Hoops Preview: #7/9 Lady Vols at Arkansas

Hoops Preview: #7/9 Lady Vols at Arkansas

Posted on January 1, 2022

No. 7/9 Tennessee (12-1/1-0 SEC) plays its first SEC road contest of the 2021-22 campaign on Sunday, heading to Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville for a 1:02 p.m. ET (12:02 CT) matinee with Arkansas (10-3/0-0 SEC).

The match-up will feature the nation’s number-one team in field goal percentage defense in UT vs. a UA squad that has hit 118 three-pointers, with a trio of players combining for more treys (62) than UT has hit as a team (56) the entire season.

The contest will mark the Lady Vols’ first test outside Thompson-Boling Arena since defeating RV/RV Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, 64-58, on Dec. 5. The Lady Vols are coming off a stretch that saw them play five straight games on The Summitt and six of seven tilts at home during the month of December.  UT’s only loss this season came during that stretch, as No. 3/3 Stanford prevailed, 74-63, on Rocky Top on Dec. 18.

Tennessee takes a three-game winning streak to The Natural State, reeling off wins over ETSU (112-58), Chattanooga (91-41) and Alabama (62-44) on Dec. 20, 27 and 30. UT has shot 50.7 percent and scored 88.3 ppg. during that run, while allowing 25.8 percent shooting and 47.7 ppg. UT also has out-rebounded foes 54.3 to 30.7 (+23.7) and owns a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (73 to 40) over that stint.

Sunday’s tussle will mark the third game this week for the Big Orange, with the Lady Vols using a 24-7 fourth-quarter blitz to defeat the Crimson Tide Thursday evening and begin the SEC slate at 1-0.

Arkansas, meanwhile, has been idle since Dec. 21, when it suffered an 81-72 loss to Creighton in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks had their scheduled SEC opener at Ole Miss on Thursday postponed due to COVID issues within the Rebels program.

Of note, Arkansas lost at UConn (95-80) on Nov. 14 and fell at UCF (52-51) on Dec. 2. UT won at UCF (49-41) on Nov. 12 and plays at UConn on Feb. 6.

Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

BROADCAST INFORMATION

  • Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (analyst) will be on 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, HARPER IN SEC OPENERS

  • Tennessee now is 34-6 all-time in its first SEC game of a season, including 19-3 at home and 15-3 on the road after defeating Alabama in Knoxville on Dec. 30, 2021, 62-44.
  • The Lady Vols have won their past eight SEC openers, last losing to LSU, 80-77, on Jan. 2, 2014.
  • Kellie Harper is 3-0 at UT in SEC openers, winning vs. Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama in her first three seasons.
  • In its first SEC home game of the season, Tennessee is now 35-5, winning five of its last six such games.
  • Entering the Arkansas contest, the Lady Vols are 30-9 in their initial SEC road game of a season after defeating LSU in 2020-21, winning 11 of the past 12.
  • Harper is 1-1 in UT’s first SEC road game of the season, falling at Kentucky in 2020 and defeating LSU last season.
  • This will mark the fourth time Tennessee has traveled to Fayetteville for its first SEC road game. UT is 2-1 in those battles, winning its last two. The most recent one was a 76-61 UT win on Jan. 7, 2001.

TENNESSEE IN SEC PLAY

  • UT is 415-88 (.825) in SEC regular-season games through the Alabama game, winning 18 regular-season championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles.
  • Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper is 20-10 in SEC games in her third year leading the team, including 1-0 in 2021-22, and has a 2-2 record in SEC Tourney 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.

RPI/SOS/BRACKET TALK

  • The NCAA NET Rankings had UT ranked No. 12 as of Dec. 29 while the NCAA Toughest Schedule report had the Lady Vols at No. 12 (cumulative opposition).
  • RealTimeRPI.com has UT at No. 5 in RPI as of Dec. 30 with a calculation of .6912 and No. 9 in strength of schedule.
  • ESPN has the Big Orange at No. 4 in its Dec. 27 Women’s College Basketball Power Rankings.
  • In his Bracketology update on Dec. 31, ESPN’s Charlie Creme has Tennessee as a No. 2 seed in the Bridgeport Region. The Lady Vols are shown hosting No. 15 Holy Cross in the first round, with the winner facing No. 7 South Florida or No. 10 Oregon.

