Tennessee’s Tamari Key has been named to the 15-player Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday.
Key, a 6-foot-6 center from Cary, N.C., leads the nation in blocked shots with 73 and in blocks per game at 3.842. Her total this season in only 19 games is already the eighth-highest in school history and marks her third appearance on the UT single-season list along with the No. 5 tally of 86 as a freshman and the No. 9 sum of 72 as a sophomore.
Tamari Key – Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Her 3.892 season average for blocks per game currently ranks No. 1 in Lady Vol history. Her career average of 3.08 also ranks No. 1 in school annals, and she currently has the third-most swats ever by a UT woman, accumulating 231 thus far and standing 18 behind second-place Sheila Frost (249) and 44 behind career record-holder Candace Parker (275).
Key is a central figure in a Lady Vol defense that ranks No. 1 in field goal percentage defense (30.7) and 17th in scoring defense (54.5 ppg.). She has helped Tennessee hold all but one opponent to 36-percent shooting or lower, and 16 of 19 foes to 60 points or fewer.
She averages 9.9 points per game and shoots 62 percent from the field, and her 8.4 rebound average also contributes heavily on both ends, with UT out-rebounding every opponent but one this season and doing so by double digits on 15 occasions. UT continues to rank No. 1 nationally in rebounds per game (50.37) and defensive rebounds per game (33.2), thanks to her efforts.
In terms of team results, Key’s play has been instrumental in helping Kellie Harper‘s squad to an 18-1 overall record, 7-0 SEC mark and a No. 4 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25. The Lady Vols also are currently tracking toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Cody Johnson is hearing from fans that his current single “’Til You Can’t” is touching them in a special way.
Cody can understand why people who listen to “’Til You Can’t” have a special connection with the track…because it’s hit him in the same way too, “Everybody’s kind of come up, that has mentioned it, and been like ‘That song changed my perspective on life,’ and it’s not a rehearsed line – I can genuinely honestly looked those people in the eye and say ‘Me too!’ You know it changed my perspective on my own life and my own career and my own time with my kids and my wife and the things that are important to me. You know, the real things – not money, not fame, not notoriety…the real things that actually matter.”
Along with the song – the music video for “‘Til You Can’t” is also having a big impact on fans, watch it here…
Chris Janson is climbing the country airplay chart with his current single “Bye Mom.”
After recently releasing the dates for his Halfway To Crazy tour, Chris also shared some more news with his fans…a new album is on the way!
The project’s title track is also available now – “All In.”
Talking about the song Chris says “Fittingly, the title track is an inside look at the history of my relationship with Kelly. I was ‘All In’ from the moment I met her. Every piece of this song is a snapshot of our real life.”
When it comes to the album, Chris shares, “There are all kind of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me. I went all in on every part of the process, from writing to singing to playing to producing. I feel like it’s my best, most true-to-myself album to date.”
He adds, “The title All In epitomizes this album.”
Fans can look for Chris Janson’s new album, All In, to arrive this Spring – but next month they can plan to catch him live in concert as the Halfway To Crazy tour kicks off.
Fans will be looking for this one live – “Bye Mom.”
On what John Fulkerson needs to do to increase his minutes and if he is better suited to come off the bench… “Consistency. I think he knows that we need him to bring the energy, which he will. I still think he is getting back from getting COVID over Christmas. What we need out of this time of the year is going to be based on production and the guys that are getting it done at that point and time will be the guys that play. He is working hard to play the role he has to be, and John has always been a terrific teammate. Uros (Plavsic) has gone in and brought a lot of energy to it and we’re hoping that John will continue to do it. I thought John the other night did a good job, but we’re going to play the guys that are getting it done at that point and time.”
Vols HC Rick Barnes / Credit: UT Athletics
On what has been impressive on Zakai Zeigler… “His toughness. He’s resilient, has a short memory, and is very competitive. He’s extremely competitive and not going to back away from a challenge. He’s a good teammate, aggressive on both ends, and is probably a guy that has had to buck up his whole life. He’s thinking to himself ‘I’m going to play and get in this game.’ He’s probably not going to be the first guy you pick on your team based on looks, but after you see him play one time, he will be that guy you’d pick first. He’s always been a fighter and that is how he plays the game.”
On how Josiah-Jordan James has shot the ball better from the 3-point line the past few games… “He’s a little more selective on where he shoots shots. As a team, we’re better when we play inside out because that’s the way we practice. We’ve seen him shoot the ball extremely well and as long as he takes the shots that he practices and at the speed and tempo, he’ll be fine shooting the ball.”
On how well the defense has played since playing Kentucky… “For the most part, we’ve been a sound defensive team. We’ve had some breakdowns but had a terrific game against LSU. Later in the game, we gave up three straight layups late in the game which was a communication breakdown. Overall, our defense has been good, and excited that we picked up some charges the other night. If you look around the country and the SEC, there’s a lot of teams playing great defense and if you don’t play any, then you won’t give yourself much of a chance to win. If you play defense on a night where you struggle to score which I see a lot of teams that are struggling to score, it makes for long nights.”
