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Hoops Preview: #5/6 Lady Vols vs. #19/20 Kentucky Sunday during We Back Pat Week

Posted on January 15, 2022

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 5/6 Tennessee (16-1/5-0 SEC) and No. 19/20 Kentucky (8-4/1-1 SEC) will lock horns on Sunday at 3:02 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, tipping off the SEC’s 11th-annual observance of We Back Pat Week.

The Lady Vols and Wildcats will meet for the 72nd time in a series that dates back to 1976, with LVFLs and former teammates Kellie Harper of UT and Kyra Elzy of UK facing another as head coaches for the third time. The Big Orange won in Knoxville last season on Jan. 24, while the Big Blue prevailed in Lexington on Feb. 11.

This will mark UT’s highest ranking entering this match-up since coming in at No. 5/5 and defeating a No. 12/11 Kentucky team, 75-64, in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Little Rock, Ark., on March 7, 2015. The Lady Vols take a current seven-game winning streak into this season’s contest and also carry a seven-game SEC victory 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.

Tennessee remained unbeaten in league play on Thursday night in Nashville, holding Vanderbilt to 26.7 percent shooting en route to a 65-51 triumph at Memorial Gymnasium. It marked UT’s 13th “W” in the last 14 meetings between the rivals, including seven in a row in Music City.

It marked the 14th time in 17 games that Tennessee held its opponent to 60 points or fewer, the 17th time no team has shot better than 36 percent from the field and the 16th time in 17 contests UT has out-rebounded its foe.

Kentucky comes in better-rested following an open date on Thursday after a make-up contest with Mississippi State was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Bulldog program.

UK is 1-1 in league play thus far after beating Georgia in Lexington, 84-76, on Jan. 6 and falling at No. 1/1 South Carolina, 74-54, on Jan. 9.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) will have the call for the ESPN 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.

GAME PROMOTIONS

We Back Pat Week: The Southeastern Conference is observing the 11th annual “We Back Pat” Week, a week-long initiative focused on bringing awareness and recognition to the Pat Summitt Foundation, a fund of East Tennessee Foundation, and its fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
During the week of January 16-23, SEC member institutions will offer support to the Foundation during each of their own We Back Pat games in 14 cities through a variety of efforts, including promotional public address announcements and video endorsements.
The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund was launched Nov. 27, 2011, by Pat Summitt after her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, at the age of 59.
Flex Pack: Get admission to five games vs. SEC opponents, with prices starting at $24 at AllVols.com.
Free parking and free shuttle service from the Ag Campus (Lot CF near Brehm & Food Science Bldgs.).
For additional details and information, please call 865-974-1734 or visit the Fans tab on UTSports.com and click on the Fan Experience link.

ABOUT THE LADY VOLS

The Lady Vols are one of the nation’s biggest stories of 2021-22, opening up at 16-1, 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 third victory over a ranked team this season on Jan. 6, as the Lady Vols rolled past No. 25/23 Texas A&M in Knoxville, 73-45. UT, which carded four wins over ranked foes last season, only had one ranked win at that point a year ago.
The Big Orange women also have victories over No. 23/22 South Florida (52-49) and No. 12/21 Texas (74-70 OT) to their credit and beat an RV/RV Virginia Tech squad, 64-58, all without Rae Burrell playing.
Tennessee is led by Jordan Horston, an electric 6-2 junior guard, who paces the team in scoring (15.5 ppg.), rebounding (9.9) and assists (3.9 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. She
Horston leads the Lady Vols with eight double-doubles and has topped UT in scoring nine times, including double-doubles the last three games.
Tamari Key, a 6-6 junior center, is putting up 10.4 ppg. and 8.8 rpg. to go along with 3.9 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 nine of her last 12 games for the best stretch of her career. She leads the nation in blocked shots (66) and is second in bpg. (3.88), entering UT’s single-season top 10 for the third time at No. 10 with 66 swats in only 17 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 10.1 ppg. She is third in rebounding at 7.9 rpg and has three double-doubles, including a 13/10 effort vs. Arkansas last Sunday. The graduate transfer from Troy has scored in double figures in five of the past eight games.
Freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett is UT’s fourth-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, 35.7 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.
Senior All-SEC First Team preseason pick Rae Burrell (7.2 ppg.) has seen action the past four games (12/17/12/16 minutes) after missing the previous 12 contests due to a leg injury suffered in the opener vs. Southern Illinois. Her most recent game was her best, as she hit double figures in scoring for the first time since Nov. 10, tallying 11 at Vanderbilt. She is fifth in scoring at 7.2 ppg.
Graduate guard Jordan Walker, who had eight points and four boards vs. Vandy, continues to be Tennessee’s fifth-highest scorer, putting up 7.3 ppg., while pulling down 3.8 rpg. and 3.4 apg. to rank fourth and second for UT in those categories.
The Lady Vols have given up only 53.8 ppg. at home this season, including 43.3 over the past three games vs. Chattanooga (41), Alabama (44) and #25/23 Texas A&M (45).
As UT faces No. 19/20 Kentucky on Sunday, Jordan Horston enters with averages of 22.3 ppg., 12.3 rpg. and 4.0 apg. vs. ranked teams in 2021-22.