ABOUT THE LADY VOLS

  • The Lady Vols are one of the nation’s biggest stories of 2021-22, opening up at 12-1 against one of the NCAA’s toughest schedules despite losing returning starters Rae Burrell and Marta Suárez to injuries and with Jordan Horston missing three games, including the past two.
  • Tennessee is among the nation’s best at rebounding and defending, but its offense is emerging with different members of the team stepping up each game and younger players gaining experience.
  • Eleven different players have scored in double figures this season, including eight who have done so in multiple games. Karoline Striplin became the eighth Lady Vol to twice hit double figures, doing so with 10 vs. ETSU and 12 against Chattanooga.
  • The Lady Vols had at least one player record a double-double in the first 11 games this season and now in 12 of 13 contests, led by Tamari Key with seven (including a triple-double), Jordan Horston with five, Alexus Dye with two and Kaiya Wynn with one.
  • That gives Tennessee 15 total double-doubles this year, surpassing the 2020-21 total of 13 in only 11 contests in 2021-22.
  • The 11-game streak, which was both a season-opening UT record and an overall program best, came to an end vs. UTC. Karoline Striplin (12/9) and Alexus Dye (15/8) were oh-so-close to continuing the run.
  • Over the last four games, there are four Lady Vols averaging double figures in points, including Tamari Key (12.8), Jordan Horston (12.0), Sara Puckett (10.2) and Alexus Dye (10.0). Keyen Green nearly gives UT five players in double figures during that span, putting up 9.8 ppg.
  • During that stretch, UT has a scoring margin of +27.0, a rebounding margin of +18.2 and 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio (104-74). UT also is shooting 44.4 percent from the field while allowing only 29.0 percent by its opponents. Those numbers are even more impressive when one considers Jordan Horston has missed the last two contests due to illness and Rae Burrell remains sidelined by injury.
  • UT has shown itself to be a tough, gritty team, coming from behind in the fourth quarter four times this season to win games (Southern Illinois, South Florida, Texas, Va. Tech). UT also came from 20-down in the second quarter vs. No. 3/3 Stanford, cutting the deficit to three in the second half with a 17-0 run spanning the second and third periods before eventually falling to the Cardinal.
  • Tennessee is led by 6-2 junior guard Jordan Horston, who paces the team in scoring (15.1 ppg.), rebounding (9.4) and assists (3.9 apg.) in a breakout season.
  • Horston is second on the team with five double-doubles and has topped UT in scoring six times.
  • Tamari Key, a 6-6 junior center, is putting up 10.4 ppg. and 9.4 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 and her block average currently ranks No. 1 all-time among Lady Vols in a season and No. 4 in the nation. Key leads Tennessee with seven double-doubles thus far and has hit season highs in scoring in four of her past five games, including 18 vs. UTC.
  • Alexus Dye, a 6-0 forward, is third among active UT players in scoring at 9.9 ppg. She is third in rebounding at 8.3 rpg.
  • Freshman guard/forward Sara Puckett is UT’s fourth-leading scorer. She is putting up 8.5 ppg. and is shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 35.1 percent on threes and 77.8 percent on free throws and has scored in double figures in five of her past eight contests. She got her first career start vs. UTC.
  • Graduate forward/center Keyen Green, graduate guard Jordan Walker, sophomore guard/forward Tess Darby and freshman forward Karoline Striplin average 7.2, 7.2, 4.8 and 4.6 ppg., respectively, with Walker and Darby the typical starters alongside Key, Horston and Dye.
  • Tennessee now has 10 players averaging double figures in minutes per game, with freshmen Sara Puckett (24.0), Brooklynn Miles (21.6), Kaiya Wynn (10.5)  and Karoline Striplin (10.1) among them.
  • Point guards Jordan Walker and Brooklynn Miles have been UT’s most secure regulars with the ball, accumulating 45/23 and 33/22 assist-to-turnovers totals.

LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST GAME

  • No. 7/9 Tennessee opened SEC play with a 62-44 win over Alabama in Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday night.
  • Graduate Jordan Walker led UT (12-1, 1-0 SEC) in scoring with 16 points, while junior Tamari Key turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Their efforts helped head coach Kellie Harper pick up win No. 50 in her third season at UT.
  • Brittany Davis was the high scorer for Alabama (9-3, 0-1 SEC) with 12 points, and JaMya Mingo-Young was close behind with 11.
  • Tennessee burst out to a 23-12 lead after one, but Alabama outscored the Lady Vols 25-15 over the next two periods to briefly take a two-point advantage in the third quarter. UT rediscovered its groove in the final frame, tallying 14 paint points to outscore the Tide 24-7 and win by 18.

NOTABLES FROM OUR LAST GAME

  • TK DOING BIG THINGS: Key followed up a season-high performance of 18 points against ETSU with 13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against UA. Over the last three games she is averaging 15.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg. and 3.3 bpg. while shooting 73.1 percent (19-26) from the field.
  • BACK TO DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Tamari Key logged 13 points and 11 rebounds to card her seventh double-double of the season. The Lady Vols have recorded 15 doubles-doubles this year, with at least one player managing a double-double in 12 of 13 contests.
  • DEFENSE FOR DAYS: Alabama entered the game averaging 44.5 percent from the field and was held to just 24.3 percent on the night. Tennessee leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to 30.2 percent from the field through 13 contests. Statistically, the Lady Vols have had their best defensive games in back-to-back contests, holding UTC to 22.6 percent shooting and Alabama to 24.3 percent.

