BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Two dominant pitching performances and productive days at the plate from senior Amanda Ayala and sophomore Kiki Milloy propelled the Lady Vols softball team to victories over Texas A&M and Lamar on Saturday at the Reveille Classic at Davis Diamond.

Sophomore pitcher Callie Turner stole the show in the circle, tossing a five-inning no-hitter in the Orange & White’s second victory of the day over Lamar.

Turner’s no-hitter was the second no-no tossed by a Lady Vol pitcher this week, following Samantha Bender who did so last Sunday against Central Michigan. This marks the first time Tennessee has had two different pitchers throw a no-hitter in the same season since 2012.

Milloy went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a homer, giving the UT bats life in the win over Texas A&M to begin the day.

Ayala took over in game two going 3-for-4 with four RBI and a home run of her own to help the Lady Vols power past Lamar.

Game 1 – Tennessee 3 Texas A&M 2
Junior Ashley Rodgers largely silenced the bats of Texas A&M, fanning 10 batters in a complete game effort that saw her give up just two runs on three hits for her seventh win in the circle.

Following a quiet first two innings, the Lady Vols were the first to threaten, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third.

The Aggies got themselves out of the jam and entered the bottom half of the inning unscathed. However, the Orange & White immediately responded as Kiki Milloy and Ivy Davis went yard in back-to-back at-bats to give UT a 2-0 lead as the contest reached its mid-point.

An inning and a half later, Texas A&M responded. After being held without a hit for four and a third, the Aggies struck on back-to-back homers of their own to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the sixth.

In the top of the sixth, the Lady Vols loaded the bases for the third time and sophomore Hanna Fox scampered home on a wild pitch from Makinzy Herzog to give UT the slim 3-2 edge.

Rodgers slammed the door shut in the final two innings to give Tennessee its first win of the day.

Game 2 – Tennessee 8 Lamar 0
A five-inning no-hitter from Turner and an explosive offensive performance from Ayala, pushed Tennessee past Lamar, 8-0.

The Lady Vols jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, manufacturing a run that started off the bat of senior Amanda Ayala.

The Bloomfield, New Jersey native singled to left field, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out from Cailin Hannon, before scoring on an error from the Cardinals pitcher.

After two quick innings from Callie Turner in the circle, the Orange & White put runners on second and third before Milloy ripped a single to left field, brining home Hannon to double the UT lead.

In the following inning, with a runner on second, Ayala went yard, inside the park style, roping a ball off the centerfield wall and rounding the bases to increase the Lady Vol lead to 4-0.

In the fifth, the Lady Vol bats exploded for four runs on three hits to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom half of the eighth.

Ayala’s bat was responsible for the final two runs of the inning as she slapped a single through the left side bringing in her third and fourth RBI’s of the night cap.

Turner sent Lamar away 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth to improve UT to 16-1 on the year.

UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to action tomorrow morning for its finale at the Reveille Classic when it takes on Campbell at 11 a.m. ET at Davis Diamond.

Texas A&M Box Score | Lamar Box Score | Update Cumulative Stats

-UT Athletics

GREENVILLE, S.C. — No. 14/16 Tennessee (16-6, 9-4 SEC), the No. 3 seed, has advanced to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament and will meet No. 7/7 South Carolina (20-4, 14-2 SEC), the No. 2 seed, at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

No. 1 seed Texas A&M and No. 4 seed Georgia will meet in the other semifinal round match-up at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The Lady Vols will be making their first appearance in the SEC semifinal round since 2016, when they did so in Jacksonville, Fla., before falling to Mississippi State, 58-48. UT will be trying to advance to Sunday for the first time since 2015, when it fell to South Carolina in the championship game in North Little Rock, Arkansas, 62-46.

Tennessee won the previous match-up between these teams earlier this season, overcoming a 16-point deficit to take a 75-67 decision over the Gamecocks on Feb. 18.

