Rick Barnes recaps Vols’ season opening win versus Gardner-Webb

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes recaps the Vols’ season opening win versus Gardner-Webb.

No. 12 Tennessee (1-0) defeated Gardner-Webb (0-1), 80-64, on Monday at Food City Center to open its 2024-25 basketball season. Rankings reflect the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes recapped the Vols’ win after the game.

“First, it was a really good opener for us,” Barnes said. “It’s an extremely, extremely well coached team, and we knew that coming in. They were going to do what we thought, and they do it well.

“They adjusted at the end where they were just driving, putting their bodies on us, taking us down low. Defensively, I thought we were okay for the most part, other than what we gave them, turnovers and second-chance points. I say gave them, they went and took it and made good with it, but the fact that they showed different defenses was great for us. I thought for the most part, our guys handled that okay, other than the last five minutes. I mean, the last five minutes, I didn’t think we were very good, with too many guys that weren’t aware of the clock and the situation. I don’t care what the score is, we’re playing the game the right way. We didn’t do that very well in the last five minutes, the way we needed to.”

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No. 12 Tennessee opens season with win over Gardner-Webb

Tennessee tipped off its 2024-25 basketball season with a win against Gardner-Webb at Food City Center.

No. 12 Tennessee (1-0) tipped off its 2024-25 college basketball season on Monday at Food City Center. Rankings reflect the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The Vols defeated Gardner-Webb (0-1), 80-64. 17,813 were in attendance.

Chaz Lanier led Tennessee in scoring with 18 points. He converted 7-of-12 field goal attempts and 4-of-6 three-point attempts.

Felix Okpara was Tennessee’s leading rebounder (9), while Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with nine assists.

Jahmai Mashack recorded four steals for the Vols.

Tennessee totaled 29 bench points, 38 points in the paint, 20 points off turnovers, seven second chance points and 13 fast break points.

The Vols never trailed and led for all but 1:04 during the game time.

Tennessee will next play at Louisville on Saturday (noon EST, ACCN).

How to watch Tennessee vs Gardner-Webb today: Time, TV channel

How to watch, including time, channel and streaming info for Tennessee’s basketball game versus Gardner-Webb on Monday.

No. 12 Tennessee will tip off its 2024-25 men’s basketball season on Monday at Food City Center. Rankings reflect the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The Vols will host Gardner-Webb. Tennessee leads the all time series, 2-0.

Tennessee and the Bulldogs last played on Nov. 22, 2015 with the Vols winning, 89-64, in Rick Barnes’ fourth game as head coach. The Vols won the first meeting, 71-69, on Nov. 22, 2002.

Tennessee is 34-3 in home openers at Food City Center, dating to the 1987-88 season.

The Vols enter Monday’s season opener after playing a charity exhibition basketball game against Indiana. Indiana defeated the Vols, 66-62, at Food City Center on Oct. 27.

Here is how to watch the Tennessee-Gardner-Webb basketball game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information.

What channel is Tennessee vs Gardner-Webb game on today? Time, TV schedule

TV Channel: SEC Network+

Start time: 7 p.m. EST

Andy Brock (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Sarah Detwiler (reporter) will be on the call.

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Tennessee vs Gardner-Webb odds

ODDS: Tennessee -27.5

O/U: 141.5

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No. 14 Arkansas hoops looks to keep rolling, as Gardner-Webb returns to Bud Walton

The Arkansas basketball team looks to make it two straight wins to start the season, as the Razorbacks host Gardner-Webb on Friday night.

The revamped No. 14 Arkansas basketball team will play the second of it’s season-opening four-game home stand Friday night, as the senior-laden Razorbacks welcome familiar-foe Gardner-Webb back to Bud Walton Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.

The Razorbacks (1-0) defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs, 86-69, in an early-season clash two years ago, although there is only one holdover that played in that game for Arkansas. Devo Davis, who was just a sophomore, had 10 points, six assists and three rebounds in that win.

Gardner-Webb (1-0) opened its season Monday night with a 98-58 win over Division-II Erskine College, draining 14 three-pointers along the way. Five players scored in double figures for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, led by Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II and Brendan Mykalcio with 15 each off the bench. Mykalcio, a 6-foot-7 junior, added a game-high 11 rebounds, six on the offensive end.

The Razorbacks rolled to a 93-59 win over Alcorn State in their opener. A pair of new faces helped propel the Hogs, as Temple transfer Khalif Battle led Arkansas with 21 points, off the bench, and Houston transfer Tramon Mark added 16. Battle is 108 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career, while Davis is only 54 points shy of 1,000 for his career, all with the Hogs.

After having just four seniors on the roster a year ago, Arkansas now has nine seniors or graduates this season, all with quality Division-I experience.

Arkansas is 2-0 all-time against the Big South Conference program, having also defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs 79-63 in 2004. The Hogs were then led by guard Ronnie Brewer, who is now on the team’s coaching staff.

