MESA, Ariz. – Earning its first win of the 2023 campaign, the second-ranked Tennessee baseball team took down UC San Diego, 7-0, Sunday afternoon behind an emphatic pitching performance by Drew Beam and a late offensive surge.
Beam started off his sophomore season dealing at the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, Sloan Park. The Murfreesboro native went six innings, allowing just three baserunners and punching out six. He did not allow a run or a walk, and demonstrated incredible efficiency, making it through his stellar outing in just 86 pitches, facing two batters over the minimum.
The offense provided run support beginning in the fourth inning, as Blake Burke laced a triple to center field and was driven home by Zane Denton the very next at-bat. Denton would come all the way around to score two batters later, as Kyle Booker sent him home with an RBI groundout.
Tennessee (1-2) would add to its lead in the sixth inning when Burke launched an opposite-field home run to left center, a solo shot. Burke was a sparkplug for the Vols’ offense in the tournament finale, going 2-fo-4 with a triple, a homer, two runs scored and one RBI.
The remainder of the game was in the hands of the bullpen, but the offense was not finished just yet, tossing up a crooked number in the seventh. Tennessee was able to chase home four runs in the frame and it started with a leadoff single from Cal Stark. Two batters later, Austen Jaslove looped a single into center to push the Big Orange backstop home. A double steal put two runners in scoring position, and they would both cross the plate on an RBI groundout followed by a wild pitch. Christian Moore capped the scoring with an exclamation point, ripping a home run to left field to increase the Vols’ distance to 7-0 after seven innings.
UCSD (1-2) would not go down quietly though, loading the bases with just one out in the top of the eighth. Then enters Zach Joyce, brother of flamethrower and VFL Ben Joyce. Joyce came into a jam, but with poise, he struck out back-to-back hitters on just seven pitches, getting Tennessee out of the inning and maintaining the shutout that it would finish off just an inning later.
For the day, Tennessee accumulated 10 hits, three of those for extra bases, and swiped three bases. On the bump, UT pitchers struck out 10 Tritons while defensively the Vols did not commit an error in the contest.
Up next, Tennessee returns to Rocky Top and will play its home opener against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available in very limited quantities on AllVols.com.
MESA, Ariz. – Earning its first win of the 2023 campaign, the second-ranked Tennessee baseball team took down UC San Diego, 7-0, Sunday afternoon behind an emphatic pitching performance by Drew Beam and a late offensive surge.
Beam started off his sophomore season dealing at the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs, Sloan Park. The Murfreesboro native went six innings, allowing just three baserunners and punching out six. He did not allow a run or a walk, and demonstrated incredible efficiency, making it through his stellar outing in just 86 pitches, facing two batters over the minimum.
The offense provided run support beginning in the fourth inning, as Blake Burke laced a triple to center field and was driven home by Zane Denton the very next at-bat. Denton would come all the way around to score two batters later, as Kyle Booker sent him home with an RBI groundout.
Tennessee (1-2) would add to its lead in the sixth inning when Burke launched an opposite-field home run to left center, a solo shot. Burke was a sparkplug for the Vols’ offense in the tournament finale, going 2-fo-4 with a triple, a homer, two runs scored and one RBI.
The remainder of the game was in the hands of the bullpen, but the offense was not finished just yet, tossing up a crooked number in the seventh. Tennessee was able to chase home four runs in the frame and it started with a leadoff single from Cal Stark. Two batters later, Austen Jaslove looped a single into center to push the Big Orange backstop home. A double steal put two runners in scoring position, and they would both cross the plate on an RBI groundout followed by a wild pitch. Christian Moore capped the scoring with an exclamation point, ripping a home run to left field to increase the Vols’ distance to 7-0 after seven innings.
UCSD (1-2) would not go down quietly though, loading the bases with just one out in the top of the eighth. Then enters Zach Joyce, brother of flamethrower and VFL Ben Joyce. Joyce came into a jam, but with poise, he struck out back-to-back hitters on just seven pitches, getting Tennessee out of the inning and maintaining the shutout that it would finish off just an inning later.
For the day, Tennessee accumulated 10 hits, three of those for extra bases, and swiped three bases. On the bump, UT pitchers struck out 10 Tritons while defensively the Vols did not commit an error in the contest.
