KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After helping lead the Tennessee men’s basketball team to two victories at the Baha Mar Championship and earning the tournament’s MVP award, Chaz Lanier was honored Monday afternoon as the Lute Olson National Player of the Week.
In his first season on Rocky Top, the fifth-year guard from Nashville, Tenn., averaged 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest in the Volunteers’ pair of games in Nassau, Bahamas. He shot 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from long range in the two games, helping the team win the tournament title.
In Thursday’s 64-42 victory over Virginia, in which Tennessee doubled the Cavaliers, 42-21, after the halftime break, Lanier registered 26 points and four rebounds, going 6-of-12 from 3-point range.
He complemented that performance with a 25-point effort on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc in Tennessee’s dominate 77-62 win over No. 13/14 Baylor, including a remarkable 7-of-8 ledger in the first half. The seven 3-pointers tied for the fifth-most in a game in program history and broke his career high of six, which he matched the prior day.
In the Volunteers’ two games at the Baha Mar Convention Center. Lanier totaled 43 points on 16-of-26 shooting, including an 11-of-16 mark from deep.
Lanier also won the SEC Player of the Week Award following his showing, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office.
The 2025 Lute Olson National Player of the Year award will be announced in April in San Antonio, site of the 2025 men’s NCAA basketball championship.
Lanier and No. 7/6 Tennessee (6-0) return home for a Wednesday matchup versus in-state foe UT Martin at 4 p.m. at Food City Center, live on SEC Network+.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Medic Regional Blood Center loses the 37th annual blood drive against Kentucky who keeps the trophy for the third year in a row but Medic is still a winner. Both Blood Centers have been able to stock blood supplies during a period when donations are low.
Kentucky collected 2,453 pints of blood during the week long blood drive while Medic collected 2,059 units which will be helpful during the holiday season.
At approximately 5:20 am this morning (Tuesday), Knox County 911 Communications District received a call about their neighbors house on fire. The caller stated that they could see flames on their neighbor’s roof.
When the first engine company arrived, they had heavy fire through the roof of the home. The crew from the first due company was able to make entry into the home to attack the fire. Most of the fire was in the attic in the back part of the home.
The fire was mostly extinguished by 5:40 am with the rear of the home suffering major fire and water damage.
As of 6:15 am crews were still on scene extinguishing hotspots.
There was one individual and 5 cats living in the home. The homeowner was able to escape without injury and crews are working to locate the animals.
There are no injuries to report of personnel or citizens.
Knoxville Fire Department investigators are on scene working to determine a cause.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Thanksgiving travelers will not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during this holiday. TDOT will halt all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state. All construction-related lane closures will be stopped beginning at noon on Wednesday, November 27, through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024.
“Thanksgiving is typically the most traveled holiday of the year,” said Deputy Governor & TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “Halting road work during this time will provide maximum capacity on our highways and help alleviate congestion, especially during the predicted peak travel days of Wednesday and Sunday. TDOT’s HELP Truck drivers will be working throughout the holiday weekend to assist with incidents that may occur along the interstates. Watch out for them – move over, slow down. It’s the law.”
AAA predicts record-setting travel numbers for Thanksgiving. In Tennessee, 1.8 million will take a road trip; an increase of 27,000 people from last year’s holiday.
While all lane closure activity will be stopped, workers may be on-site in some construction zones. Long-term lane closures will also remain in place on some construction projects for motorists’ safety. Motorists are reminded to drive safely and obey the posted speeds, especially in work zones. Drivers convicted of speeding in work zones where workers are present face a fine of up to $500, plus court fees and possibly increased insurance premiums.
Get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras from your desktop or mobile device at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 for statewide travel information. As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for their destination.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team jumped into the top seven of both major polls this week, as announced Monday afternoon.
Tennessee (6-0) climbed four places in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to seventh in the country, as well as ascended three places in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to sixth nationally.