UP NEXT: BACK HOME VS. AGGIES

  • The Lady Vols return home to host #23/17 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thurs., Jan. 6 (SEC Network).
  • It will be Knox County School Day. Fans can donate two new school supplies and receive one complimentary ticket. All donations benefit the Knox County School Supply, which supports local teachers and education.

UT-ARKANSAS SERIES NOTES

  • Tennessee holds a 31-5 all-time record vs. Arkansas, dating back to Feb. 29, 1992, when UT prevailed, 105-59, in the initial meeting.
  • The Lady Vols are 15-2 in Knoxville, 14-3 in Fayetteville and 2-0 at neutral sites.
  • UT has won five of the past seven meetings, but UA has taken two of the past three. Each team has held serve on its home court the past two contests.
  • Tennessee is 1-1 in overtime and 2-0 in the postseason vs. UA, meeting for the first time in SEC Tournament play in 2016. UT prevailed, 68-51, in the second round in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 3 of that year.
  • UT’s only setbacks to the Razorbacks in Knoxville were both one-point losses. UA prevailed 72-71 in overtime on Feb. 23, 2012, and 80-79 on Jan. 21, 2019.
  • No. 1/1 Tennessee and unranked Arkansas met in an NCAA Final Four semifinal game in Kansas City, Mo., on March 27, 1998, and the Lady Vols cruised past the Razorbacks, 86-58, en route to their perfect 39-0 season.
  • Then the starting point guard for UT, Kellie (Jolly) Harper tallied 11 points, five assists and three rebounds during 30 minutes of duty in that contest.
  • Harper finished her career with a 4-1 record vs. the Razorbacks as a player.
  • As a head coach, Harper is 3-3 all-time vs. Arkansas. She won her last two meetings vs. the Razorbacks while at Missouri State, including 69-54 in Fayetteville on Dec. 2, 2015, and 64-62 in Springfield on Dec. 11, 2016.
  • This is the third meeting between Harper and Mike Neighbors as head coaches, with Harper getting the “W” a year ago to improve to 1-1 vs. UA as UT’s skipper.
  • Arkansas assistant coach Lacey Goldwire was on the Tennessee payroll from 2019-21 before returning in 2021-22 to Mike Neighbors’ staff at Arkansas, where she worked from 2017-19 in his first two seasons as head coach in Fayetteville.

ABOUT ARKANSAS

  • Arkansas (10-3, 0-0 SEC) has won four of its last five games entering Sunday’s match-up.
  • The Razorbacks are paced by five players scoring in double figures, including Makayla Daniels (15.0), Sasha Goforth (11.7), Erynn Barnum (11.2), Samara Spencer (10.6) and Amber Ramirez (10.1).
  • UA has not played since Dec. 21 after its Dec. 30 SEC opener at Ole Miss was postponed due to COVID issues with the Rebels.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

  • Mike Neighbors is 88-53 in his fifth season as head coach of the Razorbacks and is 186-94 overall in nine years.
  • He spent his first four seasons as a head coach at Washington, where he guided the Huskies to a 98-41 mark and a 2016 NCAA Final Four appearance.

LAST TIME ARKANSAS PLAYED

  • Arkansas fell in its last game on Dec. 21 in Bud Walton Arena, as the Hogs lost to Creighton (8-3), 81-72. Creighton’s offense was excellent for most of the night, especially from deep, as it hit 14 of 30 long balls. Creighton also outrebounded Arkansas, 39-31, while winning the turnover battle, 11-9.
  • Junior guard Makayla Daniels put together an excellent outing against the Blue Jays, scoring 34 of Arkansas’ points for a new career high. She did it on an incredibly efficient clip, too, as she made 11 of her 17 shots, five of her six threes and seven of her eight free throws. Sasha Goforth and Jersey Wolfenbarger both put up 11 points in the loss.

WHEN UT AND UA LAST MET

  • Unranked Tennessee opened SEC play with a victory over No. 13/13 Arkansas at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 7, 2020, winning 88-73 via an impressive 53.6 shooting percentage.
  • Rennia Davis and Rae Burrell paced UT (7-1, 1-0 SEC), each turning in 26 points. Davis recorded her 33rd career double-double with an all-around effort, adding 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals to go along with her season-high point total. Kasiyahna Kushkituah and Jordan Horston were also in double digits, chipping in 11 each.
  • UA (10-3, 1-2 SEC) was led by Chelsea Dungee, who finished with 30 points and seven rebounds. Destiny Slocum and Amber Ramirez were also in double digits with 17 and 15, respectively.
  • The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Razorbacks, 49-36, and outscored them in the paint, 52-20.

-UT Athletics

Kane Brown & his Wife End 2021 with a Big Surprise! Their Second Daughter Arrives!

Kane Brown & his Wife End 2021 with a Big Surprise! Their Second Daughter Arrives!

Posted on December 31, 2021

These days it’s hard to keep a secret – but Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn managed to hide the news that they were expecting their second child!

Surprise!

On New Year’s Eve 2021 Kane posted to socials “New year, New family member, welcome to the family Kodi Jane. Secrets finally out!”