Up next, Tennessee returns to Rocky Top and will play its home opener against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are still available in very limited quantities on AllVols.com.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vols took an 83-76 victory over a scrappy Auburn squad on Sunday in front of a crowd of 9,039 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The win is UT’s 20th of the season, marking the program’s 46th 20-win campaign. Head coach Kellie Harper carded her 10th 20-win campaign, including three in four seasons on Rocky with the 2020-21 total of victories limited by canceled contests due to COVID-19.
Tennessee (20-9, 12-2 SEC) was led by Jackson, who poured in 27 points, hitting an impressive 12 of 15 shots from the floor. Horston also put up big numbers with 19 points and eight rebounds, while junior Tess Darby knocked down a season-best five three-pointers to tie her career high of 17 points.
Honesty Scott-Grayson was the leading scorer for the Tigers (14-12, 4-10 SEC) with 23 points on the day. Aicha Coulibaly turned in 15 points, and Sania Wells and Romi Levy each finished with 10.
The Lady Vols jumped out to a 4-2 lead off buckets by Karoline Striplin and Jackson, but Auburn took its first lead three minutes into the game at 6-4 off a fast-break layup. Thirty seconds later a trey by Darby put Tennessee on top 9-8, and four straight points by Jillian Hollingshead stretched that margin to five by the 5:21 mark. The Tigers responded with an 11-0 run set off by a long-range two-pointer by Wells to lead 19-13 with 2:33 to go in the first. A pair of free throws by Hollingshead and a three by Darby pulled UT back within one, but AU outscored Tennessee 5-2 in the final minute to own a 24-20 advantage at the end of one.
Jackson scored the first points of the second period, and Darby followed it up with her third trey of the game to reclaim the lead for UT at 25-24. Tennessee turned that momentum into an 11-0 run to go ahead 31-24 with 6:35 left in the half. Coulibaly ended the drought for Auburn with a layup, but Horston answered with a layup on the other end, and Tennessee maintained its seven-point advantage until the last 30 seconds of the half when a pair of free throws by Mar’shaun Bostic pulled AU within five for a halftime score of 39-34.
Coulibaly and Horston opened the second half with two straight buckets for their respective teams, and Auburn crept within three points off a pair of free throws by Wells before Darby responded with five points on back-to-back buckets to give UT a 48-40 cushion by the 6:45 mark. Two and a half minutes later, the Tigers reclaimed the lead, going up 51-50 off an 11-2 run fueled primarily by Kharyssa Richardson. The Lady Vols bounced back with six straight points by Jackson that jumpstarted an 8-0 run that put Tennessee ahead 58-51 with a minute left in the third. Five quick points by Coulibaly trimmed UT’s lead down to two, but Powell scored the last two points of the period from the free-throw line to send the game into the fourth with the Big Orange on top, 60-56.
Jackson stretched UT’s lead to six with a bucket 11 seconds into the final stanza, but a 3-pointer by Wells had the Tigers back within three a minute later. The Tigers would pull within three again at the 4:14 mark, but that’s as close as they’d get as Jackson and Horston combined for 22 of UT’s 23 fourth-quarter points to lead the Lady Vols to an 83-76 victory on Senior Day.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will play their final regular-season home game of the season on Thursday, hosting South Carolina in a 7 p.m. ET matchup that will be broadcast on ESPN.
DYNAMIC DUO: Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston were UT’s top scorers, finishing with 27 and 19, respectively, to produce 46 of UT’s 83 points. Twenty-two of those points came in the fourth quarter and were crucial to securing the victory. One of the two has now led Tennessee in scoring in 26 of 29 games this season.
COUNT ON ‘KEA: With 27 points against Auburn, Rickea Jackson logged her fourth straight game with 20+ points, 12th of the season, the ninth in SEC play, and notched her 25th double-digit effort of 2022-23, the 13th time against an SEC opponent.
DARBY FROM DISTANCE: With a season-high five made threes against Auburn, Tess Darby tied her career-best effort from beyond the arc and logged her 10th game of the season with three or more treys. That moved her career total of made threes to 114, pulling within 19 of catching Sidney Spencer to land among the top 10 career totals in program history.
TESS HEATING UP: Tess Darby tied her career high of 17 points against Auburn to land in double figures for the fourth straight game. It is her ninth double-digit performance of the season, with eight of those coming in SEC play. She is averaging 7.8 ppg. on the season but 9.9 ppg. in conference games and 13.0 ppg. over the last four contests.
