The Tennessee basketball program announced the bulk of its schedule Friday, confirming its 18-game Southeastern Conference slate along with seven non-conference contests.
Two additional early-season, non-conference games are expected to be added to the schedule in the coming days, giving UT a final total of 27 regular-season games.
Tennessee opens the season by hosting a three-team event during the week of Thanksgiving. Charlotte and VCU join the Vols for a round-robin competition during which each team will play two games. The event will be branded as “The Volunteer Classic” as a tribute to the popular home tournament Tennessee hosted from 1966-89.
The Volunteers—ranked among the preseason top 15 in several unofficial preseason polls—will later host four consecutive home games at Thompson-Boling Arena immediately prior to entering SEC play.
During an 11-day stretch in December, Tennessee welcomes Cincinnati (Dec. 12), Appalachian State (Dec. 15), Tennessee Tech (Dec. 19) and USC Upstate (Dec. 22) to Rocky Top.
That homestand leads into SEC play, which begins for the Vols on Dec. 30 at Missouri—which is one of five foes UT faces twice this season. Tennessee’s other home-and-home opponents are Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Tennessee’s nine SEC home games are against (in order) Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Mississippi State, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia.
The previously announced SEC/Big 12 Challenge game against Kansas on Jan. 30 gives the Vols a three-game homestand to conclude the month of January.
Just as it did during its SEC Championship season in 2018, Tennessee will play its home finale against Georgia on March 3. All 14 league teams then will converge in Nashville for the SEC Tournament March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena.
The week prior to the SEC Tournament has been left open as a potential window for games that may be postponed throughout conference play.
Selection Sunday on March 14 sets the table for the NCAA Tournament March 16 through April 5.
Tennessee’s adjusted-seating ticket plan was announced earlier this week, and ticket-offer emails will be sent, in descending rank order, beginning Tuesday. Details about new gameday guidelines at Thompson-Boling Arena can be found HERE.
A refreshed and revitalized Tennessee is back in action this Saturday after a productive open week. The Volunteers travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
UT will look to snap its three-game skid and start the second half of its schedule on a high note.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s game will take place in primetime with Tom Hart (PxP), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline) calling the action on the SEC Network starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Fans can also listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) and satellite radio (XM Ch. 390, Internet Ch. 980).
Bob Kesling (PxP), Tim Priest (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with Kasey Funderburg handling sideline duties. The “Kickoff Call-In Show” begins at 6 p.m. ET.
NEED TO KNOW
Open Date Success
Tennessee has a history of success following its open dates under head coach Jeremy Pruitt. The Vols are 2-1 following bye weeks since 2018, including a road upset at No. 21 Auburn in Pruitt’s first season. UT fell to No. 4 Georgia after its first open week last season, but defeated Missouri on the road following its second bye week of the year. Jarrett Guarantano threw for a career-high 415 yards in the 24-20 win over the Tigers, joining Tyler Bray (2012) and Peyton Manning (1996 & 1997) as the only three quarterbacks in program history to pass for more than 400 yards in a game.
November Reign
The Vols have won four straight games during the month of November dating back to last season and hold a 6-2 overall record (4-2 SEC) in November during Pruitt’s tenure. In six of those eight games, UT has held opponents to 20 points or less.
Hyatt Looking to Build Off Breakout Performance
Highly touted freshman wideout Jalin Hyatt showed why coaches were so excited about his potential during a breakout performance against No. 2 Alabama. The Irmo, South Carolina, native made two catches for a career high 86 yards against the Crimson Tide. On Hyatt’s first catch, he sped past the secondary for his first-career touchdown catch on a 38-yard pass from Guarantano in the second quarter. Hyatt added a career-long 48-yard reception in the second half, as well. Hyatt ranks third on the team with 134 receiving yards and is averaging a team-high 26.8 yards per reception entering Saturday’s tilt at Arkansas.
