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Kelsea Ballerini Shares Her Word for 2021
Kelsea Ballerini is starting 2021 with a Top 10 hit, “hole in the bottle,” and a personal mission to work on herself.
Plenty of us let things slip in 2020, and wrote it off to quarantine, and the craziness of the year, but it’s now a new year, and a time for new starts.
Kelsea shares, “My word of 2021 is ‘healthy’.”
Kelsea explains her plan, “I want to nurture and focus on my physical, mental, and emotional health that all took a bit of a backseat last year (anyone else?).”
Kelsea believes declaring her mission out loud will help her achieve her goals, “Having a word for the year helps me stay focused and keeps my intentions set while I try to live a full life, stay creative, and be productive.”
Check out the music video for Kelsea Ballerini’s Top 10 hit “hole in the bottle” right here…
Photo courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini
Ingrid Andress Performs on The Late Late Show With James Corden
Ingrid Andress appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden…no, she wasn’t singing in a car, but she performed her song “Lady Like.”
Ingrid also zoomed with James about her Grammy nominations, and she admitted that fellow Grammy nominee Megan Thee Stallion inspired her to start doing yoga so one day she could do splits like Megan. She’s not there yet…but she’s trying!
Check out their conversation here…
If you missed it, you can also watch Ingrid’s performance of “Lady Like” on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Photo Credit: Jess Williams
UT’s Bryce Thompson declares for NFL Draft
By: Eric Cian
Tennessee junior defensive back Bryce Thompson announced his intentions to declare for the NFL Draft Tuesday morning after three years in the program. He made the announcement via personal Instagram account.
“Words can’t describe how honored I am to fulfill my lifelong dream, and I am ready for the challenge,” Thompson said in is the statement.
Jeremy Pruitt added the Irmo, S.C. native late in the 2018 recruiting cycle. Thompson ended up started 10 games as a true freshman and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team by season’s end.
As a sophomore, the cornerback registered three interceptions despite missing the first three games of the season. All three of those picks came in the first half of a win over UAB on November 2 and Thompson finished the year yielding no touchdowns amidst 325 coverage snaps, according to PFF.
As a junior in 2020, Thompson allowed only one touchdown and recorded a pick-six against Vanderbilt in December that sparked the end to the Vols’ six-game losing skid. He reeled in SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors following the game after being named to two Preseason All-SEC teams heading into the season.
Thompson missed a lot of snaps this past fall as he was dealing with nagging hamstring injuries and a torn pectoral. Often, the veteran was limited to only third down packages for the Vols.
“I would like to thank Coach Pruitt and Coach Ansley, the entire coaching staff, the training and equipment staff for giving me the opportunity to display my passions on the field and giving me a place, I can call home,” Thompson said in the statement.
The cornerback finished his Tennessee career with eight interceptions, 100 tackles, two forced fumbles and two sacks.
Lady A Is Celebrating Their Number-One Song Champagne Night
Congrats to Lady A as “Champagne Night” not only becomes their latest number-one hit, but it’s the first chart topper in country music for 2021!
Did you know Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood discovered this song on the show Songland?
Originally titled “I’ll Drink To That” and presented to the group by Madeline Merlo, Charles immediately declared “this might be a hit, seriously.” With contributions from Madeline, Tina Parol, David Thomson, Patricia Conroy, Songland‘s Shane McAnally, and Lady A, “I’ll Drink To That” became “Champagne Night” and then became a number-one hit!
Hillary gushes about the new version of the song, “What I love so much about ‘Champagne Night’ is just how the song makes me feel. It’s just so happy and fun and makes me just want to have a great time with people I love.” She also loves the fact that the group can help out a young songwriter, “I love the story of this song, I love that Madeline Merlo got this big, huge chance to come on Songland and work with Shane McAnally.”
Dave added, “When we first heard it on the show, we immediately thought, ‘Oh, we need this for our tour. This needs to be that kind of song that opens the show’.”
Hillary says that “Champagne Night” really took off once the fans heard it, “We’re all celebrating the fact that this song got such a great response by the fans.” In the end though, Hillary shares “I couldn’t be more excited for Madeline as an up and coming songwriter, and I just know that this is the first of many for her.”
Congrats to Charles, Hillary, Dave, Madeline, Shane and all that were involved in making “Champagne Night” a huge hit!
Check out the evolution of the number-one song right here…
Photo Credit: Dove Shore
Dierks Bentley Gets His Own Miracle On Ice
Have you ever seen the movie Miracle, starring Kurt Russell as hockey coach Herb Brooks?
