Tim McGraw Wraps the First Season of 1883 and He’s Grateful for All of It

Tim McGraw Wraps the First Season of 1883 and He’s Grateful for All of It

Posted on February 28, 2022

Sunday night was the season finale for 1833.

The series star, Tim McGraw shared, “What a season. So grateful to Taylor Sheridan and everyone involved in bringing 1883 to life. It’s been absolutely incredible getting to work alongside Faith Hill, Sam Elliot, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Audie Rick, Eric Nelson, James Landry Hebert, and the entire cast and crew.”

Tim recalls how the road to 1883 started with a call from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan to do a flashback scene on the hit Kevin Costner “I’d been a fan of Yellowstone since the first night it came out. So, Taylor called, and he goes, ‘Hey man, I want you to be in Yellowstone, and you’re gonna play the original Dutton who founded the Yellowstone ranch. And he said, ‘You’re also gonna have a wife. Do you think Faith would be interested in playing your wife?’.”

Even the show’s creator asking for his wife to co-star, Tim admits it still took him a couple of days to bring it up to Faith Hill, “And it took me about three days to get the nerve up to ask her. She said, ‘Sure, I’ll be glad to do it. It’ll be fun.’ So, we did two flashback episodes, but the first thing we shot, it was just so much fun. We’re going so fast and the shootout was so great. I remember gettin’ off the horse and walkin’ around going, ‘I don’t care if I do any other film for the rest of my life, I wanna do westerns from now on.’”

Tim’s request was answer when his phone ran not long after the filming concluded, “Taylor called me and said, ‘I showed the flashbacks to the studio and they want to do a whole series now.’ So, when he sent the script for 1883 and we read it, Faith and I both were like, ‘This is just too special.  It’s just too special not to do.”

Now that the first season of 1883 is done – Tim learned a lot more about acting the TV and movie making process…especially from his co-star and veteran actor Sam Elliot…although Tim jokingly shares, it might not have going both ways…

If you missed any of the episodes of 1883, you can catch up with the adventures of Duttons on Paramount Plus.

Fans in Texas at Rodeo Houston will be catching up with Tim this Wednesday March 2nd as he will be the headline performer at NRG Stadium – and they’ll be looking to hear this one…”7500 OBO” – Tim McGraw’s current single at country radio.

Photo Courtesy of Tim McGraw, 1883 and Paramount Plus.

Carrie Underwood Shares That the Force Is Strong with Her Son Isaiah

Carrie Underwood Shares That the Force Is Strong with Her Son Isaiah

Posted on February 28, 2022

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher celebrated their oldest son’s 7th birthday on Sunday February 27th, “My firstborn turned 7 today. How is that even possible? It has been so much fun to see this little dude grow!”

Carrie shared that while it was Isaiah’s special day – his made sure that others felt special as well, “He has the biggest heart and the brightest smile. His love for Jesus is strong and pure. He is an old soul with a vintage style…wise beyond his years. He’s the kind of kid that would rather raise money for the kids at Danita’s Children than get gifts for himself! What 7 year old does that?!?! I am so blessed to be his mom and I can’t wait to see where God leads him in the years to come. Happy birthday, monkey! We love you!”

Danita’s Children is an organization that helps orphans and impoverished children in Haiti – for info on them head to their WEBSITE

And of course with a mom named Carrie Fisher…Isaiah’s birthday was Star Wars themed…

Carrie also gave a shout out to the birthday cake maker, “And, of course, thanks, IveyCake for this amazing creation!”

Carrie might have a little more to celebrate next week in Las Vegas as she’s a 4-time nominee at the 57th ACM Awards.

Carrie is up for Entertainer Of The Year, and Single, Video and Music Event Of The Year for her duet with Jason Aldean, “If I Didn’t Love You.”

You can see who wins at the ACM Awards on Monday March 7th on Prime Video.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Cowart

Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie & American Idol are Back!

Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie & American Idol are Back!

Posted on February 28, 2022

American Idol is back!

The 20th season premiered Sunday night with Luke Bryan, Katy Perry & Lionel Richie back in the judges seats and sending hopeful contestants to Hollywood to fulfill their musical dreams.

