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Hoops Preview: #18 Tennessee at #21 LSU

Posted on January 7, 2022

The 18th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team embarks on its second SEC road trip this weekend, taking on No. 21 LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Fans can catch Saturday’s game on ESPN2 and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Daymeon Fishback (analysis) will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Ron Slay calling the action. The broadcast is also available on channel 134 on Sirius, channel 190 on SiriusXM and channel 961 on the SiriusXM app.

Tennessee (10-3, 1-1 SEC) picked up its first SEC win in overtime over Ole Miss on Wednesday, 66-60. Despite never leading during regulation and trailing by as many as 12 points, the Vols’ defense kept them in the game—forcing 27 Ole Miss turnovers and recording 17 steals. Tennessee’s 17 steals were its most in any game since Dec. 23, 2009 and its most in an SEC game since Feb. 21, 2007.

Offensively, junior guard Santiago Vescovi led the Vols with 17 points, 12 of which came in the last four minutes of regulation or overtime. Vescovi added six rebounds and five assists. Olivier Nkamhoua and Josiah-Jordan James also scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

After its quick trip down to Louisiana, Tennessee returns to Thompson-Boling Arena next week for a matchup with South Carolina on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with LSU, 65-49, dating to 1933.
• The Tigers hold a 27-26 edge when the series is contested in Baton Rouge. The Vols had won five straight at the PMAC before falling in each of their last three visits.
• Fifth-year LSU head coach Will Wade is a Nashville native and graduate of Franklin Road Academy.
• Saturday marks Tennessee’s fifth game this season against an AP top-25 opponent. The Vols are 2-2 vs. top-25 opposition thus far.
• This is the first time since January of 2012 that Tennessee has faced three top-25 opponents in a four-game span. In 2011-12, the Vols defeated No. 13 Florida before falling to No. 20 Mississippi State and No. 2 Kentucky—all consecutively.
• LSU and Tennessee boast the nation’s No. 1- and No. 2-rated KenPom defensive efficiencies.

LAYUP LINES – TEAM
• Wednesday against Ole Miss, the Vols managed to win a game they never led during regulation.
• Tennessee forced the Rebels into five shot-clock violations.
• According to KenPom, the Vols rank second in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 85.7 points per 100 possessions. College teams typically average close to 70 possessions per game.
• The Vols rank among the Division I top 10 in turnover margin (+6.7, 6th), steals per game (10.8, 8th) and assists per game (18.2, 9th).
• Tennessee’s 11.5 turnovers per game is the lowest (best) average in the SEC.
• The Vols are attempting 8.6 more 3-pointers per game than they did last season (28.5 per game compared to 19.9). In wins, UT is shooting .375 from long range. In losses, that average drops to .188.
• In five games away from home this season, Tennessee has held opponents to just 65.4 ppg. And those teams are shooting .372 from the field.

LAYUP LINES – PLAYERS
• In SEC play, true freshman Zakai Zeigler ranks third in the league in free-throw percentage (.875) and fourth in steals (3.5 spg).
• Junior guard Santiago Vescovi has 16 steals over UT’s last six games (2.7 spg).
• In two career games vs. LSU, Vescovi is shooting .529 (9-for-17) from 3-point range and averaging 15.5 points.
• Vescovi has played 74:07 of a possible 85:00 minutes through UT’s first two SEC games.
• Kennedy Chandler’s 5.4 assists per game rank second in Division I among true freshmen.
• 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 143 career games.

ABOUT LSU
• Prior to splitting its first two SEC games, LSU entered conference play with a perfect 12-0 record, featuring wins over power conference opponents Penn State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
• After having not faced a ranked opponent during its first 12 games of the season, Saturday’s matchup with No. 18 Tennessee marks LSU’s third straight game against a ranked foe. The Tigers fell in their SEC opener at No. 11 Auburn, 70-55, before defeating No. 16 Kentucky on Tuesday, 65-60.
• Saturday’s game is a matchup of the nation’s two top-rated defenses in adjusted efficiency, according to KenPom. LSU’s defense ranks No. 1, allowing just 82.7 points per 100 possessions, while Tennessee is No. 2 with a 85.7 mark.
• LSU surrenders just 0.675 points per possession—a mark that leads the nation. The Tigers’ defense also ranks near the best in the nation in several other categories: field-goal percentage defense (1st; .347), steals per game (2nd; 12.4) and scoring defense (4th; 55.6 ppg).
• The Tigers’ leading scorer, sophomore forward Tari Eason, is a first-year transfer from Cincinnati and was named to the 2021 All-AAC Freshman Team. Averaging 15.6 points per game, Eason currently ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring.
• In Tennessee’s home win over Cincinnati last season, Eason started and totaled seven point and seven rebounds in 26 minutes of action.
• LSU’s starting point guard and third-leading scorer is Missouri transfer Xavier Pinson. Pinson played three seasons at Mizzou. In 2020-21, he averaged a career-best 13.6 points per game. This season for LSU, Pinson has started all 14 games at point guard, averaging 11.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
• Senior forward Darius Days, a Preseason First Team All-SEC selection, is LSU’s second-leading scorer (14.3 ppg) and leading rebounder (7.9 rpg).