It’s about the journey the U.S. Olympic hockey team took to beating the dominant Russian team during the 1980 Olympics. After that win, the U.S. team went on to create one of the greatest moments in the history of sports by winning the Gold medal at Lake Placid.
Dierks Bentley is a huge hockey fan and loves Miracle. So, while in Telluride, Colorado, he recently took a moment to reenact one of the famous scenes from the movie with his son. In the film, it’s where the guys on the team learned that they were playing for something bigger than themselves.
In his caption, Dierks warned “If you haven’t watched the great hockey movie #Miracle, this won’t make much sense.”
Check out this great father and son moment here…
15 VFLs Represent Eight Franchises in 2021 NFL Playoffs
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A total of 15 VFLs will represent eight franchises in the 2021 NFL Playoffs after the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints roster features four VFLs, highlighted by four-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara. The fourth-year running back has gained a career-high 932 rushing yards and 756 yards receiving, including a record-breaking Christmas Day performance. Kamara leads the league in touchdowns with 21 on the year.
Wide receiver Marquez Callaway and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle are also on New Orleans’ active roster, while tight end Ethan Wolf is on the practice squad.
Four-time Pro Bowler and VFL Cordarrelle Patterson represents the Volunteers for the Chicago Bears. The return specialist has appeared in all 16 games this season, leading the league in kick returns (35) and kickoff return yards (1,017). He is tied for kickoff return touchdowns (1) and holds the record for the longest kickoff return this season (104).
Patterson is joined on the Bears’ active roster by fellow VFL defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, while quarterback Tyler Bray is on the practice squad.
The Saints and Bears square off at 4:40 p.m. ET Sunday in New Orleans live on CBS.
When the Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 17, it set up a first-round rematch of the two squads on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET on NBC for three VFLs.
Cornerback Cameron Sutton and quarterback Joshua Dobbs represent the Steelers, while running back John Kelly is on the Browns’ practice squad. Sutton has 30 tackles and one interception on the year. Dobbs saw his first action in week 17 against the Browns.
Long snapper Morgan Cox serves as the UT representative in the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans matchup on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET in Nashville. The four-time Pro Bowl selection is joined by fellow VFL Nigel Warrior on the Ravens’ practice squad, while punter Trevor Daniel is on the Titans practice squad.
UT will also have a footprint in the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks matchup as VFL Jacques McClendon serves as the Director of Player Engagement for the Rams. Defensive end Darrell Taylor, a 2020 second round draft pick, is on injured reserve for Seattle.
VFLs in the NFL Playoffs
Tyler Bray, QB – Bears (practice squad)
Marquez Callaway, WR – Saints (active)
Morgan Cox, LS – Ravens (active)
Trevor Daniel, P – Titans (practice squad)
Joshua Dobbs, QB – Steelers (active)
Alvin Kamara, RB – Saints (active)
John Kelly, RB – Browns (practice squad)
Jacques McClendon, Director of Player Engagement – Rams
Daniel McCullers, NT – Bears (active)
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR – Bears (active)
Cameron Sutton, CB – Steelers (active)
Darrell Taylor, DE – Seahawks (injured reserve)
Shy Tuttle, DT – Saints (active)
Nigel Warrior, S – Ravens (practice squad)
Ethan Wolf, TE – Saints (practice squad)
-UT Athletics
Hoops Preview: #9 Tennessee vs. Arkansas
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The ninth-ranked Tennessee basketball team returns to action on Wednesday night for home bout with Arkansas. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Fans can watch Wednesday’s game on ESPN2 or online through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or 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 dropped its first contest of the season, falling to Alabama, 71-63, on Saturday night. The Vols were led by junior Victor Bailey Jr. who scored 16 points, and senior Yves Pons who registered five thunderous second half blocks to keep the Vols within striking distance in the second half.
A victory on Wednesday would be UT’s third straight over Arkansas and would leave head coach Rick Barnes just two wins shy of tying Phog Allen and Don Haskins for 20th on the all-time Division I wins list.
Up next, Tennessee hits the road for just the second time this season, when it travels south to take on Texas A&M. Tipoff from Bryan-College Station is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads its all-time series with Arkansas, 22-21, dating to 1936.
• The teams split last season’s two meetings, with each squad winning on its home court.
• Santiago Vescovi had 20 points and eight assists the last time UT played Arkansas in Knoxville.
• Tennessee holds a 13-4 advantage when the series is contested in Knoxville and has won the last two meetings at home.