The Lady Vols are 3-2 all-time vs. South Carolina in SEC Tournament play, winning the first three meetings and dropping the last two in 2015 and 2018.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• ESPNU will televise Saturday’s game, with Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Analyst) Steffi Sorensen (Reporter) on the call.
• All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and the SEC Network 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.
• Institutions can produce for SEC Network+ (SECN+) any conference and non-conference games that are not otherwise televised. Those are available on the ESPN app and SECSports.com.
• 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 22nd 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 in the black bar at the top of the page.
• Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.

TENNESSEE IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT

• Tennessee is seeking to capture its league-leading 18th SEC Tournament championship trophy. UT was victorious in 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
• The Lady Vols were runners-up on six occasions, including 1982, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2015.
• UT last advanced to the title game in 2014 and 2015, winning in 2014 as a #2 seed, 71-70, over #4 Kentucky and falling as a #2 seed to #1 South Carolina, 62-46, in 2015.
• Tennessee enters Saturday night’s game with an 81-24 (.771) all-time record in the 42nd year of the SEC Tournament.
• UT is 23-10 all-time in SEC Semifinal games.
• The Lady Vols are 37-5 all-time in their opening game of the SEC Tournament and are 26-10 in their second contest of the tourney.
• The Big Orange women are 26-8 in SEC Tournament play since 2007-08.
• Tennessee has had 15 SEC Tournament MVPs through the years, with a Lady Vol winning four of the last nine awards.
• Isabelle Harrison (2014), Glory Johnson (2012), Shekinna Stricklen (2011) and Alyssia Brewer (2010) were the past four MVPs from Tennessee.
• The Lady Vols won the very first SEC Tournament title in 1980, defeating Ole Miss, 85-71, at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville.

SEC TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE

• This marks the SEC Tournament debut for four Lady Vols, including Tess Darby, Destiny Salary, Marta Suárez and Jordan Walker.
• This is the second SEC Tournament for Kellie Harper and her coaching staff while at Tennessee. UT was 1-1 in 2019-20 and 1-0 this season.
• Kellie Harper had an 11-1 record at the SEC Tournament during her time as a student-athlete at UT with postseason tournament titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The only loss was in the 1997 semifinals.
• Rennia Davis has averaged 16.6 ppg. in seven career SEC Tournament games, tallying 16 and five vs. Auburn and South Carolina in 2018, 19 and 16 vs. LSU and Mississippi State in 2019 and 15 and 14 vs. Missouri and Kentucky in 2020; and 33 vs. Ole Miss in 2021.
• Jordan Horston is averaging 14.0 ppg. in SEC Tourney play after scoring six and 24 vs. Missouri and Kentucky last season and 12 vs. Ole Miss this time around.

BACK IN GREENVILLE

• This marks the fifth time Greenville has played host to the SEC Tournament.
• UT stands at 6-3 in games played in the city after beating Ole Miss on Friday.
• Kellie Harper is 2-1 as a head coach in SEC Tourney games played at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
• No. 2 seed Tennessee defeated #1 seed LSU in the tourney title game, 67-56, on March 6, 2005, the first time the event was held IN Greenville.
• Shyra Ely was named the SEC Tournament MVP that year, while Shanna Zolman and Brittany Jackson joined her on the all-tournament team.
• UT beat Auburn in the second round (64-54) and Vanderbilt in the semifinals (76-73) that year.

TENNESSEE IN SEC PLAY

• UT is 414-88 (.825) in SEC regular-season games through the Auburn match-up, winning 18 regular-season championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles.
• Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper is 19-10 in SEC games in her second year leading the team and has a 2-1 record in SEC Tourney play.
• The Lady Vols (projected sixth in preseason polls) have beaten three teams ranked above them in the 2020-21 SEC Coaches and Media Polls, including No. 1/1 selection South Carolina, No. 2/3 pick Kentucky and No. 4/5 selection Arkansas.
• UT tied for third a year ago and finished third outright this season, marking its best back-to-back outcomes in league play since taking second in 2013-14 and first in 2014-15.