This is the 63rd straight week Tennessee is ranked in the AP Poll, a streak spanning four years and dating to the 2021-22 preseason release. That mark is 26 weeks longer than the previous program high of 37 and is the third-longest active ledger in the nation, behind just Houston (89) and Kansas (68). The only other school at even 45-plus weeks is Arizona (61), while the closest SEC program is Kentucky (25), tied for No. 10 overall and 38 weeks behind.
The Volunteers are in the AP top 15 for the 37th time in the last 40 releases, a figure that extends to Nov. 28, 2022. In addition, this is the fifth consecutive year Tennessee has entered the AP top 10. It has a total of 59 AP top-10 rankings in head coach Rick Barnes‘ 10-year tenure.
Tennessee is coming off a 2-0 week, with both games in Nassau, Bahamas, at the Baha Mar Championship, which it won. It opened the tournament with a 64-42 triumph Thursday over Virginia behind 26 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier. The next day, Lanier scored 25 points, all in the first half, to help the team knock off No. 13/14 Baylor, 77-62, in the final.
In their six outings thus far, the Volunteers have led for 228 minutes and 13 seconds and trailed for only four minutes and 39 seconds. They have held an edge of at least 26 points in each game and have not faced a deficit larger than three.
Tennessee registered 1,116 points in the AP Poll balloting, a 174-point jump from last week and only nine shy of sixth-place Houston. It accumulated 587 points in the Coaches Poll, a 125-point improvement and just six behind fifth-place Iowa State.
The Volunteers are one of eight teams in the top 25 of both polls, joining No. 2/3 Auburn, eighth-ranked Kentucky, ninth-ranked Alabama, No. 18/16 Florida, No. 19/21 Arkansas, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 23/24 Ole Miss. Additionally, Mississippi State is No. 25 in the AP Poll and third in the receiving votes section of the Coaches Poll.
Beyond that, Texas is in the top three of the receiving votes category on each list, while Georgia also received votes in both polls. Vanderbilt garnered points in the AP Poll, while LSU did so in the Coaches Poll. In total, 13 of the SEC’s 16 teams earned votes in at least one poll, with nine ranked in either or both.
Tennessee wraps up the first month of the season Wednesday at 4 p.m. when it squares off with UT Martin, live on SEC Network+ from Food City Center.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Nashville, TN (WOKI) A bill that would limit cell phone use in Tennessee classrooms has been introduced.
House Bill 13 (HB13), introduced Tuesday by State Representative Republican Scott Cepicky, would require school boards to adopt policies prohibiting students from using “wireless communication devices” during class, with some exceptions.
Exceptions include using phones for educational purposes, under the directive of teachers, for student health emergencies and for the needs of disabled students.
The measure would also allow teachers to take devices from students who break the rules of the usage policies.
Currently, at least eight states have cell phone restrictions in schools.
The 114th Tennessee General Assembly is set to convene on January 14.
Currently, at least eight states have cell phone restrictions in schools. (Tennessee State Capitol / Credit: State of Tennessee)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 11 Tennessee overcame a slow start, exploding for 28 second-quarter points on its way to a 56-0 shutout of UTEP in front of a sellout crowd of 101,915 on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium.
UT running back Dylan Sampson, the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker semifinalist, finished with 77 yards and a score on 11 carries and two receptions for 25 yards. With his second-quarter touchdown run, the junior from Baton Rouge, La., passed Gene McEver for the most TDs (22) and points (132) in a season by a Vol. Those respective school records were both established 95 years ago by McEver (21 touchdowns, 130 points) during the 1929 campaign.
With the win, the Vols (9-2) improved to 7-0 on their home turf this season and recorded their 14th-consecutive triumph over a non-conference opponent. The Miners, who outgained UT in total yards in the first quarter, 76-37, before the home team started clicking, fell to 2-9 on the season.
After struggling to find its rhythm over the opening 10 minutes, the Big Orange hit its stride in the second period to put the game away. It dominated UTEP in total yardage, 189-52, averaging nine yards per play and tallying four touchdowns. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava went 10 of 12 passing during that spree, racking up 133 yards and three scoring tosses. The redshirt freshman signal-caller finished the day 17 of 23 for 209 yards with a career-high four passing TDs.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Bru McCoy led the Tennessee receiving corps with four catches for 37 yards and two scores. Not only did McCoy record his first touchdown of the season, he carded the first multi-touchdown game of his career. Freshman running back Peyton Lewis joined McCoy in the two-score club, rushing for a pair while carrying seven times for 46 yards.