Kodi Jane joins big sister Kingsley Rose – who just turned two in October, and recently spent sometime with her dad on the basketball court.

While he loves making music Kane shares “The best job in the world is being daddy.”

Congrats to Kane and Katelyn on their second daughter…looks like Kane has even more to “Worship” now…and maybe needs to update the music video for his hit song “Worship You”…

Kane’s new single “One Mississippi” is at country radio right now…

Photos Courtesy of Kane Brown

Postgame/Stats/Notes/Story: Vols Suffer Overtime Shootout Loss To Purdue In Music City Bowl, 48-45

Postgame/Stats/Notes/Story: Vols Suffer Overtime Shootout Loss To Purdue In Music City Bowl, 48-45

Posted on December 31, 2021

Final Book (PDF) | Postgame Quotes (PDF)  | Postgame Notes | Postgame Video

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a game that spanned more than four and a half hours in front of the largest crowd in TransPerfect Music City Bowl history, Tennessee suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Purdue Thursday evening at Nissan Stadium, 48-45.
 
Both teams combined for 29 points over the final 4:58 of game action, and the score was knotted 45-45 at the end of regulation. Tennessee (7-6) took the ball first and faced 4th-and-goal from one yard out, but the Vols were unable to score. Freshman running back Jaylen Wright appeared to have extended the ball into the end zone, but it was ruled that his forward progress had been stopped short of the goal line.
 
Tennessee’s defense held the Boilermakers (9-4) to just four yards on the ensuing possession before placekicker Mitchell Fineran knocked the game-winning field goal through the uprights from 39 yards out.

Tennessee Offense / Credit: UT Athletics

Redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker led an explosive Volunteer offense that piled up 663 yards, shattering the all-time program bowl record for total offense. The UT signal caller threw for a career-high 378 yards and five touchdowns in Nashville, completing 26-of-41 passes with no interceptions. Adding 56 yards on the ground, Hooker set the Tennessee bowl record for individual total offense at 434.
 
Hooker finished his debut season on Rocky Top breaking UT single-season records for passing efficiency (182.01) and completion percentage (68.2) while tying for third in program history with 31 touchdowns on the season.
 
Redshirt junior receiver Cedric Tillman capped his impressive 2021 campaign with another fantastic outing, hauling in seven catches for 150 yards and a Music City Bowl record three receiving touchdowns. The Las Vegas native rounded out his season with 1,081 yards, becoming the eighth Vol to crack 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and the first since Justin Hunter in 2012.
 
Velus Jones Jr. ended his collegiate career with an electric performance for the Big Orange, totaling a game-high 225 all-purpose yards. The redshirt senior receiver reeled in a career-high 10 receptions for 85 yards and dashed 140 yards in the kick return game to spark the Vols on special teams.
 
Sophomore running back Jabari Small had a career day on the ground, leading all rushers Thursday with 26 carries for 180 yards and a touchdown. His 180 yards tied Travis Henry in the 2001 Cotton Bowl for the second-highest rushing output in a bowl game in program history.
 
Redshirt junior linebacker Jeremy Banks was a menace on the defensive side of the ball, totaling a career-best 20 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and two pass breakups. His 20 tackles tied the Tennessee single-game bowl record and were the most by a Vol in any game since Daniel Bituli had 23 in the 2017 season opener vs. Georgia Tech.
 
After the Tennessee defense forced a turnover on downs on Purdue’s opening possession, the quick-strike Vols needed just 44 seconds to draw up a four-play, 56-yard scoring drive to take the initial lead. Hooker went deep over the middle to Tillman, who made a spectacular jumping grab at the goal line before landing squarely in the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown. Senior placekicker Chase McGrath knocked home the PAT give the Vols a 7-0 lead with 10:28 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Tillman’s first-quarter TD helped him set a Tennessee single-season record, as he became the first player in program history to haul in a receiving touchdown in seven consecutive contests. The previous record of six was set by Joey Kent in 1995.
 
The Boilermakers immediately responded as quarterback Aidan O’Connell launched a touchdown pass to junior receiver Broc Thompson for 75 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive. Mitchell Fineran’s PAT went through to tie it up, 7-7, with 10:15 left in the opening stanza.
 
Tennessee regained its lead on another long bomb to Tillman, as Hooker found his top wideout down the right sideline and connected for a 61-yard score. McGrath knocked his school-record 62nd PAT of the season through the uprights to make it 14-7 Vols with 6:31 to go in the first quarter.
 
Purdue looked to even the score once again on its next possession, but redshirt sophomore Kamal Hadden denied the Boilermakers with his first career interception in the end zone painted Tennessee orange. The Vols proceeded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive punctuated by Small’s ninth rushing touchdown of the season from two yards out. McGrath remained true on the extra point and improved UT’s lead to 21-7 with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Purdue tallied 16 unanswered points, all in the second quarter, to gain a 23-21 edge heading into the halftime locker room. Fineran connected on field goals from 24, 36 and 29 yards before the Boilermakers capitalized on a UT fumble and went ahead on tight end Payne Durham’s two-yard touchdown catch with 19 seconds left in the half.
 