“Having played against them, we felt like they were really well coached,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said about the Runnin’ Bulldogs. “They understood their roles, and they have an opportunity to potentially win their league.. Like I said, they have a talented guard I know, as a staff, we’ve already been talking about him.”

The Razorbacks will focus on containing 6-foot-1 guard DQ Nicholas, a second-team all-conference performer a year ago, and Gardner-Webb’s floor leader. Nicholas had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in just 24 minutes against Erskine.

This is the first of a four-game road swing for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, who will next head to Waco, Tex., to face No. 20 Baylor on Sunday.

Arkansas will host two more mid-majors over the next week – Old Dominion and UNC Greensboro – before heading to the Bahamas for the Thanksgiving break to play in the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Razorbacks will open the invitational against Stanford on Nov. 22.

Gardner-Webb hires two members of Badgers WBB coaching staff

Gardner-Webb has announced the hiring of both former Badgers WBB assistant coach Scott Merritt (head coach) and GA Katie Nelson (assistant coach). 

Gardner-Webb has now officially announced the hiring of both former Badgers women’s basketball assistant coach Scott Merritt (head coach) and former graduate assistant Katie Nelson (assistant coach).

Merritt will take over after head coach Alex Simmons was hired to be the next coach of the Memphis Tigers’ women’s basketball team. Merritt spent two seasons in Madison alongside Marisa Moseley in Madison operating as associate head coach.

As an athlete, he was a four-time letter winner as a member of the Marquette in the early 2000’s, playing with future NBA three-time champion Dwyane Wade.

Katie Nelson will join her former associate head coach at Gardner-Webb leaving Wisconsin after two years, one as the team’s starting point guard, the other as the graduate assistant. In her final season on the court in 2021-2022, Nelson led the nation in total minutes played.

Both of the coaches were instrumental in building the culture of Wisconsin women’s basketball over the last two seasons and will always be Badgers!

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North Carolina survives against Gardner-Webb to stay perfect

The North Carolina Tar Heels improve to 3-0 after beating Gardner-Webb 72-66. They will be back in action Sunday to take on James Madison.

For the third-straight game, the UNC basketball program struggled out of the gate in the first half and had to rely on a second-half run to get the job done.

But they almost played with fire too much on Tuesday night.

The Tar Heels held off a late run from Gardner-Webb to pull out the 72-66 win to move to 3-0 on the year. And a big reason why was the play of Pete Nance in this one.

Nance started on fire for UNC, scoring 14 of the Heels’ first 18 points to help them keep pace in the first half. Despite Nance’s spark, it would take a little bit longer for the rest of the team to catch on fire as Gardner-Webb kept the score close for the entirety of the first half.

Both teams struggled to find the basket in the first 20 minutes of action as Gardner-Webb shot 10 for 33, as UNC shot 9 for 31. The Bulldogs also won the rebound battle in the first half, 23 to North Carolina’s 22.

UNC ended the first half with a slim 26 – 22 lead over Gardner-Webb.

Much like the other two games this season, the second-half painted a different picture for UNC as the number 1 ranked team in the nation began to pour it on.

North Carolina started the second half on a 10-0 run, with eight points coming from Caleb Love. The team began to play as a cohesive unit, showcasing the ball movement for better shot opportunities that were lacking in the first half.

After 10 minutes of play in the second half, UNC was the better team, showcasing their dominance as the lead continued to climb. That lead did not last long as the Bulldogs fought back late to keep the game within five with under two minutes left on the clock.

But UNC was able to hold off that late charge and avoid the upset.

Nance and Love combined for 38 of North Carolina’s points. Nance finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Meanwhile, Love led all scorers with 20 points and contributed five rebounds and four assists.

UNC will be back in action on Sunday as they take on 4-0 James Madison at the Dean Smith Center.

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Liberty vs Gardner-Webb Prediction, Game Preview

Liberty vs Gardner-Webb game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

Liberty vs Gardner-Webb prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15


Liberty vs Gardner-Webb How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Liberty (5-1), Gardner-Webb (2-4)
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Liberty vs Gardner-Webb Game Preview

Why Gardner-Webb Will Win

Don’t be fooled by the 2-4 record; Gardner-Webb will battle.

The offense has one of the Big South’s best passing attacks, the running game isn’t too bad, and the defense is strong enough on third downs to get off the field in a hurry.

The pass rush is dangerous enough to bother a Liberty passing game that’s okay, but isn’t consistent and isn’t accurate. As long as the Runnin’ Bulldogs are able to grind it out a bit and keep the Liberty offense off the field, they’ll be in this late.

They gave Coastal Carolina a hard time and weren’t too awful in the loss to Marshall, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 6

Why Liberty Will Win

Liberty just keeps on winning.

It isn’t as dangerous as it was when Malik Willis was doing his thing, but it’s not losing the turnover battle, and the defense has been excellent at getting off the field at just the right time. The big pass plays are there even if the accuracy isn’t, and it should all work against a Gardner-Webb defense that isn’t bad, but can be pushed.