LAST MEETING WITH LSU
• A tough day from the field and 20-point outputs from Cameron Thomas and Javonte Smart were too much for the No. 16 Tennessee basketball team to overcome on Feb. 13, 2021, as it fell to LSU, 78-65, at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
• The Vols shot just 35 percent from the field, while the Tigers shot the ball at a highly efficient clip of 52 percent.
• Freshman Jaden Springer led the Vols in scoring, finishing with 21 points and eclipsing the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game. Springer also logged six rebounds and a season-high seven assists with just one turnover.
• Classmate Keon Johnson finished with 12 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
•  Santiago Vescovi was the third Vol to score in double-figures, with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting.
•  Josiah-Jordan James was all over the stat sheet, recording nine points, six rebounds, two steals and a block.
• LSU controlled the majority of the opening half, using a 16-4 run through the middle portions of the period to build a lead as a large as 12.
• Over the final five minutes, the Vols used a 10-3 run of their own to cut their deficit to five, as the Tigers took a slim, 31-26 lead into the break.
• LSU continued to hold the edge as the contest reached its latter stages, taking a 59-49 lead into the final 7:44 of the afternoon.
• The Tigers held off the Vols during the final stretches of the contest to cement the final score.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST LSU
• Knoxville native Doug Roth blocked a school-record six shots vs. LSU on Jan. 11, 1989, lifting UT to a 100-96 win over the Tigers in Knoxville.
• Anthony Richardson went 14-for-14 from the free-throw line, the best charity-stripe performance in school history, at LSU on Jan. 12, 1985. But the Vols fell that day by a score of 75-65.
• Ron Widby set a UT single-game scoring record, (which stood for 20 years) against LSU on March 4, 1967, scoring 50 points on 19-of-39 shooting (both also single-game records) and 12-of-14 from the charity strip. UT won 87-60 in Knoxville.
• After arriving in the United States and joining the team just seven days prior to the game, guard Santiago Vescovi started and scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists as the Vols fell to LSU in Knoxville on Jan. 4, 2020.

LOUISIANA LETTERMEN RARE
• In 112 seasons of varsity basketball, Tennessee has had only one letterman from the state of Louisiana: forward Maurice Robertson (New Orleans) in 1996.

RECAPPING A “REALLY TOUGH, HARD, NOT-PRETTY” WIN
• Tennessee committed a season-high 19 turnovers, never led in regulation, but somehow found a way to win against Ole Miss in Knoxville on Jan. 5. Multiple bright spots helped the Vols dispatch the Rebels…
• Tennessee’s 27 forced turnovers were a Barnes-era record and led to 22 points.
• UT’s 17 steals also were a Barnes-era best. Zakai Zeigler (5), Kennedy Chandler (4) and Santiago Vescovi (3) combined for 12 of those steals.
• The Vols assisted on 21 of their 25 made field goals (.840 assist rate).
• Tennessee scored 19 points in 20 first-half minutes while shooting 8-of-30 (.267) from the floor. In the five-minute OT period, the Vols scored 15 points and made 5-of-6 shots from the floor (.833).

O DELIVERS FROM DEEP
• Junior forward Olivier Nkamhoua’s last two made 3-pointers both came when the Vols were trailing, and both shots made it a one-possession game.
• Nkamhoua’s lone 3-pointer at Alabama came with 50 seconds left in the game and pulled the trailing Vols to within one point, 68-67.
• His long ball vs. Ole Miss cut the Vols’ second-half deficit to two, 24-22.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
• Tennessee is the SEC’s second-winningest program over the last five year (since the start of the 2017-18 season)—both in terms of total wins and winning percentage.