Out of halftime, Tennessee orchestrated a seven-play, 71-yard scoring drive to go back on top. Small provided 24 rushing yards on the series while Hooker accounted for 37 yards of total offense, including a 15-yard scoring strike to Jones Jr. on a wide receiver screen to the left side. McGrath’s fourth PAT of the afternoon gave the Big Orange a 28-23 edge with 12:45 to play in the third quarter.
 
The back-and-forth affair continued as Purdue strung together a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. O’Connell connected on his third touchdown of the day, finding sophomore receiver T.J. Sheffield in the far right corner of the end zone to put the Boilermakers back ahead, 30-28.
 
After a pair of stagnant offensive drives, the Volunteers received a boost of vitality when defensive end Byron Young dropped back into coverage and nabbed his first career interception. UT promptly marched into Purdue territory to set up a 30-yard field goal try for McGrath, who sailed it through the uprights to put the Vols up by one, 31-30, with 3:44 left in the third quarter.
 
Tennessee claimed its second turnover in a row and third interception of the night on the ensuing Purdue series, as O’Connell faced pressure from the UT blitz package and lobbed a pass into the waiting arms of senior defensive back Trevon Flowers. The Vols were unable to capitalize, however, turning the ball over on downs at the Purdue 24-yard line with 12:03 remaining in the game.
 
Trailing 31-30, Purdue grabbed the lead once again as Durham broke numerous tackles, kept his feet churning and plodded into the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown. O’Connell found his tight end again on the two-point conversion to advance the lead to 38-31 with 4:58 to go in the contest.
 
The Vols came fighting back on the next possession, as Small broke free for a career-long 60-yard rush and was downed in the red zone to set up Tillman’s third TD reception of the night. Hooker found the Las Vegas native on a 13-yard slant over the middle as Tillman became the first Vol with three receiving touchdowns in a single bowl game. McGrath’s fifth PAT tied it up, 38-38, with 3:37 left on the clock.
 
Purdue kept its composure and generated another long passing play from O’Connell with a 70-yard touchdown connection down the left sideline to Thompson to retake the lead, 45-38, with 2:57 left in regulation.
 
When the breaks went against Tennessee, the Vols put on more steam, using four plays to go 72 yards in 77 seconds of game action. The series was highlighted by redshirt senior tight end Princeton Fant’s career-long 58-yard reception and punctuated by Jalin Hyatt’s touchdown catch in the end zone. It was Hooker’s fifth touchdown pass of the night, breaking an overall Tennessee bowl game record and tying the most thrown in a Music City Bowl contest.
 
The Vols had one last chance to avoid extra periods, starting with the ball at their own 40-yard line with 44 seconds left in regulation. After the drive stalled at the Purdue 39, McGrath stepped up for a 56-yard try, his fifth career attempt from beyond 50 yards. The kick fell short and wide right as time expired to force overtime in Nashville.
 
Tennessee rounded out the first season of the Josh Heupel era with an 7-6 overall record and featured one of the most prolific offenses in Tennessee history. The 2021 squad finished the year setting programs records for points scored (511) and touchdowns (67) in a single season.

-UT Athletics

Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats: No. 7/9 UT Opens SEC Play With 62-44 Win Over Alabama

Highlights/Photos/Postgame/Stats: No. 7/9 UT Opens SEC Play With 62-44 Win Over Alabama

Posted on December 31, 2021

Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Postgame Quotes | Highlights 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee opened SEC play with a 62-44 win over Alabama in Thompson-Boling Arena on Thursday night.
 
Graduate Jordan Walker led UT (12-1, 1-0 SEC) in scoring with 16 points, while junior Tamari Key turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Their efforts helped head coach Kellie Harper pick up win No. 50 during her third season at UT.
 
Brittany Davis was the high scorer for Alabama (9-3, 0-1 SEC) with 12 points, and JaMya Mingo-Young was close behind with 11.

Lady Vols vs. Alabama / Credit: UT Athletics

Both teams struggled to score in the first 90 seconds, but Sara Puckett found her way into the lane for a layup to get Tennessee on the board at the 8:28 mark, and Walker followed it up with another on the next possession to give UT an early four-point lead. Alabama responded with a trey on the other end, but Walker and Tess Darby answered with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put the Lady Vols up 10-3 less than five minutes into the contest.
 
The Lady Vols went ahead by nine off two free throws from Alexus Dye following the media timeout, but a three by Hannah Barber cut UT’s lead to six a minute later. Tennessee then went on to outscore the Crimson Tide 9-4 in the closing minutes to take a 23-12 lead into the second period.
 