TENNESSEE NOTES DURING SEC PLAY

Kellie Harper‘s squad is the only remaining undefeated team in league play, standing at 5-0 and joins #1 South Carolina (also 16-1) as the SEC teams with the best overall records.
UT is scoring 68.0 ppg. and allowing 52.2. ppg., while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and holding opponents to only 28.0 percent.
Tennessee is out-rebounding SEC teams, 49.6 to 36.8 for +12.8.
The Lady Vols have limited foes to shooting only 17.9 percent from the three-point arc, including games vs. noted three-ball teams Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Jordan Horston (16.5 ppg., 11.0 rpg. and 4.0 apg.), Tamari Key (11.0 ppg., 7.6 rpg. and 4.6 bpg.), Alexus Dye (9.6 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) and Jordan Walker (9.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg., 3.6 apg.) have led UT in its first five conference games.
Also worth nothing, Tess Darby (6.2 ppg.) is nine of 22 on threes (40.9) during league play, while Keyen Green (6.2 ppg.) is hitting 76.5 percent of her field goal attempts.
Besides the five starters, freshmen Brooklynn Miles (12.2) and Sara Puckett (17.8) are averaging the most minutes per game in SEC games for Tennessee.

NATIONAL ATTENTION INCOMING

Tennessee’s outstanding start has generated interest from some national media outlets and organizations.
Veteran journalist Mike Lopresti penned a story for NCAA.com on Jan. 14, entitled “Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper fights to restore ‘awe factor,’ glory days to storied program.”
Also on Jan. 14, AP’s Teresa Walker included the Lady Vols in her story: “Big-name women’s basketball programs returning to prominence.”
UT fans also can expect to read an upcoming profile by The Athletic’s senior women’s basketball writer, Chantel Jennings.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

No. 5/6 Tennessee remained perfect in SEC play, defeating Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville on Thursday night, 65-51.
UT (16-1, 5-0 SEC), which is off to its best league start since opening at 13-0 in 2014-15, was led by junior Jordan Horston. The 6-foot-2 guard stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a career-high-tying four blocks. Senior Rae Burrell and junior Tamari Key were also in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
yana Moore was the high scorer for Vanderbilt (10-7, 1-2 SEC) with 16, and Brinae Alexander was close behind with 15.

NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST GAME

TOP 10 AGAIN: Tamari Key recorded a block at Vandy, moving into UT’s single-season Top 10 records for the third time in her career. She currently occupies No. 5 (86, 2019-20), No. 8 (72, 2020-21) and No. 10 (66, 2021-22).
DEFENSE MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Tennessee’s defense continues to pose problems for opponents, with the Commodores being held to 26.7 percent shooting on the night, 15.3 percent below their season average of 42.0. The Lady Vols’ defense has kept all 17 opponents at 36 percent shooting or below this season, and through five SEC games Tennessee is holding opponents to just 28.0 percent from the floor.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES TRENDING: Jordan Horston logged her eighth double-double of the season against VU. Tennessee has logged 19 double-doubles on the season and at least one Lady Vol has managed a double-double in 16 of 17 games so far.
ANOTHER 50-BOARD NIGHT: Tennessee, the nation’s No. 1 rebounding team, pulled down 50 boards yet again. It marked the 10th time this season and the third occasion in five SEC contests that the Lady Vols had grabbed that many caroms.

UP NEXT: ON THE ROAD FOR TWO

After an open date on Jan. 20, the Lady Vols will be back in action on the road on Jan. 23 and 27.
Next Sunday, UT travels to Athens to take on Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum at 2 p.m. ET. SEC Network will televise that contest.
The match-up is Georgia’s “We Back Pat” game as part of the SEC’s week-long initiative to create awareness about the Pat Summitt Foundation and its efforts in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The second stop is Auburn, where the Lady Vols and Tigers will tussle at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT) on Jan. 27. The game will be streamed on SECN+.

UT-UK SERIES NOTES

This marks the 72nd edition of Tennessee vs. Kentucky, with the Lady Vols leading the series, 56-15.
The Lady Vols own a 25-4 mark against UK in games played in Knoxville, with the Wildcats winning on Rocky Top in 1983, 1985, 2014 and 2019.
Tennessee is 21-10 vs. Kentucky in Lexington and 10-1 at neutral sites. The Lady Vols are 9-1 in postseason tournament games.
UT has faced only one other team as many times as the Wildcats – Vanderbilt in 85 meetings through Jan. 13, 2022.
The Lady Vols have won seven of the last 12 games in the series, but UK has taken four of the past five.
Tennessee is 20-8 all-time at Memorial Coliseum and 1-2 in Rupp Arena (RA), where the teams met last on Feb. 11, 2021.
UT is 3-1 in overtime games vs. Kentucky, including 3-0 in Lexington and 0-1 in Knoxville, with the last OT contest coming in 1994.
Kellie Harper is 1-3 all-time vs. Kentucky, but she is 1-1 head-to-head vs. Kyra Elzy.

THOSE CONNECTIONS, THOUGH

There will be lots of familiar faces on the sidelines for Sunday’s game, and this will mark the third time a Lady Vol head coach has squared off against a former UT teammate leading another program.
The initial times occurred last season on Jan. 24 in Knoxville and on Feb. 11 in Lexington, with each team holding serve in its respective arena.
UT’s Kellie Harper (1995-99) was teammates from 1996-99 at Tennessee with Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy (1996-2001) and assistant coach Niya Butts (1996-2000). The trio played together on the second and third of UT’s three consecutive NCAA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Elzy served a stint on UT’s staff that included roles as assistant coach and associate head coach from 2012-16.
Last season, Elzy took over at UK following the retirement of former head coach Matthew Mitchell, who was a graduate assistant at UT in 1999-2000.
UK assistant Amber Smith was a G.A. at Tennessee in 2013-14.
Wildcat starter Jazmine Massengill played at Tennessee from 2018-20 before transferring to UK after the 2019-20 season. Massengill is one of three Tennessee residents on the 2021-22 Kentucky roster.
UT features last year’s Miss Kentucky Basketball in and the state’s 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year in Brooklynn Miles of Franklin County High School in Frankfort, Ky.
Tennessee senior Rae Burrell and Kentucky redshirt junior Dre’Una Edwards are former teammates and graduates of Liberty High School in Las Vegas, Nev.