A couple of the stand out auditions include…

Cole Hallman – who sealed his “Yes” vote when he sung a classic Rolling Stones hit with his sister Katie.

Huntergirl showed up from Winchester, Tennessee and immediately became a favorite of Luke Bryan’s – who compared her voice to Miranda Lambert…and also predicts that she has Top-10 potential on American Idol.

Tyler Allen‘s audition for Idol was inspired by the loss of his nephew – and his performance brought Katy Perry to tears…

The Sunday night auditions included viral TikTok star, Delaney Renee – also known as the Disney singing babysitter who was secretly recorded by the woman who hired her, Nicki. Talking with the judges, Nicki shared that out of the 18 million plus views the video got on the social media site, American Idol was one of them and reached out. After Delaney’s audition Nicki lost a babysitter, but American Idol gained another singer.

Noah Thompson‘s “Yes” started with the faith and confidence that his friends and family had him before he did…including his friend Arthur who signed Noah up for the American Idol audition. After Noah sang Kameron Marlowe‘s “Giving You Up” – Luke joked that Arthur should become Noah’s manager.

The judges were surprised when the granddaughter of music legend Aretha Franklin stepped up for her audition – Grace Franklin made her grandmother proud but split the judges as Katy was a “Yes” but Luke and Lionel thought 15-year old Grace needed some more time before she started her musical journey. Lionel, who knew and was friends with Aretha, gave some heartfelt advice as he voted “No.”

Along with all the people trying out for a trip to Hollywood, Sunday night’s American Idol also featured the truth behind Luke and Katy Perry’s fiancé Orlando Bloom‘s burgeoning bro-mance.

Fans can follow American Idol on Sundays on ABC.

Check out the latest from Luke Bryan – “Up” is his current single at country radio…

Photo Courtesy of Luke Bryan and American Idol

Printable Bracket: Lady Vols Earn No. 3 Seed In SEC Tournament

Printable Bracket: Lady Vols Earn No. 3 Seed In SEC Tournament

Posted on February 27, 2022

SEC Tournament Bracket (PDF)

The league office released the bracket for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville, March 2-6, and Tennessee (22-7/11-5 SEC) has earned a No. 3 overall seed for the second straight season.
 
The Lady Vols will open tourney play on Friday at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET (8:30 CT) at Bridgestone Arena vs. the winner of Thursday’s contest between No. 6 Georgia and either No. 11 Alabama or No. 14 Auburn. UT won at Georgia, split a home and home with Alabama and lost at Auburn in previous meetings this season with that trio of schools.

Lady Vols HC Kellie Harper / Credit: UT Athletics

The Lady Vols, who are seeking their 18th SEC Tournament Championship, were picked in the preseason by the league’s coaches to finish third in the regular season. In no small feat, Kellie Harper‘s squad managed to do just that despite losing four of last year’s starters to injury.  Keyen Green and Marta Suárez were lost for the season, Jordan Horston’s return this season remains in question and Rae Burrell missed 12 contests early in the year and continues to work toward the elite level of play she displayed as a junior.
 
No. 1-ranked South Carolina earned the tournament’s No. 1 seed, while eighth-ranked LSU is No. 2 by virtue of its 57-54 win over the Lady Vols on Sunday in Knoxville. Ole Miss is the No. 4 seed. UT is on the same side of the bracket with LSU and could potentially face a rematch with the Tigers on Saturday if both teams advance past the quarterfinal round.

-UT Athletics

Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 16/14 Lady Vols Drop Heartbreaker to No. 8/8 LSU, 57-54

Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: No. 16/14 Lady Vols Drop Heartbreaker to No. 8/8 LSU, 57-54

Posted on February 27, 2022

Box Score (PDF) | Highlights | Harper Presser | UT Player Presser | Postgame Quotes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 16/14 Tennessee closed out the game with a 13-1 run to pull within two in the closing seconds but came up just short, falling to No. 8/8 LSU in Thompson-Boling Arena, 57-54, on Senior Day.
 