• Rick Barnes is 1-1 in head-to-head coaching matchups with Eric Musselman.
A WIN WOULD…
• Prevent Tennessee’s first two-game losing streak of the season.
• Leave Rick Barnes two wins shy of tying Phog Allen and Don Haskins for 20th on the all-time Division I wins list.
LAYUP LINES
• Freshman guard Jaden Springer—the team’s third-leading scorer (10.6 ppg)—is day-to-day after injuring his ankle in the first half Saturday vs. Alabama.
• The Vols had shot 50 percent or better in four straight games before shooting just .318 (21-65) in their loss to Alabama.
• Overall this season, Tennessee leads the SEC in six team statistical categories, including scoring defense, scoring margin, field-goal percentage defense, turnovers per game, turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.
• Tennessee has won 78 percent of its games as a ranked team during the Rick Barnes era (62-18).
• Tennessee (40.8 rpg) has grabbed at least 45 rebounds in five of its eight games this season.
• The Vols shot .797 from the foul line before league play began but are shooting .620 from the stripe through the first two SEC games.
DEFENSE WINS
• Tennessee leads the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 55.0 points per game.
• According to KenPom, the Vols also lead the NCAA in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing only 86.4 points per 100 possessions so far this season. College teams average close to 70 possessions per game.
• The Vols are forcing 17.4 turnovers per game while converting those turnovers into 19.4 points per game. Tennessee’s turnover margin stands at +6.9 (ninth nationally).
• Tennessee has yet to allow an opposing player to score 20 points this season.
• Reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons has 89 blocks in his last 39 games.
• Pons has an incredible nine blocks through UT’s first two SEC games. He blocked five shots in a 5:15 span during the second half of Saturday’s Alabama game.
ABOUT ARKANSAS
• Second-year head coach Eric Musselman has just two scholarship players from his first season at Arkansas who returned for this 2020-21 campaign. Despite the high amount of turnover, the Razorbacks are 9-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play to begin the season. Arkansas most recently fell at home to #12 Missouri on Saturday afternoon (81-68) for its lone loss of the year.
• Arkansas has been prolific on the offensive end, averaging just less than 90 points per game, with six players averaging at least 9.0 points per game.
• On the floor, the do-it-all guy for the Razorbacks has been freshman Moses Moody. He leads the team and ranks sixth in SEC in scoring with 16.9 points per game. He also ranks second on the squad in rebounding (6.1 rpg), blocks (0.7 bpg) and steals (1.4 spg) through 10 games. Moody’s 6.1 rebounds per game also ranks in the top 20 in SEC (18th).
• Leading the frontcourt has been sophomore Connor Vanover. Vanover has averaged a productive 9.0 points per game and has been a beast on the glass, averaging a team-best 7.3 boards per contest. His rebounding average ranks ninth in the SEC. On the defensive end, Vanover leads Arkansas and is second in the SEC in blocks, rejecting 2.3 shots per game.
• Off the bench, the Razorbacks have seen consistent production from junior guard, JD Notae. Notae ranks second on the team in both scoring (15.4 ppg, seventh in the SEC) and assists (2.5 apg), while ranking fifth in minutes with 23.3 per contest, despite not recording a single start.
• The University of Arkansas is known for its Senior Walk, an area of more than four miles of sidewalk etched with the name of every UA graduate since 1871.
LAST MEETING WITH ARKANSAS
• 37 points from Arkansas guard Mason Jones led Arkansas past Tennessee, 86-69, on Feb. 26, 2020, at Bud Walton Arena.
• For the third consecutive game, senior Jordan Bowden led UT in scoring, pouring in 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while knocking down four 3-point baskets.
• Vols junior Yves Pons finished just short of a double-double, posting 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. He also added a block to extend his streak of consecutive games with at least one block to 28.
• The Razorbacks controlled the game’s opening six minutes, running out of the gates to the tune of a 16-3 run, led by 11 points from Jones.
• Just past the midpoint of the opening half, the Vols cut into the Arkansas advantage, using an 8-0 run over a period of 4:25 to bring the deficit to 24-17.
• In the half’s final seven minutes, the Razorbacks regained control, increasing their lead to as many as 16 points, taking a 40-27 lead into the halftime break.
• Out of the locker room, Arkansas opened the half with a layup from Adrio Bailey, before UT broke off an 11-0 run and managed to cut its deficit to two points, 45-43.
