PHILADELPHIA – Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has been named a semifinalist for the 2024 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Wednesday.
The Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award is an honor given each year to the most outstanding freshman player in college football. Named after Shaun Alexander since 2018, this award recognizes the exceptional performance and impact made by these players on their respective teams throughout the season.
Iamaleava is one of 14 semifinalists for this year’s award, which includes just three quarterbacks and five players from the Southeastern Conference. He is the first Vol to be named a semifinalist.
A redshirt freshman from Long Beach, California, Iamaleava has quickly established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country. He has led Tennessee to a 7-1 record, including five home victories, a road win at then-No. 15/13 Oklahoma, and a neutral-site victory in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. Three of UT’s wins this season have come against ranked opponents at the time of the meeting, including victories over No. 24 NC State, at No. 15/13 Oklahoma and No. 7 Alabama.
His impressive performance this season has helped him stand out among his peers. He has already been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times, matching the school record set by Tyler Bray in 2010. Iamaleava’s accolades include a record-setting performance in his first home start, when he threw for 314 yards in the first half against Chattanooga, setting a Tennessee record for most passing yards in a half.
The signal-caller has continued to grow throughout the season with his best pure passing game of his young career coming in his most recent outing against Kentucky. He finished with career highs in completions (28) and attempts (38) for 292 yards and a touchdown.
The full list of semifinalists for this year’s award can be seen HERE.
Finalists for the 7th annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award will be revealed on Dec. 4 and the winner of the award will be announced on Dec. 26. The formal presentation of this award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2025 at the College Football Hall of Fame.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Riding a 7-1 start to the season, Tennessee football is ranked No. 7 in the initial College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings that were announced on Tuesday night.
The Volunteers were the fifth-highest ranked one-loss team and the third-highest ranked SEC team. A nation-best eight SEC programs were ranked in the first Top 25.
Tennessee owns a 24-17 victory over current-No. 11 Alabama and will face No. 2 Georgia in Athens on Nov. 16. The Vols are one of four top 10 teams with at least one win over the current top 12, joining Oregon (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 12 Boise State); Georgia (No. 5 Texas) and Ohio State (No. 6 Penn State).
The Vols boast a defense that has yet to allow an opponent to reach the 20-point mark in eight games this season. It’s the first time UT has done that since 1966, and the Vols are just the fifth SEC program to achieve that feat since 2000. They complement a stout defense with the SEC’s No. 1 rushing offense for the second straight year that puts up 234.5 yards per game on the ground led by the SEC’s leading rusher Dylan Sampson (122.5 ypg).
Tennessee has been ranked in now 13 straight CFP rankings dating back to Nov. 1, 2022.
The Vols play their final SEC regular season home game of the year on Homecoming Saturday against Mississippi State. Kickoff from a sold-out Neyland Stadium is 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
College Football Playoff Rankings (Nov. 5) 1. Oregon (9-0) 2. Georgia (7-1) 3. Ohio State (7-1) 4. Miami (9-0) 5. Texas (7-1) 6. Penn State (7-1) 7. Tennessee (7-1) 8. Indiana (9-0) 9. BYU (8-0) 10. Notre Dame (7-1) 11. Alabama (6-2) 12. Boise State (7-1) 13. SMU (8-1) 14. Texas A&M (7-2) 15. LSU (6-2) 16. Ole Miss (7-2) 17. Iowa State (7-1) 18. Pittsburgh (7-1) 19. Kansas State (7-2) 20. Colorado (6-2) 21. Washington State (7-1) 22. Louisville (6-3) 23. Clemson (6-2) 24. Missouri (6-2) 25. Army (8-0)
Multiple media outlets calling the Presidential race – President Trump has reached 277 electoral votes, enough to win the presidency once again becoming the 47th president-elect.
Marsha Blackburn keeps her Senate seat beating Knoxville’s Gloria Johnson who will keep her current State House District 90 seat.
Tim Burchett retains his United States House of Representatives District 2 seat with 69% of the vote beating Jane George.
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | November 05, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee women’s basketball team eclipsed the century mark in a season opener for just the sixth time in its illustrious history, cruising to a 101-53 victory over Samford Tuesday night in Kim Caldwell‘s debut as Lady Vol head coach.
