Tag: Vols

UT News: November 14, 2019

UT News: November 14, 2019

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The start of college basketball’s fall signing period began yesterday with a big splash for both the Tennessee Volunteers’ men’s and women’s team. The men signed an elite trio while the the ladies picked up a dynamic duo. On top of that, the women’s volleyball team rallied to defeat the Razorbacks on the road to keep the winning week for Vols athletics going.

Men’s basketball signs three top recruits

The big news on Wednesday was the signing of National Letters of Intent from a trio of promising prospects.

The ball got rolling when four-star recruit Corey Walker signed his letter, and he was followed up by five-star prospects Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer who also gave their official signatures. Head coach Rick Barnes had this to say about his newest crop of players.

“The combined talent and potential of Keon, Corey and Jaden is really exciting. All three of them fit the culture of this program and come from incredible families who have provided wonderful support and guidance to get them to this point. It’s our responsibility now to help each of them take the next steps in their individual development—not only athletically but also as men.”

The three freshly-anointed Volunteers are expected to enroll at the university in the summer of 2020. Next season promises to be an exciting one on Rocky Top.

NEXT: Lady Vols basketball sign two

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2020 Tennessee baseball schedule announced

2020 Tennessee baseball schedule announced.

KNOXVILLE — A late fall and early winter chill may be in the air, but the 2020 baseball season is looming around the corner and the University of Tennessee baseball team has announced its 2020 schedule.

The Volunteers, who went 40-21 in 2019, will open the new campaign on Valentine’s Day at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The season opener will be the first of a three-game series against Western Illinois. Game times for the series (which runs from Feb. 14-16) have yet to be announced.

The Vols will also host Charlotte on Feb.18.

Tennessee will then play in the Round Rock Classic in Texas Feb. 21-23, where it will see the likes of Texas Tech, Houston and Stanford.

The Vols will then host midweek games against Northern Kentucky and UNC-Asheville on Feb. 25-26.

The following weekend, the Big Orange will host George Washington in a three-game set.

On March 3, UT will entertain Longwood before play a three-game set against Wright State on March 6-8.

Tennessee will host East Tennessee State on March 10 before traveling to South Carolina to open Southeastern Conference play on March 13.

Other games in March include a home midweek tilt against Georgia State on St. Patrick’s Day. The following weekend, the Vols entertain defending national champion Vanderbilt.

Tennessee plays UT-Martin at Smokies Stadium on March 24.

Other home conference series include LSU (March 26-28), Florida (April 17-19), Kentucky (May 1-3) and Arkansas (May 14-16).

The Vols play SEC road series against Missouri (April 3-5), Alabama (April 10-12); Georgia (April 23-25) and Texas A&M (May 8-10).

Other midweek games include: Georgia Southern (April 1, home), Alabama State (April 7-8, home), Alabama A&M (April 14, home), Morehead State (April 21, home), Lipscomb (April 28, home) and Belmont (May 12, home).

Jeremy Pruitt discusses Vols’ off week

2019 Tennessee football: Week 12

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee has its second open date of the 2019 season in Week 12.

Pruitt discussed the Vols’ off week Wednesday and how UT is handling the open date.

“You plan your season out from a quality control standpoint in how you want to handle off weeks in the preseason, no different than how you would plan out a game, or how you want to face certain situations,” Pruitt said. “There are times where you have to take into account where you are right now as a football team, whether that’s now with in-game adjustments or decisions or where you are on an off week, so we took all of that into account and really decided Sunday after the game just kind of based on where we are and what we needed to do to give us the best opportunity to heal up.

“We have some guys that have been really banged up that have really pushed through and we have guys that have been close to getting to be able to play that weren’t ready, so to give them an opportunity — and how do you do that and still continue to develop as a football team? So, we tried to take all of that into account and that’s why we decided to do it the way we have.”

Basketball recruit Corey Walker signs with Vols

Corey Walker signs with Tennessee.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball program has signed four-star recruit Corey Walker to a letter of commitment, kicking off college basketball’s fall signing period. He was the first high school player to verbally commit to the Vols, as well as the first official signee of the 2020 class.

The 6-foot-6 small forward from Hastings, Fla. is one of three top-40 prospects in Tennessee’s 2020 class, and ranked 36th overall according to 247Sports ratings. He was the first elite prospect to commit to UT back in March after an unofficial visit convinced him Knoxville is the place to be.

According to Walker’s former high school coach Vince Martin, the University of Tennessee is a perfect fit for the talented prospect.

“Three things stuck out to him. Number one, the academics at Tennessee, being able to get a degree from a prestigious school. Number two is Rick Barnes and he’s huge. He feels really comfortable with coach Rick Barnes. That was the biggest thing. Then the culture at Tennessee, those guys are all bought in.”

Walker had also considered a litany of other schools, including Baylor, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Louisville, Michigan, USC and Xavier. Ultimately, he chose to bring his talents to Rocky Top, where he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact next season.

 

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.

 

 

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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