Defensively, the Vols limited the Miners to 230 total yards and only 81 on the ground, racking up four sacks, five quarterback hurries and 15 tackles for losses. Junior LEO James Pearce Jr. had two sacks to run his season total to 7.5 and his career tally to 19.5. Sophomore cornerback Jermod McCoy and sophomore safety John Slaughter came up with interceptions, while freshman STAR Boo Carter had a team-high six tackles and aided special teams with 61 yards on three flashy punt returns.
After UTEP’s Joe Bowman came up well short on a 49-yard field goal attempt with 1:22 to go in the first quarter, the game went into the second frame scoreless. The Vols were finally able to get on the scoreboard, however, punctuating a nine-play, 68-yard drive that began with that missed kick. Sampson’s 14-yard, record-setting scamper up the middle was the capper, and Max Gilbert’s PAT gave the Vols a 7-0 lead with 13:22 left in the half.
The defense set their offensive teammates up for another score midway through the second period, when sophomore Vols cornerback Ricky Gibson III stripped the ball from receiver Trey Goodman, and redshirt senior defensive end Dominic Bailey was there to recover at the UTEP 36. Four plays later, Iamaleava fired a screen pass to junior wideout Squirrel White in the flats, and White raced nine yards into the end zone. Gilbert’s point-after boosted the advantage to 14-0 with 7:33 remaining before the half.
Tennessee put points on the board again after an 18-yard punt return from Carter set the Vols up at the UTEP 19 with 2:40 on the clock. After snaring a pass from Iamaleava and rumbling down to the one-yard-line, redshirt freshman tight end Ethan Davis scored on the next play via a one-yard TD toss. Gilbert’s PAT made it 21-0, Big Orange, with 2:19 remaining in the second period.
After a Pearce Jr. sack of quarterback JP Pickles ended a late UTEP drive at the UT 46 with 1:01 to go, Tennessee needed only six plays to tack on to its second-quarter outburst. Iamaleava found McCoy open in the back corner of the end zone from 18 yards out, and Gilbert’s kick increased the gap to 28-0 to close out the first half.
The Big Orange scoring frenzy continued in the third frame with a repeat McCoy score, this time on a seven-yard pass with 13:32 remaining. UT added a three-yard run from Lewis at the 8:09 mark and his second score with 1:30 to go to take a 48-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Tennessee padded its margin in the final frame, as sophomore running back Cameron Seldon recorded his first career touchdown on a three-yard run to make it 56-0 and close out the game’s scoring.
UP NEXT Tennessee will be in Nashville next Saturday to take on Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium in the final game of the regular season. Kickoff is slated for noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with the contest televised by ABC and carried on the Vol Network via radio stations statewide as well as on UTSports.com.
NASSAU, Bahamas – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team scored 16 of the first 18 points Friday night against No. 13/14 Baylor in the Baha Mar Championship final and never looked back, en route to a commanding 77-62 triumph.
No. 11/9 Tennessee (6-0) claimed its second trophy in the Bahamas in the last three years—it won the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis—behind a game-high 25 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, all in the first half alone. His dazzling start helped the victors lead wire-to-wire, including by 20-plus for nearly 19 consecutive minutes, at the Baha Mar Convention Center.
The Volunteers immediately grabbed control of the game, grabbing a 16-2 advantage after just 3:53 of action behind a scintillating 5-of-5 long-range barrage from Lanier that included three straight makes in 74 seconds.
Tennessee upped its run to 16-2 over 5:42 to extend its edge all the way to 19, 23-4, with 11:40 on the first-half clock. Baylor (4-2) scored the next five points, but senior guard Jordan Gainey then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 20-point margin, 29-9, with 8:20 left in the frame, pushing the team’s 3-point ledger to 8-of-17. Lanier added a layup to make it an 8-0 run in 2:10 and push it to 31-9 with 7:34 on the ticker.