With a crowd of 9,515 looking on at Food City Center, five Big Orange players scored in double figures to lead the charge. Junior forward Zee Spearman racked up 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high 25 to chart the second-highest total ever by a Lady Vol in her debut game. Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper was next for Tennessee (1-0) with 19, followed by fifth-year guard Jewel Spear with 18, senior guard Samara Spencer with 12 and junior guard Ruby Whitehorn with 10. Spear drained four threes to aid her cause and help the home team card 10 long balls for the game.
Samford (0-1) was paced by four in double figures, with Claire Johnson tossing in 13, Emily Bowman and Kennedy Langham 12 each, and Annie Ramil 11. The Bulldogs, who were held to 35.7 percent field goal percentage and 15 percent (3-20) beyond the arc, committed 37 turnovers that led to 50 Lady Vol points on the night.
SU grabbed early 3-2 and 7-5 edges before the Lady Vols seized the lead for good with a 10-0 run. Cooper fueled the spree, pushing her point total to seven and giving UT a 15-7 advantage heading into the 5:03 media timeout with back-to-back layups. The teams exchanged scores over the final five minutes of the opening stanza, with Whitehorn converting a layup off an inbounds pass from Spencer to send the home team into the second quarter with its largest lead at 26-17.
The Lady Vols opened the second period with an 11-0 surge, extending an active run to 14 to take a 37-17 lead into the 4:58 media timeout on a Spear three. Tennessee stymied the Bulldogs into 0-for-5 shooting to keep the visitors scoreless during that span. Coming out of the timeout, UT tallied the next seven points to extend its scoring streak to 21, building a 44-17 lead on a Whitehorn bucket with 3:47 left in the half. A Spear trey with 21 seconds remaining sent the Big Orange into the intermission leading 49-26.
Tennessee burst out of the locker room with an 8-0 gush that extended a run from the second quarter to 13-0. Cooper was good for six points during that blitz, and a Kaniya Boyd layup forced Samford to take a timeout with 5:58 to go in the frame with UT up by its largest margin, 61-28. Spearman and Spear helped Tennessee end the quarter with a 78-42 lead, as Spearman scored six straight and Spear knocked down a trey before the buzzer sounded.
The fourth quarter was all Spearman, as she accounted for all but eight of the Lady Vols’ 23 points in the frame. She finished six of seven from the field, including several layups and a transition three-pointer that pushed the gap to 94-48 with 3:26 left. Her bucket from long range was part of a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the period, with UT grabbing nine steals and forcing 12 Samford miscues.
NEXT UP: The Lady Vols are back in action on Thursday, as they welcome UT Martin to Food City Center. The contest is slated for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff with coverage on SECN+.
TOO EAS-ZEE: Junior Zee Spearman excelled in the season opener, scoring a career-high 25 points and adding a career-high-tying two steals along with six rebounds. Spearman also hit a career-high 10 of 12 field goals and sank ten free throws. The Dacula, Georgia, native’s point total was the second-best ever by a Lady Vol in her debut game, and she became the fourth transfer in Lady Vol history and 10th player overall including freshmen, to score 20 or more points in her first UT contest. Trish Roberts’ 51 points vs. Kentucky on Nov. 13, 1976, stands as the top total in a Big Orange debut.
THE CALDWELL EFFECT: Tennessee’s aggressive defense sparked 27 steals, which tied for the No. 3 mark in Lady Vol history. That effort led to 37 Samford turnovers, which marked the most miscues by an opponent since Presbyterian had 39 on Nov. 11, 2018, in that season’s opener.
HITTING 100: Tennessee’s point total of 101 marked the sixth time in school history that the Lady Vols have scored 100 or more points in a season opener. The 101 points rank fifth all-time for the first contest of the year.
LADY VOLS IN OPENERS: During the modern era (1974-present), the Lady Vols are 46-5 all-time in season openers over the past 51 years, including 30-3 at home, 8-2 on the road and 8-0 at neutral sites. Tennessee possesses a 48-3 all-time record in its first home contest of the year through 2024-25. The Lady Vols have won 25 straight times in their first appearance of the season at Food City Center and have been victorious in that case in 42 of their past 43 campaigns.