Defense Creating Negative Plays
Tennessee enters Saturday’s contest against the Razorbacks ranked sixth in the SEC in tackles for loss with 29, an average of 5.8 per game. Eight Vols have recorded multiple tackles for loss this season, led by sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o (5.0) and senior outside linebacker Deandre Johnson (3.5). A total of 17 players on the roster have at least half a tackle for loss this season. The 29 TFLs are UT’s most through the first five games of a season since 2017 (32).
The Vols have also registered a sack in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season. Tennessee ranks sixth in the SEC with 2.0 sacks per game this year and has had a total of seven players record at least half a sack this season. Johnson leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference with 3.5 sacks.
SERIES HISTORY
Vols lead series, 13-5
Tennessee holds a 13-5 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-3 record on the road. However, the Vols will be looking to end a two-game losing streak to the Razorbacks and pick up their first victory in the series since a 34-13 win in Knoxville back in 2007. This will be the first meeting between the two programs since a 24-20 victory for Arkansas in 2015.
ABOUT ARKANSAS
Under the direction of first-year head coach Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks have exceeded expectations so far this season despite entering Saturday’s contest with a 2-3 record. Following a season-opening loss to Georgia, the Hogs defeated then No. 16 ranked Mississippi State on the road to snap a 20-game SEC losing streak. Arkansas has also beaten Ole Miss (33-21) and nearly upset No. 13 Auburn on the road, as well.
The Razorbacks’ offense is led by redshirt senior quarterback Feleipe Franks. The Florida transfer has completed 66.0% of his passes for 1,213 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Franks has a deep group of wide receivers to throw to, led by sophomore Treylon Burks, who has 29 receptions for 366 yards and four touchdowns. The 1-2 punch of Trelon Smith and Rakeem Boyd lead the Hogs’ ground attack. Smith leads the team with 251 rushing yards and also ranks fourth in receiving yards (114) while Boyd has rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas’ defense has been extremely opportunistic this season, forcing and SEC best 13 turnovers through five games. The Razorbacks also lead the conference and rank 11th nationally in turnover margin (1.20). Redshirt freshman defensive back Hudson Clark leads the SEC with three interceptions while Greg Brooks Jr. and Joe Foucha aren’t far behind with two each. Redshirt senior linebacker Grant Morgan leads the team with 58 tackles and five tackles for loss. Junior linebacker Bumper Pool ranks second on the squad with 50 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Tennessee senior John Fulkerson is among 20 Division I standouts nominated for the 2021 Karl Malone Award. He is one of four preseason candidates from the SEC who will compete throughout the season for this prestigious honor, presented annually to the best power forward in the country.
Former Vol and current Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams was named a top five finalist for the Karl Malone Award in 2019.
Named after Hall of Famer and former Louisiana Tech standout Karl Malone, the award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the top power forward in the country. Players can play their way on and off the nomination list at any point during the season.
Last season, Fulkerson established himself in his junior campaign as a top contributor for the Vols, leading the team in scoring (13.7 ppg), field-goal percentage (.612) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). His .612 field-goal percentage was the fourth-best single-season percentage in program history, trailing only legendary VFLs Bernard King, Reggie Johnson and Dale Ellis—an impressive feat considering the shortened 2020 season. Fulkerson also made the coaches’ All-SEC second team.
Fan voting for the 2021 Julius Erving Award goes live on Friday, Nov. 6. The list of candidates will be trimmed to just 10 players in late January, and the top five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame selection committee in February. The winner of the 2021 Karl Malone Award will be announced on April 9.
The Karl Malone Award is one of five collegiate position-specific awards sponsored annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, Tennessee senior Yves Pons was named a candidate for the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates
Mark Vital, Baylor
Aamir Simms, Clemson
Matthew Hurt, Duke
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Isaiah Jackson, Kentucky
Trendon Watford, LSU
Tre Mitchell, UMass
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina
Seth Towns, Ohio State
Brady Manek, Oklahoma
Hasahn French, Saint Louis
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall
Oscar da Silva, Stanford John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Greg Brown, Texas
Kevin Marfo, Texas A&M
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia
Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin
To align with state and local social-distancing guidelines for public gatherings, Tennessee Athletics has finalized its adjusted seating model for the 2020-21 basketball season at Thompson-Boling Arena. Pending the status of the pandemic, our hope is that this plan is only required for one season and that Thompson-Boling Arena can return to its traditional seating model next year.
