KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee women’s basketball program has paused team activities following one positive COVID-19 test result and subsequent contact tracing among its Tier 1 personnel, which consists of coaches, student-athletes, team managers and support staff.
The Lady Vol basketball program is following SEC, local and university public health guidelines to prioritize the health and safety of all student-athletes and staff as well as the campus and local community.
SEC Statement
Due to a combination of a positive test, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the Tennessee women’s basketball program, Thursday’s Tennessee at Mississippi State game and the rescheduled Tennessee at Texas A&M game on Sunday have been postponed, consistent with Southeastern Conference COVID-19 management requirements.
The SEC’s COVID-19 management requirements, as developed by the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force, are available on SECsports.com (PDF).
Jeremiah Crawford OL – 6’5, 300 Goddard, KS (Butler CC in KS) 3-star on 247Sports Composite/Rivals/ESPN
Josh Ward’s Analysis: Crawford helps fill a very important need on Tennessee’s offensive line, which has to replace several key contributors who departed following the 2020 season. Crawford was evaluated by new Tennessee coach Josh Heupel while he was at UCF and will compete for playing time immediately in Knoxville.
Eric Cain’s Analysis: With losses to Jahmir Johnson and Wanya Morris, Crawford’s signing should apply depth to the offensive tackle position. He has good size and plans to play spring football this season for Butler Community College. He held offers from Ole Miss, Iowa State, Baylor and others – including Heupel’s UCF staff.
Crawford’s Highlights
Bio: Solid offensive line prospect bringing one season of junior college experience … A three-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com … Ranked the No. 3 junior college offensive tackle in the nation, the No. 12 player in the state of Kansas, and the No. 40 JUCO player in the nation by 247Sports.com Composite … Started 10 games for the Butler CC Grizzlies in 2019 and will play the 2021 spring junior college season … Played both offensive and defensive tackle … Twitter handle is @54jeremiah54.
OXFORD, Miss. – Eleven second-half turnovers proved too costly to overcome as the 11th-ranked Tennessee basketball team fell on the road to Ole Miss, 52-50, on Tuesday at The Pavilion.
The Vols (12-4, 5-4 SEC) were solid defensively and shot 44 percent from behind the 3-point arc, but a lopsided second-half run from Ole Miss (9-8, 4-6 SEC) helped the Rebels snap UT’s five-game win streak in the series.
The Vols were led in scoring for the fourth consecutive game by senior Yves Pons, who scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting while knocking down two of his three attempts from 3-point range. Pons also pulled down four rebounds, recorded one steal and drew a pair of charges.
Freshman Keon Johnson scored 11 points and reeled in four rebounds on the night while hitting multiple late free throws when the Vols were struggling to convert field goals.
Off the bench, sophomore Josiah-Jordan James totaled 10 points, dropping in a trio of first-half 3-pointers, grabbing six rebounds and adding one block and a steal.
Tennessee controlled the early portions of the contest, jumping out to a 23-15 lead over the opening 12 minutes, with nine of those points coming on three 3-pointers from James.
Ole Miss held the Vols to just five points in the final eight minutes of the half, as UT held a slim, 28-23 edge heading into the halftime break.
UT opened the second half on a 10-4 run, extending its lead to 38-27 with just more than 15 minutes remaining.
Ole Miss responded with a 19-4 go-ahead run spanning more than nine minutes of game action and held a 46-42 lead at the under-four-minute media timeout.
The Vols knotted the score at 46 apiece before the Rebels delivered multiple baskets with less than two minutes to play to take a 51-46 advantage.
In the closing seconds, UT cut the Ole Miss lead to two points before James had a look at a buzzer-beating three that fell just short, cementing the night’s final score.
Up Next: Tennessee remains on the road for a Saturday night bout with border rival Kentucky. The opening tip from Rupp Arena is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET on ESPN.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper took questions from the media on Tuesday afternoon in a Zoom interview session that covered the Lady Vols’ upcoming road games at No. 24/22 Mississippi State (8-5/3-4 SEC) and No. 7/7 Texas A&M (16-1, 7-1 SEC).
UT (12-3, 6-1 SEC), which has ascended to season-high rankings of No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll, is scheduled to play the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss., on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT/SECN+) and the Aggies in College Station, Texas, on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (2 CT/SEC Network).
On how she’s going to approach this road trip:
“I think, for us, it would be really easy for us to get caught up in who we’re playing and how good these teams are, but we are really going to try and focus on us. We are going to try and stay with ‘let’s be the best Tennessee team we can be.’ I don’t talk about defending our home court, never will. It’s my expectation when you go on the road, you want to win. So, I think for our team, understanding how we need to play, committing to that, then going out and executing is going to be the most important thing. Our players will be motivated. We’ll play hard, we just have to have great effort and great focus to get that executing piece against some really good teams.”
On how she expects her team to come out of the three-game road trip:
“Well, you know, I expect to be competitive. I want to come back with some wins. That’s our goal. I think the challenge each team presents is different, but they’re all really talented. Our team has to stay up. Regardless if it’s win or lose, we have to be able to get back up for the next game. It’s what we have had to do all year, and that doesn’t change now.”