On Uros Plavsic’s presence… “He definitely brings a high level of physicality to our team, he does. I think he helps guys. People would not expect this, but when you really watch Santi on tape, Santi is a very physical player. People probably don’t realize it as much unless they watch him and how hard he works, get through his screens and dribble handoffs. He really works hard to get through them, but Uros brings that to us, he does. We need more of that really from Olivier (Nkamhoua) and Brandon (Huntley-Hatfield) because those guys have the bodies to do it. I’m hoping that will be something they can learn from Uros that they can add and do that will help us.”
On Justin Powell’s playing rhythm… “I think what Justin has done the last couple of games is something that I think helps you shoot the ball better—he’s done a much better job on the defensive end. You can tell he has been much more locked in on that end of the court really trying to stick with our game plan and what we’re doing. I say this all the time, if you just play the game and let the offense come to you if you’re a good shooter, you’re going to be a good shooter. If you’re a good driver, you’re going to be a good driver. If you’re a good offensive rebounder, you’re going to be a good offensive rebounder. It’s when guys start concentrating or getting anxious on the offensive end where I think that really affects everything else. If you’ll just go into the game, I tell them all the time I think one of the hardest things to do is they have to make shots. You need to make shots, but you’re not going to make them all. Really in college, very few guys make over half of them when they shoot, especially perimeter players. With that said, get lost in the game, play the game, play it on both ends, and impact the game when you’re not making shots. If you get that mindset, the guys that we recruit, they’ll be fine in all the other things, I think, if they buy into that.”
On finding a rotation that sticks… “Well it’s important and again, separation is what gives you a chance to get some kind of rotation. If you can get guys where you know from night to night what they’re going to produce and the reliability of what they’re going to be able to do on both ends of the court, it helps you a lot. I think it helps them. The last couple games I do think we have been able to get a little bit more rotation in our mind in terms of what we’re trying to do. Different games can change it dictated by foul trouble and things like that. The last two games we’ve played started out with Uros and Olivier together and we have gone with John and Brandon together. Some youth and experience and Brandon obviously being a bigger body and can bang against certain guys better than John possibly inside. Then foul trouble can change that around. Then we obviously feel on the front line when we need to get Josiah at the four. We get better in some areas there offensively and the way he’s rebounding the ball. When he’s rebounding the ball the way he’s capable of that’s when we become quicker, faster on our transition game. Because he can come out of there with it quicker. Again, it’s consistency in terms of what we know we’re going to get and it does help players know about what time of the game they’re going to go into it.”
On Kennedy Chandler playing with more consistency… “He’s done it consistently. When he’s done it consistently, he’s been very effective with it. But it’s different angles you’re trying to get him to come in from. Teams knows he’s going to bring it from the middle part of the floor all the time. And then they break the court down into thirds, they know he’s attacking from here, and they can sit on it—that’s why we try to get him to move more. I think a big thing we’re helping him with is introducing him to the fact that you have to learn to move without the ball and by getting to the sides, it gives a chance now to come in from a different angle. A really nice play the other night, Santi (Vescovi) came off the baseline, took one dribble to the middle, Kennedy was up top, and he made a great cut down, he showed his explosiveness moving without the ball. The more he grasps moving without the ball and getting himself in different areas of the court, the more effective he’s going to become without the ball. And because he is so fast, you know when he gets running, and he can catch it on the run and somebody gets him a pass, he’s been doing a nice job getting it where he needs to get it. But that’s the fun part about it, coaching guys that when they come in you hope to expand their game. Again, once he grasps that part of it consistently…Santi does a good job of that, you know moving, giving it up, moving and it’s just going to add to his game. And I would say the same thing about Zakai. Zakai needs to pass it some and get moving and get away like he got lost the other night, that was a big three he hit. But he got lost, he passed, moved. The more movement we get, the better we’re going to be. And I would say that for any team, I just think you get movement, you get ball movement and player movement, it’s hard to guard.”
On Kennedy Chandler struggling from the free throw line… “Yeah, he falls back, and he has to get up there and stay on the line and shoot the ball. He’s a good shooter, but you know what, it’s concentration. You know, he stays every after practice every day and he’ll make 94/95 out of 100 but he gets in a game and he doesn’t concentrate. People think that’s an easy shot, it’s not as easy as everybody thinks. You’re running up and down the floor, you’re playing hard, you’re playing defense and you’re cutting off screens and then all at once the game just comes to a total stop. And you have to be able to really get your concentration, get your breathing right and get into where you’re really concentrating as opposed to just throwing it up there. But all his shots this year, you look at them from the free throw line, he’s backing up even before the ball is even halfway to the rim, he’s already dropped his arms down to his side and walking backwards and he’s just got to go toward the rim and follow through. I mean, he can make shots, he’s a shooter. It’s just concentration.”
On Florida… “Well, Florida, Mike White, what can you say? I mean, again, he’s lost a valuable player (Colin Castleton) and won a big game at home against Mississippi State. A key guy went down, and they got another tough win Saturday, they had a tough week. They have Mississippi tonight, then they’re here. Mike’s back to doing the things that I always remember his teams doing. Changing defenses, a lot like what we faced here Saturday, you know 2-2-1, can fall back, can run and double at any time or throw a 1-3-1 at you, can mix up some zones in there with man and he’s doing that. As you would expect the last two games they’ve shot a few more threes since they don’t have their post guy, they normally throw it in to. Obviously playing through their guards even more. But Mike, he does a great job, he’s taken what he’s gotten, it’s a testament to him, hasn’t complained about any of it. I do think his team has great confidence in him because they have followed his lead to the hilt and they can put numbers on you if you don’t guard them, they can turn you over if you don’t take care of the basketball.”