The Volunteers stretched the cushion as high as 28, 42-14, with 3:47 to go in the session after scoring nine straight points in 2:47 and holding the Bears without a point for 3:55. It marked Tennessee’s fifth run of 7-0 or better—two were 9-0 and another was 8-0—in the opening 20 minutes.
Baylor scored six of the next eight points, but Lanier closed the frame with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send Tennessee into the intermission with a 27-point lead, 47-20. He dropped 25 first-half points on 9-of-13 shooting, including an eye-popping 7-of-8 mark from 3-point range that already tied him for the fifth-most in a full game in program history.
Tenth-year head coach Rick Barnes‘ team shot 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from deep in the first half and held Baylor to a 2-of-10 (20.0 percent) mark. It also had 13 assists and conceded just two, plus committed only four turnovers and forced nine.
Tennessee’s second-half lead did not drop below 21 until fewer than eight minutes remained, as Baylor cut it to 18, 66-48, with 7:38 to go. The Bears cut it to 17, 67-50, with 5:40 left, but Gainey hit his 3-pointer of the night just 36 seconds later to snap a drought of 8:58 without a field goal and push the margin back to 20.
The final differential of 15 points marked the lowest of the last 28-plus minutes in the thoroughly convincing decision. Tennessee led by at least a dozen points for the final 36 minutes of the contest, as its authority over the result was never seriously challenged.
Lanier took just three shots in the second half, including two on the same possession, as the Bears adjusted their defensive gameplan following his sensational opening half. The Nashville, Tenn., native, who had 17 points on 6-of-7 field-goal shooting in the first six minutes alone, chipped in four rebounds and two steals to his final line on his way to collecting Baha Mar Championship MVP plaudits.
Gainey registered 16 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the line and 3-of-6 on 3-pointers, with 10 of his points after the break. Sophomore forward Cade Phillips amassed 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 field-goal clip, adding a 3-of-4 ledger at the line, along with four rebounds and one block. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., scored 10 points, shooting 3-of-4 on field goals and 4-of-6 on free throws.
Jahmai Mashack pulled down a team-best six rebounds and garnered Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament Team designation for a two-game performance that featured tremendous defense. Fellow senior guard Zakai Zeigler had a season-best nine assists and a co-season-high three steals, with both numbers pacing all players.
Fifth-year forward Norchad Omier recorded 22 points on 8-of-10 field-goal shooting, including 17 on a perfect 6-of-6 clip in the second half, as well as pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds. Freshman guard V.J. Edgecombe, a Bahamas native, scored 20 points in the defeat, including 16 after the break. Only one other Bear had greater than four points, as fifth-year guard Jeremy Roach totaled eight on a 4-of-9 clip from the floor.
The Volunteers shot over 51.0 percent in both halves and finished the night with a 52.2 percent (24-of-46) tally, including a 44.4 percent (12-of-27) mark from 3-point range. At the other end, they limited Baylor to 27.3 percent (6-of-22) shooting from beyond the arc, plus accumulated a 30-7 margin in bench points. Barnes’ team also allowed zero fast-break points for the fourth time in six contests.