JP WITH CLUTCH ASSISTS:Jasmine Powell dished out a season-high-tying eight assists against the Tigers, recording her 13th game this season with four or more dimes. The senior has now led the Lady Vols in assists in 12 contests this season and is averaging 3.2 apg.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT: Tennessee is averaging 86.5 points per game over its last four outings, generating nine scoring outputs of 20+ points in the last 12 quarters of action, including three 20-point stanzas vs. Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Auburn. UT reached 83 points on Sunday via 56.0-percent shooting, which was its second highest of the season.
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The eighth-ranked Tennessee softball team split its final two games of the Puerto Vallarta Challenge Saturday at Nancy Almarez Stadium. UT dropped game one to Cal State Fullerton 5-4 before bouncing back in the nightcap, defeating Liberty 5-1.
Senior Kiki Milloy had a stellar weekend in Mexico and continued her tear Saturday going 4-for-6 (.667) at the plate with three home runs, five RBIs and four runs scored over two games. For the weekend, she hit .615 (8-for-13), scored eight runs, roped three doubles and smashed four home runs with eight RBIs.
Donihoo hit .429 (6-for-14) on the weekend, had a team-high four doubles and drove in five runs, while scoring four herself. Koutsoyanopulos was 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate over UT’s four games. The Arizona transfer scored three runs, hit three doubles and registered seven RBIs.
The Orange & White are now 6-1 on the year following three wins in Mexico.
GAME ONE: #8 TENNESSEE 4, CAL STATE FULLERTON 5 Tennessee took advantage of the only error Cal State Fullerton made to score the game’s first run in the bottom of third. Shortstop Mackenzie Donihoo roped a single to center field that allowed Amanda Ahlin to score from second – Ahlin had reached on an error earlier in the inning. Fullerton’s Hannah Becer quickly tied the game in the next half inning with a solo home run to left.
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Megan Delgadillo pushed a single into the outfield to make it 2-1 Fullerton. After UT got the inning’s second out at home, Becer came back to the plate and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Titans a 3-1 advantage.
It was then Tennessee’s turn to answer back. With a runner on, Milloy hit her third career homer in Puerto Vallarta to tie the game at 3-3 with two innings left to play.
The Titans (5-3) had the response again. Alexia Lopez doubled to the gap in right center to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Deshea Hill would ground out to drive in the first run, then Antuanett Dean legged out an infield single to plate the second run and pushed Fullerton’s lead back out to two at 5-3.
The Lady Vols hit back in the bottom of the sixth as Milloy lifted a fly ball to right deep enough for a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4.
Tennessee threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with two out. Unfortunately, the Titans’ Myka Sutherlin ended the game with a strikeout.
Freshman Karlyn Pickens suffered the loss for UT and is 1-1 this season.
GAME TWO: #8 TENNESSEE 5, LIBERTY 1 Milloy opened the scoring with her fourth career home run in Puerto Vallarta and fourth this season as she smoked a first-inning leadoff home run to right. The Woodenville, Washington, native has smacked three leadoff home runs this season – two coming in the game’s first at-bat.
The Lady Vols tacked onto their lead in the top of the fourth as Giulia Koutsoyanopulos stole home, sliding in under the tag to make it a two-run game.
The Milloy Magic continued in the fifth as she led off the inning with yet another leadoff blast, this time over the left field fence – giving UT a 3-0 lead. It marked her fifth home run hit during her career in Mexico, fifth of the 2023 season – fourth of the tournament – and her fourth leadoff homer this year.
Liberty (1-8) got a run back in the sixth as Devyn Howard hit a solo home run to left, cutting UT’s lead to two runs at 3-1. In the next half inning, the Lady Vols hit back with a pair of runs. With two away and Milloy standing on second, Zaida Puni lined a single to center, plating Milloy and restoring Tennessee’s three run advantage.
Freshman Brylee Mesusan came on to pinch run for Puni and moved up to second on a wild pitch before Koutsoyanopulos singled to center to push her across to plate – increasing the Lady Vols’ lead to 5-1 – the final margin of victory.
Bowling Green transfer Payton Gottshall was excellent in the pitcher’s circle for the Lady Vols, tossing 6.1 innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out six. She picked up the win and is now 2-0 on the year.
OFFENSE HUMMING Tennessee’s offense has been humming along to start the year. Through seven games, the Lady Vols are out-scoring opponents 64-9. Additionally, eight Lady Vols who meet the minimum are hitting .300 or better – including four who are at .400 or higher.