LADY VOL NOTES

• STACKING UP 20s: Rennia Davis enters the SEC Semis with a six-game streak of scoring 20 points or more. She has nine 20-point games this year and 22 for her career to rank fifth at Tennessee.
• BEAT THE CLOCK: Davis’ halftime buzzer beater was her 15th career make with the game clock winding down.
• RE’S LAST FIVE: Rennia Davis is averaging 25.6 ppg. and 10.0 rpg. over her last five games, shooting 53.2% on FGs, 47.1 on 3FGs and 87.8 on FTs.
• ROCK STEADY, RAE: With 18 points vs. Ole Miss, Rae Burrell has 20 games scoring in double figures this season, with 15 of them featuring 15+ points.
• DRINKING FROM THE WELL: Jordan Horston is 13 of 28 (46.4) shooting, including 6 of 9 on threes in her last two games at “The Well.”
• THREES ARE FALLING: Tennessee is 13 of 20 over its last two games from the three-point arc for 65% accuracy.
• GRINDING OUT THE CLOSE ONES: UT improved to 9-4 during the Harper era in games decided by five points or fewer, exhibiting resilience and toughness.
• RENNIA ON FIRE: Senior Rennia Davis tied her career high of 33 points against Ole Miss, extending her streak of 20+ games to six, the longest by a Lady Vol since Candace Parker did so in the 2007 season.
• MOVING ON UP: The 14 rebounds Davis pulled down vs. Ole Miss moved her up two spots on the career rebounding list, passing Nicky Anosike (914) and Bridgette Gordon (915) to rank 11th all-time among Lady Vols with a career total of 923.
• 1,400 WINS: Tennessee, which leads all NCAA Division I women’s basketball programs in victories, recorded win No. 1,400 on Friday night. UT is now 1,400-349 in its 76th year of basketball.
• VS. RANKED TEAMS THIS SEASON: UT is 4-4 vs. ranked teams in 2020-21, led by Rennia Davis (20.3 ppg.) and Rae Burrell (18.0 ppg.)

RECAPPING UT’S LAST GAME

• The No. 14/16 Lady Vols fended off an upset-minded Ole Miss team in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday night, winning 77-72 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2016.
• No. 3 seed Tennessee (16-6) was led by senior Rennia Davis, who turned in a career-high-tying 33 points and added 14 rebounds to record her sixth-straight game with 20+ points and her ninth double-double of the season. Junior Rae Burrell was also in double digits with 18 points and seven rebounds, and sophomore Jordan Horston had a solid outing with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
• Top scorers for Ole Miss (11-11), the No. 11 seed that had already ousted sixth-seeded #13/13 Arkansas on Thursday, were Donnetta Johnson with 20 points, Shakira Austin with 14, and Jacorriah Bracey with 13.

SERIES NOTES VS. SOUTH CAROLINA

• UT enters Saturday’s contest with a 51-9 advantage in the series, including 21-3 in Columbia, 23-3 in Knoxville and 7-3 at neutral sites.
• Tennessee is 5-3 vs. USC during the postseason and is 1-0 in overtime, taking a 79-73 extra-frame decision over the Gamecocks in the Palmetto State on Feb. 15, 1996. UT is 3-2 vs. USC in the SEC Tourney.
• Since 2012, the series has been very streaky. UT won three straight, then USC took three in a row. After the Lady Vols claimed three consecutive wins, South Carolina made it three in a row. To continue the trend, UT put up a “W” on Feb. 18.
• Kellie Harper has a 2-4 record vs. South Carolina as a head coach. She was 0-1 while at Western Carolina, and 1-2 while at NC State, beating the Gamecocks, 55-53, in Raleigh on Dec. 4, 2011. She stands 1-1 while at UT, winning the latest match-up in 2021.
• In the other two contests, both on the road, NC State suffered a 74-71 setback on Dec. 13, 2009, and a 77-63 loss on Dec. 12, 2010.
• Harper was 5-0 vs. USC as a player, participating in the only overtime game between these schools in 1996.
• Since 2010, USC has won five and UT four SEC regular-season titles, with UT winning or sharing in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 and USC doing so in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.
• After defeating South Carolina, the regular season SEC champs at 14-2, the 13-3 Lady Vols went on to claim the 2014 SEC Tournament title in Duluth, Ga.
• Tennessee lost to South Carolina, 64-60, on Feb. 2, 2012, in Knoxville, but rebounded to defeat USC in the 2012 SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville, 74-58, en route to its 16th SEC postseason championship.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA

• UT is led by the trio of Zia Cooke (16.2 ppg.), Aliyah Boston (13.1 ppg., 11.8 rpg.) and Destanni Henderson (12.3 ppg.).
• Cooke and Boston made the All-SEC First Team and Boston was Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
• The Gamecocks’ only losses in SEC play are to Tennessee and Texas A&M. Non-conference foes N.C. State and UConn also defeated South Carolina.

RECAPPING SOUTH CAROLINA’S LAST GAME

• Zia Cooke scored 22 points, Aliyah Boston had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 7 South Carolina withstood a late charge by Alabama for a 75-63 victory Friday night in the SEC Tourney.
• The Gamecocks (20-4) led by 27 halfway through the second quarter but saw most of that margin disappear down the stretch after Ariyah Copeland drew the Crimson Tide (16-9) within 66-59 with 5:07 to go.
• Jordan Lewis led Alabama with 25 points, while Ariyah Copeland added 17.

THE LAST TIME UT & USC MET

• Senior Rennia Davis turned in 24 second-half points, as No. 21/21 Tennessee erased a 16-point second-quarter deficit to beat No. 2/3 South Carolina in Thompson-Boling Arena, 75-67, on Feb. 18.
• The win snapped a 31-game SEC win streak for the Gamecocks and marked UT’s first victory over a top-five team since taking an 82-75 win over No. 2/4 Texas, 82-75, in Knoxville on Dec. 10, 2017.
• Davis added 12 rebounds to record the 36th double-double of her career. Junior Rae Burrell was also in double figures for Tennessee (13-5, 7-3 SEC) with 19 points, and sophomore Jordan Horston pitched in 12 points and five assists.
• South Carolina (17-3, 12-1 SEC) was led by Aliyah Boston, who posted a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson added 15 each.

THE LAST MEETING IN THE SEC TOURNEY

• No. 12 Tennessee erased a 16-point first-half deficit and closed within three in the third quarter but couldn’t overcome No. 8 South Carolina, falling 73-62 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville on March 2, 2018.
• Freshman Anastasia Hayes led UT (24-7) in scoring, tying her career high with 17 points. Senior Jaime Nared chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds.
• A’ja Wilson led USC (24-6) with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Alexis Jennings also recorded a double-double, logging 19 points and 12 rebounds.

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Senior pitcher Will Heflin dazzled on the mound to lead No. 17 Tennessee to a 6-1 victory over Georgia State in Friday night’s series opener at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Getting the start on short notice after projected starter Chad Dallas was a late scratch due to some minor soreness, Heflin was dominant from start to finish to earn his second win of the year.

The Morristown, Tennessee, native went seven innings and tied a career high with eight strikeouts on the night. The lefty did not issue a walk, scattered six hits and allowed just one run in his first start since March 26, 2019.

The Vols’ first three batters in the order had two hits each and combined for six of the team’s eight total hits. Liam Spence continued his consistent play with two more base knocks, a run and two RBI while Pete Derkay and Jake Rucker both finished the night 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Luc Lipcius (double in the sixth) and Christian Scott (single in the second) recorded the other two hits for UT. Max Ferguson did not have a hit but walked twice and came around to score on both occasions.

Sophomore left hander Kirby Connell pitched the final two innings for the Big Orange and also tied a career high with three strikeouts.

Josh Smith drove in the only run for the Panthers with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Ryan Watson got the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in five innings.

The Vols (9-2) and Panthers (4-7) will be back at it tomorrow afternoon for Game 2 of the series. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. and the game can be seen live on SEC Network + and the ESPN App.

NOTABLE

HEFLIN DOMINATES ON SHORT NOTICE: Will Heflin’s last start prior to tonight came against ETSU on March 26, 2019, but the senior left hander looked like the ace of Tennessee’s staff on Friday night with a dominant performance on the mound. Heflin set a new career high with seven innings pitched and tied a career high he set earlier this season with eight strikeouts on the night.