On if he is still working his way back from COVID… “I think all of last year really took a toll on everybody. It just takes a while to get back, really with your conditioning, timing, and rhythm, coming back from something like that.”
On having a different mindset coming off the bench as opposed to starting… “Not really, but it has been a while. It is different, I like it, but definitely different. I think I still have the same mindset with just doing whatever I can to help my team. I think our roles as everyone is still the same, just doing what coach asks us to do.”
On how important it was to bounce back defensively against Vanderbilt and LSU following the loss to Kentucky… “I think that’s something that we have to do every single night. Something that we really have to hang our hats on is defense because regardless of if we are making shots or not, it has to be something that we are able to travel with and have at every home game. Something that we have every single game is our defense because that does not really take skill, just takes effort and energy. This helps us on the offensive end when our defense is clicking when it’s really good which definitely translates to the offensive end.”
On why he likes coming off bench and if it helps him see what the opponent is doing better… “It does yes, the way I look at it is I told my teammates that are out there to go as hard as they can and that makes the opponents go hard as they can, then they get tired. So when I come in, I’m fresh and they are tired, so that is kind of the way I look at it. Hopefully when I come in, I’m ready to go with energy and hopefully the other team is a little winded from the first group.”
On the conversation with coach Barnes about coming off the bench… “I think it was something that needed to be done. Coach has been doing this a long time and he knows what is best for his team and his players. He is going to put us all in the right position and in the best position to win. I trust whatever coach is doing, in whatever he says and whatever he wants us to do. I trust him in everything, whatever he wants from any of us we are all willing to do it.”
On why the move to the bench needed to be done… “Just to switch things up and try to get some different lineups in there. Different looks from teams and just trusting coach Barnes’ game plan to whatever he thinks will be most successful.”
On if was easy for you making the transition from starting to bench… “I mean it was different for sure, I can’t say I was expecting it. But I think you just have to trust coach with whatever he has for us. I trust coach that he knows what is best for me and our team which will put us in the best position to win.”
On Uros Plavsic’s physicality in games and how he has personally evolved his physicality over the years… “I would say I have definitely become more physical over my time here. If you guys watched the last game, you definitely saw that Uros can be physical. He can bring a lot to our team and really being that glue guy for him. Bringing us together and being that energetic guy. He has done a great job while he has been in there.”
On coach Barnes bringing him and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield off the bench together, matching an experienced player with an inexperienced player… “I think that we play well together. I want to say that I play well with all of my teammates. No offense to anyone, no good or bad feelings toward my teammates. I like playing with them all but I think that is a great way to look at that. I can use my experience to help a freshman player like Brandon. And that we can both be in there at the same time and be productive.”
On Uros Plavsic showing emotions on the floor and rewatching tape back… “It is actually pretty funny. Our game was showing on SEC Network just now and seeing the pregame and halftime stuff and everything in the game, you aren’t lacking for words when you say he shows emotion, but that is great for our team. We need that, we need all of the energy. We all can feed off of that.”
The Volunteers’ #eVOLution22 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 11 by Rivals.com, No. 15 by 247Sports.com and No. 15 by On3.com with next week’s regular signing period on deck.
Tennessee is coming off a 7-6 mark in head coach Josh Heupel‘s debut campaign that saw the Vols shatter eight single-season team records and improve their win total by four games from the previous year. Heupel was tabbed the FWAA Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach Award co-winner. He won more regular season games that any new Power Five coach from last year’s hiring cycle.
The Vols open the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against Ball State in Neyland Stadium.
Existing season ticket holders can renew their tickets for the 2022 campaign now by visiting AllVols.com. Fans wishing to purchase new season tickets can do so as well at AllVols.com or by contacting the UT Athletic Ticket Office at (865) 946-7000.
Three of the four former Tennessee Volunteers on NFL active rosters this past weekend advanced to their respective conference championships after victories by the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
49er’s Emmanuel Moseley / Credit: UT Athletics
In a bitterly cold contest at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 49ers battled through a defensive struggle with the Packers, winning 13-10 on a last second field goal in the snow. Former Vol Emmanuel Moseley made five tackles for the Scarlet and Gold and now owns 17 in the 2022 postseason, tied for the second-most in the playoffs. He was also lockdown in coverage, the fifth-year defensive back was only targeted once for two yards.
Jauan Jennings made one catch in the victory for six yards. He has now made a reception in San Francisco’s last 11 games.
Trey Smith and the Chiefs won an incredible contest against the Buffalo Bills that saw Kansas City march down the field to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining. Smith and the Chief offense tallied 552 yards of total offense, passing for 370 yards. The Chiefs overtime drive led them to a 42-36 win in primetime on Sunday.
