Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 12 Vols Earn 75-57 Senior Night Win Over Razorbacks

Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 12 Vols Earn 75-57 Senior Night Win Over Razorbacks

Posted on March 1, 2023

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  BARNES ON ESPN2 POSTGAME  |  BARNES POSTGAME  |  NKAMHOUA POSTGAME  |  MASHACK POSTGAME

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A trio of Tennessee seniors scored in double figures Tuesday as the Vols routed Arkansas behind a strong shooting performance, 75-57, on Senior Night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
 
In what was its second consecutive wire-to-wire victory, Tennessee’s offense shot 50 percent from the field in the 18-point win, with senior Olivier Nkamhoua leading all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
 
As a team, UT outpaced the Hogs in paint scoring, 42-18, and its defense limited Arkansas to just under 37 percent shooting from the floor.

Tennessee showed commendable poise after starting point guard and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist Zakai Zeigler went down with a left knee injury three minutes into the game. The sophomore did not return, and the team did not have an exact diagnosis on his injury at night’s end.
 
Senior Santiago Vescovi registered 14 points on the night, connecting on 5-of-11 field-goal attempts and making 3-of-7 shots from 3-point range. He added six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in the all-around effort.
 
Senior Josiah-Jordan James tallied 11 points with three rebounds, three steals and one assist. Freshmen Julian Phillips and Tobe Awaka scored seven points apiece. Phillips added five rebounds and three assists, while Awaka grabbed eight boards.
 
Jahmai Mashack had a nose for the ball all night, tying a career-high with four steals, also scoring six points and dishing out a career-high-tying five assists.
 
Tennessee scored the game’s first seven points off a trio of field goals by Zeigler, Nkamhoua and Vescovi and a made free throw by Mashack. Nkamhoua reached double-figure scoring quickly, doing so on a tomahawk dunk at the 6:27 mark of the first half.
 
A transition triple by Vescovi off of his own steal gave Tennessee its first double-digit lead of the night at 32-22. An authoritative putback dunk by Awaka gave the Vols a nine-point lead entering halftime, 34-25. Tennessee out-rebounded Arkansas on the offensive glass in the first half, 8-1.
 
In the second half, Tennessee made six consecutive field goals to extend its lead from 51-39 to 68-46 over that stretch. The Vols took their first lead of at least 20 points at 66-46 and saw their lead grow to as many as 24 points at 72-48.
 
James scored each of his 11 points after halftime, shooting 3-for-5 in the second half. Collectively, the Vols shot 58 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.

UP NEXT: Tennessee finishes its regular season Saturday on the road, taking on Auburn for the second time this season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.
 
VOLS CAP ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HOME CAMPAIGN: With Tuesday’s win, Tennessee finished the 2022-23 slate with a 14-2 (.875) record inside Thompson-Boling Arena—the third straight season that the Vols have won at least 80 percent of their home games.
 
Tennessee is 108-22 (.831) inside Thompson-Boling Arena during the Rick Barnes era.
 
HOT START ON THE DEFENSIVE END: Tennessee recorded nine steals in first half alone on Tuesday—more than its full game total from 15 games this season. The Vols finished with 11 steals for the game, led by Jahmai Mashack’s four takeaways.
 
MASHACK STEPS UP: Due to Zakai Zeigler’s absence, Jahmai Mashack saw extended action at point guard—dishing out a career-high five assists along with six points and four steals on the defensive end.
 
Mashack played 24 minutes, continuing to build on his recent upswing in minutes—the sophomore is averaging 27.5 mpg over Tennessee’s last six games compared to 10.2 mpg in the first 11 SEC games.
 
TENNESSEE CLASSIC UNIFORMS MAKE RETURN: For the third time this season, the Vols sported their Tennessee Classic uniforms and improved to 3-0 while doing so.
 
The Big Orange also wore the Tennessee Classic uniforms for the win over No. 10 Texas on Jan. 28 and the win over No. 1 Alabama on Feb. 15.