While an exact figure is dependent on the final configuration of patron seating pods, Thompson-Boling Arena’s gameday capacity this season will be approximately 4,000—or close to 18 percent. This aligns with Southeastern Conference indoor event recommendations, which call for at least six feet of physical distance between groups as well as a 12-foot buffer zone encircling essential personnel located in and around the playing floor.
“Despite having gone through a similar process for football earlier this fall, the reality that we will be unable to welcome all of our ticket holders into Thompson-Boling Arena this basketball season remains saddening,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “There’s no easy way to adjust to the circumstances we find ourselves in. But we’ve been thoughtful and deliberate in attempting to offer attendance opportunities to as many of our season-ticket holders as possible while also maintaining the safest arena environment possible.”
Face coverings (over the nose and mouth) will be required for all fans and gameday staff and must remain in place at all times unless actively eating or drinking.
This season’s home schedule for the Vols will include a handful of non-conference games in November and December, nine SEC contests and a showdown with Kansas as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Lady Vols’ home schedule is highlighted by eight SEC games and a Hall of Fame revival series clash with UConn and also will include additional non-conference tilts.
Tickets for both Vols and Lady Vols basketball will be offered as season tickets, with priority based on Tennessee Fund annual gift amount and rank order.
Additional groups who may receive priority for non-premium ticket allocation status for basketball include donors who contributed to the construction or renovation of Thompson-Boling Arena, made basketball-specific gifts to the Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence or made gifts to the Campaign for Tennessee Basketball.
Regardless of one’s decision to opt in or out for this season, everyone who purchased 2020-21 basketball season tickets will retain their status as a season-ticket holder along with their seats of choice when the 2021-22 renewal process begins.
In order to accommodate as many ticket accounts as possible, quantity caps will be placed on most donor accounts—ranging from eight to two based on donor segment—and there will be significantly fewer tickets allocated for university and internal use. Visiting teams will receive 80 tickets per game.
Sections 128-130 will be designated for UT student seating for men’s games, and students will occupy section 129 for women’s games, with the UTK Office of Student Life overseeing ticket allocation and physical distancing measures in those areas. Students can request single-game tickets via BigOrangeTix.edu.
Last month, basketball ticket holders were given the opportunity to opt in or out for the 2020-21 season. Those who indicated a preference to attend will be segmented according to their Tennessee Fund annual gift amount and rank order. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 10, donors in descending segments/groups will receive an email from [email protected] offering tickets in a specific location (likely different than their seats of original intent) and a deadline by which they must accept or decline the ticket offer. If no response is received by the deadline, the tickets will automatically be declined. Please note that the deadline to respond will be 24 hours from when the email offer is sent.Donors who purchased tickets for both men’s and women’s basketball will receive two separate emails. This group email process could take up to a week to complete but could conclude sooner. All donors and ticket holders are encouraged to ensure that [email protected] is an approved sender to avoid having the ticket offer email directed to a junk or spam folder.
Those who decline tickets will receive an email outlining options on how to manage the ticket and donation funds associated with their account. They will have the option to 1) donate their 2020-21 ticket payment and donation to the Tennessee Fund as a tax-deductible contribution, 2) have their 2020-21 ticket payment and donation carry over for the 2021-22 basketball season, or 3) receive a refund for the price of their tickets and donation, if applicable.
Details about the Student-Athlete Volunteer Excellence (S.A.V.E.) Fund will be included in that email. Gifts supporting the S.A.V.E. Fund provide critical resources necessary to deliver a world-class experience to Tennessee’s more than 600 student-athletes while impacting the long-term success of UT’s comprehensive athletics program.