Morgan Cox and the Tennessee Titans finished their season in a 19-16 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Cox completed the season with the fourth-highest long snapper grade (79.7), according to Pro Football Focus. He tallied 146 downs in total, snapping 65 punts and 81 field goals or extra points during the year. He also made one tackle against the New England Patriots in week 12.
Smith and the Chiefs will be back in action Sunday, Jan. 30, to take on Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on CBS. Jennings and Moseley will follow as the 49ers travel to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Rams at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.
Morgan Cox – LS – Titans Completed seven snaps (four punts, two extra points and one field goal) in a 19-16 loss to the Bengals Saturday
Jauan Jennings – WR – 49ers Made one reception for six yards in a 13-10 victory for the 49ers over Green Bay
Josh Malone – WR – Packers Practice Squad
Emmanuel Moseley – CB – 49ers Made four tackles in a win over Green Bay where the defense only allowed 10 points and 263 yards of total offense. He was only targeted once, allowing a mere 2-yard reception
Trey Smith – OL – Chiefs Totaled 76 snaps in a thrilling overtime victory over the Bills, 42-36. He has played 1,335 snaps this season, the most of any lineman in the NFL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee baseball earned its third and highest preseason top 25 ranking on Monday as Baseball America slotted the Vols at No. 17 to start the 2022 season.
Vols Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics
UT is also ranked among the top 25 in the D1Baseball.com Preseason Poll (No. 19) and the Perfect Game Preseason Poll (No. 21). Preseason polls from USA Today and the NCBWA have yet to be released.
The Southeastern Conference led all leagues with eight teams ranked in the preseason top 25, including six in the top 10. The Vols are slated to play five of the top 10 teams in Baseball America’s rankings, including a College World Series rematch with No. 1 Texas at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston on March 4.
The full Baseball America Preseason Poll can be seen HERE.
UT is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, posting a 50-18 record and advancing to the College World Series for the first time since 2005. Tennessee was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 2021 – its highest ranking in program history – and finished the season ranked as high as No. 5 in the polls. The Big Orange finished the year ranked eighth in the final Baseball America rankings.
The Vols hosted a regional for the first time since 2005 and hosted a super regional for the first time ever, posting a perfect 5-0 record in the NCAA tournament’s first two rounds before making the program’s fifth trip to Omaha. UT reached the 50-win mark for just the third time in program history and finished the season tied for the most wins in Division I college baseball.
Tennessee also posted its best finish in conference play since 1995, going 20-10 in league games to win the SEC Eastern Division for the first time since 1997. UT carried that success into the postseason, advancing to the SEC Tournament Championship game for the first time since 1995. The Vols also had a program record five players earn postseason All-America honors in 2021.
Tennessee returns 24 letterwinners from last season’s Omaha team, including “Super Seniors” in Evan Russell, Luc Lipcius and Redmond Walsh. The Big Orange also added a handful of marquee transfers and welcomed the nation’s No. 5 ranked signing class according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. Russell, sophomore pitcher Blade Tidwell and junior outfielder Jordan Beck have already garnered preseason All-America honors for this coming year.
UT begins its 2022 campaign at home on the weekend of Feb. 18-20 against Georgia Southern. The Vols’ home slate features 37 home games, including SEC series against South Carolina (March 18-20), Missouri (April 8-10), Alabama (April 15-17), Auburn (April 29-May 1) and Georgia (May 13-15). UT’s full 2022 schedule can be seen HERE.
For season ticket information, visit AllVols.com or call the Tennessee Athletics ticket office at (865) 656-1200 or 1 (800) 332-VOLS. Information on single-game tickets will be released in the near future.
ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 5/6 Lady Vols picked up their fifth AP Top-25 win of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating No. 13/13 Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum, 63-55.
Lady Vols G Jordan Horston / Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee, the only team undefeated in conference play, is enjoying its best start to a season since the 2007-08 campaign when the squad started 22-1 en route to SEC and NCAA championships. The Big Orange women have now reeled off nine straight wins and nine straight conference wins, dating back to last season. They also won their seventh straight SEC road contest, with their last setback coming last season at Georgia.
Junior Jordan Horston turned in her ninth double-double of the season and fourth in five games to lead Tennessee (18-1, 7-0 SEC) with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Rae Burrell was also in double digits with 13.
Jenna Staiti was the high scorer for UGA (15-4, 4-3 SEC) with 16, while Que Morrison was close behind with 14.
Alexus Dye put UT up early with back-to-back buckets before Staiti knocked down a trey to get UGA on the board two minutes and 45 seconds into play. Horston responded with a layup, but Morrison scored on the fast break to set off a 10-3 run that put the Bulldogs ahead 13-9 with 2:35 left in the first. Key ended the skid with a layup, and Staiti scored three straight points before Burrell added a layup just ahead of the buzzer to send the game into the second with Tennessee trailing 16-13.
Morrison stretched Georgia’s lead to six with a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter. Horston made a layup on the other end, but Malury Bates and Reigan Richardson combined for five quick points to put the Bulldogs up 24-15 with 7:00 left in the half. UGA maintained a comfortable lead until Dye hit a jumper at the 1:37 mark, and the Lady Vols closed out the half with an 8-0 run to pull within one at 32-31.