Tennessee returns home to wrap up the first month of the season with a Wednesday matinee, as it hosts UT Martin at 4 p.m. at Food City Center, live on SEC Network+.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES • Barnes now possesses 181 victories over programs with a national championship, including 41 in his 10 years at Tennessee and three already—Louisville, Virginia and Baylor—this season. • Barnes, who spent 17 years coaching in the Big 12, improved to 168-99 against the league’s current membership, including 31-9 versus Baylor and 10-8 at Tennessee. • The Volunteers moved to 32-31 all-time against current Big 12 teams and, after their first-ever matchup versus Baylor, have now faced every program in the league at least once. • Playing in the Baha Mar Championship for the first time, the Volunteers improved to 9-2 all-time in the Bahamas, now possessing six straight wins, with each of the first nine games coming in the prior 10 seasons at the Battle 4 Atlantis. • The Volunteers are now 12-10 across nine multi-team events in Barnes’ 10 years, including 9-5 outside the continental United States and 7-1 in the Bahamas. • This is Tennessee’s 15th non-home in-season tournament championship, joining the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis, 2010 NIT Season Tip-Off, 2000 Rainbow Classic, 1988 McDonald’s Classic, 1980 Sugar Bowl Classic, 1978 Cable Car Classic , 1975 Sugar Bowl Classic, 1974 Big Sun Invitational, 1965 Gulf South Classic, 1963 Gulf South Classic, 1963 Virginia Tech Tournament, 1958 Midwestern Invitational, 1949 Corn Bowl and 1941 Sugar Bowl Classic. • In total, Tennessee now possesses 35 in-season tournament crowns, as they won 20 of the 24 editions of the Volunteer Classic, which it hosted each year from 1966-67 to 1989-90. • Tennessee has won their first six games of the season for the second time in the last five campaigns, joining 2020-21 (7-0). • Dating to a Dec. 22, 2021, victory over sixth-ranked Arizona, the Volunteers are now 16-5 in their last 21 games versus AP top-15 teams, including 10-1 when the opponent is in the No. 10-15 range and 6-3 when playing at a neutral site. • Friday marked Tennessee’s fourth win by 15-plus points over an AP top-15 team under Barnes, joining triumphs over No. 18 Kansas (80-61 on Jan. 30, 2021), at seventh-ranked Missouri (73-53 on Dec. 30, 2020) and versus seventh-ranked Kentucky (71-52 on March 2, 2019). • The Volunteers played without both sophomore guard Cameron Carr (left thumb) and sophomore forward J.P. Estrella (left foot). • Tennessee has held a lead of 26-points in each of its six contests this season and still has not faced a deficit larger than three. • Through six games this year, the Volunteers have led for 228:13 and trailed for just 4:39 of a possible 240 minutes. • All six of Tennessee’s wins are by 15-plus points, with three of them away from home over Power Five opponents. • Lanier, who averaged 25.5 points per game in the event, earned Baha Mar Championship MVP recognition and Mashack collected All-Tournament Team status, with the duo joined by Omier, Roach and St. John’s’ R.J. Luis Jr. • Tennessee scored its quickest opening basket of the season, as Lanier connected on a 3-pointer just nine seconds into the contest. • Lanier’s 25 first-half points put him two shy of the record by a Volunteer in the Barnes era, a mark held by both Dalton Knecht (second half against Auburn on Feb. 28, 2024) and Kevin Punter Jr. (Jan. 23, 2016, against South Carolina). • In the first half alone, Lanier recorded the 19th occurrence of a Volunteer making seven 3-pointers in a full game and he also personally outscored the Bears by five points in the frame. • Just nine prior Tennessee players have made seven-plus 3-pointers in a game: Chris Lofton (seven times), Allan Houston (three times), Brandon Wharton (two times), Jordan McRae, Victor Bailey Jr., Lamonté Turner, JaJuan Smith, Vincent Yarbrough and Tony Harris. • Lanier is the third Volunteer in the Barnes era to make seven 3-pointers in a single game, alongside Bailey (7-of-10 on Feb. 17, 2021, versus South Carolina) and Turner (7-of-11 Dec. 6, 2016, versus Presbyterian). • A Volunteers has now scored 20-plus points in a half eight times and 25-plus thrice over the last two seasons, as Dalton Knecht achieved the feat on seven and two occasions, respectively, in 2023-24. • Before Lanier, Knecht was the last Volunteer to score 25-plus points in back-to-back games doing so in Detroit in the final two games of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as he had 26 versus Creighton (March 29, 2024) and 37 versus Purdue (March 31, 2024). • Phillips scored in double figures for the second time as a collegian, with his prior such outing on Nov. 17, 2024, when he tallied 13 points versus Austin Peay. • Gainey has recoded 15-plus points in three of the first six games of the 2024-25 season after hitting that mark five times in 2023-24, his first year at Tennessee.