CALDWELL IN OPENERS:Kim Caldwell improved her season-opening game record to 8-1 with Tuesday’s triumph. The first-year head coach tacked on her first-ever win on Rocky Top and her first-ever season-opening victory when playing on her home court, including stints at Glenville State and Marshall. She was 7-0 in openers at GSU and 0-1 at MU.
RACKING UP RUNS: The Big Orange put together three runs of 10 points or more vs. Samford. It was all Lady Vols in the first quarter, as Tennessee put together a 10-0 spree against the Bulldogs. The Big Orange continued with another binge of points, bridging a 21-0 run between the first and second quarters. The Lady Vols later added a 13-0 run spanning the second and third quarters.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation expects I-40 across the state line to be open through the Pigeon River Gorge by New Year’s Day.
NCDOT says traffic would be moving slower than normal, estimating a 40 mph speed limit with one lane in each direction.
The news comes just over a month after Hurricane Helene brought floodwaters to the area, washing away several areas of the interstate’s eastbound lanes.
Long-term plans are still in early development and there‘s no set date for when construction on the final repairs would start or how much they’ll cost.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Free parking on nights and weekends in downtown Knoxville is here to stay.
The announcement coming from City of Knoxville officials Monday night though additional details about the City’s “updated parking plan” have not been released.
In May, the city released a report from Walker, a group hired to evaluate Knoxville’s current parking situation. In that report, Walker suggested charging for parking seven days a week, among other changes.
That study prompted a response from downtown Knoxville business owners, who circulated a survey asking people to defend the city’s current free parking rules.
A City Council workshop is slated for Thursday at 4:00 p.m. at the City County Building on Main Street where more discussion of the parking plan is expected.
The latest update in the ongoing downtown Knoxville parking saga came Monday night, when the city announced a City Council workshop, slated for Thursday. (Courtesy: Visit Knoxville)
A 15-year-old male has been charged for making a threat of mass violence following a late-night Knoxville Police Department investigation.
On Monday, November 4, 2024 at around 7:30 p.m., KPD detectives were made aware that the aforementioned male, a Bearden High School student, had made a verbal threat to commit an act of violence at the school.
After continued investigation and consultation with the Knox County District Attorney’s Office concerning the circumstances, detectives responded to the student’s home in West Knoxville. The student was subsequently taken into custody and charged with threat of mass violence.
The investigation was assisted by Tennessee Homeland Security agents and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Another night game is on tap at Neyland Stadium this weekend as No. 7/6 Tennessee caps its four-game homestand by hosting Mississippi State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
It will mark the Vols’ final SEC home game of the season and will also serve as this year’s Homecoming Game.
“Another pivotal game on the schedule,” head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday afternoon. “Mississippi State team that’s continuing to get better throughout the course of the season, really in every phase.
“It will be a great environment. Looking forward to seeing our fans. They have been awesome here during this run of home games. Hopefully they rest up and are ready to roll this Saturday too.”
The Big Orange will look to take another step forward offensively after racking up 477 yards in their win over Kentucky last week.
Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava played a large part in the success against the Wildcats, putting forth his best performance in an SEC game to date with 292 passing yards and a touchdown on a career-high 28 completions.
It was an extremely productive game for UT’s tight ends, as well, with Iamaleava frequently targeting them in the passing game. The group totaled nine receptions for 124 yards in the victory, led by a career-day from Miles Kitselman, who finished with six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
“I think we all did a great job throughout the week of practice last week just building confidence through each rep, getting the ball in our hands and showing Nico that we can be a safe outlet for him whenever he is in trouble. And then when it opens up in the passing game, knowing he can depend on us to throw the ball downfield and we will make a play for him,” said junior tight end Holden Staes, who caught three passes for 27 yards on Saturday.
“I think on Saturday me, (Miles Kitselman) and (Ethan Davis), we all did a great job with that, just being honed in on the details of what goes into each play, and when the ball came out, we each had our opportunities to make plays, and that’s what we did for this offense.”
Videos and quotes from Monday’s availability with Heupel and select players can be seen below.
