Tag: Basketball

UT News: November 13, 2019

UT News: November 13, 2019

Welcome to a hump day edition of UT News! The men’s basketball team got a bit of a scare last night, but still managed to emerge victorious against the Murray State Racers. The sports scene around Rocky Top was otherwise quiet, though two major announcements were made for a couple of very deserving members of Vols nation.

Rennia Davis named SEC Player of the Week

Junior wingwoman Rennia Davis was named SEC Player of the Week Tuesday morning, the second time she has earned the honor in her career.

Leading the Lady Vols to a 3-0 start, Davis has averaged 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 44 percent and 43 percent from the field and behind the arc, respectively. She has managed two double-doubles in three games, bringing her collegiate total to 20 — that ties her for 16th all-time at Tennessee.

Davis exploded against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night, dropping 33 points and grabbing 10 boards in an impressive win for the Vols against a ranked team. That tremendous performance likely clinched the decision to hand her the award.

NEXT: Chris Weinke named to join Florida Sports Hall of Fame

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Vols rally for win against Racers

Vols rally for win against Racers.

KNOXVILLE — The Murray State Racers came into Knoxville to play, and it took a second half rally for the Tennessee Volunteers to emerge with a 82-63 victory.

The win extends the nation’s longest current home winning streak to 28 games in a row at Thompson–Boling Arena.

Murray State kept the Vols in check for a good portion of the game, taking their first lead at the 16:05 mark of the first frame and holding it until midway through the second half. After a bit of back-and-forth, the lead was finally relinquished and Tennessee rode the rest of the way to victory. They held the Racers scoreless for the final seven-and-a-half minutes to seal the deal.

The Volunteers were led by Jordan Bowden’s 26 points, along with a couple of rebounds and an assist. Yves Pons was the only other player in double figures for the Vols, adding 19 points along with four rebounds and just as many blocked shots. Lamonte Turner dished out 14 assists in the winning effort.

Tennessee shot 50 percent from the floor, including an eye-popping 55 percent from behind the arc. They only coughed up the ball eight times, compared to 12 for Murray State. Their 68 percent mark from the charity stripe still leaves something to be desired, but a win is a win.

The Volunteers next face the No. 20-ranked Washington Huskies on Saturday, November 16, in Toronto, Ont. for the James Naismith Classic. Gametime is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.

 

 

Rapid reax: Three takeaway’s from OKC’s 111-85 loss to the Pacers

The Thunder struggled offensively against Indiana, had some personnel issues that allowed Devon Hall to see his first NBA action, and shot well from the free-throw line.

There aren’t a ton of positives to come out of the Thunder’s first lopsided loss of the 2019-20 season, a 111-85 drubbing at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.

But here are three rapid reactions.

Oklahoma City’s shooting wasn’t just cold, it was downright frigid.

When Steven Adams missed a six-footer to start the game, it should’ve been a sign that the Thunder were in for a long night. OKC missed their first five shots from the floor and never recovered.

Their only lead came at 12-10 with 6:30 to play in the first quarter.

As noted by The Oklahoman‘s Joe Mussatto, OKC’s three-guard lineup of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schröder that has been so effective at times this year, combined to shoot only 8-of-28 from the floor. The trio accounted for 27 of the team’s 85 points.

Even Danilo Gallinari, who led the team with 14, had a quiet night and missed all of his three-point attempts.

Devon Hall made his NBA debut.

Hall saw limited time in Tuesday night’s loss, but it’s still good experience for the guard out of Virginia that the Thunder signed to a two-way contract.

He played for seven minutes and took only one shot, which he made, a layup with 5:55 left to play in the game.

Hey, the free throw shooting was good.

Usually, the free throwing shooting is something that stands out as a glaring negative on the post-game stat sheet.

Tuesday, it was one of the best things about the box score.

Oklahoma City shot 87.5% from the charity stripe, making 21-of-24. Gallinari was a perfect 8-for-8, Gilgeous-Alexander a perfect 4-for-4 and Abdel Nader and Dennis Schröder hit both of their attempts.

The biggest issue with the free throw shooting was that both Chris Paul and Hamidou Diallo, guards that need to be taking to the basket and getting fouled, didn’t take any free throw attempts.

Sluggish start dooms Thunder against Indiana as OKC falls 111-85

Oklahoma City missed their first five shots from the field and hit on only 6-of-25 three-point attempts Tuesday night.

It was a cold night in Indianapolis, both outside and inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Oklahoma City dropped their second consecutive game Tuesday, a 111-85 loss to the Pacers.

The Thunder struggled from the get-go, missing their first five shot attempts from the field. It didn’t get much better from there.

OKC shot just 35.8% from the floor and struggled mightily from the three-point line. At the half, the Thunder were just 1-for-10 from the beyond the arc. They finished the night just 6-of-25.

Indiana had a lopsided advantage in points in the paint, where the Pacers outscored the Thunder 54-36.

At one point, the Pacers were up by as many as 31. Conversely, the Thunder’s largest lead was 2.

Oklahoma City was short-handed Tuesday. Terrance Ferguson did not make the trip to Indianapolis for personal reasons, per a tweet from The Oklahoman’s Maddie Lee.

Four Thunder players were in double-digits, led by Danilo Gallinari with 14.

Deonte Burton scored 13 off the bench. He shot 5-of-12 from the field and 50% from three in 18 minutes.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Steven Adams scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Adams returned to the starting lineup Tuesday, making five of his eight attempts and pulling down five boards.

Former Oklahoma City big man, Domantas Sabonis had a solid night against his old team, putting up a double-double. In 29 minutes he scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with two assists and a block.