SPENCE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE: Liam Spence has been the Vols’ most consistent hitter throughout the season and Friday night was no different as the senior shortstop led the team with two hits and two RBI. After Friday’s game, Spence leads the team in batting average (.341), runs (11), hits (15) and on-base % (.431). He is also tied for second on the team with 10 runs batted in.

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee basketball team returns from a week-long hiatus to take on Florida at home in its regular season final on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena is slated for Noon ET on ESPNU.

Fans can see Sunday’s game on ESPNU and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN on the ESPN App. WatchESPN can be accessed online at espn.com/watch. Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp describing the action.

Last time out, Tennessee fell on the road to Auburn, 77-72, last Saturday afternoon. Tennessee was led by the freshman duo of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer who combined for 43 of UT’s 77 points.

A win on Sunday would earn Tennessee a double bye in next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Up next, Tennessee heads to Nashville for the 2021 SEC Tournament. The date of the Vols first postseason contest will be determined following the result of Sunday’s game.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with Florida, 77-58, dating to 1927.
• The Vols hold a 48-16 edge when the series is contested in Knoxville.
• The Volunteers have won four of their last five games against Florida. Over those five games, neither team has reached 80 points.
• New Tennessee AD Danny White is the younger brother of Florida head coach Mike White.
• Tennessee sophomore Drew Pember and Florida sophomore Ques Glover were teammates at Knoxville’s Bearden High School and led the Bulldogs to the 2019 Class AAA state championship.
• Florida’s Samson Ruzhentsev is a 2020 graduate of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga. Tennessee redshirt sophomore Uroš Plavšić also is a Hamilton Heights graduate (2018).

LAYUP LINES
• Tennessee will honor All-SEC forward John Fulkerson and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons Sunday during a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
• Pons is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year.
• Victor Bailey Jr. has scored 77 points over the last four games (19.3 ppg) and has made 19 total 3-pointers during that span.
• The true freshman duo of Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer have accounted for 44.7 percent of Tennessee’s scoring over the last seven games.
• Springer has scored 20 or more points in five of the last seven games.
• Tennessee is the only team in the SEC with three players who have scored 27 or more points in a game this season—Jaden Springer (30), Victor Bailey Jr. (29) and Keon Johnson (27).
• Tennessee will finish the regular season with only 17 SEC games.

DEFENSE WINS
• According to KenPom, the Vols rank sixth in the NCAA in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 88.2 points per 100 possessions. College teams typically average close to 70 possessions per game.
• Tennessee ranks 24th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 63.1 points per game.
• Only once this season has a Tennessee opponent scored 80 or more points. That was Georgia, in a game the Vols won, 89-81, on Feb. 10.
• The Vols are forcing 15.7 turnovers per game and converting those turnovers into 17.5 points per game.
• Tennessee has forced 16 of 23 opponents to turn the ball over on 20 percent or more of their possessions. The Vols are forcing opponents to turn it over 22.8 percent of the time this season.
• In SEC play, Tennessee has led the league in turnover margin all season (currently +2.6 per game).

ABOUT FLORIDA
• As the 2021 SEC Tournament approaches, Florida is in a very similar position to UT entering Sunday’s contest. Florida is currently 13-7 overall and 9-6 in league play, and much like Tennessee, the Gators are 3-3 in their last six games.
• Like he was entering the matchup between the programs back in January, sophomore guard Tre Mann has been the do-it-all performer for the Gators. He currently leads UF in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg) and ranks second in steals with 1.5 per game. In SEC play, he is among the league leaders in all four categories as well, ranking 11th in scoring, 18th in rebounding, seventh in assists and 10th steals.
• Like Mann, junior forward Colin Castleton has been consistent in all areas of the floor for the Gators. He currently ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg) and leads the team in blocks, with 2.2 per game. In SEC play, Castleton has been even more efficient, ranking 16th in the SEC in points with 14.0 per contest while scoring in double digits in all but two SEC games and dropping 20-plus points four times.
• A more recent addition to the starting lineup, junior guard Tyree Appleby has emerged as a regular contributor entering Sunday’s game as the Gators’ third-leading scorer (10.9 ppg), He shares the team lead in assists with 3.4 helpers per game and holds the team lead in steals with 1.7 per game. Appleby also ranks seventh in the SEC in both steals and assists through 20 games.
• The University of Florida is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and traces its origins to 1853. The institution has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September of 1906.