Opening statement… ” Hope everybody is doing great. Good luck to Coach Caldwell and Coach Barnes as they get ready to tip off their seasons here in the next couple of days. Looking forward to this Saturday with our team. Last SEC home game for us. Another pivotal game on the schedule. Mississippi State team that’s continuing to get better throughout the course of the season, really in every phase. It will be a great environment. Looking forward to seeing our fans. They have been awesome here during this run of home games. Hopefully they rest up and are ready to roll this Saturday too. Looking forward to this week of preparation and getting ready to go play.”
On Nico Iamaleava’s performance against Kentucky… “I thought he was really good. Decision-making, eyes. Did some good things controlling the run game too that a lot of people do not see. Made plays as well. There were some really special plays by him during the course of the game. Continued to compete extremely hard, played it independent and just continuing to grow as a player. Really good performance.”
On discussing playoff rankings… “Playoff rankings at this point do not matter. You do not have control over it. What you have control over is your preparation and how you play. Ultimately, that determines where you are at or where you are not at. For this football team, understanding that we have to continue to grow and get better and control those things that we are in control of. This team has to continue to get better. It will be out on Tuesday night. You remember what the first rankings were last year? I do not either. Does not matter. What they remember is where you finish here as November wraps up.”
On Nico Iamaleava’s impressive third down throws in fourth quarter against Kentucky… “In those critical moments, him being him. It is needed, but it is also special from a young guy to be able to handle everything that is going on within the scope of the game. That is one of the things that he has done pretty well throughout the course of the season. There are some things that I want back, he wants back. His ability as a young player to go play and be willing to play on the edge — which you have to at that position. It is rare to have a young guy that is able to do that.”
On placekicker Max Gilbert regaining confidence… “If you have seen me kick, you would know I am probably not the guy to help him with the swing. Max (Gilbert) hit the ball really well the majority of the year. He hits it that way in practice too. For him, resetting from kick to kick, but from week to week too. It is important for him — just like any other player — to have a great week of preparation. I just think from the first kick to the second kick he kind of over-corrected, and kind of did the same thing on the third one too. Go find your groove, hit your sweet spot and go play ball.”
On Peyton Lewis earning more trust from the coaches… “Young guy. When he came in here, had to have a couple surgeries and was limited during the course of spring ball and some of summer because of that. Kind of built him up throughout the course of training camp as far as the physical part of the game. For a young guy, he is really mature, really consistent in how he practices. Because of that, he has just continued to grow throughout the course of the season. He is a great example of special teams for young guys being an awesome launching point at times. Gain confidence, understand the speed and the flow of the game. He went in the other night, and it was seamless for him.”
On Will Brooks’ instinctive timing… “I think his growth in the understanding of what we are doing, allowing his physical traits to take over and make some of the plays that he has, it’s tying all of those things in together. Brooks, man, he is one of the hardest workers on the football team, willing to do anything and everything. Previous years, you guys have seen how important he is to the special teams part of it. Guys like that — when they get their opportunity — they typically go take advantage of it like he has up until this point. We are going to need him to continue to make plays as we go down this stretch.”
On the importance of recent success late in the season… “It helps if our guys approach it the right way. That can happen through any circumstance that you are facing. It comes down to your mental makeup, your competitive nature. Understanding there is an opponent on Saturdays, but the real measuring stick is you are competing against yourself and helping our football team be their best.”
On Nico Iamaleava and Miles Kitselman improvising on their touchdown against Kentucky… “Players making plays. It was a great job by Nico. Big time play. Understanding all the bodies, where they are at. Having the physical traits, being able to make that play, and then Kitselman being on the same page and making a play.”
On Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. … “I just think he continues to get better in what they are doing. A young player that is continuing to get better but has a good future in front of him. They have some dynamic playmakers on the outside. He has done a good job decision-making and continuing to become more and more accurate and decisive with the football. He is playing really well.”
On tightening up the defense during Saturday’s game… “It takes all 11. You have to have gap integrity. We got out of gaps a couple times, and that creates the explosive plays that you saw from them. It comes down to communication and everybody being tied in together.”