After each donor segment’s deadline passes, tickets will be offered and assigned to the next segment of donors. This process will continue until ticket offers are provided to all season-ticket holders or until the adjusted capacity is reached. As donors decline tickets throughout that process, ticket-offer opportunities extend to more individuals. Any ticket inventory that remains after offers have been extended to all season-ticket holders will be sold on a single-game basis as inventory allows.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Regardless of whether or not they attend games this season, everyone who purchased 2020-21 basketball season tickets will retain their status as a season-ticket holder along with their renewed seats (seats of 2020-21 intent) when the 2021-22 renewal process begins.
Tennessee has outlined detailed guidelines for fan health and safety at Thompson-Boling Arena this season. Those guidelines, which align with previously announced SEC guidelines, can be accessed HERE.
As soon as possible, fans who previously purchased 2020-21 Tennessee basketball tickets should ensure that [email protected] is recognized by their email client as a “safe sender” so that time-sensitive ticket-offer emails are not directed to a junk or spam folder.
Ticket holders who receive a ticket-offer email have 24 hours to respond or their tickets will be declined.
Fans who receive ticket-offer emails from [email protected] should be sure to look closely at the seat location listed in the ticket offer, as the location likely will be different than their original seats of intent.
Suite, loge and floor-seat ticket holders will receive information about their options for this season but are encouraged to contact the Tennessee Fund if they have additional questions.
Shenandoah will release a new album, Every Road, on Nov. 13.
The 10-song collection of brand-new tunes features an A-list cast of collaborators, including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson and Brad Paisley.
Shenandoah topped the charts in the late ’80s and early ’90s with a string of hits, including “The Church on Cumberland Road,” “Sunday in the South,” “Two Dozen Roses” and more.
Listen to Shenandoah team with Blake Shelton on the new song “Then a Girl Walks In,” which was penned by Adam Sanders, Lance Miller, Brad Warren and Brett Warren.
Every Road Track List & Songwriters
“I’d Take Another One Of Those” with Zac Brown Band (Brett Beavers, Stephen Robson, Brett James)
“Make It Til Summertime” with Luke Bryan (Dallas Davidson, Marty Raybon, Mike McGuire)
“If Only” with Ashley McBryde (Lori McKenna, Phil Barton, Jaron Boyer)
“Every Road” with Dierks Bentley (Brett Beavers, Jamie Moore, Kevin Griffin)
“Then A Girl Walks In” with Blake Shelton (Adam Sanders, Lance Miller, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
“High Class Hillbillies” with Cody Johnson (Marty Raybon, Mike McGuire, Wade Kirby, Jim Collins)
“Every Time I Look At You” with Lady A (Dallas Davidson, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood)
“Life Would Be Perfect” with Brad Paisley (Wade Kirby, Phil O’Donnell, Bill Luther)
“I’ll Be Your Everything” with Carly Pearce (Marty Raybon, Barry Hutchens, Mark Narmore)
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s new single, “Shallow,” officially impacted country radio on Nov. 2. The new cover, which is currently only available via Amazon Music, will be featured on Garth’s upcoming album, Fun (Nov. 20).
Penned by Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson for the 2018 movie, A Star is Born, “Shallow” was recorded as a duet by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. While the tune was an original, A Star is Born has had several iterations on the big screen, including in 1937, 1954 with Judy Garland, and 1977 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
“This was one of the most-popular songs of 2019,” says Trisha. “And we’re going to do another version of that? That’s a daunting task! [But] I think about the movie . . . Bradley Cooper and Gaga’s [movie] is the fourth version. All successful! And all really amazing movies with big stars in them. And to go in to remake a movie that was so successful and so big—they must have been feeling a little bit of that, too. And I think it’s a real credit to them. They totally made that movie their own.”
“I think that’s what we’re hoping,” Garth adds. “This is just a nod to the great original. But hopefully there’ll be some people that feel like Garth and Trisha hopefully made this song their own.”