UP NEXT Tennessee will make its second trip to Tampa this season as it plays in the USF Tournament on the campus of South Florida. The tournament runs Friday through Sunday, Feb. 24-26. UT will face Michigan State, USF, Clemson and UIC.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tennessee cut a 20-point halftime deficit all the way down to eight points, but was unable to overcome a sluggish first half on the road Saturday, falling 66-54 at Kentucky.
Santiago Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack led the second-half charge for Tennessee (20-7, 9-5 SEC). Vescovi scored all of his 17 points after halftime, while Mashack finished with career-high totals in points (16) and rebounds (8), scoring nine of his 16 points in the second half.
After trailing by 20 points at the break, Tennessee began its second-half run right out of the gates, immediately rattling off a 7-0 spurt to cut Kentucky’s lead to 39-26. From there, the Vols steadily chipped away at the Wildcats’ lead—trimming the deficit to eight point on two occasions.
The first came after a 9-3 Tennessee run—seven points of which were scored by Mashack—that made the score 58-50 with 7:25 remaining. Kentucky, however, responded with four straight points, and Tennessee was unable to get the lead back down to eight again until there were just more than two minutes remaining.
In total, 26 of Tennessee’s 35 second-half points came from Vescovi and Mashack.
After an opening half in which it shot just 26 percent from the field and 1-of-13 from 3-point range, Tennessee trailed 39-19 at halftime.
Tennessee began the first half making just one of its first 11 field-goal attempts, allowing Kentucky to jump out to a 10-2 lead in the opening eight minutes of the game.
The Vols narrowed the Wildcats’ lead down to four after their initial spurt with a quick 6-2 run, but Kentucky went on to outscore Tennessee 24-9 in the final eight minutes of the first half to take a 20-point lead into the halftime break.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is back on the road for a rematch of last year’s SEC Tournament championship game against Texas A&M on Tuesday in Bryan-College Station. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
VESCOVI CLIMBS TO THIRD ON UT’s ALL-TIME 3-POINT LIST: With three made 3-pointers Saturday, senior Santiago Vescovi moved into a tie for third place with VFL JaJuan Smith (2004-08) on Tennessee’s career list. Vescovi now has 253 career 3-point makes.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sunday will be Senior Day 2023 on Rocky Top, as Tennessee (19-9, 11-2 SEC) welcomes Auburn (14-11, 4-9 SEC) for a 12:02 p.m. ET matinee at Thompson-Boling Arena.
UT will honor a record seven seniors, including several who have the option to return in 2023-24. The 2022-23 senior group includes Jasmine Franklin, Jordan Horston, Rickea Jackson, Tamari Key, Jasmine Powell, Jessie Rennie and Jordan Walker. According to all-time rosters, it appears UT honored five players in 2011-12, 2007-08 (including redshirt junior Candace Parker), 1983-84 and 1974-75.
This will mark the 60th meeting between these programs, with UT holding a 47-12 series advantage, including 23-2 vs. AU in contests played in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols enter the contest holding down third place in the SEC standings, while the Tigers are in 10th position with three games to play.
Tennessee is coming off one of its finest performances of the season, an 87-67 blowout at Arkansas in which the Lady Vols scored 20+ points in three different quarters, five players reached double figures in points, two players registered double-doubles and the team dominated the glass by an incredible 59-25 advantage. UT has won three of its past four games, including its last two by margins of 27 and 20 over Vanderbilt and Arkansas, respectively.
Auburn has won one of its last four, but it snapped a three-game losing skid Thursday night at home vs. Texas A&M, earning a 65-55 triumph over the Aggies.
Game Info./Promotions
Senior Day pregame festivities will begin at 11:38 p.m. ET (19:00 on clock). Fans should be in their seats early so they won’t miss honoring seven 2023 seniors.
Gates C & E will open at 11 a.m. to ticketed fans.
The Weekend Family 4 Pack Deal will be on sale, featuring four tickets & four $10 concessions vouchers starting at $72 (plus tax/fees).
Free parking and shuttle service are available from the Ag Campus (Lot CF near Brehm & Food Science Bldgs.).
For additional details and information, please call 865-974-1734 or visit the Fans tab on UTSports.com and click on the Fan Experience link.
I-40 Construction Delays Alert
Some I-40 lane closures will be in place on Sunday, which may cause some backups prior to and after the game (on I-40).
An additional traffic advisory includes James White Parkway, Neyland Drive & Hall of Fame Drive rolling roadblocks prior to the game.
Fans are encouraged to leave home a little earlier to arrive for Senior Day.