TEAM            TOTAL WINS TEAM     WIN PCT.
Auburn           107-39                    Auburn .733
Tennessee     102-41                    Tennessee .713
Kentucky        101-43                    Kentucky      .701
LSU                 99-43                      LSU             .697

VESCOVI CLUTCH AT THE FREE-THROW LINE IN CRUNCH TIME
• Junior Santiago Vescovi has proven to deliver at the free-throw line in crunch time for the Vols.
• For his career, Vescovi is 42 of 44 from the foul line in the final four minutes of regulation and all of overtime. That’s a near-automatic percentage of .955.

-UT Athletics

Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats: Late Threes Push No. 18 Vols Past Ole Miss, 66-60

Posted on January 7, 2022

KNOXVILLE – Clutch 3-point shooting late in regulation and a strong offensive overtime pushed the 18th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers past Ole Miss, 66-60, Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Vols G Santiago Vescovi / Credit: UT Athletics

The Volunteers (10-3, 1-1 SEC) made four consecutive 3-pointers to tie the game at 51, late in regulation. Tennessee did not take its first lead of the night until overtime, when Olivier Nkamhoua drained a jumper 18 seconds into the extra frame. The Vols offense clicked in overtime, making 5-of-6 shots from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

Tennessee totaled 17 steals, its most in a game since it had 21 on Dec. 23, 2009, against North Carolina A&T, and its most in an SEC game since Feb. 21, 2007, when the Vols had 18 against Alabama. It was the eighth time this year UT posted double-digit steals as a team. The Vols have swiped 10+ in both games of SEC play thus far.

Santiago Vescovi came through in the clutch for the Big Orange, exemplified by his “and-1” 3-pointer with 3:39 left in the game to jumpstart a Tennessee comeback. Following that 4-point play, he then sunk another three to tie the game with 1:10 left, that number would hold for the remainder of regulation. Fifteen of Vescovi’s 17 points came in the second half or overtime.

Vescovi led all Vol scorers with his 17. Nkamhoua finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Josiah-Jordan James added 10 points and led the team in rebounding with eight.

Zakai Zeigler had a career-best five steals, Kennedy Chandler had four takeaways and Vescovi had three.

Ole Miss (8-5, 0-1 SEC) was led by Tye Fagan, who scored 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Fagan was 7-of-7 from the floor in the second half, with four of the field goals coming from 3-point range. Matthew Murrell scored 17 for the Rebels.

Tennessee overcame a 12-point deficit in the win, its first double-digit comeback of the season. The rally was fueled by offensive rebounds, as the Vols out-rebounded the Rebels 11-5 and 7-1 in the second half.

Defenses owned the first half of the game, as the night’s first point wasn’t scored for 4:12. The half ended with Ole Miss leading, 21-19. Tennessee forced the Rebels into 11 first-half turnovers; seven were steals, while six different Vols logged a takeaway. The 40 combined points stood as the lowest total in a first half of any Tennessee game this season, but the UT offense started to find a groove late, making 5-of-8 to finish the half.

Tennessee is back in action Saturday when it faces No. 21 LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Vols return to Rocky Top on Tuesday, Jan. 11, to host South Carolina at 6:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are on sale now at AllVols.com.

FULKERSON SETS GAMES PLAYED RECORD: Super senior forward John Fulkerson made his 143rd appearance as a Vol on Wednesday, setting a new program record for career games played. Fulkerson surpassed Wayne Chism (142 from 2006-10) to stand alone atop Tennessee’s all-time games played list.

VOLS CONTINUING TO CREATE TAKEAWAYS: Tennessee forced 27 Ole Miss turnovers on Wednesday, marking the third game this season in which the Vols forced 25 or more turnovers.

-UT Athletics

Tidwell Named Preseason All-American by Perfect Game

Posted on January 7, 2022

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee sophomore pitcher Blade Tidwell earned his second preseason All-America nod, garnering second-team honors from Perfect Game on Wednesday.

Tidwell was tabbed a first-team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball back in December after earning Freshman All-America honors from D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game last year.

Tidwell helped lead the Vols to an historic season in 2021, which included the program’s first SEC eastern division title since 1997 and culminated with UT’s fifth trip to the College World Series and first appearance in Omaha since 2005.

After an impressive debut season on Rocky Top, Tidwell is likely to anchor Tennessee’s weekend rotation in 2022. The hard-throwing right hander posted a 10-3 record in 18 starts with a 3.74 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 2021. Tidwell’s 10 victories are tied for the second most in program history by a freshman. The Loretto, Tennessee, native is draft eligible following this season and is a potential first-round pick in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.

