has been an anchor of Tennessee’s offensive line since his 2014 freshman year when he started all 13 games at right guard and earned Freshman All-SEC and ESPN True Freshman All-American honors.
Moseley is Tennessee’s most seasoned cornerback with 39 games played and 19 career starts. For his career, has amassed 104 tackles (82 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 23 passes defended. As a junior in 2016, Moseley played in all 13 games, made 10 starts at cornerback and posted career highs of 57 tackles (44 solo) and 3.5 tackles for loss. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native also had six passes defended. A skilled tackler, Moseley recorded a career-high eight tackles twice in 2016, making eight stops against Ohio on Sept. 17 and eight (three for a loss) against Alabama on Oct. 15. As a sophomore, he recorded an interception against Northwestern in the 2016 Outback Bowl (2015 season).
Vickers is UT’s most-experienced defensive lineman. He has starred in 31 career games, made 26 starts at defensive tackle and totaled 58 tackles (28 solo), 3.0 sacks, 7.6 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The Havelock, North Carolina, native is the only returning 2016 defensive player who started all 13 games last season. He posted career highs as a junior with 38 tackles (19 solo), 2.5 sacks, 6.0 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Vickers logged career-high seven tackles and one sack at South Carolina on Oct. 29. He also had one sack against Virginia Tech on Sept. 10 and a half sack on Nov. 5 against Tennessee Tech. After redshirting the 2013 season, he played in five games in 2014, started all 13 games in 2015 and started all 13 games in 2016.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee basketball program released the non-conference portion of its 2017-18 schedule Wednesday. Major-conference opponents for the Volunteers include 2017 national champions North Carolina as well as Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Iowa State.
In their third season under the direction of head coach Rick Barnes, the Vols will play host to a handful of regional opponents, including in-state foe Lipscomb. Presbyterian, High Point, Mercer and Furman are also scheduled to visit Thompson-Boling Arena.
A Thanksgiving-week trip to The Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis — a tournament which features four 2017 NCAA Tournament participants — rounds out Tennessee’s 12-game non-conference slate.
Fans will have their first opportunity to see the 2017-18 Volunteers in action during a Nov. 2 exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena. The opponent for that preseason contest has yet to be determined.
Tennessee returns nine players from last year’s squad that finished 16-16 and 8-10 in SEC play. Among those returners are five members from the highest-scoring freshman class in program history (1,140 points). Heading that charge was forward Grant Williams (12.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg), who earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors. Guards Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner, as well as forward John Fulkerson, will also look to expand their respective roles as they enter their sophomore campaigns.
After playing as one of the youngest teams in the country last season, the Vols will boast six upperclassmen in 2017-18. Among those experienced contributors are rising juniors Admiral Schofield (8.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Kyle Alexander (3.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Tennessee’s lone senior is graduate transfer James Daniel III, who arrives on Rocky Top after a three-year playing career at Howard. Daniel is averaging 21.5 ppg for his career and led the nation in scoring during the 2015-16 season, posting 27.1 ppg.
Other newcomers include junior college transfer Chris Darrington and true freshmen forwards Zach Kent, Derrick Walker and Yves Pons. UT is also expecting to get a frontcourt boost from Jalen Johnson, who redshirted last season.
The Southeastern Conference portion of Tennessee’s schedule is expected to be released later this summer.
Season tickets go on sale in early September and single-game tickets will become available in October.
PRESBYTERIAN • FRIDAY, NOV. 10
Head Coach: Dustin Kerns, 1st Season
Last Season: 5-25 (1-17 Big South)
All-Time Series: Tennessee leads, 2-0
Notes: Presbyterian visits Thompson-Boling Arena for UT’s regular-season opener on Friday, Nov. 10. Located in Clinton, South Carolina, PC has an enrollment of 1,064.
First-year head coach Dustin Kerns takes over the reins at PC following the retirement of longtime head coach Gregg Nibert. Nibert led the Blue Hose for 28 seasons, guiding the program through its transition from NAIA all the way up to the NCAA Division I ranks.
A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Kerns is a first-time head coach, arriving at his new post after spending the last four seasons as associate head coach at Wofford. His coaching résumé yields a brief stint on Rocky Top as he spent the 2003-04 season at Tennessee as a graduate assistant under then-head coach Buzz Peterson. The Vols earned a berth in the NIT that season. Kerns received a Master’s of Science from UT in 2004.
Tennessee and Presbyterian are meeting for the second consecutive season. The Vols picked up a 90-50 win over the Blue Hose last December in Knoxville, led by a season-high 24 points Lamonte Turner and 21 points from Jordan Bowden — also a season-best.
The Blue Hose return their top two scorers from last season in sophomore guard Jo’Vontae Millner (10.8 ppg) and redshirt senior guard Reggie Dillard (9.8 ppg).