Tennessee (22-7, 11-5 SEC) was led by junior Tamari Key, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Senior Rae Burrell and graduate Alexus Dye were also in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Jailin Cherry was the top scorer for LSU (25-4, 13-3 SEC), posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Khayla Pointer and Autumn Newby were close behind with 12 points each.  
 
Prior to the game, Burrell, Dye and Keyen Green were recognized on The Summitt. Mickey Dearstone, the longtime radio voice of the Lady Vols, who was calling his final regular-season game at Tennessee, also was honored before tip-off. 

Rae Burrell – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

The Tigers jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Tess Darby got UT on the board with an eight-foot jumper three and a half minutes into play. LSU stretched its lead to 10-2 before Dye and Burrell scored on back-to-back possessions to pull Tennessee within three at 10-7. Louisiana State rallied back, launching into a 12-2 run to lead 20-9 with 43 seconds left in the first. Jordan Walker hit the first of a pair of free throws before time ran out, making the score 22-10 at the end of one.
 
The Tigers picked up where they left off in the second, adding five points off buckets by Pointer and Cherry before Key added a point from the free-throw line and Walker followed it up with a trey on the next possession to shrink the deficit to 15 with 7:20 left in the half. Both teams struggled offensively over the next three minutes until a layup by Walker on the fast break ended the drought for UT. The teams traded buckets through the end of the period for a halftime score of 36-22.
 
Brooklynn Miles gave Tennessee some momentum to start the second half, picking off an LSU pass and scoring the first two points of an 8-4 run that pulled Tennessee within 10 three and a half minutes into the third. Key, who had 10 points in the third quarter, cut the deficit to single digits just before the buzzer with a pair of free throws, sending the game into the final stanza with UT trailing 44-36.
 
The Tigers opened the fourth with six straight points to lead by 14 before Dye hit a layup with 7:11 left in the game. LSU built its lead back up to 15, but Tennessee then switched to a full court press, creating turnovers and turning them into eight unanswered points that moved the score to 56-49 with just over three minutes to play. Walker hit a free throw at the 1:37 mark, and Kaiya Wynn followed it up with a fast-break layup on the next play to pull UT within four. Burrell continued the run with a layup with 33 seconds left in the game, and UT’s defense forced an LSU turnover to regain possession, but a bid to tie it up by Key missed just wide. Pointer hit a free throw with three seconds on the clock, and UT was unable to get a final shot off, falling 57-54.    
 
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will enter the SEC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, earning a double bye and playing at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT on Friday, March 4.
 
ROWDY ON ROCKY TOP: A season-high 11,613 fans attended Sunday’s contest against No. 8 LSU. It was the largest crowd at a Lady Vol game since Feb. 16, 2020, when 12,738 fans attended the match-up with Texas A&M. It was UT’s third home game this season with 10,000 or more fans in attendance.
 
TRACKING TK: With three blocked shots against LSU, Tamari Key moved into sixth on the SEC all-time single-season list with a total of 108. She pulls within five of Kelley Cain, UT’s single-season leader, who stands at 113.  

-UT Athletics

Stats/Story: #15 Vols Cap Sweep with 12-2 Victory Over Gaels

Stats/Story: #15 Vols Cap Sweep with 12-2 Victory Over Gaels

Posted on February 27, 2022

Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15 Tennessee completed its series sweep of Iona with a 12-2 run-rule victory on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Freshman Drew Beam made his second start and earned his first-career win after tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. The Murfreesboro native gave up one hit and struck out four batters on the afternoon.

UT (7-0) homered four more times on Sunday as Cortland Lawson, Jordan Beck, Evan Russell and Jared Dickey all went deep for the Big Orange, who have already hit 24 home runs this season and had 13 long balls in the series.

Dickey, a redshirt freshman, capped an impressive week by reaching base in all five of his plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with four runs, two walks and a home run, setting career highs in all those categories.

Vols 3B Trey Lipscomb / Credit: UT Athletics

Trey Lipscomb had yet another solid day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. The senior third basemen batted .833 with five runs, three doubles, two triples, two homers and 14 RBIs for the series.