On his relationship with Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby… “Knowing Jeff (Lebby) for a long time, dating all the way back to Oklahoma when he was still a student there. Great respect for him, his staff. It is not just Jeff that I know. I know a bunch of their guys. Good people, good coaches and doing a good job down there. So, it will be unique in that I have sat in the staff room with those guys before.”
On improving on the slow starts in the first half… “Well, we do have to play cleaner football. I told the guys today, ‘Don’t focus on what the result is in the first half you want.’ We want to start fast, obviously, but focus on the details of your job. That comes every day in our practices, our meetings, walkthrough, all of it being tied in together. We need to, we want to start a lot faster than we have here in the last few weeks. We are capable of it. We have to take advantage of things and do the simple things at a high level. In particular, down in the red zone where we have had to kick too many field goals the last few weeks, we have had turnovers, we have gotten behind the chains, things that we control. We have to be better.”
On what makes the red zone difficult offensively and defensively… “Everything gets tighter down there. Self-inflicted wounds always hurt you, but they hurt you even more down there because the windows are tighter if you are throwing the football. The bodies are tighter in the run game. We have to execute at a higher level, and that is not only third down, but it is third down, first and second down too. It is not major things, major overhauls … Sorry, I paused there just to make sure I was phrasing that the right way. It is really ordinary things, and we can do that. We control that.”
On his production in the Kentucky game… “Just film study. Just making sure that my eyes are correct everywhere and locking in on my keys. Just being prepared really helped and contributed, as well as the D-line playing vertical. They kept me clean all night, so I was able to go make plays.”
On adjusting to the speed of the game in his second year… “Most definitely. (Keenan Pili), he’s helped me a lot despite his injury. As well as (Arion Carter) and (Jeremiah Telander), we just make sure that everybody’s on the same page, that everybody’s eyes are on the right thing and everyone is locked in on their assignments and preparing the right way.”
On adjusting the linebacker rotation after Keenan Pili’s injury… “It’s next man up. It’s a tough loss. We all love Keenan, and we all look up to him and respect him, of course. But now that he’s out, we just have to focus on the next man up, and everybody needs to be ready. You never know what can happen.”
On the tight ends’ contributions to the passing game… “I think we all did a great job throughout the week of practice last week just building confidence through each rep, getting the ball in our hands and showing (Nico Iamaleava) that we can be a safe outlet for him whenever he is in trouble. And then when it opens up in the passing game, knowing he can depend on us to throw the ball downfield and we will make a play for him. I think on Saturday me, (Miles Kitselman) and (Ethan Davis), we all did a great job with that, just being honed in on the details of what goes into each play, and when the ball came out, we each had our opportunities to make plays, and that’s what we did for this offense. So, just going forward, I want to keep doing that for the guys and just building trust with the coaches.”
On being developed at Tennessee… “I think coming in, I wanted to just be a complete tight end, and I have done that since I have gotten here. I have been developed really well by Coach (Alec Abeln), just demanding a lot of me in the pass game, pass pro game and the run game. As the season has progressed, just taking pride in my job so whatever play comes in, just doing it to the best of my ability. If it’s a pass and they need me to catch the ball, I’ll do it. If it’s a run and I need to open up a seam for the running back, I’m going to do it to the best of my abilities. So, just trying to be an all-around tight end that can help this offense in any way.”
On the tight ends involvement in the passing game… “Just knowing we have a gunslinger quarterback. I think the biggest thing with our offense is we have so many weapons across the board at receiver, at tight end, at running back. I talked about this a little earlier in the year, but some games you know the ball may not come to you just because we have so many downfield threats, but when the ball does come to you, just let Nico know that you are ready for it and you are going to make a play for him and the rest of the offense. Just being consistent in that regard.”
On being the first player on the field after the Vol Walk… “I’ve just always dreamed of being here, so I take advantage of every moment I get to be in the stadium as a player. Because I know my time here is short, probably like everyone else’s. Just being able to embrace the environment and watch the stands fill up, it just helps me get my mood and get my mojo going. I don’t like to be dressed up for too long anyways.”