The Bulldogs went back up by three after Jordan Isaacs hit a jumper, but Tennessee reclaimed the lead just over a minute into the second half off back-to-back buckets by Burrell. A basket by Dye stretched the lead to 37-34 at the 8:25 mark, but Georgia reclaimed the lead a minute later. Horston responded with a layup, and Jordan Walker followed it up with another to put UT back on top and set in motion an 11-2 run that gave the Lady Vols a 48-40 lead with 3:53 left in the third. The Bulldogs clawed back within three a minute and a half later, but a jumper in the closing seconds by Sara Puckett gave UT a five-point lead entering the final stanza.
A pair of free throws by Key stretched UT’s lead to 52-47 at the start of the fourth, but Staiti answered with a pair of layups to cut UGA’s deficit to three with seven minutes left in the game. Brooklynn Miles countered by scoring her first points of the contest in the form of a trey to put the Lady Vols back ahead by six. Javyn Nicholson answered with her first points on Georgia’s next possession, converting on an old-fashioned three-point play. Morrison then cut it to 57-55 with a free throw at the 4:10 mark, but Horston followed it up with a jumper a minute later. Both teams hit a scoring drought over the next two minutes until Key hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds remaining. Horston and Walker each added a free throw in the final seconds to close out the 63-55 victory on the road.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols continue SEC play, traveling to Auburn for an 8 p.m. ET (7 CT) match-up on Thursday. The game will be streamed on SECN+.
HORSTON GONNA HOOP: Jordan Horston continues to have her best games in the biggest moments, averaging 19.8 ppg. and 11.2 rpg. over Tennessee’s six contests against opponents ranked in the Top 25.
TK MAKING MOVES: With five blocks against Georgia, Tamari Key moves her career total to 231 and season total to 73. She has now surpassed Kellie Cain to rank third in career blocks and makes her third appearance in UT’s single-season records, checking in at eighth. She already owns fifth with 86 blocks as a freshman and ninth with 72 blocks as a sophomore.
SHE’S BAAAACK: After missing 12 games due to injury, Rae Burrell re-entered the starting lineup against Georgia and finished with 13 points to wind up as UT’s second leading scorer. She has now logged three straight double-digit games, having turned in 14 points against Kentucky and 11 at Vanderbilt.
COMEBACK KIDS: Tennessee overcame a nine-point deficit against Georgia, tying for its second largest comeback of the season (South Florida). UT has now trailed before pulling off the win in 17 of 19 contests.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 24th-ranked Tennessee basketball team led wire-to-wire and avenged an early-season loss to No. 13 LSU in front of a season-high crowd of 21,061 Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Santiago Vescovi led Tennessee with 16 points, including five made 3-pointers. Vescovi also tallied a team-high-tying six rebounds and five assists. Making his second straight start, Uros Plavsic had 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting and six rebounds.
Vols G Santiago Vescovi / Credit: UT Athletics
In what was a matchup of two of the nation’s top-five teams in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency, Tennessee held LSU to a season-low 50 points.
Tari Eason led LSU offensively with 16 points.
Coming out of the halftime break with a 29-24 lead, Tennessee opened the second half on a 13-4 run, pulling in front by 14 on a Kennedy Chandler driving layup with 11:34 remaining. In the opening six minutes of the second half, LSU scored just two points and made just one of its first nine shots.
The Vols looked to be in control leading by 15 with nine minutes remaining, but LSU answered Tennessee’s hot start to the second half with a 13-4 run, drawing to within six points on an and-one layup from Eason with 5:00 remaining.
LSU’s spurt was immediately answered by the Big Orange, as a jumper in the paint from John Fulkerson and a 3-pointer from Zakai Zeigler sparked a 13-0 Tennessee run that put the game away.
Just as efficiently as it started the second half, Tennessee was even hotter out of the gates to start the game, opening with a 14-0 run over the first six minutes. Vescovi, Chandler and Josiah-Jordan James all hit 3-pointers to spark the run.
The Vols forced LSU to miss its first seven field goal attempts, as the Tigers did not score until the 13:38 mark.
LSU however quickly countered Tennessee’s hot start, reeling off a 12-3 run to pull within five points. The Tigers drew within one, but never took the lead during the first half.
Vescovi hit four threes in total during the first half, totaling 12 points to lead all scorers in the opening period.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena for a second straight home game on Wednesday against Florida. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
VESCOVI AGAINST LSU: In four career games against LSU, junior guard Santiago Vescovi is now averaging 15.3 points per game following Saturday’s 16-point performance. Vescovi is also shooting 17-for-35 (.486) from 3-point range against the Tigers during his Tennessee career.
DISTRIBUTING THE ROCK: Tennessee recorded 18 assists on 22 made field goals on Saturday. The 22 assists are the Vols’ second most in an SEC game this season.
FULKY HITS 1,000: With an eight-point outing on Saturday, super senior forward John Fulkerson reached the 1,000-point mark for his career, becoming the 53rd Vol in program history to do so.
No. 5/6 Tennessee (17-1/6-0 SEC) and No. 13/13 Georgia (15-3/4-2 SEC) meet on Sunday at 2:02 p.m. ET at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens for UGA’s We Back Pat game.