Russell was the only other Vol to finish with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Beck led the team with three RBIs after driving in the game’s first run with an RBI groundout and hitting a mammoth two-run homer in the second inning.

The Gaels (0-6) scored their only two runs in the top of the sixth on a two-out single from Nick Forney to cut the lead to 11-2.

The Vols will cap off their season-opening homestand with a Tuesday midweek matchup against ETSU. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. and tickets for the game can be purchased at AllVols.com.

NOTABLE

FAST STARTS UNDER VITELLO: With this weekend’s sweep of the Gaels, the Vols have now started at least 7-0 in each of the last four seasons.

SERIES SCORING RECORD: Tennessee set a new record for runs in a series, outscoring Iona 68-3 over three games this weekend. The previous record was 59 runs in a three-game sweep over Tusculum in 1909.  

LIPSCOMB’S MONSTER WEEKEND: Senior third baseman Trey Lipscomb had a week for the record books, batting .786 with three doubles, two triples, three homers and 16 RBIs over four games played.

Lipscomb hit for the cycle and drove in nine runs in Friday’s series opener before two more multi-hit and multi-RBI games on Saturday and Sunday. For the year, Lipscomb is slashing .577/.586/1.308 and leads the team with nine extra-base hits, four homers and 20 RBIs.

-UT Athletics

Stats/Story: #17 Lady Vols Softball Downed In Extras By #1 Oklahoma, #6 UCLA

Stats/Story: #17 Lady Vols Softball Downed In Extras By #1 Oklahoma, #6 UCLA

Posted on February 27, 2022

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Updated Season Stats

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — The No. 17 Lady Vol softball team suffered back-to-back extra-inning losses to top-10 teams on Saturday, falling to No. 1 Oklahoma 9-8 in 10 innings before being defeated by No. 6 UCLA 2-1 in eight innings at the Big League Dreams Wrigley Field in Cathedral City, California, to wrap up the 2022 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
 
Junior outfielder Kiki Milloy concluded a standout weekend for the Lady Vols with three extra-base hits between the two games, knocking a pair of doubles and cranking her fourth home run of the tournament on Saturday. Sophomore catcher Rylie West had a breakout showing against the top-10 squads, going 3-for-7 on the day with a double and her first home run of the season.
 
Senior pitcher Ashley Rogers threw 10.1 innings on the day, allowing three earned runs while collecting eight strikeouts to one walk. Freshman Nicola Simpson was solid in relief, spinning three innings with a strikeout and one run allowed.

Lady Vols Softball Team / Credit: UT Athletics

Game 1 – No. 17 Tennessee 8, No. 1 Oklahoma 9 (10 Inn.)
The Lady Vols gave the top-ranked Sooners their toughest challenge to date, taking Oklahoma to extra innings in a back-and-forth affair before OU sophomore Jayda Coleman walked it off with a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th.
 
Oklahoma jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a pair of home runs by infielders Grace Lyons and Jana Johns. Lyons sent a solo shot to right center before Johns brought in two with her blast to dead center. Johns added a fourth run for the Sooners with a solo home run to left in the bottom of the third.
 
Super senior shortstop Ivy Davis put the Lady Vols on the board in the top of the fourth, knocking an infield single to first base that scored pinch runner Katie Taylor from third to cut the Sooner lead to 4-1.
 
Tennessee tied the game with three runs in the top of the fifth, beginning with a leadoff solo blast by West that was drilled beyond the crowd in left center. Senior right fielder Amanda Ayala cut the deficit to one with a two-out RBI single through the left side of the infield, bringing in Milloy from second who had just roped a double down the left field line. Designated player McKenna Gibson leveled the game on the next at-bat, driving a single to left that scored Ayala from second after she moved over on a wild pitch.
 
OU regained the lead in the bottom half of the fifth on a solo home run by catcher Kinzie Hansen, but the Lady Vols fought right back with a pair of runs in the seventh. With two runners on, Ayala roped a sacrifice fly to right field that brought Anna Fox home from third to tie the game once again, and Tennessee took a 6-5 lead when senior first baseman Ashley Morgan drew a bases-loaded walk.
 