The Thunder fall to 4-7 on the season. Oklahoma City returns to action Friday when they host the 76ers.

UT News: November 12, 2019

UT News: November 12, 2019

November is one of the greatest months for college sports, especially with football on the weekends and basketball during the week to keep the fans occupied. Last night, the Lady Vols basketball team brought joy to the folks on Rocky Top with an authoritative win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tonight, the men’s team has a chance to match the women with a victory of their own.

Men’s basketball play tonight

Tennessee men’s basketball faces the Murray State Racers tonight in the second game of their season-opening homestand at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers will look to extend the nation’s longest active home win streak against their foes from Kentucky.

This is the fourth time the two teams have met, with their last tangle coming in 2006. The Vols are currently a perfect 3-0 against the Racers in a series that was first played back in 1945 in Knoxville but did not resume until 2005 in Nashville.

Tipoff is at 9 p.m. ET and can be watched on SEC Network and online through WatchESPN, and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Rick Barnes meets with the media

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Lady Vols victorious over Fighting Irish in big road win

Lady Vols defeat Notre Dame.

SOUTH BEND — The Tennessee Lady Volunteers came into town an underdog and made a big statement in their first major test of the season, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road, 74-63.

Tennessee led by as many as 18 points after charging out of the gates after halftime, and only trailed once in the game — at the 8:55 mark of the first quarter. The Fighting Irish came as close as four points towards the end of the second quarter, but would fail to close the gap any further for the remainder of the game.

The Lady Vols were led by Rennia Davis, who exploded for 33 points with 10 rebounds and an assist added for good measure. Her double-double paced the rest of the team, which featured two other players in double figure points: Jordan Horston chipped in 12 points and Tamari Key added 11. Jazmine Massengill kept the window clean with 13 rebounds and also added nine assists.

Tennessee shot 47 percent from the floor, thanks in large part to Davis’ 12-20 effort, and managed to shoot 64% from the free throw line — both significant improvements from their previous game. The defense also came up big, with 12 blocks and no player with more than three personal fouls. However, the team’s 28 turnovers put a blemish on an otherwise excellent performance.

The next game for the Lady Vols is on Thursday, November 14, back home in Knoxville against Tennessee State. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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AP poll: Texas basketball just misses out

After defeating Purdue on Saturday, the Longhorns narrowly miss out on the top 25. Three other Big 12 teams are ranked, including No. 5 KU.

After the first week of college basketball, the second AP poll of the season was released Monday morning. Even after defeating previously ranked Purdue, the Longhorns are still on the outside look in, receiving 95 votes.

Here is the new poll:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Duke
  3. Michigan State
  4. Louisville
  5. Kansas
  6. North Carolina
  7. Maryland
  8. Gonzaga
  9. Virginia
  10. Villanova
  11. Texas Tech
  12. Seton Hall
  13. Memphis
  14. Oregon
  15. Florida
  16. Ohio State
  17. Utah State
  18. Saint Mary’s
  19. Arizona
  20. Washington
  21. Xavier
  22. Auburn
  23. LSU
  24. Baylor
  25. Colorado
Others receiving votes:

Virginia Commonwealth 137, Florida State 112, Texas 95, Marquette 67, Tennessee 49, Providence 23, Purdue 21, Houston 18, Utah 14, Missouri 13, Arkansas 11, Mississippi State 9, Georgia 4, Liberty 3, San Diego State 2, Creighton 1, Dayton 1, Vermont 1

Three Big 12 teams are inside of the Top 25, as Kansas is the highest ranked at No. 5. Last year’s runner up Texas Tech lands at No. 11, while Baylor slides to No. 24 after a Friday night loss to Washington.

The ACC dominates the top of the poll, as five teams are inside of the top 10. If Texas can beat Georgetown in the 2K Empire Classic, there is a good chance they will face No. 2 Duke in the championship game.

Facing Cal Baptist and Prairie View at home this week, both games can be seen on Longhorn Network. Those two games are 2K Empire Classic campus games, before the real tournament that starts Nov. 21.

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UT News: November 11, 2019

UT News: November 11, 2019

The Tennessee Volunteers escaped Lexington this past weekend with a huge comeback victory against the Kentucky Wildcats. The game was a must-win match against their SEC archrivals for a Vols team vying for a bowl game after a rough start to the season. In other news, the Lady Vols basketball team travels to South Bend to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight, and the volleyball team swept Alabama this weekend. But first, take a look at some notes from the football game on Saturday.

Volunteers football notes

  • Nothing much went right for Tennessee in the first half of its crucial Southeastern Conference showdown at Kentucky Saturday night as the Volunteers trailed the Wildcats, 13-3, at halftime. Kentucky scored on its initial drive as UK quarterback Lynn Bowden gashed the Vols defense with his feet.
  • A late goal-line stand and a gutsy run from a wounded quarterback gave Tennessee a huge comeback victory Saturday night at Kentucky. Redshirt junior Jarrett Guarantano rushed for a big first down to seal a 17-13 Volunteers’ victory over Kentucky on a chilly night at Kroger Field.
  • Tennessee defeated Kentucky, 17-13, in the tenth game of the 2019 season. Following the conclusion of the Tennessee-Kentucky contest, Vols Wire provided game balls for the top UT players on offense, defense and special teams.

NEXT: Lady Vols face Notre Dame tonight

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: A wild sports weekend in East Lansing

Wil and Matt recap the crazy sports weekend that was in East Lansing

Wil Hunter and Matt Sheehan talk about the emotional night in the Breslin Center and how amazed they are by Cassius Winston. Then they discuss the epic collapse from MSU football, how Mark Dantonio’s post game comments weren’t good enough and play a game of “take thermometer.”

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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