As long as Liberty is balanced and averaging close to five yards per carry, it’ll be fine.

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Liberty hasn’t always been great against the mediocre teams, but it manages to get through without any trouble. It’ll be in for a battle for a half, but the offense will start to pull away as the Gardner-Webb offense stalls in too many key spots.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

Liberty vs Gardner-Webb Prediction, Line

Liberty 38, Gardner-Webb 14
Line: Liberty -23.5, o/u: 55.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Liberty vs Gardner-Webb Must See Rating (out of 5): 1.5
Predictions of Every Game

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Marshall at Gardner-Webb Prediction, Game Preview

Marshall at Gardner-Webb game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 5 game on Saturday, October 1

Marshall at Gardner-Webb prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Saturday, October 1


Marshall vs Gardner-Webb How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 1
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue:  Joan C Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Marshall (2-2), Gardner-Webb (1-3)
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Marshall at Gardner-Webb Game Preview

Why Gardner-Webb Will Win

The Runnin’ Bulldogs are better than their 1-3 record.

They pushed Coastal Carolina and Elon on the road before collapsing against Mercer, but there’s a lot to like.

The defense is great on third downs thanks to a strong pass rush, the offense cranks up the big passing yards, and now the team is getting a reeling Marshall.

The Thundering Herd pulled off the shocker against Notre Dame, and then the air went out of the balloon with strange losses to Bowling Green and Troy. The offense has been flaky, the defense a failure against the pass, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why Marshall Will Win

Here come the takeaways.

How does Marshall get out of this funk? It comes up with a slew of turnovers against a Gardner-Webb team that has a problem giving it up. Marshall was -3 in turnover margin against Bowling Green, but it has eight takeaways in the other three games.

The Herd running game should be able to take over early, the defense will dominate agains the run, and …

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Marshall will finally wake up.

Gardner-Webb will turn it over three times, Marshall will capitalize off the mistakes, and it’ll be a very, very necessary win for the home side – even if the offensive line gives up way too much pressure behind the line.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

Marshall at Gardner-Webb Prediction, Line

Marshall 42, Gardner-Webb 7
Line: Marshall -34, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1
Marshall at Gardner-Webb Must See Rating (out of 5): 1

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Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb Prediction, Game Preview

Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 2 game on Saturday, September 10

Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Saturday, September 10


Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 10
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Coastal Carolina (1-0), Gardner-Webb (1-0)
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Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb Game Preview

Why Gardner-Webb Will Win

The Bulldogs rolled at will early on against the Saints of Limestone on the way to a 56-21 win. The ground game ran for over 400 yards, ad passing attack took target practice, and most importantly considering what’s up next, the team held on to the ball.

You HAVE to control the clock against Coastal Carolina, and Gardner-Webb was among the best in the nation at that. It had the ball for over 36 minutes last week, and it’s going to try grinding things down to a stop in Conway.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 2

Why Coastal Carolina Will Win

The Chanticleers were brilliant in the win over Army.

They might be replacing a slew of key parts from 2021, but they were able to beat the Knights at their own ball control game.

One of the best teams in America at owning the time of possession battle, Coastal Carolina will keep things moving, it’ll handle the Gardner-Webb running game just fine, and the offense will find a good balance right away.

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

If you can hold up against the Army running game, you can do just fine against the Gardner-Webb rushing attack. Coastal Carolina will get out to a hot start and then crank up the clock from there.

This will be over before halftime.

CFN Week 2 Predictions

Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb Prediction, Line

Coastal Carolina 48, Gardner-Webb 10
Line: Coastal Carolina -34, o/u: 66
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Coastal Carolina vs Gardner-Webb Must See Rating (out of 5): 1.5

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Diamond Heels bats stay hot in win over Garner-Webb

The Diamond Heels winning ways continued Tuesday as they dominated on Gardner-Webb in quick work. They will take onCharleston Southern next.

The UNC baseball team (28-18) kept the bats hot on Tuesday evening with an impressive 12-5 victory over Gardner-Webb(17-32).

The Diamond Heels, coming off their best series win of the season, took on the Runnin’ Bulldogs and kept them on a leash all night long. UNC got off to a quick start with Angel Zarate hitting a home run on the 1st pitch of the first inning.

The hits kept coming for the Heels as Gardner-Webb struggled to find their swing, only getting two hits in four innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, UNC saw their third ball go beyond the wall for a homer as Mac Horvath hit a grand slam, bringing home Zarate, Johnny Castagnozzi who was walked, and Mikey Madej who doubled.

Gardner-Webb was only able to muster up 5 runs off 10 hits, while UNC stayed consistent throughout with 12 runs off 15 hits. This was another big win for the Diamond Heels as it seems they have found their rhythm.

The Diamond Heels will be back in action May 11th against Charleston Southern.

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