The Lady Vols and Bulldogs will face off for the 72nd time in a series that dates back to 1969, with last year’s two games being decided by a combined total of three points.
Lady Vols C Tamari Key / Credit: UT Athletics
This will mark UT’s highest ranking entering this series match-up since coming in at No. 5/5 and defeating an unranked Georgia squad, 75-41, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Little Rock, Ark., on March 6, 2015.
The Lady Vols carry several streaks into Sunday, having won eight straight games this season and eight consecutive SEC contests in a string that began last season on Feb. 25 at Missouri. It’s the longest league winning spree since UT won 17 in a row spanning the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns. UT also enters with a six-game road win streak that originated at Missouri a year ago, marking the longest such spree of the Harper era.
Tennessee was idle Thursday night, but it stayed unbeaten in SEC play last Sunday by handling No. 19/20 Kentucky, 84-58, in UT’s We Back Pat game at Thompson-Boling Arena. it marked the 15th time in 18 games that Tennessee held its opponent to 60 points or fewer and the 17th time in 18 contests UT has out-rebounded its foe, including double-digit margins in 15 of those.
Georgia, meanwhile, comes off a 66-63 road win at Mississippi State on Thursday evening. The Bulldogs from Athens amassed a 27-point lead by the second quarter but had to withstand a furious MSU rally to walk away victoriously. UGA was won its last three games after opening league play at 1-2 with a 73-69 victory at Florida, sandwiched by losses to LSU (68-62) and at Kentucky (84-76).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network broadcast.
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 radio stations and by audio stream, with Mickey Dearstone behind the microphone. Now calling the action for his 23rd season, Dearstone is joined by studio host Bobby Rader.
A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol 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 Vol Network Affiliates.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
LADY VOLS PROJECTED FOR NO. 1 SEED
In his Bracketology update on Jan. 21, ESPN’s Charlie Creme moved Tennessee to a No. 1 seed in the Wichita Region. The Lady Vols are shown hosting No. 16 Jackson State in the first round, with the winner facing No. 8 DePaul or No. 9 Kansas.
ESPN has the Big Orange at No. 3 in its Jan. 17 Women’s College Basketball Power Rankings.
The NCAA NET Rankings show UT ranked No. 7 through Jan. 20, while the NCAA Toughest Schedule report had the Lady Vols at No. 17 (cumulative opposition).
RealTimeRPI.com has UT at No. 3 in RPI as of Jan. 20 with a calculation of .7087 and No. 7 in strength of schedule.
UT REMAINS IN AP TOP FIVE
The Lady Vols remained at season high rankings of No. 5 and 6 in the Jan. 17 and 18 AP and USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Polls, respectively, for the second straight week.
That is the highest combination of rankings since the Lady Vols were No. 4/5 in the Nov. 23 and 24 polls of 2015.
UT began that season at No. 4 in each poll and stayed there for two more weeks in the AP Top 25 but was relegated to No. 5 in the coaches poll the following two polling periods.
TENNESSEE IN SEC PLAY
UT is 420-88 (.827) in SEC regular-season games through Kentucky, winning 18 regular-season championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles.
Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper is 25-10 in SEC games in her third year on Rocky Top, including 6-0 in 2021-22, and has a 2-2 record in SEC Tournament play.
UT tied for third in 2019-20 and finished third outright in 2020-21, marking its best back-to-back outcomes in league play since taking second in 2013-14 and first in 2014-15.
The Lady Vols were picked second in the 2021-22 SEC Preseason Media Poll and No. 3 in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll, marking their best positions since 2015-16 and 2016-17, respectively.
ABOUT THE LADY VOLS
The Lady Vols continue to be one of the nation’s biggest stories of 2021-22, opening up at 17-1, sitting atop the SEC standings and climbing to No. 5 in the AP Poll against one of the NCAA’s toughest schedules despite losing returning starter Marta Suárez for the season to a lower leg injury and playing without top returning scorer Rae Burrell for 12 games (leg injury) and this year’s leading scorer and rebounder Jordan Horston for three (lower leg injury/illness).
Tennessee picked up its fourth victory over a ranked team this season on Jan. 16, as the Lady Vols rolled past No. 19/20 Kentucky in Knoxville, 84-58. UT recorded four wins over ranked foes the entire 2020-21 campaign and had only one ranked win in 2019-20.
The Big Orange women also have victories over No. 23/22 South Florida (52-49), No. 12/21 Texas (74-70 OT) and No. 25/23 Texas A&M (73-45) to their credit and beat RV/RV Virginia Tech (64-58) and RV/RV Ole Miss (70-58) this season.
Tennessee is led by Jordan Horston, an electric 6-2 junior guard, who paces the team in scoring (15.2 ppg.), rebounding (9.7) and assists (4.0 apg.) in a breakout season for the player who came out of high school ranked No. 2 overall and the No. 1 guard in the 2019 espnW HoopGurlz 100.
Horston leads the Lady Vols with eight double-doubles and has topped UT in scoring nine times, including double-doubles in three of her last four games.