The Sooners forced extras in the bottom of the seventh with a sac fly to left field by redshirt senior Taylon Snow. After a scoreless eighth, Morgan came through with another go-ahead RBI as she singled to left and drove in Ayala to put the Lady Vols ahead, 7-6, in the top of the ninth. OU would tie it up once more with Lyons’ leadoff RBI single in the bottom half.
 
After intentionally walking NCAA career home run leader Jocelyn Alo, Rogers retired three-straight batters with two strikeouts and a flyout to send the game to the 10th.
 
With runners on the corners and two outs, Ayala knocked a hopping grounder to short that was misjudged, and the error allowed catcher Kelcy Leach to come home and put the Lady Vols ahead 8-7 in the 10th. Rogers retired the first two batters she faced in the bottom half before Coleman’s two-run homer to left field ended the game and cut UT’s upset bid short.
 
Game 2 – No. 17 Tennessee 1, No. UCLA 2 (8 Inn.)
The Lady Vols took a second-consecutive top-10 team to extra innings Saturday evening with a 2-1 loss to No. 6 UCLA. The pitcher’s duel ended with a sac fly to center from Savannah Pola as Kinsley Washington slid home to end the game in the bottom of the eighth.
 
UCLA ace Megan Faraimo went the distance in the winning effort with 18 strikeouts, one earned run, four hits and one run allowed. Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson tossed two scoreless frames before Rogers came on in the third for the Lady Vols, throwing 5.2 innings with five Ks and one earned run.
 
Tennessee scored its lone run in the top of the first when Milloy sent a leadoff bomb to center field. The Bruins tied it up in the bottom of the fourth as Maya Brady went yard to left field for a solo home run.
 
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to action Wednesday, March 2, in Knoxville for the 2022 home opener against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast online via SEC Network+.

-UT Athletics

Cody Johnson’s Week Includes Rodeo Houston & a Hall Of Fame Induction

Cody Johnson’s Week Includes Rodeo Houston & a Hall Of Fame Induction

Posted on February 27, 2022

This is going to be a big week for Cody Johnson.

First, his song “‘Til You Can’t” is a Top-10 (and climbing) hit that fans are loving.

On Monday Cody kicks off Rodeo Houston at NRG Stadium.

That’s only the start of Cody’s week – on Thursday, March 3rd, he’ll be one of the 4 inductees to the 2022 class of the Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame.

Cody couldn’t be more excited to be included in the Hall, “Getting the opportunity to be honored by the Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame…it’s a huge honor. I think it would be an honor for anybody, to be honored by them, but whenever you actually live the cowboy life and Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame says they want to give you an award, it’s like you start examining yourself like, ‘Whoa, what did I do to get this?’ you know? But, at the same time it’s so dang cool because 8-year-old little Cody that just wanted to be a bull rider would have never believed that this was happening so I’m pretty thankful.”

Check out the music video for Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t” here…

Photo Credit: Chris Douglas

Jimmy’s blog: Vols rally to beat No. 3 Auburn before sellout crowd

Jimmy’s blog: Vols rally to beat No. 3 Auburn before sellout crowd

Posted on February 27, 2022

By Jimmy Hyams

A stranger approached Zakai Ziegler wearing his No. 5 jersey after Tennessee’s pulsating 67-62 victory Saturday over No. 3 Auburn at sold out Thompson-Boling Area.

“I just gave him a hug,’’ Ziegler said. “I didn’t know who he was.’’

It was Tony Vitello, Tennessee’s baseball coach.

Perhaps you can forgive the euphoric Ziegler for not knowing Vitello, for this was a moment of unbridled celebration.

It was a time to celebrate Tennessee’s third win over a top five team this season.

A time to celebrate moving into a three-way tie for second place in the SEC, just one game behind Auburn.

A time to celebrate the first win over former UT coach Bruce Pearl in seven outings.

A time to celebrate the emergence of five-star big man Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

A time to celebrate a 15-0 home record in front of a raucous crowd that coach Rick Barnes called the best fans in the country.