On Coach Harper’s memories playing with Nikki McCray-Penson:
“We did not overlap (at UT). She graduated, and I came in. However, I did play against her one time, because my freshman year our first game was against the USA National Team, which Nikki was a part of. All I remember is Nikki guarded me. I held the ball, and she took it from me and went and got a layup. So, that was a ‘Welcome to college basketball at an elite level Kellie Jolly.’ Nikki was one of those players that I loved to watch. She played so hard. She had great effort. I know she was known for her defense, but I remember as a young high school kid thinking, ‘gosh, look how much better that player had gotten.’ I thought she had improved during her tenure here. I had a lot of respect for not only her when she was a Lady Vol, but who she is as a person. She is such a good person and, obviously, has been really successful as a head coach.”
On the importance of Black History Month to her team and anything special the team might have planned:
“We have a few things in the works for this month with our team. And we will roll those out as we go through the month. I think with everything that has happened this past year, I think it just kind of hits home a little harder. We want to make sure that we are not just talking about equality and racial injustice, but that we are also having an educational piece. There is a lot of history that I do not know, and a lot of people do not know, and it is on us to make sure that we are educating ourselves, and we have some plans to do that this month.”
On the challenges that Mississippi State will present to her team on Thursday night:
“Well, I think that their perimeter quickness and aggressiveness on both ends of the court with their guards is a challenge. And then they have some talented posts that can guard inside, but also that can score. So, I think they have pretty good balance as a basketball team. Again, to me, it is just their aggressiveness. They are really talented, and they have a broad skill set with those players. It is not just really one thing, this is a really solid team that is athletic, aggressive and gets after it on both ends.”
On Tamari Key’s growth since coming to Tennessee and where can she go from here:
“When we first got to work with her, we realized what a special talent she was. You know, her freshman year she really got thrown into things; we threw her in there. She had a lot of growing up to do her freshman year; it was tough at times. Being a young player in the SEC, period, is tough but doing what we asked her to do, I know it wasn’t easy. But I tell you, from year one to year two, great growth. I think we’re seeing now a confident Tamari who knows how she can affect the game on both ends of the court. I think she really wants the ball on the block, and she is confident in scoring. Her teammates are looking for her. I have joked that we’ve given her an opportunity, because we passed her the ball more and we know to get the ball inside. We do a better job of that now to give her those opportunities. Defensively, I think she still makes plays. She made plays last year, she makes plays this year. But she is in a better position this year. She has a better understanding of what her job is and where she needs to be. And where she can go? She can be one of the best players in the country. She really could. She is that talented, you know. And we just want to keep bringing her along, getting her a little bit better and a little bit better and a little more confident each game, each week. She has worked hard this year. She has gone up so much, and I am so proud of her. And that matters. How you practice matters, and I think she can see the benefits of that. I get so happy for her, because she really works at it, and I’m glad that she can see that success.”
On Tamari Key’s even expressions whether things are going good, bad or otherwise:
“Tamari, her facial expressions are pretty consistent. And I’ll tell you, that’s why after one of the games I walked up to her, and she had the biggest smile on her face. I was so happy to see that, because you really truly know where she’s at. But on the court, she’s pretty consistently even-keel.”
On Jordan Horston and Jordan Walker switching roles at point guard and wing, and Horston’s injury status:
“So, I think the benefit of having Horston and Walker in the game is you can move them around. We can slide them over to the wing. And honestly, you can throw Destiny Salary in that group as well. They all practice both the one and the two, so I think they’re confident playing either, and it gives me a little more flexibility when we have that. Really pleased with what we’re getting from them. Jordan (Horston), in terms of her health, is really going to be a day to day thing with her. We’re going to work with her and really get in with the rehab and see if we can get her ready for each game. But I think from this point on, it is really going to be a day-to-day decision with Jordan (Horston).”
On Rennia Davis being on the latest Wooden Watch List:
“Well, that’s an elite list. Nationwide, you’re going to see obviously, the best of the best on that list, and I think Rennia deserves to be on there. I’m excited she made that final list. Obviously, for her that’s really good. The fact that she’s on it means she’s played well, which is really good for our basketball team.”
On what things the team needs to do to stay strong through the rest of the season:
“We are a completely different team than last year, I’ll definitely say that. I have no idea what our record is going to be from here on out. Our team has a great mindset and a great attitude about how we need to approach these games. I think we are at a better position right now to handle both success and failure, if we’re to have those within the next few games. So, what we have to do is still focus on us. I really do believe that we’ve got to continue to find ways to be the best Tennessee team we can be. That means we are going to get in the gym and shoot extra, it means we’re going to watch film together, learn, grow, try to correct some things and build on the positives. We want to try to get the ball in the paint. You look at our stats, and you can tell that’s part of who we are. We’ve got to stay hungry, which we will. We’ve got to stay focused on our execution.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee sophomore center Tamari Key has been selected as the SEC Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday. She shares the honor with senior guard Chelsea Dungee of Arkansas.