-UT Athletics

Vols hoops seniors / Credit: UT Athletics
Jimmy’s blog: Vols vault past Arkansas despite losing Ziegler

Jimmy’s blog: Vols vault past Arkansas despite losing Ziegler

Posted on March 1, 2023

By Jimmy Hyams

Tennessee refused to lose Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Vols refused to lose to a hot and healthy Arkansas team.

The Vols refused to lose on Senior Night.

And the Vols refused to lose after point guard Zakai Ziegler went down with an apparent knee injury three minutes into the game.

Tennessee was already inspired to play. But it appeared UT took the energy and emotion to another level when Ziegler, one of the team’s most popular players, collapsed and was slow to get up, a clear indication to coach Rick Barnes that this was serious business.

Despite losing the SEC’s assist leader in SEC games only, Tennessee stormed past Arkansas 75-57 with an effort and intensity that had the sellout crowd rising to its feet multiple times in appreciation.

“They didn’t flinch,’’ Barnes said of his team (22-8, 11-6) which kept alive hopes to being the No. 4 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament and earning a coveted double bye.

“It was a gutty performance by our guys. … I don’t think at any time we stopped believing.’’

Barnes, who’s had to adjust his lineup and rotation quite a few times due to injuries, had to alter the game plan early without Ziegler. Barnes used three different point guards to run the offense: Jahmai Mashack, Santi Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James.

James hadn’t run the point in four years. Vescovi has seen spot duty at the position. Mashack, who played some point guard in high school, had never served in that role at Tennessee.

Mashack said the UT huddle was a “little bit quiet’’ after the Ziegler injury “because he’s one of our guys, he’s one of our brothers.’’

But that didn’t cause the Vols to lose focus against an Arkansas team (19-11, 8-9) that had won seven of 10 SEC games and lost at No. 2 Alabama by three points on Saturday.

“We didn’t have time to sulk and be upset,’’ Mashack said. “It’s basketball. We have to learn to adjust.’’

Barnes praised his team’s maturity for handling the adversity.

“We felt like we could find a way,’’ Barnes said.

Tennessee did just that. Tennessee shot 50% from the field, recorded 11 steals, managed 42 points in the point and had a stellar 18-to-10 assist-to-turnover ratio.  The Vols also had eight offensive rebounds in the first half and they were quicker to loose balls than the Hogs.

“We’ve always been the kind of team that when one of us goes down, somebody is ready to step up,’’ said senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua, who had a game-high 16 points to go with seven rebounds.

“There’s no room to feel sorry for ourselves or feel down. There’s no room to feel like we can’t do it anymore because we lost somebody.’’

Tennessee led 17-15 some 12 minutes into the game but stretched the lead to 24-15 with a 7-0 run and took a 34-25 lead into halftime despite shooting just 43.3% from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range.

UT came out firing in the second half, hitting 58.4% and stretched the lead to 24 with 3:30 left in the game.

As long as Iowa didn’t show up (re: Michigan State rally), the Vols were home free.

Barnes said he visited with Ziegler at halftime and the sophomore from New York was in tears.

“He was crying,’’ Barnes said. “He was hurt.’’

 If Ziegler is out for an extended period of time – or even the season – Barnes said the Vols would handle the point “do it by committee.’’

Mashack said UT would miss Ziegler’s shooting and assists but losing his energy is “irreplaceable.’’

Mashack said it would be incumbent upon him to bring more energy.

Nkamhoua is confident Mashack can provide the energy and Vesvoci and James can provide the point guard play.

“We have the ability to figure it out,’’ Nkamhoua said. “We have everything we need to make things happen.’’

They certainly did against Arkansas.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Stats/Story: Burke’s Five-RBI Day Powers #2 Tennessee to 6-1 Win Over Charleston Southern

Stats/Story: Burke’s Five-RBI Day Powers #2 Tennessee to 6-1 Win Over Charleston Southern

Posted on February 28, 2023

PDF Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Blake Burke’s career-high five RBIs powered second-ranked Tennessee to a 6-1 win over Charleston Southern Tuesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
 
Burke homered for the fifth time this season in the win, a two-run shot in the sixth inning, and finished 3-for-5 on the day. Tennessee recorded 11 hits as a team Tuesday, going a combined 11-for-34 (.324) at the dish with a pair of home runs. Jared Dickey finished with a pair of hits and an RBI while Griffin Merritt also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4.
 