Broadcast Information
Sunday’s game will be televised on ESPN2, with Tom Hart (PxP) and Debbie Antonelli (Analyst) on the call.
All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice on the call and Andy Brock serving as studio host.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
The Lady Vol Network broadcast also is available on satellite radio via SiriusXM Ch. 374 and SXM App Ch. 374.
Due to an extra season of eligibility being made available to those losing a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, several members of the class have the option to return for the 2023-24 season.
Horston, Key and Rennie arrived for Kellie Harper‘s first season as head coach in 2019-20 and comprise her first four-year class at Tennessee. All three would have a “COVID year” remaining.
Walker is in her third season at UT after spending three (and playing two) at Western Michigan. Her eligibility will be exhausted.
Franklin, Jackson and Powell are in their first season at UT after transferring from Missouri State, Mississippi State and Minnesota, respectively. Only Franklin has completed her eligibility.
Franklin, Horston, Jackson, Powell and Walker are 1,000-point scorers during their careers, giving Tennessee its first-ever roster with five 1K players. Key would have made it six if not for the medical condition which ended her season in December.
During her time at MSU and UT, Franklin also pulled down more than 1,000 rebounds.
Horston is one of only four all-time players at Tennessee with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists and has more double-doubles (19) than any other true guard in program history.
She also ranks 32nd on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,302), stands seventh in career assists per game (4.06) and tallied a 9.4 rebound average as a junior that tied for the sixth-best in UT annals.
Key is the school’s record-holder for most blocks in a career (295) and season (119) and most career triple-doubles (2). She also is fourth in career field goal percentage (.593).
Lots Of Connections In This One
This year’s Tennessee squad features two players who hail from the state of Alabama, two coaches who spent their childhood there, and two more coaches who worked at Auburn.
Striplin’s parents were student-athletes at Auburn, with dad Jim Bob playing football and mom Karie playing softball there.
UT assistant Samantha Williams was born in Luverne, Ala., before later moving to Louisville, Ky., while Joy McCorvey is from Brewton, Ala., and graduated from T.R. Miller High School.
Head coach Kellie Harper spent two years from 1999-2001 on Joe Ciampi’s staff at Auburn (admin. asst., then assistant coach), while Jon Harper graduated from Auburn and spent three seasons as a practice player, manager and intern for Ciampi from 1996-99.
Samantha Williams played for the Tigers and Ciampi from 1992-96, connecting with Jon Harper during that time and facing off against UT as a senior in 1995-96 when Kellie was a freshman Lady Vol.
Lady Vol strength and conditioning coach Bryan Tatum worked with Auburn football from 2014-21.
Pursuing 20 Wins For The 46th Time
Tennessee is seeking its 46th all-time 20-win season, dating back to 1974.
This would mark Tennessee’s third 20-win season in Kellie Harper‘s four seasons as head coach, with the 2020-21 total of 17 impacted by several COVID-related game cancelations that no doubt would have pushed the Lady Vols to the 20-victory plateau.
UT Offense Shifting Into High Gear
Over its past three games, Tennessee is averaging 87.7 points per game, with 91 at Mississippi State, 86 vs. Vanderbilt and 87 at Arkansas.
That has elevated the Lady Vols to No. 2 in scoring in league games at 76.77 this season behind South Carolina (82.31) and ahead of LSU (76.15).
Rickea Jackson is averaging 24.7 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line over the last three.
UT is +23.3 in rebounding (52.0 to 28.7), including a 49-22 advantage on the offensive glass.
Looking Back At The Arkansas Game
Tennessee outscored Arkansas in the opening stanza 25-9 and led wire to wire, taking a commanding 87-67 win on the road on Thursday night in Bud Walton Arena.
Seniors Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston each recorded a double-double to lead the Lady Vols (19-9, 11-2 SEC). Jackson finished with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Horston logged 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Three other Lady Vols were in double digits, with junior Tess Darby posting 11 points, and graduate Jordan Walker and senior Jasmine Powell each turning in 10.
Erynn Barnum was the high scorer for Arkansas (19-9, 6-7 SEC) with 25 points. Chrissy Carr and Samara Spencer also had strong outings with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
JP Hits 1K
With the first three-pointer of her 10-point evening against Arkansas, Jasmine Powell eclipsed 1,000 career points and now standing at 1,007.
It is just the second time this season UT has had five players score 10 or more points, with the previous occasion coming against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, 2022, when Tennessee won 105-71.