The Lady Vols hit a scoring slump in the second, going without a bucket for almost three minutes while UA whittled the lead down to seven. Walker ended the drought for UT, and Key followed it up with three straight points to put Tennessee on top by 12 at the media break. Alabama launched into an 8-0 run following the timeout to cut the lead to four before Brooklynn Miles found Key in the lane for the last bucket of the half, sending the game into halftime with UT ahead 30-24.
 
The Lady Vols’ shooting went cold in the third, with the Big Orange going without a basket for more than six minutes, while Alabama took the lead at 32-30 before Kaiya Wynn hit a layup with 3:37 left in the quarter. Wynn hit the second of a pair of free throws on the next possession to reclaim the lead for Tennessee, but UA was once again on top by the 2:32 mark. Walker came up with a layup 30 seconds later, and Darby nailed a corner three as the shot clock wound down to give UT a boost of momentum as well as the lead at 38-35 with 1:10 left in the period. A jumper by Mingo-Young at the buzzer pulled the Crimson Tide within one, sending the game into the final stanza with UT leading 38-37.
 
Walker opened the scoring with a fast-break layup in the fourth, setting off a 9-0 UT run contributed to by Miles, Key and Green that moved the Lady Vols ahead by 10 with 7:06 to play.  Barber ended the skid for UA, putting in a layup with just over six minutes remaining, but Tennessee quickly rebuilt its lead, going ahead by 18 after a 7-0 run that was capped off by a jumper by Walker with 1:16 left in the game. Khyla Wade-Warren hit one more bucket for the Crimson Tide, but Miles closed out the game with a fast break layup, capping the final score at 62-44.
 
UP NEXT: Tennessee will travel to Arkansas for a 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) game that will be televised by SEC Network.
 
TK DOING BIG THINGS: Key followed up a season-high performance of 18 points against ETSU with 13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against UA. Over the last three games she is averaging 15.7 ppg., 8.3 rpg. and 3.3 bpg. while shooting 73.1 percent (19-26) from the field.
 
BACK TO DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Tamari Key logged 13 points and 11 rebounds to card her seventh double-double of the season. The Lady Vols have recorded 15 doubles-doubles this season, with at least one player managing a double-double in 12 of 13 contests.
 
DEFENSE FOR DAYS: Alabama entered the game averaging 44.5 percent from the field and was held to just 24.3 percent on the night. Tennessee leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to an average of 30.2 percent from the field through 13 contests. Statistically, the Lady Vols have had their best defensive games in back-to-back contests, holding UTC to 22.6 percent shooting and Alabama to 24.3 percent.
 

-UT Athletics

2021 Billboard Country Music Airplay Number-One Songs

2021 Billboard Country Music Airplay Number-One Songs

Posted on December 31, 2021

Country music in 2021 – by the numbers…

33 songs went to number-one on the Billboard country airplay chart in 2021 – one song even did it twice (more on that in a bit)

5 artists hit number-one for the first time in 2021 (Blanco Brown, Niko Moon, Lainey Wilson, Elvie Shane, & MacKenzie Porter)

6 collaborations topped the Billboard chart. (Parmalee & Blanco Brown, Chris Young & Kane Brown, Chase Rice & Florida Georgia Line, Jameson Rodgers & Luke Combs, Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood, Dustin Lynch & MacKenzie Porter)

9 songs had multi week number-one songs

1 song went to number-one twice – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood‘s “If I Didn’t Love You” hit number-one – lost the spot and then return to the top for a total of 3 weeks.

Speaking of returning to the top spot on the Billboard country music airplay chart – Luke Combs took 4 songs to number-one in 2021, totaling 13 weeks – more than any other artist. “Better Together” claimed 5 weeks, “Forever After All” was 6, “Cold Beer Calling My Name” with Jameson Rodgers, and “Cold As You” both had one week stays at number-one.

Check out the full list of number-one songs on the Billboard country music chart for 2021, here…

January 2nd – Chris Lane – “Big, Big Plans”

January 9th – Lady A – “Champagne Night” (2 weeks)

January 23rd – Luke Combs – “Better Together” (5 weeks)

February 27th – Darius Rucker – “Beers And Sunshine”

March 6th – Luke Bryan – “Down To One”

March 13th – Niko Moon – “Good Time”

March 20th – Parmalee & Blanco Brown – “Just The Way”

March 27th – Thomas Rhett – “What’s Your Country Song”

April 3rd – Brett Young – “Lady”

April 10th – Florida Georgia Line – “Long Live”

April 17th – Gabby Barrett – “The Good Ones” (3 weeks)

May 8th – Jake Owen – “Made For You” (2 weeks)

May 22nd – Sam Hunt – “Breaking Up Was Easy In the 90s”

May 29th – Eric Church – “Hell Of A View”

June 5th – Luke Combs – “Forever After All” (6 weeks)

July 17th – Chris Young & Kane Brown – “Famous Friends”

July 24th – Jason Aldean – “Blame It On You”

July 31st – Cole Swindell – “Single Saturday Night” (2 weeks)

August 14th – Chase Rice & Florida Georgia Line – “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen”