HIGH POINT • TUESDAY, NOV. 14
Head Coach: Scott Cherry, 9th Season
Last Season: 15-16 (9-9 Big South)
All-Time Series: No meetings
Notes: Tennessee’s second regular-season contest features another opponent from the Big South Conference when High Point visits Knoxville on Tuesday, Nov. 14. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
After capturing four consecutive Big South regular season championships from 2013-16, HPU went 15-16 last season, ending a streak of four straight postseason appearances.
Rising junior guard Andre Fox (12.7 ppg, .352 3PT%) was the Panthers’ second-leading scorer a year ago. His contributions will be bolstered by those of sophomore guard Jamal Wright (8.0 ppg, 3.6 apg) and junior forward Ricky Madison (6.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
Notes: During Thanksgiving week, the Volunteers join an impressive eight-team field at the Battle 4 Atlantis at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. UT is competing in the tournament for the second time, having turned in a fifth-place finish in 2013.
Tennessee is 12-12 all-time against the teams composing the 2017 field.
Highlighting the field are four 2017 NCAA Tournament participants, including No. 1 overall seed Villanova, Sweet Sixteen qualifiers Arizona and Purdue as well as reigning American Athletic Conference champion SMU.
The tournament bracket will be announced later this summer. For more information about the tournament and/or Atlantis Resort — just a two-hour flight from Atlanta — visit Battle4Atlantis.com.
MERCER • WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29
Head Coach: Bob Hoffman, 10th Season
Last Season: 15-17 (9-9 SoCon)
All-Time Series: Mercer leads, 4-3
Streak: Tennessee has won the last two meetings
Notes: The Vols and Bears are set to meet for the fourth time in the last five seasons with UT looking to grab its third consecutive win in a series that dates to 1913.
Mercer had made five consecutive postseason appearances — including a victory over Tennessee in the 2013 NIT and a famous upset victory over Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament — prior to last season’s 15-17 mark and a loss to ETSU in the first round of the SoCon Tournament.
Led by young core last season, the Bears are expected to return more than 94 percent of their scoring in 2017-18. Leading the way is senior guard Ria’n Holland, a second team all-conference selection who averaged a team-high 17.2 ppg last season. Flanking Holland are fellow seniors Jordan Strawberry (12.2 ppg, 4.3 apg) and Demetre Rivers (11.2 ppg, .475 FG%).
at GEORGIA TECH • SUNDAY, DEC. 3
Head Coach: Josh Pastner, 2nd Season
Last Season: 21-16 (8-10 ACC); NIT Finalist
All-Time Series: Tennessee leads 43-28
Streak: Tennessee won the last meeting
Notes: There is plenty of history in this series as the programs met annually from 1945-68 (Tech was a member of the SEC from 1932-64). This year’s showdown — the third of a four-game contract — takes place in Atlanta on Sunday, Dec. 3.
Tennessee signed the current series contract prior to the 2015-16 season and has split its two subsequent meetings with the Yellow Jackets. The Vols fell in Atlanta, 69-67, in November 2015 before picking up an 81-58 victory in Knoxville last December.
UT is 15-19 against GT in games contested in Atlanta.
Arriving from Memphis prior to last season, Josh Pastner earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2016-17 after leading the Yellow Jackets — picked to finish 14th in the preseason ACC poll — to 21 wins. Tech finished the year as the 2017 Postseason NIT runner-up, falling to TCU in the championship game.
Senior center Ben Lammers — the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year — returns for the Yellow Jackets. The 6-10, San Antonio, Texas, native led the conference and ranked third nationally in blocks per game at 3.37. He also averaged 14.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Also returning for Tech is leading scorer and ACC All-Freshman Team honoree Josh Okogie. The 6-4 sophomore guard averaged 16.1 ppg last season, bumping that average up to 19.8 ppg during the Yellow Jackets’ NIT run.
LIPSCOMB • SATURDAY, DEC. 9
Head Coach: Casey Alexander, 5th Season
Last Season: 20-13 (11-3 ASUN)
All-Time Series: Tennessee leads, 3-0
Notes: The Vols and Bisons meet for the second consecutive season when Nashville-based Lipscomb visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, Dec. 9. Lipscomb represents the only in-state opponent on UT’s non-conference slate.
Tennessee has a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series, but had to weather a hot-shooting night from the Bisons in last season’s meeting. Led by Garrison Mathews’ 28 points, Lipscomb knocked down 11 3-pointers in the first half and took a 58-49 advantage into halftime. But UT outscored the visitors 43-19 in the second half to grab a 92-77 win.
Lipscomb returns three of its four double-digit scorers from last season, led by Mathews, a junior out of Franklin, Tenn. Lipscomb’s leading scorer last season, Mathews putt up 20.4 ppg and garnered unanimous first team all-conference honors. Nashville native and Western Kentucky transfer Rob Marberry (12.7 ppg, .610 FG%) earned second team All-ASUN recognition.
Nathan Moran, a senior guard from Franklin, Tenn., averaged 11.1 ppg, knocked down 90 treys on the year (.417 3PT%) and handed out 4.2 apg.