Double-Digit Darby
Tess Darby drained three treys against Arkansas and finished with 11 points on the night.
She has now scored in double figures in three straight games and in eight contests on the season with seven of those coming in SEC play.
Over the last three outings, she is averaging 11.7 ppg.
UT/AU Notes
The Lady Vols are 23-2 vs. the Tigers in games held in Knoxville, 15-6 in games played at Auburn and 9-4 at neutral sites.
During her freshman season, Jordan Horston hit a runner in the lane with 0.6 left on the game clock to give the Lady Vols a 56-55 win.
UT is 2-0 vs. AU in overtime games, winning extra-frame contests in Knoxville vs. the Tigers in 1996 and 2004.
Tennessee and Auburn played for the 1989 NCAA Championship in Tacoma, Wash., with the Lady Vols prevailing, 76-60.
Tennessee also beat the Tigers in regional finals in 1987 and 1991 en route to NCAA Final Fours they would end up winning.
UT and AU four times played for SEC Tourney titles from 1985 to 1990, with the Lady Vols winning three of those (1985, 1988, 1989).
Kellie Harper is 3-3 all-time vs. Auburn, going 2-1 the past two seasons as UT’s coach and winning in 2012 while at NC State. She was 0-2 vs. AU (with Nell Fortner at the helm) while leading Western Carolina.
A Look At The Tigers
Auburn is led by two scorers in double figures, including Aicha Coulibaly (16.4) and Honesty Scott-Grayson (12.5).
The Tigers force 19.4 turnovers per contest.
AU holds foes to a 39.7 field goal percentage.
Auburn gets out-rebounded on average 39.9-36.1.
AU’s Last Game
Aicha Coulibaly scored 18 points, and Auburn overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half to defeat Texas A&M 65-55 Thursday at Neville Arena.
On a night when Auburn missed a dozen free throws, Sania Wells secured the win by going 10-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter, finishing with 13 points.
Last Meeting Between UT/Auburn
No. 4/5 Tennessee suffered its first conference loss of the season on Jan. 27, 2022, falling 71-61 at Auburn.
Junior Jordan Horston led UT (18-2, 7-1 SEC) in scoring with 21 points, and graduate Jordan Walker tied her season high with 17.
Aicha Coulibaly was the leading scorer for Auburn (9-10, 1-7 SEC) with 26 points. Sania Wells, Jala Jordan, and Annie Hughes added 13, 11, and 10, respectively.
Last Time In Knoxville
The No. 20/21 Lady Vols closed the regular season by defeating Auburn on Feb. 28, 2021, racing to an 88-54 Senior Day victory at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee was led by senior Rennia Davis, who logged a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in her final game on The Summitt. Fellow senior Kasiyahna Kushkituah also had a big day, turning in a career-high 19 points and adding eight rebounds.
Alaina Rice led Auburn (5-18, 0-15 SEC) with 11 points, while Unique Thompson and Alycia Reese added 10.
Upcoming Games
Tennessee closes out its 2022-23 regular-season slate at Thompson-Boling Arena when No. 1/1 South Carolina visits on Thursday for a 7 p.m. ET tip on ESPN.
The Lady Vols will conclude the regular season schedule next Sunday, traveling to Lexington to take on Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum. Tip time for that matchup is slated for 2 p.m. on SEC Network.
Coming off a win over the nation’s top-ranked team, 10th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball heads north for a rivalry showdown with Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch Saturday’s game on CBS and online or on any mobile device through the CBS Sports app. Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analysis) will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee (20-6, 9-4 SEC) is fresh off its sixth win in program history over a No. 1 ranked team, as the Vols defeated top-ranked Alabama on Wednesday at Thompson-Boling Arena, 68-59. The Vols have now won five straight games over top-five teams, including two this season.
Making his second career start, sophomore forward Jonas Aidoo recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, also tallying three blocks. Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points, while Zeigler had eight assists and Vescovi had eight rebounds.
Saturday’s game in Lexington marks the second meeting of the season between Tennessee and Kentucky, as the Wildcats came away with the victory in Knoxville on Jan. 14. The Vols have won three of their past five games at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.
Up next, is back on the road for a rematch of last year’s SEC Tournament championship game against Texas A&M on Tuesday in College Station. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
THE SERIES • Tennessee trails the all-time series with Kentucky, 159-77, dating to 1910. • The Vols have won eight of the last 14 meetings overall. • The Wildcats have a 92-19 edge when the series is played in Lexington, but Tennessee has won three of the last five meetings at Rupp Arena. • In four games against Kentucky as an upperclassman, Santiago Vescovi averages 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting .391 from 3-point range. • In SEC road games, this season, Tennessee has not allowed the home team to reach the 70-point mark.