When Ziegler met the media postgame, having scored 13 points and recording three steals, the true freshman from New York was wearing a grin from ear to ear.

“I’m gonna be smiling a lot,’’ Ziegler said, “because I’m super happy. I love winning.’’

Super senior John Fulkerson was so happy, he directed the student section in a chorus of cheers.

Several Vols made their way into the stands to celebrate with the joyous patrons, some of whom camped out the night before to ensure a good seat in the student section.

“They’re appreciative of our fan base,’’ Barnes said of his players.

Thompson-Boling Arena was a rocking scene, and anyone wearing orange and white was soaking it in.

“I do believe we’ve got the best home-court advantage (in the nation),’’ Barnes said. “I do.’’

That was hard to argue after Tennessee rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit, took an 11-point lead with four minutes left after Auburn missed 12 consecutive shots during one stretch, then held on for dear life after a few turnovers made the final score closer than it should have been.

Two late errors cut UT’s lead from 63-54 with 1:15 left to 63-50 with 58 seconds left.

Kennedy Chandler hit a floater and Santiago Vescovi swished two free throws to seal the deal.

“I knew we’d have to score again,’’ Barnes said after Auburn sliced UT’s lead to a nerve-wracking one possession.

Things got so hairy for UT late, Barnes went to true freshman Huntley-Hatfield to in-bounds the ball twice in the final minute, hoping his height and decision-making would at least allow UT to get the ball in play.

It worked. The 6-foot-10 Huntley-Hatfield found the 6-9 Fulkerson twice to avoid further mayhem.

That’s not all Huntley-Hatfield did. He scored five points, hitting a key three to ignite a 17-2 run in the second half.

“The 3-pointer felt good,’’ Huntley-Hatfield said. “I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t know we were down 11.’’

He also had eight rebounds and two blocks as UT’s four bigs helped offset Auburn’s brilliant Jabari Smith (27 points) and shot-blocking machine Walker Kessler (four swats).

Fulkerson, bothered by a hip pointer, had five points and nine rebounds.

Uros Plavsic had six points and seven rebounds.

And Jonas Aidoo had five rebounds.

In total, UT’s bigs had 17 points and 29 rebounds as the Vols dominated the boards 54-30.

Vescovi led UT with 14 points. He also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Chandler added 13 points. Josiah-Jordan James had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Tennessee (21-7, 12-4) has won 10 of its last 11 games and has two games left to catch Auburn (25-4, 13-3). UT visits Georgia on Tuesday then hosts Arkansas on Saturday.

Barnes said he did something he’d never done during the course of a game. He huddled his team and told them if they “turned it up on defense’’ it would “get the crowd into it.’’

While Tennessee’s victory was a moment to cherish, Barnes expressed his long-standing disdain for fans chanting “overrated,’’ which the UT faithful aimed at Auburn at the end of the game.

“I’ve never understood that,’’ Barnes said. “You have a great quality win over a team that is not overrated and your fans act like you beat nobody. We just beat a top five team and they’re not overrated. it’s diminishing a great win against outstanding team. … Give us credit. We just beat an outstanding basketball team.’’

The players’ postgame celebration validated that.  

Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: #17 Vols Topple #3 Auburn, 67-62, in Front of Capacity Crowd

Highlights/Postgame/Stats/Story: #17 Vols Topple #3 Auburn, 67-62, in Front of Capacity Crowd

Posted on February 26, 2022

PDF BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS  |  QUOTES  |  ZEIGLER POSTGAME ON ESPN  |  BARNES POSTGAME  |  VESCOVI POSTGAME  |  ZEIGLER POSTGAME  |  HUNTLEY-HATFIELD POSTGAME

KNOXVILLE – Using an explosive second-half offensive performance and smothering rebounding, the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers defeated third-ranked Auburn, 67-62, for the Vols’ second top-five home victory in two weeks.

Tennessee (21-7, 12-4 SEC) set a Barnes-era high in rebounding, pulling down 54 boards. The Vols fired 4-of-7 (.571) from beyond the 3-point line and knocked down 16-of-21 (.762) from the free-throw line in the second half, a dominant offensive attack netting 42 points.