On the similarities between the Mississippi State and Tennessee offense… “They go fast. They play with tempo, a lot of offenses nowadays play with a lot of tempo, but they try to push the tempo as fast as they possibly can. We have to communicate well as a defense and get back to our home alignments but there’s definitely a lot of similarities. They like their big plays, so we just have to go in this week and prepare right in our home alignments and do the right things and be us.”
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Tennessee soccer is set to face off against No. 1/2 Mississippi State in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Tuesday’s meeting will mark the first time in both programs’ histories that they will compete against each other in the SEC Tournament.
In the first round of the conference tournament, ninth-seeded UT (9-5-4) topped No. 8 seed Kentucky 1-0 to advance to the second round.
Graduate forward Sammi Woods secured the win for the Lady Vols after a 15th minute goal. The Saline, Michigan, native volleyed the ball perfectly over the keeper to get the scoreboard working early.
The Bulldogs (16-1-0, 10-0-0) are coming off a regular season in which they lost just one match and went undefeated in conference play, claiming the regular season SEC title.
SAMMI IN THE ORANGE: Graduate transfer Sammi Woods has made in impact in her sole season on Rocky Top so far. The Saline, Michigan, native currently leads the team in goals (5), shots on goal (16) and points (12). Her most recent goal came in round one of the SEC Tournament where she perfectly lofted the ball into the back of the net to propel UT to a 1-0 victory over Kentucky.
TOURNAMENT TIME: The Lady Vols are 19-17-6 all-time in SEC Tournament games and have claimed five SEC Tournament titles, winning the event in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2021. Following the win over Kentucky, UT has now registered 13 shutouts in its SEC Tournament history.
SAMMI IN THE ORANGE: Graduate transfer Sammi Woods has made in impact in her sole season on Rocky Top so far. The Saline, Michigan, native currently leads the team in goals (5), shots on goal (16) and points (12). Her most recent goal came in round one of the SEC Tournament where she perfectly lofted the ball into the back of the net to propel UT to a 1-0 victory over Kentucky.
ALLY BROWN HOLDIN’ IT DOWN: Ally Brown, who leads the team in minutes played (1,609) has anchored the backline to their eighth shutout of the season.
ALL-SEC SELECTIONS: A trio of Lady Vols earned All-SEC honors, the league office announced Sunday. Juniors Ally Brown and Mac Midgley were named Third Team All-SEC selections as Reese Mattern was slated to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: No. 1/2 Mississippi State is coming off a regular season in which it posted a 16-1-0 overall record, including a 10-0 record in SEC play, claiming the regular-season conference title. The Bulldogs currently hold the best goals against average in the country with a .235 mark. Maddy Anderson has started in goal each game for State, registering 39 saves and 14 clean sheets. Offensively, Ally Perry leads their squad with nine goals and 21 shots as Hannah Johnson has dished out a team-high six assists.
MATCHUP HISTORY: Tennessee is 17-2-3 all-time against Mississippi State and currently holds a 10-match unbeaten streak against the conference foe. The programs met last season when UT picked up a point on the road after a 3-3 draw.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team officially started its 2024-25 campaign Monday night with an 80-64 victory over Gardner-Webb.
Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, in his program debut, scored a team-high 18 points for No. 12 Tennessee (1-0), which never trailed and led for all but 62 seconds, as it improved to 35-3 all-time in home openers at Food City Center.
After a tightly contested opening 11 minutes, a personal 8-0 run from Lanier in just 71 seconds put the Volunteers ahead by a dozen, 30-18, with 7:32 remaining in the first half. Gardner-Webb (0-1) scored the next six points to slice the deficit in half with 5:16 on the timer, but Tennessee quickly regained control.
Senior guard Zakai Zeigler led a 12-4 surge over 3:17 in which he scored half the points and assisted on the other half, helping the home team go up by 14, 42-28, with 1:52 left in the session. The lead remained in double digits, 44-32, at the intermission behind a combined 21 points from Lanier (11) and Zeigler (10) during a session in which Tennessee shot 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) from the floor.
The Volunteers scored all seven points in the opening 1:56 of the second half to go ahead by 19, 51-32. Gardner-Webb scored the next five points to cut the deficit to 14, but the home team once again grabbed command right back.