SCOUTING REPORT • The Vols occupy the No. 3 spot in the NCAA’s NET ratings after holding steady at No. 2 from Jan. 3 through Feb. 8. Tennessee has six quad 1 wins. • Tennessee joins Kansas State and Iowa State as the only teams in the country that own at least three wins over teams currently ranked in the top 10 of the NET ratings. • During SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in scoring defense (58.6 ppg), assists per game (16.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.44). • Zakai Zeigler has four points/assists double-doubles this season, which rank second in program history for a career—Rodney Woods had five from 1972-75. • With its triumph over Alabama Wednesday, Tennessee became one of only 17 Division I programs to own at least six all-time wins over AP No. 1-ranked opponents.
THE NATION’S BEST DEFENSE • For the 12th straight week, the Volunteers own the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country per KenPom, allowing only 85.8 points per 100 possessions. • Tennessee owns Division I’s best field-goal percentage defense (.355) and 3-point defense (.247) along with the nation’s third-best scoring defense (56.4 ppg). • 11 times this season, the Vols have held their opponents to 50 points or less. • Only four teams have reached the 70-point mark against these Vols. • Only six opposing players have scored 20 or more points against the Vols this season. • Tennessee has trailed at the break only five times this season and is outscoring its opponents 34.0 ppg to 26.0 ppg in first-half action (+8.0 ppg).
ABOUT KENTUCKY • Kentucky (17-9, 8-5 SEC) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 71-68 win at Mississippi State Wednesday. • Even with its recent two-game skid, the Wildcats have won seven of their past nine SEC games after starting 1-3 in conference play. • Kentucky, currently ranked No. 40 in the NET, is 2-7 in Quadrant 1 games this season—the lone wins coming at Tennessee on Jan. 14 and at Mississippi State on Wednesday. • The Wildcats are 12-3 inside Rupp Arena this season—with losses to South Carolina, Kansas and Arkansas. • Reigning unanimous National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe has continued his dominant play this season. Tshiebwe leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (13.3 rpg) and blocks (1.0 bpg). • Tshiebwe’s 13.2 rebounds per game lead all Division I players. Tshiebwe also ranks fourth among all Division I players with 15 double-doubles this season. • During SEC play, Tshiebwe is averaging a league-leading 13.7 rebounds per game as well as 15.6 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference. • Illinois State transfer guard Antonio Reeves has also made a large impact for the Wildcats this season, ranking second on the team with a 13.2 points per game average and shooting .421 from 3-point range. Reeves has scored in double figures during 11 of Kentucky’s last 12 games. • According to KenPom, Kentucky is ranked 17th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and 101st in adjusted defensive efficiency.
LAST CLASH WITH KENTUCKY • Fifth-ranked Tennessee fell to Kentucky, 63-56, on Jan. 14, 2023, at Thompson-Boling Arena. • Tennessee brought the game back to a tie with 5:50 remaining, but a late Kentucky run provided distance that helped the Wildcats fend off a six-point scoring run by the Volunteers with just over a minute left. The Vols could not get the elusive equalizer to fall, as multiple driving layups rattled in and out of the tin late. • UK capitalized on strong rebounding, besting the Vols 43-23 on the boards. Despite being out-rebounded, Tennessee found its offensive stride in the paint, doubling up the Wildcats, 36-18. • Uros Plavsic answered the bell in the post, dropping a career-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He did so largely battling Kentucky big Oscar Tshiebwe, a physical matchup on both ends of the floor. • Santiago Vescovi finished with 13 points and a game-high four steals. • The Vols roared out of the blocks, starting the game on an 8-0 run for the first four and a half minutes of play. Kentucky countered with a 13-2 run of its own. A 12-3 UK run in the final four minutes of the half gave the Cats a 33-26 lead at the break. • Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 18 points, while Tshiebwe totaled 15 points and 13 rebounds. • With the loss, Tennessee saw its 25-game home win streak come to an end.