Left-hander Zander Sechrist earned the start on the mound and logged 4.1 innings of work with five strikeouts and just three hits allowed in the outing.
 
Seth Halvorsen stepped up in relief of Sechrist, striking out four of the 11 batters he faced in 2.2 innings of work to earn his first win as a Vol. Kirby Connell was called from the bullpen to pitch the eighth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout. Aaron Combs finished things off by striking out a pair of batters and retiring the side in order in the ninth.
 
The Vols opened the scoring on a Burke two-un single through the right side in the bottom of the first, giving the Vols an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Burke’s third RBI of the day came on a single that scored Charlie Taylor and increased the Tennessee advantage to 3-0.
 
Dickey’s solo shot to right center was his third homer of the year and Tennessee’s first of three runs in the sixth inning. Shortly after, a certified Burke Blast to left center left the yard, scoring Moore for Burke’s fourth and fifth RBIs of the game.
 
Junior infielder Maui Ahuna got the starting nod at shortstop his Tennessee debut and logged his first hit in the Orange and White with a single up the middle in the sixth inning. 
 
Charleston Southern’s Casey Asman drove in the lone run on the day for the Buccaneers with a solo home run in the top of the seventh. 
 
UT completes the midweek series with Charleston Southern on Wednesday afternoon with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. Fans can watch the game live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app or listen live on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App and the Varsity App.

-UT Athletics

Vols 1B Blake Burke / Credit: UT Athletics
Stats/Story: Burke’s Five-RBI Day Powers #2 Tennessee to 6-1 Win Over Charleston Southern

Stats/Story: Burke’s Five-RBI Day Powers #2 Tennessee to 6-1 Win Over Charleston Southern

Posted on February 28, 2023

PDF Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Blake Burke’s career-high five RBIs powered second-ranked Tennessee to a 6-1 win over Charleston Southern Tuesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
 
Burke homered for the fifth time this season in the win, a two-run shot in the sixth inning, and finished 3-for-5 on the day. Tennessee recorded 11 hits as a team Tuesday, going a combined 11-for-34 (.324) at the dish with a pair of home runs. Jared Dickey finished with a pair of hits and an RBI while Griffin Merritt also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4.
 
Left-hander Zander Sechrist earned the start on the mound and logged 4.1 innings of work with five strikeouts and just three hits allowed in the outing.
 
Seth Halvorsen stepped up in relief of Sechrist, striking out four of the 11 batters he faced in 2.2 innings of work to earn his first win as a Vol. Kirby Connell was called from the bullpen to pitch the eighth, tossing a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout. Aaron Combs finished things off by striking out a pair of batters and retiring the side in order in the ninth.
 
The Vols opened the scoring on a Burke two-un single through the right side in the bottom of the first, giving the Vols an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Burke’s third RBI of the day came on a single that scored Charlie Taylor and increased the Tennessee advantage to 3-0.
 
Dickey’s solo shot to right center was his third homer of the year and Tennessee’s first of three runs in the sixth inning. Shortly after, a certified Burke Blast to left center left the yard, scoring Moore for Burke’s fourth and fifth RBIs of the game.
 
Junior infielder Maui Ahuna got the starting nod at shortstop his Tennessee debut and logged his first hit in the Orange and White with a single up the middle in the sixth inning. 
 
Charleston Southern’s Casey Asman drove in the lone run on the day for the Buccaneers with a solo home run in the top of the seventh. 
 
UT completes the midweek series with Charleston Southern on Wednesday afternoon with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. Fans can watch the game live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app or listen live on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App and the Varsity App.