ABOUT KENTUCKY

The Wildcats, losers of three of their last five, are led by reigning two-time SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard, who is putting up 18.8 ppg. and grabbing 6.5 rpg.
UK also gets 16.7 ppg. and 8.0 rpg. from Dre’Una Edwards, 12.3 ppg. from Robyn Benton and 10.8 ppg. from Jada Walker.
The Cats suffered a close loss at current No. 3/2 Louisville on Dec. 12, falling 64-58 at the KFC Yum! Center.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

Former UT player and coaching staff member Kyra Elzy is in her second season as head coach at Kentucky. The native of LaGrange, Ky., is 26-13.

LAST TIME KENTUCKY PLAYED

Robyn Benton scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds but the 21st-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team lost at top-ranked South Carolina 74-54 on Jan. 9.
Kentucky (8-4, 1-1 SEC) got 10 points and seven rebounds from Jazmine Massengill. Dre’una Edwards and Treasure Hunt also scored 10 points apiece, while Rhyne Howard had nine points, eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals.
The taller Gamecocks held a 54-22 advantage on points in the paint and 55-37 in rebounding. Kentucky made 21 of 71 (29.6 percent) from the floor, while South Carolina made 31 of 69 (44.9 percent) of its shots.

WHEN UT AND UK LAST MET

No. 16/19 Tennessee outscored Kentucky 21-9 in the third quarter to erase an 11-point halftime deficit but couldn’t hold off a No. 20/18 UK team that went a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter, falling 71-56 in Rupp Arena on Feb. 11, 2021.
Junior Rae Burrell was the high scorer for the Lady Vols (12-4, 6-2 SEC), turning in 22 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Horston pitched in 11 points and three assists, and redshirt junior Jordan Walker led the team in rebounding with nine boards.
UT played without all-star senior forward Rennia Davis, who did not make the trip to Lexington due to medical reasons.
Chasity Patterson had the hot hand for the Wildcats (14-5, 7-4 SEC) with 21 points, and Jazmine Massengill turned in 11.

-UT Athletics

Postgame/Stats/Story: 68% shooting, fast break points, more lead to #22 Vols’ blowout loss at #18 Kentucky, 107-79

Posted on January 15, 2022

BOX SCORE (PDF) | BARNES POSTGAME | JAMES POSTGAME | VESCOVI POSTGAME

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 22nd-ranked Tennessee basketball team fell to No. 18 Kentucky on the road Saturday, 107-79.

Kentucky shot 61 percent from the field for the game and made 38 field goals—surpassing the previous season-high of 27 by a Tennessee opponent.

Despite defensive deficiencies, Tennessee shot 53 percent from the floor. Junior Santiago Vescovi led the Vols with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while Kennedy Chandler had 17. Josiah-Jordan James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield also scored in double figures with 11 points apiece.

After Kentucky shot 79 percent from the field during the first half and entered the halftime break with a 52-38 lead, the Wildcats again came out hot in the second half—outscoring Tennessee 29-12 in the first eight minutes of the second period.

Freshman guard TyTy Washington led the Wildcats with 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting.

Tennessee took an early 5-4 lead, but Kentucky quickly responded with a 10-0 run and never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the contest. Tennessee’s deficit was limited to single digits until the last two minutes of the first half, when Kentucky extended its lead to as many as 16. The Wildcats finished the first half on an 11-4 run.

As a team, Kentucky shot 79 percent (22-for-28) from the field during the first half, including 67 percent from 3-point range (4-for-6). Washington led Kentucky with 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting through the first 20 minutes.

Tennessee shot 54 percent in the opening period, led by double-figure scoring outputs from Chandler and Vescovi, who tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.

UP NEXT: The Vols are back on the road on Tuesday, taking on Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium. Tipoff in Nashville is set for 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

-UT Athletics

Video/Photos/Info: Neyland Stadium renovations update

Posted on January 14, 2022

Here’s an update from the University of Tennessee on renovations to Neyland Stadium. See a video from VFL Films, images from UT Athletics and the update page from UT’s website IWillGiveMyAll.com.

Scenes includes the north videoboard and deck, as well as the west sideline seating and club.

Per UT, stadium upgrades will be completed for the 2022 season. Your gameday experience & seating will not be impacted for the upcoming 2021 season. Check back for updates on Neyland Stadium improvements.

KNOXVILLE, TN – January 13, 2022 – Construction progress of West Sideline Club at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Emma Corona/Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE, TN – January 13, 2022 – Construction progress of north jumbotron at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Emma Corona/Tennessee Athletics

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols Host Kentucky Sunday In We Back Pat Game

Posted on January 14, 2022

BUY TICKETS | UT FAN EXPERIENCE PAGE | SEC WE BACK PAT RELEASE | LADY VOL SCHEDULE

The No. 5/6-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (16-1/5-0 SEC) welcome the No. 19/20 Kentucky Wildcats (8-4/1-1 SEC) to Knoxville on Sunday to open up the SEC’s We Back Pat Week with a 3 p.m. We Back Pat game at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The contest, which originally was picked by television for another date, will be played on Sunday, Jan. 16, at 3 p.m. contrary to what is printed on some season and single-game tickets. A date change from the SEC and ESPN was announced in late October and has been shared since then via UTSports.com schedules and other publicity pieces as well as via Lady Vol social media and email messaging.