SERIES HISTORY & NOTES • The Kentucky series is UT’s oldest and most-played among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910, and have clashed 236 times over the years. • No program in college basketball has logged more wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (77). • The Vols have beaten the Wildcats just six times at Rupp Arena, posting victories in 1977, 1979, 1999, 2006, 2018, 2020 and 2021. Half of those wins have taken place during the Barnes era. • Kentucky is one of only two SEC schools (Alabama) to lead its all-time series against the Volunteers. • Four Tennessee All-Americans were Kentucky natives: Allan Houston, Chris Lofton, Danny Schultz and Paul “Lefty” Walther. • On Saturday, John Calipari will coach his 36th career game against the Vols. No active collegiate head coach has faced Tennessee more. • Since Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01 with Memphis, Tennessee has dealt him 15 losses. No team has more wins over Calipari-coached teams during that span.
RIVALRY RECHARGED • Since Rick Barnes‘ arrival on Rocky Top (2015), the border rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats has been recharged in a major way. • Barnes has led the Volunteers to a 10-8 overall record against the Wildcats, including at least one win in each of the last seven seasons. • Since current UK coach John Calipari has been in Lexington, Tennessee is the only program to have logged wins over Kentucky for seven straight seasons. • Tennessee is the first program to defeat Kentucky at least once for seven straight seasons since the Vols beat the Wildcats in seven straight years from 1979-85. Alabama managed an eight-year win streak over UK from 1978-85. The Vols could match that this season. • Spanning the first eight years of the Barnes era at UT, the Vols are 5-3 against Kentucky in Knoxville, 3-4 vs. the Cats in Lexington and 2-1 against UK in neutral-site clashes at the SEC Tournament.
CONTEXTUALIZING TENNESSEE’S SUCCESS VS. UK UNDER BARNES • From 1995-2015—a period that spanned the tenures of six UT head coaches—Tennessee’s record against Kentucky was a combined 9-33, including a 7-26 mark against ranked UK squads. • The Vols under Rick Barnes are 10-8 vs. Kentucky over eight seasons, with a 9-5 record against ranked UK teams. • For five of UT’s Barnes-era wins over the Wildcats, Kentucky was ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25.
BARNES + CALIPARI = 1,500+ WINS • Saturday’s game features the two winningest coaches (total career Division I wins) in the SEC. • John Calipari is the league’s active leader in career wins, with 785. Rick Barnes is a close second with 774 victories to his credit. • Among all active Division I head coaches, Calipari and Barnes rank tied for fourth and sixth, respectively, in total head coaching wins. See chart on Page 11. • Barnes and Calipari became friends while working a Pitt basketball camp in the late 1970s. The star player at that camp? Current Xavier head coach Sean Miller.
VOLS’ DEFENSE FEROCIOUS • The Vols in January achieved the best defensive efficiency rating in the 22-year history of analytics guru Ken Pomeroy’s website, KenPom.com, at 80.6. • Tennessee still leads the nation in KenPom’s defensive efficiency at 85.8 points per 100 possessions. • Tennessee’s scoring defense of 56.4 ppg is the third-best in the country, trailing only Houston and North Texas. • The Vols lead the country in 3-point percentage defense (.247) by a wide margin. Alabama is second with a percentage of .263. Since at least 1999-2000, no Division I team has held its opponents under 25 percent shooting from 3-point range over the course of an entire season. • Tennessee has held 13 of 26 opponents to 33 percent shooting or worse. • The Vols average 30.7 deflections and 18.3 points off turnovers per game.
MASHACK SMOTHERED MILLER • Alabama’s Brandon Miller is a National Freshman of the Year contender and projected NBA Lottery Pick. • He was held to 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting during UT’s 68-59 win on Feb. 15 in Knoxville. • When Miller was guarded by Jahmai Mashack, Miller was 0-for-6 from the field with four points. Against other defenders, Miller scored 11 on 4-of-5 shooting.
Knoxville Police have charged a man with multiple counts including first-degree murder and rape following a welfare check at an East Knoxville this (Friday) morning where officers found a man dead inside.
57-year-old Joe Whitaker is also charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and other additional charges after KPD officers responding to the 3100 block of Bellevue Street found that man and two other people, including Whitaker, inside of the home, they were detained.
Further investigation revealed that Whitaker had reportedly stabbed and killed the victim on February 12.
Authorities are investigating after a student is charged with making a possible threat at Jefferson Middle School.
This morning, staff at the school received the call about a threat so School officials along with the School Resource Officer immediately began an investigation.
Investigators with Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson City Police Department assisted in this investigation which resulted in charges being placed on a male student for making a threat of mass destruction on school property.
Officials says at no time, was the safety of students or faculty in jeopardy.