Vols vs. Auburn / Credit: UT Athletics

The capacity crowd of 21,678 continued to energize the Vols as it has all year, helping Tennessee earn its 15th win this season at Thompson-Boling Arena and 16th in a row in Knoxville. The Vols hosted a capacity crowd for the second-straight game and had more than 20,000 fans for the third in a row.

The victory marked the sixth win in the Rick Barnes era over an AP top-five opponent. Tennessee is 4-0 under Barnes when facing top-five teams at home.

Six Vols came up with huge performances, each coming in different aspects of the game. All-SEC candidate Santiago Vescovi led Tennessee scorers with 14 points and sank all six of his free-throw attempts. Vescovi also tied his career-high with two blocks.

Fellow All-SEC hopeful Kennedy Chandler and SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Zakai Zeigler each tallied 13 points. Zeigler finished 8-of-9 at the line, logged three steals and pushed his total past 50 for the season, now at 52.

Josiah-Jordan James played had a versatile performance for the Big Orange, sinking 10 points and shooting 2-of-4 from downtown. He pulled down nine rebounds, eight coming on the defensive side, to tie John Fulkerson for the team lead.
 
True freshman Brandon Huntley-Hatfield logged five clutch points for UT as he sank a 3-pointer from the wing to kick off Tennessee’s 17-2 run.  He then jammed home a putback later during the run to invigorate the raucous crowd. He finished with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Auburn (25-4, 13-3 SEC) was led offensively by projected first-round NBA Draft pick Jabari Smith, who scored 27 points on 9-of-21 (.428) shooting from the field. He cashed in at the line, draining 6-of-7.

Throughout the first half, the sides traded baskets and runs. The Big Orange hunkered down early, holding Auburn scoreless for five minutes and 43 seconds, starting with 14 minutes left in the half. The Vols went on an 8-0 run in that span, capitalizing on terrific rebounding to build the advantage. Tennessee was out-rebounding the Tigers, 13-3, at the second media timeout. By the third media timeout, the Vols had extended that margin to 21-8. It was after the third media break that Auburn found life. The Tigers used a 13-2 run lasting four minutes and 15 seconds, starting with 6:21 left in the half, to take a lead that they would not relinquish until midway through the second half.

Both teams had runs in the first 20 minutes and chances to distance themselves, yet neither team took a lead larger than seven points.

Tennessee was held to 9-of-32 (.281) shooting in the first half but out-rebounded Auburn by a 28-17 margin. The stifling Volunteer defense did not allow the Tigers much offensively, holding them to 3-of-14 (.214) shooting from beyond the arc and 13-of-35 (.371) from the floor .

While Auburn got a little space early in the second period, the Vols started the 17-2 run, kicked off by Huntley-Hatfield’s 3-pointer, with 15:53 left. Fulkerson and Chandler contributed six during that run, while Zeigler sank a trey with 12:55 left in the game to tie it, and the Vols took a lead they would not give up for the rest of the evening.

UT was Calm, cool and collected at the line, making 12 of its final 14 points from the charity stripe in the final five minutes to close out the win.

UP NEXT: Tennessee travels to Athens, Georgia, to take on the Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 1. The game will be televised on SEC Network. The Vols are back on Rocky Top Saturday, Mach 5, when they host the Arkansas Razorbacks in the season finale at noon ET on ESPN. Tickets to that game are sold out.

VOLS GRAB ANOTHER TOP-FIVE WIN: Tennessee has defeated six AP top-five foes during the Rick Barnes era, including two this season.
 
The Vols defeated No. 4 Kentucky on Feb. 15, 76-63. Tennessee also defeated then-No. 6 and current No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 22, 77-73.
 
BIG MINUTES FROM HUNTLEY-HATFIELD: Playing an SEC-high 20 minutes, freshman forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored five points on a 3-pointer and a putback dunk, grabbed a career-high-tying eight rebounds and blocked two shots.

-UT Athletics

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