August 21st – Dan + Shay – “Glad You Exist”

August 28th – Justin Moore – “We Didn’t Have Much”

September 4th – Luke Bryan – “Waves” (2 weeks)

September 18th – Thomas Rhett – “Country Again”

September 25th – Lainey Wilson – “Things A Man Oughta Know”

October 2nd – Scotty McCreery – “You Time”

October 9th – Luke Combs & Jameson Rodgers – “Cold Beer Calling My Name”

October 16th – Lee Brice – “Memory I Don’t Mess With”

October 23rd – Elvie Shane – “My Boy”

October 30th – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood – “If I Didn’t Love You” (2 weeks)

November 13th – Walker Hayes – “Fancy Like”

November 20th – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood – “If I Didn’t Love You” (1 week – 3 weeks total)

November 27th – Luke Combs – “Cold As You”

December 4th – Zac Brown Band – “Same Boat”

Dec 11th – Dustin Lynch & MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You” (4 weeks)

Top-10 Billboard Country Airplay Songs of 2021

Top-10 Billboard Country Airplay Songs of 2021

Posted on December 31, 2021

The numbers have been crunched, tallied and calculated – and now we know Billboard’s Top-10 Country Airplay Songs of 2021.

Here’s the 10 tracks that were played on country radio the most this year.

10. Justin Moore – “We Didn’t Have Much”

9. Jordan Davis – “Almost Maybes”

8. Parmalee & Blanco Brown – “Just The Way”

7. Chase Rice featuring Florida Georgia Line – “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen”

6. Dierks Bentley – “Gone”

5. Luke Combs – “Better Together”

4. Cole Swindell – “Single Saturday Night”

3. Thomas Rhett – “What’s Your Country Song”

2. Luke Combs – “Forever After All”

1. Chris Young & Kane Brown – “Famous Friends”

Photo Courtesy of Justin Moore, Chris Young & Kane Brown, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice & Florida Georgia Line, Jordan Davis, Parmalee & Blanco Brown, Cole Swindell, Luke Combs, Dierks Bentley

2021 Most Watched Country Music Videos

2021 Most Watched Country Music Videos

Posted on December 31, 2021

Not only did fans do a lot of listening to country music in 2021 – they did a lot of watching too!

Just like with the songs you hear, the list of the Most Watched Country Videos in the USA for 2021 has a lot of familiar names.

Here’s the Top-10 according to Vevo.

10. Kelsea Ballerini featuring Kenny Chesney – “half of my hometown”

9. Thomas Rhett – “Country Again”

8. Jon Pardi – “Tequila Little Time”

7. Luke Bryan – “Waves”

6. Luke Bryan – “Down To One”

5. Chris Young & Kane Brown – “Famous Friends”

4. Elvie Shane – “My Boy”

3. Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris – “Chasing After You”

2. Luke Combs – “Forever After All”

1. Walker Hayes – “Fancy Like”

Photos Courtesy of Chris Young & Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Walker Hayes, Elvie Shane, Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris, Luke Bryan, Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett, Jon Pardi

Jimmy’s blog: Was ruling on Wright the wrong call?

Jimmy’s blog: Was ruling on Wright the wrong call?

Posted on December 30, 2021

By Jimmy Hyams

NASHVILLE – Did he score or didn’t he?

That was the burning question after Purdue rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Tennessee 48-45 in overtime Thursday in a wild, will-this-game-ever-end battle between the SEC and the Big Ten in the Music City bowl.

After both teams scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes of regulation, Tennessee got the ball first at the 25-yard line in overtime after Purdue won the toss and deferred.

The Vols drove the ball to the Purdue 1-yard line when, on fourth-and-1, Vols coach Josh Heupel decided he needed a touchdown, not a field goal.

The handoff went to true freshman Jaylen Wright behind a jumbo set that featured defensive tackle Omari Thomas as one of the lead blockers. Wright was hit hard at the 1, struggled to stay on his feet, then reached the ball across the goal line.

The line judge rushed in, waving Wright down at the 1 due to forward progress.

It was evident that Wright’s knee had not touched the ground.

It was not so evident that his forward progress had been stopped.

The referee, Jerry Magallanes of the ACC, said the forward progress ruling was under review.

One problem: Forward progress is not a reviewable play.

Someone must have whispered to Magallanes that you can’t review forward progress, because he then came back and announced the call was confirmed.

“It sounded like the whistle blew after he extended the football,’’ said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, clearly unhappy with the call.  

“Initially, I was excited,’’ said UT quarterback Hendon Hooker of Wright’s run. “I thought he scored.’’

Without a point to its name in overtime, Tennessee (7-6) had to rely on its defense to stop a team that had racked up over 600 yards of total offense in regulation.

Purdue (9-4) didn’t force the issue, gaining 4 yards to set up the game-winning 38-yard field goal by Mitchell Fineran to set off a wild celebration by Boilermaker players and fans alike before a record bowl crowd at Nissan Stadium of 69,489 (90 percent of whom were UT fans).