Tamari Key, a 6-6 junior center, is putting up 10.2 ppg. and 8.6 rpg. to go along with 3.7 bpg. She had a triple-double of 10 points, 18 rebounds and 10 blocks in UT’s 74-70 OT victory over No. 12/21 Texas.
Key, rated No. 47 as a prep by espnW, is second on the team with seven double-doubles thus far and has scored in double figures in 11 of 18 games for the Lady Vols. She leads the nation in blocked shots (68) and is second in bpg. (3.78), sitting in UT’s single-season top 10 for the third time at No. 10 with 68 swats in only 18 contests. She also ranks fifth (86, 2019-20, 31 games) and eighth (72, 2020-21, 25 games) on that list.
Alexus Dye, a 6-0 forward, is third among active UT players in scoring at 10.0 ppg. She is third in rebounding at 7.8 rpg and has three double-doubles, including a 13/10 effort vs. Arkansas most recently. The graduate transfer from Troy has scored in double figures nine times thus far.
Senior All-SEC First Team preseason pick Rae Burrell (7.2 ppg.) has seen action the past five games (12/17/12/16/24 minutes) after missing the previous 12 contests due to a leg injury suffered in the opener vs. Southern Illinois. Her two most recent games were her best, as she hit double figures in scoring for the first time since Nov. 10, tallying 11 at Vanderbilt and 14 vs. Kentucky. Burrell knocked down all four three-point attempts in the win over UK and was five of eight overall from the field to bump her scoring average to 8.3 for the season and her shooting percentages to 48.6 on FGs and 41.7 on 3FGs.
Freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett is UT’s fifth-leading scorer. The No. 43 espnW prospect coming out of high school is putting up 7.6 ppg. and is shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 35.6 percent on threes and 77.8 percent on free throws and has scored in double figures five times. She got her first career starts vs. UTC and Alabama during Jordan Horston’s absence because of illness.
Graduate guard Jordan Walker, who had 10 points and six boards vs. Kentucky, is Tennessee’s sixth-highest scorer, putting up 7.6 ppg., while tallying 3.9 rpg. and 3.3 apg. to rank fourth and second for UT in those categories.
With 14 points and seven boards in 22 minutes vs. Kentucky, Keyen Green elevated her averages to 7.2 ppg. and 3.2 rpg. while shooting 58 percent.
The Lady Vols have limited five ranked opponents this season to 32.5 percent shooting from the field, 31.1 from the arc and 59.2 points per contest.
Jordan Horston is putting up 20.0 ppg., 11.2 rpg. and 4.0 apg. vs. ranked teams in 2021-22.
UT is out-rebounding ranked foes by 10 this season, 50.6 to 40.6.
Tennessee is averaging 8.2 blocks per game vs. ranked opponents, with Tamari Key swatting 30 shots and averaging 6.0 per contest.
TENNESSEE NOTES DURING SEC PLAY
Kellie Harper‘s squad is the only remaining undefeated team in league play, standing at 6-0 and joins #1 South Carolina (also 17-1) as the SEC teams with the best overall records.
UT is scoring 70.7 ppg. and allowing 53.2 ppg., while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and holding opponents to only 30.2 percent.
Tennessee is out-rebounding SEC teams, 49.7 to 35.5 for +14.2.
The Lady Vols have limited foes to shooting only 18.4 percent from the three-point arc, including games vs. noted three-ball teams Arkansas and Texas A&M.
UT is dishing out 15.5 assists per contest while allowing only 8.3 apg. for opponents.
Jordan Horston (15.4 ppg., 10.2 rpg. and 4.2 apg.), Tamari Key (10.2 ppg., 7.3 rpg. and 4.2 bpg.), Alexus Dye (9.5 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) and Jordan Walker (9.3 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 3.3 apg.) have led UT in its first six conference games.
Rae Burrell has elevated her playing time and productivity, averaging 7.6 ppg. and shooting 43 percent from the field, including 46 percent from the arc.
Also worth nothing, Tess Darby (6.2 ppg.) is 12 of 28 on threes (42.9) during league play, while Keyen Green (7.5 ppg.) is hitting 69.2 percent of her field goal attempts.
Besides the five starters, freshmen Brooklynn Miles (20.3) and Sara Puckett (17.7) are averaging the most minutes per game in SEC play for Tennessee.
LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME
Scoring 73 points in the final three quarters, the No. 5/6 Tennessee women’s basketball team used a balanced offensive effort to down No. 19/20 Kentucky, 84-58, last Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena. The game marked the annual We Back Pat game, bringing awareness and recognition to the Pat Summitt Foundation in its fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
With the win, the Lady Vols improved to 17-1 overall and 6-0 in SEC play. It’s the best season-opening overall record since UT started the 2007-08 campaign at 22-1. The 6-0 league beginning is the program’s best since going 13-0 in 2014-15.
Rae Burrell and Keyen Green tied for the team lead in scoring, dropping 14 points each. Burrell was white hot from beyond the arc, going 4-of-4 on 3-pointers in the game. It was a defining day for Green at UT, as she tied her UT high in points and rebounds, pulling down seven. She added three assists, her most since joining the Big Orange in 2020.