• The Razorbacks responded to the Vols’ run, stretching their lead back to double digits and never leading by fewer than nine points over the contest’s final 12 minutes.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST ARKANSAS
• Bristol, Tennessee, native Bobby Hogsett scored eight points and added 10 rebounds as Tennessee won its first-ever game against Arkansas, 77-57, on Dec. 27, 1963, in Shreveport, Louisiana.
• In front of 21,237 orange-clad fans, UT knocked off Nolan Richardson’s fifth-ranked Razorbacks, 83-81, in Knoxville on Feb. 5, 1992. Lang Wiseman and Allan Houston both scored 26 points.
• The Vols upset No. 13 Arkansas in Fayetteville, 101-91, on Feb. 16, 1993, thanks to a double-double by LaMarcus Golden (22 points, 11 rebounds).
• Cleveland, Tennessee, native JaJuan Smith dropped 32 points on the Hogs during a 93-71 win over Arkansas in Knoxville on Feb. 5, 2008.
• Jordan McRae powered Tennessee to an 81-74 win over Arkansas on Jan. 22, 2014, exploding for 34 points—including UT’s final 13—at Thompson-Boling Arena.
MUSSELMAN’S SEASON AT LSU SAW TIGERS SPLIT WITH THE VOLS
• Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman was an assistant coach on Johnny Jones’ staff at LSU during the 2014-15 season.
• The Vols and Tigers met twice that year. LSU defeated UT, 73-55, in Knoxville. Less than three weeks later, Tennessee went to Baton Rouge and managed a 78-63 road win.
• Top performers on that LSU squad were forwards Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey.
• Donnie Tyndall was Tennessee’s head coach in 2014-15, and Rick Barnes was hired shortly after the conclusion of that season.
20 ELUSIVE FOR OPPOSING SCORERS
• Through 1,600 minutes of basketball this season, no Tennessee opponent has managed to score 20 points.
• Only two opposing scorers have scored more than 15 points—Tommy Bruner (USC Upstate) scored 18, and John Petty Jr. (Alabama) scored 17.
• Tennessee’s opponents’ top scorer this season averages 13.8 ppg.
-UT Athletics
Lady Vols cleared to resume team activities
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee women’s basketball program, which had games vs. Texas A&M and Kentucky postponed last week due to COVID-19 contact tracing, has been cleared to resume full team activities this week.
The Lady Vols are doing so after meeting all SEC Return To Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force requirements. The SEC’s COVID-19 management guidelines are available on SECsports.com (PDF).
The UT women (6-1/0-0 SEC) are slated to return to practice on Tuesday after pausing group activities on Dec. 29. Kellie Harper‘s squad will prepare for Thursday’s 6:30 p.m. SEC opener vs. No. 13/10 Arkansas (10-2/1-1 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena.
-UT Athletics
#7 Vols lose for 1st time, 71-63 to Alabama in SEC Home Opener
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Three Vols scoring at least a dozen points and five thunderous blocks from senior Yves Pons weren’t enough for the seventh-ranked Tennessee basketball team, which fell at home to Alabama, 71-63, on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Alabama (7-3, 2-0 SEC) used an efficient .500 (10-20) shooting mark from 3-point range to break things open in the second half to end Tennessee’s (7-1, 1-1 SEC) undefeated start to the season.
Victor Bailey Jr. led the Vols in scoring for the fourth time this season, dropping in 16 points while pulling in a career-high seven rebounds.
Santiago Vescovi added 13 points and four rebounds on the defensive end for UT. Freshman Keon Johnson added 12 points, a season-high eight rebounds and a pair of steals.
Pons scored six points to go along with his five blocks—all of which came in the second half.
Josiah-Jordan James was all over the stat sheet for the second consecutive game, grabbing eight rebounds, blocking two shots and nabbing a pair of steals.
The teams traded blows on both ends of the floor through the opening 12 minutes, combining to shoot 11-of-40 from the field amidst intense defense on both ends, with the Vols holding a slim, 16-14 advantage.
The remainder of the half provided much of the same energy, but the Tide ended up taking the slight 31-29 edge into the locker room.
Alabama took it to the Vols following the break, knocking down five consecutive attempts from 3-point range to extend its lead to 48-36 at the under-16 media timeout.
Bama withstood a number of late Tennessee runs to cement the 71-63 result, as the Vols were unable to trim their deficit below six points in the closing minutes.
Up Next: Tennessee returns to action on Wednesday with a home matchup with Arkansas. Tipoff from Thompson-Boling Arena is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
PDF BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | QUOTES | BARNES POSTGAME | PONS POSTGAME | JAMES POSTGAME
-UT Athletics
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