Tennessee stretched its lead all the way to 27, 71-44, with 8:39 to play after making eight consecutive field goals, including three by Lanier and senior guard Jordan Gainey. The Runnin’ Bulldogs did eventually, via a 10-0 run in 2:20, get the margin down to 13, 75-62, with 3:10 remaining, but the outcome never fell into question. Tennessee ultimately went on to take a 16-point victory, its eighth straight year earning a season-opening win by at least 15.
Lanier tallied his 18 points on a 7-of-12 field-clip, including a 4-of-6 mark from beyond the arc. Gainey tallied 16 points, two shy of his top total as a Volunteer, on a dazzling 7-of-9 ledger from the floor, adding three steals.
Zeigler notched 13 points and nine assists, finishing just short of his ninth-career double-double and logging more assists than Gardner-Webb’s whole team. Fellow senior guard Jahmai Mashack scored 10 points, shooting 2-of-4 from deep and making all four of his free throws, while adding a career-high-tying four steals. Junior forward Felix Okpara paced all players with nine rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end, in his Tennessee debut.
Sophomore guard Darryl Simmons II led all scorers with 22 points for Gardner-Webb, finishing 8-of-16 from the floor, 4-of-10 on 3-pointers and 2-of-2 at the line. Graduate forward Jamaine Mann and junior guard Deshawn Goodwyn each posted 13 points on a 4-of-8 ledger in the setback. The Volunteers held the rest of the Gardner-Webb roster to an 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) mark on field goals.
Tennessee finished with a 13-0 margin in fast-break points and a 29-14 advantage in bench points, while shooting 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) from the field.
The Volunteers open their road slate Saturday in Louisville, Ky., when they take the court at the KFC Yum! Center to face Louisville, live on ACC 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 • Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 807 victories in his career, passing Eddie Sutton for sole possession of No. 13 on the all-time wins list (min. five years at a Division I school). • Barnes also moved to 203-101 in his Tennessee tenure, putting him one win behind Don Devoe (204-137 from 1978-89) for second place on the program’s all-time leaderboard. • The Volunteers improved to 35-3 (.921) all-time in home openers at Food City Center, dating back to its opening in 1987-88, including 32-1 (.970) in their last 33 such games and 9-1 (.900) under Barnes). • Excluding the capacity-reduced COVID-19 campaign in 2020-21, Tennessee is now averaging 16,813 fans across 37 home openers at Food City Center, after 17,8313 attended Monday’s contest. • Tennessee has now won its last four season openers, all at home, by a combined 114 points, good for an average of 28.5 per game. • The Volunteers moved to 29-0 all-time against current Big South members, while Barnes improved to 24-0 against such foes, including 11-0 at Tennessee. • As announced prior to tip-off, two Volunteers missed the season opener: freshman guard Bishop Boswell (concussion protocol) and fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar (personal matter). • In addition to Lanier and Okpara, senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., also earned his first official action as a Volunteer. • Tennessee’s first points of the 2024-25 season came from Miličić Jr. on a layup just 25 seconds into the contest. • The Volunteers started 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the field before missing their last four field-goal attempts of the first half. • The two sides combined to shoot 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) at the line in the opening 20 minutes, as Tennessee went 9-of-10 (90.0 percent) and Gardner-Webb posted an 8-of-10 (80.0 percent) clip. • Mashack, who made multiple 3-pointers for the fifth time as a Volunteer, has previously recorded four steals on three occasions, most recently doing so on Feb. 28, 2023, versus Arkansas. • Gainey’s seven made field goals set a new high in his Tennessee career, eclipsing his previous mark of six, which he recorded thrice last year, most recently on Feb. 14, 2014, at Arkansas. • Additionally, Gainey matched his top steals mark as a Volunteer, as he recorded three twice last season, most recently on Feb. 7, 2024, versus LSU. • Sophomore forward Cade Phillips, who made multiple field goals for the first time as a Volunteer, set career highs in minutes (20), points (seven) and rebounds (four), eclipsing his prior bests of 12 (Nov. 29, 2023, at North Carolina), four (Dec. 5, 2023, versus George Mason) and three (twice, most recently Feb. 17, 2024, against Vanderbilt), respectively.