In total, 10 of 13 Lady Vols taking the court scored. Four players finished with double-figure scoring, as Jordan Horston (11) and Jordan Walker (10) joined Burrell and Green.
The balance showed in the stat sheet, as Tennessee was 10-of-20 from beyond the arc. The Lady Vols also outscored UK in the paint, 40-28. UT pulled down 21 offensive boards, its fifth game this season with more than 20. That translated to a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points. Led by Burrell and Green’s contributions, Tennessee recorded 39 bench points to Kentucky’s nine.
NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST GAME
SECOND QUARTER COMEBACK: The Lady Vols poured in 27 points in the second quarter. It was their highest point total of any quarter during conference play this season and ties their season high for second-quarter points. With three periods of 20+ points vs. UK, UT now has scored 20+ points in 20 of its last 32 quarters.
MAKING IT RAIN: Tennessee shot a scorching 50 percent from behind the arc, hitting a season-high 10 threes. It was the most 3-pointers scored by a UT team since dropping 14 on Furman on Dec. 10, 2020. The percentage was the highest since the Lady Vols connected on seven of 10 for 70 percent vs. Ole Miss on March 5, 2020, in the SEC Tournament.
DOMINATING THE BOARDS: The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Wildcats 50 to 29, marking the 15th time through 17 games that UT has managed a double-digit rebound margin. Tennessee has now had 50+ rebounds in 11 games this season, and it’s the 29th time the Lady Vols have collected 50 or more rebounds during the Harper Era.
POINTS FROM THE LINE: UT went 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, posting its highest free-throw percentage of the season at 83.3 percent.
UT-UGA SERIES NOTES
UT enters Sunday’s contest with a 52-19 edge in the series. Tennessee has won 20 of the past 25, but UGA has claimed four of the past six meetings, including the last three in Athens.
Last year’s outcomes were decided by a combined three points, and the last three in Athens have been decided by a total of nine.
The Lady Vols are 23-5 in Knoxville and 15-3 at neutral sites all-time vs. the Lady Bulldogs. UT, though, is only 14-11 vs. Georgia in Athens.
Tennessee is 1-3 vs. UGA in overtime games.
The Lady Vols have a 14-3 postseason record against Georgia after winning in the 2015 SEC quarterfinals.
This is the 56th match-up when both teams were ranked. They have met twice with neither team ranked and 14 times when only one squad was in the polls.
This is Kellie Harper‘s fourth meeting with UGA as a head coach. She was 6-2 vs. the Lady Bulldogs as a player (1995-99) and 1-2 as coach.
Tennessee and Georgia met in the 1996 NCAA Championship game in Charlotte, with the Lady Vols prevailing, 83-64, in the first of three straight national championship seasons.
Tennessee and Georgia rank No. 1 and No. 2 in SEC regular season championships, with the Lady Vols owning 18 and the Lady Bulldogs having seven.
ABOUT GEORGIA
Georgia is led by 6-4 graduate center Jenna Staiti (15.2 ppg., 7.9 rpg., 2.4 bpg.) and graduate guard Que Morrison (14.6 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 4.9 apg., 90 FT%).
Sophomore guard Sarah Ashlee Barker is right behind them at 9.7 ppg. and leads the team with 27 three-pointers.
UGA allows only 57.4 ppg. and 37.5 FG%. It also averages 9.2 steals and 6.3 blocks per game.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
Joni Taylor is in her seventh season in Athens as head coach and has a 134-68 record there.
She was the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year and a finalist for Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year a year ago.
Taylor played collegiately at Alabama (1997-2001).
LAST TIME THE BULLDOGS PLAYED
After building a 27-point lead in the first half, No. 13 Georgia held off Mississippi State, 66-63, at Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday evening.
Redshirt senior Mikayla Coombs led Georgia in scoring with 13 points, highlighted by a clutch jumper that put the Lady Dogs in front 64-63 in the final minute. Que Morrison, who scored 12, hit two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Lady Dogs the final 66-63 lead.
Rickea Jackson poured in 27 for Mississippi State, missing a potential game-tying three with three seconds remaining.
Georgia improved to 15-3 (4-2 SEC) while Mississippi State fell to 11-6 (2-3 SEC).
The victory broke MSU’s six-game win streak in the series, and extended UGA’s winning streak on the season to three games.
WHEN UT AND UGA LAST MET
No. 21/21 Tennessee pulled within one in the final seconds at No. 22/23 Georgia but couldn’t overcome a tough day offensively, falling 57-55 in Stegeman Coliseum on Feb. 21, 2021.
Senior Rennia Davis led Tennessee (13-6, 7-4 SEC) with 22 points and six rebounds. Junior Rae Burrell turned in 10 points and five rebounds, and senior Kasiyahna Kushkituah pulled down 13 rebounds to tie her career high.
Gabby Connally was the high scorer for Georgia (17-4, 9-4 SEC), finishing with 24 points. Que Morrison was also in double figures with 11 points, and Jenna Staiti grabbed 12 boards.
UP NEXT: AUBURN ON THE ROAD
After trek to Athens, the next stop for Tennessee is Auburn, where the Lady Vols and Tigers will tussle at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT) on Thursday. The game will be streamed on SECN+.