Lady Vols We Back Pat jersey / Credit: UT Athletics

Fans possessing a ticket printed with another date for the UT women’s basketball game vs. Kentucky may use the same ticket for entry on Sunday. Anyone with questions may contact the UT Ticket Office at 1 (800) 332-VOLS or (865) 656-1200. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

For those wanting to purchase tickets Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena, the main ticket office on Phillip Fulmer Way opens at noon ET. Arena gates open for entry at 2 p.m.

This marks the SEC’s 11th We Back Pat Week, working in cooperation with all 14 member institutions. The week-long initiative focuses on raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and the Pat Summitt Foundation’s role in fighting it.

During the week of January 16-23, SEC member institutions will offer support to the Foundation during each of their own We Back Pat games in 14 cities through a variety of efforts, including promotional public address announcements and video endorsements.

The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund was launched Nov. 27, 2011, by Pat Summitt after her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, at the age of 59.

About The Pat Summitt Foundation
The Pat Summitt Foundation, a fund of East Tennessee Foundation, was established by Pat and Tyler Summitt in November 2011. Its mission is to award grants to nonprofit organizations that advance research for treatment and a cure, provide care and support for patients and caregivers, and educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more please visit www.patsummitt.org, like the foundation on facebook.com/webackpat, and follow it on Twitter and Instagram @webackpat.

-UT Athletics

Quotes: Rick Barnes and John Fulkerson Preview Saturday’s road tilt at Kentucky

Posted on January 14, 2022

Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes Transcript

On if there is any extra intrigue playing Kentucky…
“I think it is. You go back and you have great respect for basketball programs that have been good through every decade, really starting back in the 1940s. You recognize that those programs have been special for 70 or 80 years and there’s a reason they’re special, because they’re good year in and year out. Expectations at those programs are always extremely high. Obviously being here at Tennessee now seven years, prior to coming here, I didn’t really know that much about the Tennessee-Kentucky rivalry because I grew up on the other side of the mountain and everything was based on what was going on over there. Certainly people get excited. I think when every coach builds their program, they want people to be excited. Obviously I have great respect for John (Calipari) and what he’s done. I’ve said before that he’s the perfect coach for the University of Kentucky program with what he’s done and the ability to sustain it. They’re had very few down times when you think about it, especially with the way this league has gotten so much better. Everybody wants to throw out numbers with what league is better based on statistics and all that, but I can’t imagine there’s a league in the country this year that has what we have. I’m not there’s a league in the country that has an many pro prospects as this league has.”

On Tennessee’s past success at Rupp Arena…
“I don’t know if I can answer that other than the fact that we’ve had some guys that have played well there. Those same guys that won up there a year ago came back here and beat us soundly in every way that you can be beaten. I hope we play our best game tomorrow, but I hope it’s not nearly as good as the game we play after that. I think John (Calipari) had done a terrific job with his team, they started out with some new pieces that they had to put into the puzzle and he has them playing really nice together right now. There isn’t enough you can say about Oscar Tshiebwe with what he’s doing. The last guy that I hear that got 20 rebounds as many times as he has was Marvin Barnes way back in the early 1970s—I think he averaged that. What he’s doing there is phenomenal. Again, I can’t put a ‘why’ on it, I just hope we can do it again, that’s all I can say.”

On scouting and preparing for Oscar Tshiebwe…
“I think you have to be transparent with your team and show what he does. We talk about it all the time, we try to get our guys to go at it like that. Is there a talent to it? Absolutely. The biggest thing I think is a want to do that, because it’s hard. When you’re getting that many rebounds, when other teams are playing against them, they’re saying, ‘We have to work hard at keeping him off the offensive boards.’ I remember when I was at Providence, when I met Marvin Barnes, he used to tell me that he would tell his teammates, ‘You block out and I’ll go get all of them.’ And he did, pretty much. I’m not sure how Kentucky is doing it, other than that fact that Oscar has a tremendous passion and a drive to go get it and you admire it, because you want that from people. I think he understands the importance of it anyways. With what he’s doing, he has to. I’d like to get some of our guys to do that with that mindset.”

On if he would be content with John Fulkerson playing like he did against South Carolina every game…
“Absolutely. If we can get the consistency from him and our other older players. We like to see some separation with guys so we can really get into a rotation, that would be good. We have a confidence in our guys that we put out there and we like to see consistency there from them as well, but we really need our older players that have been through this before. Our younger guys are going to look to them in so many different areas, so we need them to be consistent.”

On the key to having an elite defense…
“Well if you look at our offensive numbers it’s been obvious we’ve been putting all of our emphasis on defense. As good as our defense’s numbers are, our offense’s numbers are that bad. Maybe that’s the key, I don’t know. The fact is our guys believe in it, they know it’s something that we go from day one with, as we continue to put our system in from day one and we expect guys to buy into it. The numbers look good, but we still know that we can get better. We have guys that we know need to get better in certain areas and we’ll keep doing that. Like I said, I hope we play our best basketball game tomorrow but I hope we’re better the game after that. We just want to see each guy improve like that from one game to the next so we can continue to build and grow. I do credit our older guys with a lot of that because they really do get locked in on our game plan and how we want to do things on the defensive end. When they’re talking and they’re active they are really calling out things. This time of year, John Calipari and his staff know us probably as well as we know them and when you get older guys that are talking. You get teams that really talk, especially defensively, you got a chance to do something special.”