Key turned in only the fourth triple-double in the history of the UT program last week, as the Lady Vols went 2-0 and improved to 12-3 overall and held tight to third place in the SEC standings with a 6-1 mark in league play.
The Cary, N.C., native entered the week averaging 8.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest and elevated those numbers to 15.0 ppg., 7.5 rpg. and 6.0 bpg. in wins over Ole Miss and Florida and shot 68.4 percent from the field.
The bulk of Key’s work came vs. Florida, when she dropped a 23-point, 10-rebound and 10-block triple-double on the Gators, shooting 83.3 percent (10 of 12) from the floor. The sophomore tallied nine points, five boards and four swats in the fourth period alone as UT broke open a four-point game with a 21-11 final-period burst to win by 14, 79-65.
Key posted career bests in points, field goals and blocks vs. UF and a season high in rebounds. Her blocks total bested her previous career high of nine and was the second-most ever by a Lady Vol behind Kelley Cain’s 12 vs. LSU in 2010 and is tied for third in SEC women’s basketball history.
The triple-double was the first by a Lady Vol that involved blocks and the second by a sophomore, with Key tallying hers in the 15th game of her sophomore season while Shekinna Stricklen did so in game 14 of her sophomore campaign.
Key had fewer opportunities vs. Ole Miss, but she tallied seven points on 3-of-7 shooting and chipped in five rebounds and two blocked shots over 26 minutes in a 68-67 victory.
This week’s SEC honor by Key is the third recognition this season for the 18th-ranked Lady Vols. Previously, Rennia Davis was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 23, while Marta Suárez was chosen as SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 26.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the 2021 Tennessee Baseball campaign approaches, fans will be met with new changes at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Fans will be permitted at games, however, ticketing and seating will be reduced to align with state and local social-distancing guidelines for public gatherings. The ticketing process for 2020 MVP and Season Ticket Holders is now complete, leaving a very limited number of season tickets available to the general public this season. Season tickets may be purchased at AllVols.com until capacity limit is met.
Fans with questions about season tickets are encouraged to call the Tennessee Ticket Office at 865-656-1200 or speak to a representative via live chat on AllVols.com.
Before visiting the ballpark this season, fans are encouraged to familiarize themselves with 2021 gameday guidelines and procedures located at gameday central, HERE.
Face coverings (over the nose and mouth) will be required for all fans and gameday staff and must remain in place when entering, moving around and leaving the stadium, as well as any time guests are unable to maintain the recommended physical distance from others who are not in their same household. Fans are encouraged to utilize facial coverings while in their seats if not eating or drinking.
In adherence with the guidelines provided by the Southeastern Conference, a buffer zone has been established, which includes the elimination of the first row of seating in the lower-level of Lindsey Nelson Stadium as well as the Third Base Patios down the left field line.
The fan-favorite Porch area is also subject to capacity limitations. Per policy, every-other Porch will be unavailable for use this season in order to create proper physical distancing between patrons. Each Porch is also limited to 10 total tickets. Porches are extremely limited in availability and are available for purchase by contacting Maggie Coates at 865-974-9579 or [email protected].
For the 2021 season, the Lindsey Nelson Stadium Playground will be closed, providing an opportunity to introduce a new seating area, The Deck. Fans can enjoy similar amenities to the Porch, but with conveniences to the main grandstand. With a view of right field, each Deck includes 10 tickets, two metal picnic tables, a grill, rocking chairs, and the option to bring in food and beverages, including alcohol. The Deck is available for all 2021 games and can be purchased by contacting Maggie Coates at 865-974-9579 or [email protected].
Student tickets will be made available on a first-come, first-serve basis until all 80 student tickets have been claimed. Tickets are free for all UT students with an I.D. Students may present their I.D. at the student gate to receive a ticket to the game.
Preseason Notables
After posting a 15-2 record during the shortened 2020 season, the Vols begin their 2021 campaign ranked No. 19 in the Baseball America and D1Baseball.com preseason polls.
UT featured one the nation’s most high-powered attacks last season, leading the country with 180 runs scored while ranking second nationally with 31 home runs. The pitching staff was equally as impressive, ranking fifth in the nation with a 2.00 ERA. Tennessee will be led by an experienced returning core that features four preseason All-Americans in Max Ferguson, Jake Rucker, Connor Pavolony and Jackson Leath.
The Vols home slate features eight weekend series and a host of midweek games, providing fans plenty of opportunities to get out to the ballpark. Tennessee’s SEC home slate is especially exciting and features matchups against four teams that enter the year with preseason top-10 rankings in No. 7 LSU (March 26-28), No. 1 Florida (April 9-11), No. 2 Vanderbilt (April 16-18) and No. 8 Arkansas (May 14-16).
Carly Pearce is sharing news that blew her away…her music has been streamed a billion times!
Carly shared “I don’t know where to begin so I’ll start with THANK YOU! To each and every one of you who have listened to, connected with and supported my music these years…thank you. My music has officially surpassed 1 BILLION streams worldwide which is crazy!!!! Love y’all so much”
Carly’s new song “Next Girl” is helping to increase that streaming number as it’s becoming a fan favorite. She appeared on The Ellen Show this week performing the track…Watch it now.