“Disappointed in the outcome,’’ Heupel said.

Heupel was second-guessed for not kicking a field goal in overtime, but considering your defense wasn’t having much luck stopping the Boilermakers, you can defend the desire to try to score a touchdown.

Another decision you could second guess: Why was Wright in the game in overtime and not Jabari Small, who had rushed for a career-high 180 yards and is more powerful than Wright?

Heupel said Small had been “fighting through some things all night,’’ presumably meaning Small wasn’t healthy enough to play in overtime.

Tennessee had a chance to win in regulation when it got the ball at its 40-yard line with 44 seconds left. The Vols got just one first down and elected to try a 56-yard field goal with 2 seconds left rather than toss a Hail Mary into the end zone.

Chase McGrath’s kick was short and to the right.

“We were right on the edge,’’ Heupel of McGrath’s field-goal range. “Coach (Mike) Ekeler (special teams coach) believed in Chase and Chase had a look, too. He gave it a helluva run.’’

After the game, Heupel gave a “special thanks’’ to the seniors who “competed and fought and led’’ under difficult circumstances and said the “journey has been unbelievable.’’

This was a group of seniors that saw a mass exodus of teammates through the transfer portal and saw the coach that recruited them fired in January and watched with concern the possible penalties from a lengthy NCAA investigation into recruiting violations.

Senior Theo Jackson said the program was “falling apart’’ when Heupel and his staff saved the day with positive encouragement and a fast-pace offense that set a school record for points in a season.

That offense led the nation in first-quarter scoring, putting up 190 points to the opponent’s 51.

That was evident again against Purdue when UT bolted to a 21-7 first-quarter lead.

But then the offense bogged down. The Vols scored just 10 points on its next 10 possessions – from the second quarter until late in the fourth quarter. Part of the problem was not converting on short-yardage situations. And part of the problem was Hooker’s inaccuracy; he misfired on several long and intermediate throws.

And Tennessee’s short-handed secondary was torched by Purdue quarterback Aiden O’Connell, a former walk-on who doesn’t have a strong arm and isn’t mobile, but is very accurate. He completed 26 of 47 passes for 534 yards and a bowl-record-tying five touchdowns.

O’Connell did throw three picks, two in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to put Tennessee in the winners’ circle.

Hooker was 26 of 41 for 378 yards and five touchdowns – three to Cedric Tillman, who had seven catches for 150 yards.

The Vols were without cornerback Alontae Taylor, who opted out to focus on the NFL draft, and two other defensive backs: Kenneth George and Brandon Turnage. Purdue smartly picked on the backups and drew several pass interference calls against Warren Burrell, as UT committed 14 penalties for 128 yards.

Tennessee allowed a whopping 627 total yards on 81 snaps.

Tennessee gained 666 yards on 104 snaps.

All the scoring and first downs combined with more than a dozen fake injuries by both teams – mostly by Purdue – caused the game to last about 4 hours and 40 minutes.

Heupel said afterwards the officials told him they’d like to see a rule change regarding fake injuries.

But that’s a topic for another day.

Tennessee lost a bowl game it thought it should win.

It blew a 14-point lead.

It committed too many penalties.

It gave up too many big pass plays.

But one bowl game shouldn’t detract from an outstanding season under dire circumstances.

And with many key offensive players coming back, you can expect more fireworks next season.

As Hooker said after the defeat: “I see this as motivation. – something we can build on.’’

———

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all  

WATCH: Heupel, Hooker, Tillman & Jackson Music City Bowl Postgame

WATCH: Heupel, Hooker, Tillman & Jackson Music City Bowl Postgame

Posted on December 30, 2021

Tennessee held it’s postgame press conference after Purdue defeated UT 48-45 in OT at Nissan Stadium in Nashville at the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Participants were head coach Josh Heupel, quarterback Hendon Hooker, wide receiver Cedric Tillman and defensive back Theo Jackson.

*Note: The bowl had audio issues so there are stretches with low audio. We apologize for those issues out of our control.

Our bowl coverage is powered by…Image Matters, Hound Dogs, Bragg Weight Loss And Wellness, VisitMySmokies.com, Nothing Too Fancy, Camp Rivers Landing & The Cadence Nashville operated by WhyHotels.

Vols HC Josh Heupel / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal

WATCH: 99.1 The Sports Animal review of the Music City Bowl

WATCH: 99.1 The Sports Animal review of the Music City Bowl

Posted on December 30, 2021

Hosts Jimmy Hyams and Vince Ferrara recap the 48-45 TransPerfect Music City Bowl overtime loss to Purdue for Tennessee.

Our bowl coverage is powered by…Image Matters, Hound Dogs, Bragg Weight Loss And Wellness, VisitMySmokies.com, Nothing Too Fancy, Camp Rivers Landing & The Cadence Nashville operated by WhyHotels.

Jimmy Hyams & Vince Ferrara – 99.1 The Sports Animal / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal

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