On history making motivation for win in Rupp Arena…
“Well I haven’t thought about it. I don’t know, right now where we are, where we really are locked into trying to figure out who we are, what we need to do. I’ve been up there over seven years where we didn’t play well, and again, I haven’t thought about that. I went home last night when I’m breaking down our tape and seeing some good things. My whole mindset with our guys today is let’s do what we’re working on right here and see how it shakes out.”

On what the rivalry with Kentucky means to him…
“I want to win. I don’t care who we’re playing. I have, honestly, as a coach, I’ve never tried to put a great deal of emphasis on one game over the other. You look at where we are in our league, arguably the three most important games that we play are Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, because those are our three common opponents. So, that’s six games of our SEC schedule. So, we’ve never tried to make one game over the other that that much more important. What I’ve often told our team is I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, you get up to play one team like a Kentucky and then you think that hey, we can just cruise through other games. That’s why we’ve always tried to go as far, we’ve tried to go with our game plan each and every day. We’re consistent with our players, where they understand that we value every game regardless of who we’re playing. I will tell you this, if you were in our locker room from the start of the season to right now, you will see that. I think we played 13 games, we have not done anything different in terms of our prep, because we want them to understand it. Every game is a big game and if they don’t believe that, come March they will. Again, we talked about what makes games like this. I mean, obviously it’s big for the fans. There’s no question about that. I mean, it’s like a border war. They’re two and a half hours north of us. They’ve been playing I guess, forever it seems like but a lot of it has to do with the success that Kentucky has had. I’ve said many times before that this program here is working towards being in that kind of situation where every year, year in and out, if you’re talking about every year as being one of those kinds of programs. Eventually you want to keep going, keep going, keep going to where there’s a standard that’s been set, and you’re always trying to reach that standard.”

On the challenges Kentucky presents in the post…
“I mean, last year (Davion) Mintz came in here and lit us up, I think he had five threes last year, I mean really the game they beat us by 20 or something, but it wasn’t even that close. I think Mintz hit five threes, they had, I think maybe, one of their best shooting nights against us in here a year ago. They played great, so, we have respect for all their players. I mean, we’ve certainly played against Kellan Grady, you know we’ve scrimmaged Davidson every year that he was at Davidson and know him, played against (Sahvir) Wheeler last year and I’m sure he’ll be ready to play tomorrow. So, we know these guys and it’s not just their post guys that we have to be concerned with.”

On Santiago Vescovi needing support on the perimeter…
“Yeah, there’s no doubt that he’s a person they game plan for—there’s no doubt. But, the way they’re guarding him, it’s also opening up a pretty good gap there if we can take advantage of it. If they’re going to hug up to him, opens the floor up a little bit more. Santi’s fine with being a screener and moving without the ball. He’s gotten himself, I’ve mentioned this so many times, his conditioning, but he impacts the game whether he’s scoring or not. He rebounds like he’s a 6’5 or 6’6 player, and he defends. He’s one of the older guys that knows what’s going on during the game. He probably has, well there’s no probably to it, he has the best feel of any player that we have. He’ll come over during the game and say, ‘Hey we need to do this coach, or we need to do that. We need to set this situation up because of the way they’re guarding me.’ So, Santi’s very smart, very unselfish, and he’s learning too. I mean, he’s never been guarded the way he’s being guarded this year so he’s learning to work through that as well.”

On how teams are handling Kennedy Chandler…
“I think Kennedy will continue to get better. He’s seeing a different defense pretty much every night. Where he’s starting to understand, and again I’ve mentioned before that every game has its own personality, and you got to, as much as we try to simulate what the other team might be doing, say with him on ball screens or whatever it may be. He still has to learn to adjust because they might make adjustments throughout the game and it’s not going to always be the same every time he comes down the court, but he’s learning that. If he’ll continue to embrace that and realize he’s young, learning a lot, he’ll be fine.”

-UT Athletics

Stats/Story: No. 5/6 UT Takes Down Vanderbilt, 65-51

Posted on January 14, 2022

Box Score (PDF)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 5/6 Tennessee remained perfect in SEC play, defeating Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium on Thursday night, 65-51.

UT (16-1, 5-0 SEC), which is off to its best league start since opening at 13-0 in 2014-15, was led by junior Jordan Horston. The 6-foot-2 guard stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a career-high-tying four blocks. Senior Rae Burrell and junior Tamari Key were also in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.

Iyana Moore was the high scorer for Vanderbilt (10-7, 1-2 SEC) with 16, and Brinae Alexander was close behind with 15.

Alexus Dye opened the night with six straight points, tying the game up at 6-all before Tamari Key hit a layup to give the Lady Vols a two-point lead by the 6:46 mark. The game was tied at nine two and a half minutes later, but Tennessee closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run to take an 18-11 lead into the second.

A Vandy jumper by Kaylon Smith cut the lead to five, but a trey and a pair of free throws by Jordan Walker had Tennessee up by eight just over two minutes into the quarter. Jordyn Cambridge hit a 10-foot jumper on the next possession, but a 3-pointer by Horston kicked off a 12-1 run that put UT up 35-18 with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Moore hit a basket to end the skid for the Commodores, but Burrell hit back-to-back baskets, and Key capped off the scoring for the half while Tennessee held VU to three points, putting the Lady Vols up by 18 with a halftime score of 41-23.

Horston and Key opened the scoring in the second half, setting in motion a 7-0 run that spanned more than six minutes and extended UT’s lead to 25 points. Yaubryon Chambers scored Vandy’s first points of the half from the free-throw line at the 3:35 mark. Alexander rallied the Commodores, scoring six straight points to fuel an 8-0 run that pulled VU within 17 with 47 seconds left in the period, but Burrell was fouled behind the arc and hit all three free throws to send the game into the fourth with her team leading by a score of 53-33.