Before recording the song for Fun, Garth and Trisha performed “Shallow” during his Facebook Live series, Inside Studio G, in March, with an encore during their CBS TV special a few days later on April 1. Garth has already shared a number of songs from Fun, including “That’s What Cowboys Do,” “The Road I’m On,” “Courage of Love,” “Party Gras,” “All Day Long,” “Stronger Than Me” and “Dive Bar.”
Little Big Town and a motley crew of motel patrons make merry in a new video for “Wine, Beer, Whiskey.”
The new tune, which was penned by Tofer Brown, Sean McConnell and LBT’s Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook, is featured on the quartet’s ninth studio album, Nightfall, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in January.
“Wine, Beer, Whiskey” is currently No. 40 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after 15 weeks.
Watch LBT’s new video of “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” below.
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay released their first original holiday song, “Take Me Home for Christmas,” at midnight on Nov. 6. The new tune was penned by Dan, Andy Albert, Jordan Reynolds, Jordan Schmidt and Mitchell Tenpenny.
“This is our first original Christmas song, and we had a blast writing and recording it,” says Dan. “It was cool to get in the holiday spirit a little early this year, because I think we could all use some extra positivity and cheer. Our fans have asked for Christmas music every year, so I hope you all have as much fun listening to it as we did making it.”
The festive new tune finds Shay crooning the Christmastime chorus: “Baby, won’t you take me home for Christmas / Show me around your town / Take me where you used to watch the snow come down / All of your traditions I wanna know them all / You’ll check every box off of my list If you take me home for Christmas.”
CMT Crossroads crossed up its playbook for an episode in 2019 featuring Brooks & Dunn teaming with a number of country artists.
Instead of collaborating with a cross-genre artist—as is the norm on CMT Crossroads—Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks joined forces with a number of stars featured on their recent Reboot album, including Brett Young, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Luke Combs, Midland and Brandon Lancaster from LANCO.
The hour-long episode, which was tapped on June 4, 2019, in downtown Nashville during CMA Fest week, premiered on CMT on June 28, 2019.
Check out the set list:
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” with Midland
“Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” with Brett Young
“My Next Broken Heart” with Jon Pardi
“Red Dirt Road” with Cody Johnson
“My Maria”
You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”
“Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothing” with Brandon Lancaster of LANCO
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman described Tennessee as a “big physical good-looking team that loves to throw the ball deep.’’
Arkansas (2-3) hosts Tennessee (2-3) Saturday at 7:30 on the SEC Network.
Pittman, a former Tennessee offensive line coach in his first year at Arkansas, said he’s very impressed with UT’s offensive line, he said UT’s defensive front is “very big and powerful’’ and Henry To’o To’o is a “wonderful linebacker.’’
Pittman said UT’s safeties are an “extension of the linebacker group because they will run and hit.’’ He also said you can see Pruitt’s “fingerprints all over’’ the defense.
Tennessee is a “big, physical team that is playing well,’’ Pittman said, even though the Vols have lost three in a row in lop-sided fashion to Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama.
Pittman said Arkansas QB Feleipe Franks, a Florida transfer, was elected a team captain: “That tells you his leadership skills have been outstanding. He’s a tough kid. He’s getting better each week throwing the ball, taking care of the ball. .. We’ve been very fortunate he elected to transfer to Arkansas.’’
Pittman said he’s not surprised by Franks’ mobility. “We knew he could run when we recruited him.’’ Pittman said he used Franks more in the run game against Texas A&M (13 for 91) because “we needed to even the numbers in the box.’’ Pittman called Franks and “adequate’’ runner who likes to run.
Pittman and Vols offensive coordinator Jim Chaney are long-time friends who have coached together at several schools (Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia).
Pittman said if Chaney could “turn around and hand off 75 times, he’ll do it.’’
Pittman said Arkansas needs more size along the defensive line and he’s worried about UT’s run game.
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![Little Big Town & Friends Make Merry at the Motel in New Video for “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/11/06084121/Little-Big-Town-CH.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Dan + Shay Release First Original Holiday Song, “Take Me Home for Christmas” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/11/06073835/Dan-Shay-CH.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