Vols P Blade Tidwell / Credit: UT Athletics

To view the complete Perfect Game Preseason All-America Teams, click HERE.

Tennessee Baseball 2022 Preseason Honors

RHP Blade Tidwell
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – First Team
Perfect Game Preseason All-American – Second Team

OF Jordan Beck
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – Second Team

C Evan Russell
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-American – Third Team

-UT Athletics

Kellie Harper Media Availability Recap (1/5/22)

Posted on January 7, 2022

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper took questions from the media on Wednesday afternoon in Pratt Pavilion, as her No. 7/8 Lady Vols (13-1/2-0 SEC) prepare to host No. 25/23 Texas A&M (10-3/0-1 SEC) on Thursday night. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game carried by SEC Network.

UT was picked in the SEC Preseason Polls to finish second by the media and third by the coaches, while A&M was picked second by the coaches and third by the media. The Aggies, coached by Gary Blair, are the defending SEC regular-season champions and carry a three-game series win streak into the contest.

The Lady Vols have opened league play with two straight wins, defeating Alabama (62-44) at home and Arkansas (70-63) on the road on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, respectively. Texas A&M fell in its league opener at LSU on Sunday, 75-66.

Lady Vols HC Kellie Harper / Credit: UT Athletics

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

On if Rae Burrell is on a minute restriction…
“She’s not ready to go 40 minutes. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think any of our players will play 40 minutes. We’re just getting her minutes every day in practice, and you know, at this point, it’s like everybody else, we’ve just got to work her in. She’s got to come in and perform; she has to feel good about what she’s doing. I think that’s a big piece for her, mentally. When you’re out that long, it takes a little while to get back, and we understand that. We’ll have patience with her.”

On what dictates Burrell’s minutes…
“The minutes, at this point, are dictated by performance. I mean, we’re not going to play her if she’s not healthy, and right now we have the clearance to play her.”

On how Burrell’s return affects the team…
“I think just having Rae back gives them a boost. I think everybody understands what Rae can do and what Rae is capable of. You know, having her out there is another issue for our opponents to worry about. I think that’s a big piece. And obviously, she’s done everything. She’s a playmaker, so you know that’s a positive for us.”

On her comments praising the team after the Arkansas win…
“Actually, I think it was Mickey Dearstone. After the game, he grabbed me and he just said, ‘I’ve seen a lot of teams play, and I’ve never seen anything like this.’ And it was a very positive statement towards our team, and I think that just got me a little emotional, and I kind of carried that over to media, I guess. But they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do, they really have. They’re fun to coach, they’re great to coach, they’re great teammates, they fight, and I needed to say that. I needed the world to hear that.”

On if the team knows how she feels about the team…
“I think they know. I think they know that we love them and we’re proud of them. We’re very honest with them. We talk about that, but then we talk about how we’re going to be better. So, we have both sides with our team. I think we have a really good open dialogue. I think the team knew that, I think the world just needed to hear it.”

On post-game celebrations…
“These post-game celebrations have taken on a whole life of their own. You know, the coaches are out in the hallway, we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do, then the players trump us. I mean, they just one-up us about every time. It’s fun, you know, it’s fun. And I love the fact they are happy in celebrating wins, because we’ve said from day one: wins are hard to get, so you better enjoy them.”

On her in-game assist to Jordan Horston…
“Yeah, well, after the game Jordan (Horston) asked who picked her up, and I was a little offended that she didn’t know immediately… I’m just kidding. I did tell her that I needed her to get up, so I said, ‘I was going to grab you, and then I saw the ball, and then I was going to throw you to the ball.’ We had a good time with that. We had a lot of fun. I actually sent the clip to our team in our little chat message and asked if there was any way I could get half of a steal credit for that one. Jordan gave me a steal credit for that one in our group chat. You know, it’s just one of those things. It’s just a fun team, and when you’re playing well or when you’re winning and things are going well, all that stuff it’s just fun. (It’s) fun to be a part of.”

On if the team would be as good defensively without Tamari Key…
“Our defensive would have to change if we didn’t have Tamari. We would have to do things a little bit differently, I believe. And I think we could. I think we could be a good defensive team, but I think it would look very differently, probably have to change some things schematically without her.”

On if Tamari Key showed a different side on Sunday, defensively…
“I have no issues with Tamari guarding on the perimeter. I know she can do it; she’s done it before. We’ve seen her be able to do it in practice. She’s pretty mobile. Now, she’s not going to guard the point guard out there, but she can guard her position out on the floor. I’m very confident with that. The problem is then she’s not in the paint helping her four teammates. So, it’s really… her being on the perimeter is not an issue for her, it’s an issue for everybody else. And so, we’re trying to keep her inside for our team’s sake.”