Horston knocked down a pair of free throws to start the fourth, but Alexander and Demi Washington combined for five quick points to cut the deficit to 17 with 8:46 left in the game. The teams traded baskets through the middle of the quarter until six straight points by Moore and a jumper by Flournoy pulled Vandy within 13 with 1:23 to play. Moore kept the pressure on with a 3-pointer that got VU within 11 with 44 seconds left in the game, but the Lady Vols fended off the run, scoring three additional points before the final buzzer to make the final score 65-51.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return home for a top-25 match-up against #19/20 Kentucky on Sunday. The contest is UT’s We Back Pat game and will be broadcast on ESPN. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET.

TOP 10 AGAIN: Tamari Key recorded a block at Vandy, moving into UT’s single-season Top 10 records for the third time in her career. She currently occupies No. 5 (86, 2019-20), No. 8 (72, 2020-21) and No. 10 (66, 2021-22).

DEFENSE MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Tennessee’s defense continues to pose problems for opponents, with the Commodores being held to 26.7 percent shooting on the night, 15.3 percent below their season average of 42.0. The Lady Vols’ defense has kept all 17 opponents at 36 percent shooting or below this season, and through five SEC games Tennessee is holding opponents to just 28.0 percent from the floor.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES TRENDING: Jordan Horston logged her eighth double-double of the season against VU. Tennessee has logged 19 double-doubles on the season and at least one Lady Vol has managed a double-double in 16 of 17 games so far.

ANOTHER 50-BOARD NIGHT: Tennessee, the nation’s No. 1 rebounding team, pulled down 50 boards yet again. It marked the 10th time this season and the third occasion in five SEC contests that the Lady Vols had grabbed that many caroms.

-UT Athletics

Zac Brown Band’s 2022 tour is Headed Out In The Middle

Posted on January 14, 2022

First it was The Comeback for Zac Brown Band – now for 2022…they’re Out In The Middle!

Zac Brown Band is heading out on the road starting in Greenville, South Carolina on April 22.

The 32-date tour will see the guys hitting 22 states, with 2 shows in Canada, over the 8 month run.

The tour shares it’s name with Zac Brown Band’s new single “Out In The Middle.”

Talking about the track, Zac Brown says, “‘Out In The Middle’ is just Southern rock storytelling about being country and being proud of what it is to live in a simple life and working hard. A lot of country people that I know…they really know where it’s at. They work hard, they take care of their family, they know how to have fun. They know how to be in the outdoors and that’s really what that song’s about to me. It’s just tip of the hat to all the people that live out in the middle of no where and are happy being there.”

Check out the lyric vide for the song here…

Photo Courtesy of Zac Brown Band

Sam Hunt Can’t Wait to Hit the Road in 2022

Posted on January 14, 2022

Sam Hunt is climbing the country music airplay chart with his single “23.”

Now fans can plan to see him perform it live as Sam’s released the round of his tour dates for 2022!

Sam shared, “Can’t wait to hit the road this year, more shows to be announced!”

For more info head to SamHunt.com

Watch the music video for Sam Hunt’s “23” here…

Photo Courtesy of Sam Hunt

TCD EXCLUSIVE: Watch Joe Nichols’ Lyric Video for “Good Day For Living” Now!

Posted on January 14, 2022

Joe Nichols‘ new album Good Day For Living arrives February 11th – but the lyric video for the title track is out now!

See it first in The Country Daily EXCLUSIVE preview!

Joe’s new album, Good Day For Living, is his first project in 4 years, and also the first at his new record label Quartz Hill Records.

When it came to the process of making this collection of music Joe shares, “For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel any pressure.”

He adds, “I’m around great people. I’m the type of person who’s always striving for more, but I’ve reached a place where I’m grateful for everything I’ve accomplished so far. It’s been such a good run. I feel at peace, and that has freed me up to make new music that’s very honest.”

Good Day For Living features 13-tracks – including “Good Day For Living,” “I Wanna Be Your Tonight,” “Home Run,” “Screened In,” and “I Got Friends That Do” featuring Blake Shelton

Good Day For Living track list:

1. “Brokenhearted” (Rhett Akins, Marv Green, John Thomas Harding)
2. “I Got Friends That Do” (feat. Blake Shelton) (Danick Dupelle, Tebey Ottoh, Jimmy Thow)
3. “Home Run”* (Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson, Ross Copperman)
4. “Dance With the Girl” (Jason Gantt, John Pierce, Emily Shackelton)
5. “I Wanna Be Your Tonight” (Philip O’Donnell, Wade Kirby, Marv Green)
6. “Good Day For Living” (Dave Cohen, Bobby Hambrick, Neil Mason)
7. “Screened In” (Neil Thrasher, Anthony Jerome Martin)
8. “That’s How I Grew Up” (Steven McMorran, Josh London, Adam Craig)
9. “Reckon” (Derek George, Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover)
10. “Why Can’t She” (Adam Craig, Jon Nite, Matt Rogers)
11. “One Two Step Closer”* (Justin Lantz, Clint Daniels, Lance Miller)
12. “Hawaii on Me”^ (Chris Janson, Will Nance, Kelly Roland)
13. “She Was” (Neal Lee Coty, Jimmy Edward Melton)

Produced by Mickey Jack Cones and Derek George
Mixed by Jim Cooley at Cooley’s Mix Room (Nashville, TN)
* Mixed by Jim Cooley and Mickey Jack Cones at Cooley’s Mix Room (Nashville, TN)
^ Mixed by Mickey Jack Cones
Mastered by Andrew Mendelson at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, TN)
Blake Shelton appears courtesy of Warner Music Nashville

Good Day For Living from Joe Nichols is available February 11th.