LAST MEETING WITH FLORIDA
•  Offensive struggles and a difficult night on the boards were too much for the sixth-ranked Tennessee basketball team to overcome as the Volunteers fell to Florida, 75-49, on Jan. 19, 2021, at Exactech Arena.
•  Florida was impressive from the field, knocking down 31 of its 62 shot attempts. The Gators led in scoring by Noah Locke, who had 14.
•  UT was led by senior John Fulkerson, who scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, dished out a career-high-tying five assists and pulled in four rebounds.
•  Vols freshman Keon Johnson replaced classmate Jaden Springer (ankle) in the starting lineup and finished the night with eight points, three assists and a pair of rebounds.
•  Sophomore Santiago Vescovi added with seven points, three rebounds and a career-high-tying three steals.
•  Florida held control for large portions of the opening half, out-rebounding the Vols 26-16 to take a 38-27 lead into halftime.
•  Florida maintained control throughout the second half, stretching its lead to as many as 28 points and converting on more than 54 percent of its shot attempts in the second frame.
•  The key stretch was an 11-0 run over three minutes of play in the middle stages of the half that pushed the Gators’ lead from 11 to 22 and helped cement the night’s final score line.

MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST GATORS
• The legendary Bernard King recorded the third-best scoring performance in school history with a 43-point, 20-rebound effort as the Vols topped the Gators 93-84 on January 17, 1976, in Stokely Athletics Center.
• During the 1983-84 season, Willie Burton averaged 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot .500 (17-of-34) from the floor against the Gators. UT was 3-0 vs. Florida that season.
• Dane Bradshaw’s breakaway layup with 20.1 seconds to play proved to be the winning basket as the Vols upset second-ranked Florida 80-76 in Knoxville on Jan. 21, 2006.
• The Vols upset fifth-ranked Florida, 86-76, on Senior Day in Knoxville behind Chris Lofton’s 21 points on Feb. 27, 2007. ESPN College GameDay broadcast live from Rocky Top, Peyton Manning addressed the Vols in the locker room before the game, and Pat Summitt donned cheerleader garb and led the sold-out crowd in a rendition of Rocky Top during a media timeout.

WHITE FAMILY CONNECTION ADDS NEW TWIST TO SERIES
• Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White is the younger brother of Florida head basketball coach Mike White.
• As Tennessee was playing at Florida earlier this season on the night of Jan. 19, Danny White was in the midst of discussions with UT Chancellor Donde Plowman about the Tennessee AD job. Two days later, on Jan. 21, it was announced that White had been named Tennessee’s new AD.

M. WHITE FACED VOLS AS A REBEL
• During his playing career at Ole Miss from 1995-99, current Florida coach Mike White went 1-3 against UT.
• White played in all four games, averaging 5.0 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting .357 from the field and .625 from 3-point range (5-8).
• The Rebels’ lone win over the Vols during that span came during White’s sophomore season (1996-97), and his most productive scoring game vs. UT came when he was a freshman (eight points).

BATTLE FOR A BYE
• Sunday’s matchup could be a battle for the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament (if LSU wins at Missouri Saturday).
• A Tennessee win would give the Vols a .588 winning percentage in SEC play, which would top the Gators’ resulting mark of .563.
• Florida could jump to third in the final standings if the Gators defeat UT and LSU loses at Missouri.

SECOND TIME’S A CHARM
• Since 2018, Rick Barnes and his staff have guided the Volunteers to a 13-5 record in regular-season rematch games (SEC Tournament games not included).

-UT Athletics