NORTH CAROLINA • SUNDAY, DEC. 17
Head Coach: Roy Williams, 14th Season
Last Season: 33-7 (14-4 ACC); National Champions
All-Time Series: North Carolina leads, 9-1
Streak: UNC has won four straight
Notes: The defending NCAA champions visit Knoxville on Sunday, Dec. 17 as the Vols and Tar Heels close out a two-game, home-and-home series, which began last season.
Visiting Chapel Hill last season, Tennessee took the Tar Heels to the wire before dropping a 73-71 decision.
North Carolina is once again projected as a consensus top-10 team, despite losing ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson and freshman standout Tony Bradley to the NBA as well as senior forwards Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks to graduation.
Senior guard Joel Berry II is the only double-digit scorer set to return for the Tar Heels. Named the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, Berry (14.7 ppg, 3.6 apg) withdrew his name from NBA Draft consideration in late April. He scored a game-high 22 points in UNC’s 71-65 win over Gonzaga in the 2017 national championship game.
The Heels will also get some added depth with the addition of graduate transfer Cameron Johnson. A 6-8 guard, Johnson averaged 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33 games at Pitt last season. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining while in Chapel Hill.
UNC will also add five-star guard Jalek Felton, the nephew of former UNC All-American Raymond Felton.
FURMAN • WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20
Head Coach: Bob Richey, 1st Season
Last Season: 23-12 (14-4 SoCon); CIT Semifinalist
All-Time Series: Tennessee leads, 10-0
Notes: The Vols and Paladins meet for the first time since 1994 when Furman visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
The Paladins claimed a share of the Southern Conference regular season title in 2016-17, posting a school-record tying 23 victories and a 14-4 conference mark. After falling in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament, Furman advanced all the way to the semifinals of the CIT.
Furman’s trip to Rocky Top represents a homecoming for reigning SoCon Player of the Year Devin Sibley. A Knoxville native and Karns High School graduate, Sibley averaged 17.7 ppg while boasting impressive shooting percentages of .522 from the field and .449 from three.
Also expected to return are senior guard Daniel Fowler (10.9 ppg, 3.7 apg) and all-freshman team selection Jordan Lyons (5.9 ppg).
at WAKE FOREST • SATURDAY, DEC. 23
Head Coach: Danny Manning, 3rd Season
Last Season: 19-14 (9-9 ACC)
All-Time Series: Tennessee leads, 8-2
Streak: Tennessee won the last meeting
Notes: The Vols and Demon Deacons meet for the first time since the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in The Bahamas, where UT posted an 82-63 victory.
Last season, All-American and first team All-ACC performer John Collins (19.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg) led the Deacs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season. Wake Forest fell to Kansas State in a First Four game in Dayton. After the season, Collins entered the NBA draft, where he was selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks.
Wake Forest returns 12 of the 16 players from last year’s roster, including three starters. Rising junior guard Bryant Crawford (16.2 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.8 rpg) started all 33 games for the Deacs and led the team in assists and steals on the season.
Rising redshirt junior guard Keyshawn Woods (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg) and rising senior forward Dinos Mitoglou (8.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) are the other two returning starters for Wake Forest.
at IOWA STATE • SATURDAY, JAN. 27
Head Coach: Steve Prohm, 3rd Season
Last Season: 24-11 (12-6 Big 12)
All-Time Series: Tied, 1-1
Streak: Tennessee won the last meeting
Notes: The Vols and Cyclones will meet on the hardwood as part of the 2018 Big 12/SEC Challenge. It’s the third matchup between the two programs and the first since 1977.
Last season, fifth-seeded Iowa State advanced to its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament after claiming the Big 12 Tournament title, defeating Nevada in its opening game. The Cyclones were eventually eliminated by 15th-ranked and fourth-seeded Purdue, 80-76, in the second round.
ISU loses seven seniors from last season’s team, a group that accounted for nearly 82 percent of its scoring. Among the departed is All-American guard and second-round NBA draft pick Monte Morris, who led the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg.
Rising sophomore forward Solomon Young (4.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is the Cyclones’ only returning starter and rising senior guard Donovan Jackson (6.4 ppg) will be the team’s top returning scorer. Still, the ISU roster will be bolstered by the arrival of three 4-star prospects in guards Lindell Wigginton, Terrence Lewis and Darius McNeill. That trio headlines a Cyclone recruiting class that was ranked 18th by ESPN.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be home to the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 on July 23.
Big Machine Label Group, which is the label home of Brantley as well as artists like Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Thomas Rhett, is the new title sponsor of the Brickyard 400. In support of the event that bears his moniker, Brantley will attend the race on July 23 and perform during a pre-race concert.
“Racing has always been part of Big Machine’s DNA, and we’re thrilled to partner with the world’s most iconic racing brands,” said Big Machine Label Group president/CEO Scott Borchetta.
In addition, the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 will mark the final race for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dale Jr. announced his retirement following the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR season earlier this year.
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