On her team’s depth being a strength…
“Oh yeah, depth is a big deal, because at any point you have no idea what’s going to happen. You have no idea what your roster is going to look like from game to game. I think you look at some of the games that have happened, and it’s just facts. And so, you hope that your entire roster is ready to go. You know, even players for us that may not get a lot of minutes in normal SEC games, they’ve had enough minutes for us to have enough confidence to put them out there if the situation warrants it, and I think that’s important.”

On how the team has improved since the Stanford loss…
“Well, I think right now, I feel like every game we’ve improved, or we’ve tried to take something to learn. That Stanford game, I think, although we were disappointed in the outcome, I think our players actually took some confidence out of that game. I think they learned some things, realized where we needed to get better in some things. And I thought, probably best of all, I thought they had a great attitude and mindset coming out of that game, coming off that loss. They were very motivated, they would’ve been anyway, but also with a different air about themselves. I think they have a little bit more confidence, you know, coming out of that game that we can really play with anybody, and I think that’s going to serve us well against a tough SEC schedule.”

On if the team is taking any extra precautions against COVID-19…
“Yeah, I think for us, we’ve kind of ramped some of our protocols back up. We’re in masks more often now than we were for a little bit. I don’t know that there’s a foolproof way of avoiding this, we’re just doing the best we can. And I think right now that’s what everybody’s doing and just hoping for the best. You know, we want to take this very seriously, and the health of our players is very serious. We want to play basketball, but we do want to make sure we’re taking care of our team first.”

On strong first and fourth quarters…
“I think we come out with a pretty clear game plan, and I think we’ve been able to punch first, I guess, so to speak, in some of these early games. And then, I think the fourth quarter, I think you’ve just seen strong finishes. Our team really feels good about getting to the fourth quarter and having a lot of gas in the tank. I think at times in the last few games, we’ve just worn people down in that fourth quarter. I don’t know if it’s always going to hold true, but I think that’s what happened in the last few games.”

On how close Jordan Horston is to being back in game shape…
“I think Jordan’s in pretty good shape right now. I think that Arkansas game was a much-needed game for her to get the rust off, the Christmas break off of her and get back in the swing of things. So, she’s been good in practice, looks good, and is moving really well. I was making a comment the other day about how well she was moving in practice, so feel really good about where she’s at.”

-UT Athletics

Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town Are Getting Back on The Bandwagon

Posted on January 7, 2022

Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town are hitting the road together on The Bandwagon tour!

The 15-stop tour will cover 10 states and 1 show in Canada over a 6-week run.

Friday, May 6 + Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman  |  Houston, Texas
Saturday, May 7 Dos Equis Pavilion  |  Dallas, Texas
Sunday, May 8 Walmart AMP  |  Rogers, Ark.
Thursday, May 12 Credit One Stadium  |  Charleston, S.C.
Friday, May 13 MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre  |  Tampa, Fla.
Saturday, May 14 iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre  |  West Palm Beach, Fla.
Friday, May 20 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre  |  St. Louis, Mo.
Saturday, May 21 Ruoff Music Center  |  Noblesville, Ind.
Sunday, May 22 Riverbend Music Center  |  Cincinnati, Ohio
Thursday, June 2 Budweiser Stage  |  Toronto, Ont.
Friday, June 3 DTE Energy Music Theatre  |  Detroit, Mich.
Saturday, June 4 Blossom Music Center  |  Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Thursday, June 9 Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater  |  Wantagh, N.Y.
Friday, June 10 PNC Bank Arts Center  |  Holmdel, N.J.
Saturday, June 11 BB&T Pavilion  |  Camden, N.J.

Miranda shared “The Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town is BACK. This is one of the most fun tours I’ve ever done. See y’all for round two!”

Little Big Town chimed in with “The Bandwagon Tour is BACK!! Been dying to share this news! So happy be on the road again with our dear friend Miranda Lambert and special guests The Cadillac Three.”

Tickets on sale Friday 1/14 at 10am. Presale starts at noon on Tuesday 1/11.

Fans will be looking to see Miranda perform her single “If I Was a Cowboy”

Little Big Town fans will be looking for a little “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” on The Bandwagon tour in 2022

Photo Credit: Reid Long

Maren Morris Releases Her Story in a Song – “Circles Around This Town”

Posted on January 7, 2022

Maren Morris is stepping into 2022 with a brand new single – “Circles Around This Town.”