-UT Athletics

Vols 1B Blake Burke / Credit: UT Athletics
Zeigler Named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist

Zeigler Named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist

Posted on February 28, 2023

Tennessee sophomore guard Zakai Zeigler has been named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
 
One of 10 semifinalists, Zeigler is the only underclassman and only player from the SEC included on the list.
 
Through 29 games this season, Zeigler has recorded 59 steals—a mark that leads the Vols and ranks 32nd among all Division I players. Zeigler is averaging 1.9 steals per game during SEC play, which ranks sixth in the league.
 
In total, Zeigler has nine games this season with three or more steals and five with four or more takeaways. He ranks 39th among all Division I players in steal percentage—recording a steal in 4.1 percent of possessions in which he is on the court.
 
Aside from his takeaways on the defensive end, Zeigler has also had an impact on opponents’ shot making. According to Synergy, opponents this season are shooting 53-for-194 (.273) when he is the primary defender.
 
As a team, Tennessee ranks third in the nation in scoring defense (56.7 ppg), second in field goal percentage defense (.359) and 27th in the country in steals per game (8.6). Zeigler is one of three Vols with 40 or more steals this season.
 
2023 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Chase Audige, Northwestern
Moussa Cisse, Oklahoma State
Jaylen Clark, UCLA
Zach Edey, Purdue
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

-UT Athletics

Vols G Zakai Zeigler / Credit: UT Athletics
Baseball Preview: #3 Vols Welcome Charleston Southern for Two-Game Midweek Series

Baseball Preview: #3 Vols Welcome Charleston Southern for Two-Game Midweek Series

Posted on February 28, 2023

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Looking to continue its successful start to the homestand, the second-ranked Tennessee Volunteers prepare for another two-game midweek series, welcoming Charleston Southern to Rocky Top on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Wednesday, March 1.

The Vols (6-2) had a fantastic week to kickoff the 2023 home slate, going 5-0 with a pair of victories over Alabama A&M and a weekend sweep against Dayton last week.

Tennessee’s pitching staff displayed its excellence throughout the weekend as starters Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam each got the victory in their nod while combining for 28 strikeouts. Once they made way for the bullpen, the game was completely locked down. A total of eight relievers came in to pitch against the Flyers and, combined, they tallied 9.2 innings of perfect baseball, with no hits or walks allowed, while striking out 15. This was headlined by Seth Halvorsen who made his first appearance on Rocky Top on Saturday, throwing 2.2 innings and earning the first save of his collegiate career.

As a whole, the pitching staff conceded just three total runs to Dayton and had an opposing batting average of .105.

On the offensive end, it was a balanced effort, but one that was lead by Blake Burke, who capped the week with a multi-homer game on Sunday. Jared Dickey was also impressive, going 5-for-13 at the plate over the weekend and scoring five runs.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for the games are available in very limited quantities at AllVols.com.

BROADCAST INFO

Both games will be stream on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Andy Brock (PxP) on the call. The online broadcast can be accessed on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch.

Fans can also listen to Vince Ferrara call the action on Tuesday and Wednesday via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App.  

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Tennessee leads, 3-0
in Knoxville: 1-0
in Charleston: 1-0
at Neutral Sites: 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 8-2 (April 1, 2009, in Knoxville)

NOTABLE

PLAYING CATCH
UT has been extremely clean defensively as of late. In the last five games, Tennessee did not make an error in the field in 154 chances. The Vols had a .994 total fielding percentage, with the one error coming on a failed pickoff attempt.

DICKEY SETTING THE TONE FROM LEADOFF SPOT
Redshirt-sophomore Jared Dickey is off to another fast start this season and provided a major spark as the Vols’ leadoff hitter in their five victories last week. Dickey led the team in batting average (.444), on-base percentage (.500), hits (8), runs scored (8), home runs (2), RBIs (6) and total bases (15) during the week and he had at least one hit in four of the five games, including two three-hit performances, tying a career high.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Charleston Southern

  • 2022 Record: 24-30 (13-11 Big South)
  • 2022 Postseason: N/A
  • 2023 A-10 Preseason Poll: 7th (1 first-place vote)
  • Head Coach: Marc MacMillan (6th season)

ON DECK
The Big Orange gears up for a three-game weekend set against Gonzaga starting Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.