Get more info at JoeNichols.com

Photo Credit: David “Doc” Abbott

Hoops Preview: #22 Tennessee at #18 Kentucky

Posted on January 13, 2022

The 22nd-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team heads north Saturday for a matchup with rival Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET.

Fans can catch Saturday’s game on ESPN and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analysis) and Holly Rowe (reporter) will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp calling the action. The broadcast is also available on channel 133 on Sirius, channel 191 on SiriusXM and channel 962 on the SiriusXM app.

Tennessee (11-4, 2-2 SEC) picked up its second SEC home win on Tuesday, registering a 20-point win over South Carolina, 66-46. Junior guard Josiah-Jordan James finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for his second career double-double and first of the season. He also had a pair of assists, one block and a steal. Freshman guard Zakai Zeigler finished the game with 11 points, four steals and four assists in 22 minutes off the bench.

Saturday marks Tennessee’s 15th meeting with Kentucky since Rick Barnes arrived in Knoxville prior to the 2015-16 season. The Vols have posted an 8-6 record against the Wildcats during that stretch, including winning their last two games at Rupp Arena.

Saturday’s game at Kentucky marks the first of a two consecutive road games for Tennessee. The Vols are back on the road on Tuesday, taking on Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium. Tip-off in Nashville is set for 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee trails the all-time series with Kentucky, 157-75, dating to 1910.
• The Wildcats have a 91-19 edge when the series is played in Lexington, but Tennessee has won three of the last four meetings at Rupp Arena, including each of the last two.
• Overall, the Vols have won six of their last 10 games vs. Kentucky.
• Vols sophomore Justin Powell is a native of Prospect, Kentucky, and a graduate of North Oldham High School in Goshen.
• Several veteran Vols played against Kentucky guard Kellan Grady during his days at Davidson; the Vols face Davidson annually in a closed preseason scrimmage in Knoxville.
• John Fulkerson and current NBA rookie Yves Pons (Grizzlies) are the only Vols ever to appear in three wins at Rupp Arena.

LAYUP LINES – TEAM
• According to KenPom, the Vols rank second in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 87.1 points per 100 possessions.
• The Vols are forcing an average of 20.3 turnovers per game during SEC play. The next-closest SEC team (LSU) forces 17.0 per game.
• Kentucky is committing only 10.5 turnovers per game in SEC play—the fewest in the league.
• The Vols rank among the Division I top 20 in turnover margin (+6.4, 3rd), steals per game (10.7, 9th) and assists per game (17.4, 16th).
• The Vols are 9-0 this season when they out-rebound their opponent. Tennessee won the rebounding battle in each of its last two trips to Rupp Arena.
• Tennessee is one of only three SEC teams that has yet to surrender 80 points this season, joining LSU and Ole Miss.
• Each of the four teams that have beaten Tennessee this season are ranked in this week’s AP Top 25.
• Tennessee is shooting just .571 (40-70) from the free-throw line over its last three games.

LAYUP LINES – PLAYERS
• Santiago Vescovi has increased his team-leading 13.6 ppg scoring average to 14.5 ppg in SEC play.
• Vescovi’s 2.00 assist/turnover ratio during SEC play ranks second in the league behind only TyTy Washington Jr. (3.38).
• In two career games at Rupp Arena, Josiah-Jordan James averages 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
• Kennedy Chandler’s 5.1 assists per game rank second among Division I true freshmen. And his 2.29 steals per game rank third among true freshmen nationally.
• Chandler has a team-high 10 steals over UT’s last three games.
• The SEC record for career games played is 152, held by Kentucky’s Darius Miller (2008-12). John Fulkerson is closing in, having now appeared in a Tennessee-record 145 career games.
• Fulkerson also is just eight points shy of 1,000 for his career.

ABOUT KENTUCKY
• Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC) enters Saturday’s matchup coming off two straight double-digit conference wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt. The Wildcats split their opening two SEC games, defeating Missouri and falling at LSU.
• Kentucky also split its two most notable non-conference games, defeating North Carolina and falling to Duke, both at neutral sites.
• Dating to last season, Kentucky has won 12 straight games at Rupp Arena.
• Kentucky ranks eighth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 118.1 points per 100 possessions. The Wildcats rank 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 93.1 points per 100 possessions.
• Kentucky junior Oscar Tshiebwe, a transfer forward from West Virginia, leads the nation in rebounding with 15.1 per game. Tshiebwe has four games this season with 20 or more rebounds, including a 28-rebound performance against Western Kentucky on Dec. 22. Tshiebwe also is Kentucky’s leading scorer, averaging 17.0 points per game.
• Largely in part to Tshiebwe’s efforts, Kentucky ranks third in the nation and first in the SEC in rebounding as a team with 43.4 per game.
• Junior guard Sahvir Wheeler, a transfer from Georgia, is averaging 9.6 points and a team-high 7.3 assists per game this season. Wheeler started every one of Kentucky’s games at point guard before suffering an injury at LSU on Jan. 4, which has caused him to miss the Wildcats’ last two games.
• Wheeler’s 7.3 assists per game rank third in the nation and lead the SEC. As a team, the Wildcats rank 17th in the country with 17.4 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
• The Kentucky series is UT’s oldest and most-played among SEC opponents. The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910, and have clashed 232 times over the years.
• No program in college basketball has logged more wins over Kentucky than Tennessee (75).
• The Vols have beaten the Wildcats just six times at Rupp Arena, posting victories in 1977, 1979, 1999, 2006, 2018, 2020 and 2021. Half of those wins have taken place during the Barnes era.
• Tennessee has 15 all-time wins over the Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena, including four straight between 2016-19.
• Kentucky is one of only two SEC schools (Alabama) to lead its all-time series against the Volunteers.
• Four Tennessee All-Americans were Kentucky natives: Allan Houston, Chris Lofton, Danny Schultz and Paul “Lefty” Walther.
• In each of the last four meetings, the team that has won the rebounding battle has won the game.