Talking about the new track, Maren shares, “’Circles Around This Town’ is about my journey from Texas to Nashville almost nine years ago to become a songwriter. And everything that I had to go through to get to where I am today. And it’s just a nice, nostalgic look back on my life for me and hopefully inspiring to any aspiring songwriter out there.“

Listen carefully and you’ll notice that Maren’s new song namechecks a couple of her previous hits – like “My Church” and “80s Mercedes.”

Can you also name that announcer at the start of the music video for Maren’s “Circles Around This Town.”

(spoiler alert – it’s Reba)

Photo Credit: Harper Smith

Thomas Rhett and Wife Lauren Akins Have Fun in Snow

Posted on January 7, 2022

Nashville Tennessee had a record setting day of snow fall this week which led to a lot of people getting out and having some fun.

We’re not sure what led to this, but Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins were having some fun hoping over a fence…that did not go well for Lauren.

We think from the snort, Lauren is all good…

With all the fun in the snow, Thomas’ new single “Slow Down Summer” might have a different meaning now…

Photo Credit: Katie Kauss

Dierk Bentley Lost His Beard and Gained His Balance in the Snow

Posted on January 7, 2022

Just before the new year Dierks Bentley shared this video of trying to ride his bike in the snow and film at the same time…spoiler alert – it did go well…

Warning – the clip has a NFSW word…

That was when Dierks and his family were still out West. But now he’s back in Nashville – lost the full beard, and returned to the ‘stache look…

With Music City getting a record setting amount of snow this week – Dierks tried the bike riding and filming in snow one more time…

So, the secret to balance in the snow is the ‘stache!

With a successful ride like that, the beers should be on Dierks!

Photo Courtesy of Dierks Bentley

Michael Ray is Proud of the Journey to Success for “Whiskey And Rain”

Posted on January 7, 2022

Michael Ray‘s song “Whiskey And Rain” from his Higher Education EP is sitting at number-two on the Billboard country airplay chart.

Michael shares the story behind the track, and explains why the success of “Whiskey And Rain” has meant something special to him, “Man, this song has been incredible. To see the journey of this song, you know we cut this ‘Whiskey And Rain’ during COVID, I cut the vocals in a closet of my tour manager’s house and all the all the musicians were in different home studios, so to see this song go from recorded that way, to released during COVID when we weren’t playing shows – weren’t getting out, to see it climb all the way up to the top of the charts and to see the fans embrace it…to see country radio embrace it, you know it’s been incredible man.”

Michael adds “It’s been one of my favorite songs that I’ve been able to be a part of and I’m just very glad that the fans fell in love with it and have taken it to where it is.”

Michael has now also released a special acoustic version of the song – check it out here…

Michael says, “This song is everything I love about country music… traditional Country music, like Tim McGraw and Earl Thomas Conley, and I want to bring that back. This is the music I originally came to Nashville to make, and I’m grateful to have this opportunity for y’all to get to know me better as an artist.”

Photo Credit: Sean Hagwell

Kane Brown Kicks Off the 2022 Leg of the Blessed & Free Tour

Posted on January 7, 2022

Kane Brown is wasting no time in 2022 as he gets back into the swing of things by hitting the road again with his Blessed & Free tour.

Kane loves getting out in front of a crowd, “Yeah, it’s fun on stage, I get to flip the ‘on’ switch, cause off stage I’m laid back, I don’t like big crowds anything. But when I get on stage…those people there to see me, so I want to give them all I can on stage, and leave it all on stage since they paid and took the time out to come see me.”

Of course while he’s hitting it hard on the road the first two months of 2022, there will also be pretty of family time on the schedule as well since Kane just became a dad to daughter number-2 – Kodi Jane.

Kane and his wife Katelyn kept the pregnancy a secret until Kodi arrived on New Year’s Eve, and made Kingsley a big sister!

Kane’s now able to share pictures that he’s been holding onto…like this one…

Kane says, “I’ve always wanted a son until I had Kingsley and now I’m good with all my girls.”

All of his girls might also be with Kane this March when he travels to Texas for his show at RodeoHouston.

Kane will be at RodeoHouston on one of their country music themed nights – and Kane loves being able to represent the genre, “I love country music. You’ve got just so many different voices and just so many different accents and just the way its evolving is everything. I just love it.”

Fans at RodeoHouston and the Blessed & Free tour will be looking to hear this one from Kane – it’s his Top-10 (and climbing) single “One Mississippi”