Tickets for non-conference home games can be purchased at AllVols.com.

-UT Athletics

Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics
The Knox County Health Department Offering Free Heart Health Class

The Knox County Health Department Offering Free Heart Health Class

Posted on February 28, 2023

The Knox County Health Department is wrapping up Heart Health Month by encouraging those who are interested to sign up for KCHD’s FREE Heart Health Classes.

It’s a free two-part series were you work with a Registered Dietitian to learn about healthy eating and exercise, weight management, goal setting and more.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. This class is designed for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or those just wanting to learn about healthy eating and physical activity. Classes are scheduled for March 9 and 16 from 6-7 p.m. at the Knox County Health Department on Dameron Avenue.

To register, please go to https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6892887/Heart-Health-Series-Registration-March-2023

Two People Connected to the Robbery and Murder of a Rockwood Man in Knox County are Found Guilty on Murder Charges

Two People Connected to the Robbery and Murder of a Rockwood Man in Knox County are Found Guilty on Murder Charges

Posted on February 28, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT

Two people connected to the robbery and murder of a Rockwood man are found guilty on murder charges.

Kendra Ivey reportedly confessed to investigators with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office of “setting up” Victor Letner to be robbed by Charlie Martinez.

Letner was last seen in Rockwood on February 7 of 2021.

KCSO says Letner went to Knox County to meet Kendra Ivey who took him to a vacant house on Kodak Road, where Martinez reportedly robbed, shot and killed Letner.

Ivey pled to first degree murder and Martinez was found guilty on all charges and convicted of first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Martinez was sentenced to life in prison on the murder charge and the sentencing for the other charges will be held on April 20 for both suspects.

An Overturned Semi-Truck Closes a Highway and Spills Thousands of Cans of Bush’s Beans

An Overturned Semi-Truck Closes a Highway and Spills Thousands of Cans of Bush’s Beans

Posted on February 28, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT

Authorities say a semi-truck overturned on Newport Highway, spilling thousands of cans of Bush’s Baked Beans into the road and someone’s yard.

That wreck happened yesterday (Monday) morning in the 7200 block of Newport Highway.

A power line was also cut in half as a result of that crash.

Officials say there were no injuries.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has Second Busiest Year Ever

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has Second Busiest Year Ever

Posted on February 28, 2023

Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 1.5 million above the park’s ten-year average, and more than the visitation of Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks combined. This marks the fourth time the park has exceeded 12 million yearly visits. 

“The 2022 visitation report confirms what we have long known to be true—Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to be a special place for millions of visitors,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “We are thinking about what average visitation over the last ten years means for the next ten years and how we will preserve a high-quality visitor experience as well as park resources.” 

The new Park it Forward parking tag program  https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-announces-early-sale-of-park-it-forward-annual-parking-tags.htm will generate much-needed revenues to improve visitor services and address longstanding maintenance needs in alignment with annual fluctuations in visitation. Starting March 1, the park will implement the parking tag program. Any vehicle parked anywhere in the park will need to display a $5 daily, $15 weekly, or $40 annual parking tag. 100% of the revenue from the parking tag program will stay in the park to improve visitor services. Another change this year to improve the visitor experience will be increased shuttle services. Several local companies will offer shuttles to some of the park’s most popular locations in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and increase parking safety. 

In addition to purchasing parking tags and taking shuttles, visitors can help take care of their park by planning ahead and coming prepared with alternative destinations in mind if parking is not available at desired sites. With over 800 miles of trails and more than 380 miles of scenic roadways, visitors have many options for other locations that offer first-rate experiences. And carefully choosing the time of day, time of week, and time of year can help improve the chances to find safe parking. May through October are the busiest months in the park, and weekends and holidays are the busiest days.  

Since 2012, the park has averaged almost 11.5 million visits every year. Visitation to the Smokies reached its highest level ever with more than 14 million visits in 2021. 

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