RIVALRY RECHARGED
• Since Rick Barnes‘ arrival on Rocky Top, the border rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats has been recharged in a major way.
• Barnes has led the Volunteers to an 8-6 overall record against the Wildcats, including at least one win in each of the last six seasons.
• Since current UK coach John Calipari has been in Lexington, Tennessee is the only program to have logged wins over Kentucky for six straight seasons.
• Tennessee also is the first program to defeat Kentucky at least once for six straight seasons since 1985; Tennessee beat the Wildcats in seven straight seasons from 1979-85 while Alabama managed an eight-year win streak over UK from 1978-85.
• Spanning the first six years of the Barnes era at UT, the Vols are 4-2 against Kentucky in Knoxville, 3-3 vs. the Cats in Lexington and 1-1 against UK in neutral-site clashes at the SEC Tournament.

LAST MEETING WITH KENTUCKY
• No. 19 Tennessee fell to Kentucky, 70-55, on Feb. 20, 2021, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• Tennessee was plagued by a difficult day of shooting from the field, knocking down just 18 of its 56 attempts, while Kentucky connected on 50 percent (7-14) of its attempts from 3-point range.
• Victor Bailey Jr. led the Vols in scoring—for the second consecutive game—with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting. He was 4-of-8 from the 3-point range.
• Freshman Keon Johnson totaled 15 points, a season-high-tying five assists, three rebounds, one block and a steal.
• Senior Yves Pons was the third Vol to score in double-figures, as he finished with 10 points, three blocks and a pair of steals.
•  John Fulkerson led the Vols in rebounds, grabbing seven.
• Kentucky held control through the entirety of the first half, building a lead as large as 17 while knocking down more than 60 percent of its attempts from the field and shooting 6-of-9 from behind the 3-point arc.
• Holding a 45-30 lead out of the locker room, Kentucky increased its lead to 20 during the first 10 minutes of the second half.
• The Wildcats held steady over the game’s final stages, responding to each of Tennessee’s attempts to rally. The Vols held the Wildcats to 21 percent shooting in the second half, but Kentucky consistently got to the free-throw line, where it shot 85 percent for the game (17 of 20).
• Isaiah Jackson led UK with 16 points, while Davion Mintz scored 15. Keion Brooks Jr. logged a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST KENTUCKY
• Kevin Punter Jr.’s 27 points were the most scored by a Vol against the Kentucky in 10 years as Tennessee defeated the Wildcats, 84-77, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville. The senior point guard made three 3-pointers and was 11-of-12 at the free-throw line.
• Chris Lofton reeled off 31 points, Major Wingate scored 12 and longtime NBA point guard C.J. Watson added 10 as No. 11 Tennessee beat Kentucky 75-67 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7, 2006.
• Beating the Wildcats was three times as nice during the 1978-79 season. UT notched program win No. 900 in Lexington on Jan. 20, 66-55, before topping UK 101-84 in Knoxville on Feb. 17. Then the Vols won the 1979 SEC Tournament with a 75-69 win over UK in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 3. Current Vol Network radio analyst Bert Bertelkamp was a junior on that Tennessee team.
• As Bernard King walked off the court at Memorial Gym after a deflating 88-82 loss on Jan. 13, 1975, a Kentucky fan flipped a lit cigarette into the Tennessee legend’s hair. Outraged, King vowed he would never lose to Kentucky again. He vigorously carried out that promise, finishing his career 5-1 against the Wildcats.

BARNES + CALIPARI = 1,491 WINS
• Saturday’s game features the two winningest coaches (total career Division I wins) in the SEC.
• John Calipari is the league’s active leader in career wins, with 754. Rick Barnes is a close second with 737 victories to his credit.
• Among all active Division I head coaches, Calipari and Barnes rank fifth and seventh, respectively, in total head coaching wins.
• Barnes and Calipari became friends while working a Pitt basketball camp in the late 1970s. The star player at that camp? Former Arizona head coach Sean Miller.

CALIPARI AMONG TENNESSEE’S MOST-FACED ACTIVE COACHES
• On Saturday, John Calipari will coach his 32nd career game against the Vols. Among active college coaches, he has the most career meetings against Tennessee.

COACH            MEETINGS       UT’s RECORD vs.
John Calipari 31    13-18
Tubby Smith 26    7-19
Frank Martin 16    11-5

VOLS HAVE 13 WINS AGAINST CALIPARI 2.0
• Since UK coach John Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01, Tennessee has dealt him 13 losses. No team has more wins over Calipari-coached teams during that span.

TEAM                                      WINS
TENNESSEE 13
Florida 9
Louisville 8
Auburn, Cincinnati, Kansas 5

VOLS GETTING TO THE LINE LATELY
• In its 11 games prior to entering SEC play, Tennessee attempted just 13.0 free throws per game. But through four conference games, the Vols are shooting an average of 22.5 free throws per game.
• Santiago Vescovi, Olivier Nkamhoua and—(surprisingly) Uros Plavsic all share the team lead with 15 free-throw attempts during SEC play.
• In each of the last four seasons, Tennessee has shot at least 75 percent at the charity stripe.
• But since the start of the SEC play, this collection of Vols is shooting an uncharacteristic 63 percent (57 of 90).