Tennessee Vols Morning Report: Quarterback Battle, Basketball Season Recap, Baseball & Softball Wins
The Tennessee Vols’ quarterback battle, basketball season recap, and baseball and softball wins lead the Volunteers news for Monday, March 13, 2017.
Spring is a week away, daylight savings time has begun, and March Madness is about to begin with the Tennessee Vols basketball season over. Yet half the country is seeing heavy amounts of snow! What’s that all about?
Yes, as we get set to bring you our news on Rocky Top for today, the East Coast is in for a blizzard. Looks like that warm weather from February is starting to even itself out.
In the midst of this blizzard, we’ve got news surrounding numerous spring sports to bring you. That includes baseball and softball wins, men’s and women’s tennis, and track and field.
And the major sports are also drawing attraction.
The Lady Vols are set to find out where they’ll be seeded in the NCAA Tournament today as well. Rick Barnes’s recap of the basketball season is relevant news.
Updates on football are also in today’s report. Yes, pretty much every sport gets some recognition today.
Let’s start with the football news.
No timetable for Butch Jones to name starting quarterback – Mike Griffith, SEC Country
For many fans, Joshua Dobbs’s replacement has come down to a battle between the experience of Quentin Dormady and the potential of Jarrett Guarantano. But Sheriron Jones and Will McBride are also in the running. And it looks like Butch Jones is in no rush to name an immediate starter at quarterback.
"A source with knowledge of the competition said coach Butch Jones doesn’t have a timeline on choosing Tennessee’s starting quarterback.Jones, the source said, is willing to enter next season playing two quarterbacks if one doesn’t separate this spring or in fall drills."
Rick Barnes working to bring expectations back to Tennessee – Grant Ramey, GoVols247
For the third straight year, and its second under Rick Barnes, Tennessee basketball fell short of the NCAA Tournament. But heading into the offseason, Barnes is clearly looking to change that. This young Tennessee Vols team showed promise at times this season. But Barnes is not satisfied.
"xOn the NCAA Tournament bubble a month ago, a free fall to finish the season — seven losses in the final 10 games — left the Vols outside of both the 68-team NCAA field and the 32-team NIT bracket that was announced Sunday.Even if the invites are there, Tennessee (16-15, 8-11 SEC) won’t take part in either the CBI or the CIT, with head coach Rick Barnes choosing instead to get on with his team’s offseason work.“The fact is, so much for this group this year was a learning experience and they created some of those expectations,” Barnes said. “And like I said before, we didn’t handle them.”"
Lady Vols expect a No. 7 seed in NCAA Tournament – Dan Fleser, Knoxville News Sentinel
The women’s Tennessee Vols basketball team was one of the most inconsistent teams this year in the history of the sport, but their record combined with their schedule strength will help their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. They find out their seeding today.
"Tennessee gave the NCAA women’s basketball tournament selection committee something to talk about.The Lady Vols (19-11) presented a resume that read like a mystery. Charlie Crème, who projects brackets for ESPN, described their season as “schizophrenic.” The body of work included four victories over top 10 teams (Mississippi State, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Stanford). There also were losses to Penn State, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss and Alabama twice. All four teams currently have RPIs of 85 or worse."
Baseball Vols take two of three from Cincinnati – Mike Strange, Knoxville News Sentinel
Tennessee baseball continues to go on a roll, and after losing their first game in a series with the Cincinnati Bearcats on Friday, they took two in a double-header on Saturday. With a Top 25 ranking, Dave Serrano’s team improved to 11-2 in the process.
"Jeff Moberg refused to let Tennessee lose a second close game to Cincinnati.Moberg drove in both runs Saturday in a 2-1 Tennessee win in the first game of a doubleheader at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.The Vols (11-2) won the second game 6-2 to take the series."
Softball Vols take two of three from South Carolina – Mike Strange, Knoxville News Sentinel
Just like the baseball Tennessee Vols, the softball team lost its first game in this series on Friday. But they came back with wins on Saturday and Sunday. Ranked No. 14, this was the first SEC series for Ralph and Karen Weekly’s team, so they are now 2-1 in the conference and 21-3 overall.
"South Carolina walked Megan Geer three times Sunday. Probably should have made it four.Geer’s three-run home run broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning and propelled No. 13 Tennessee to a series-saving 7-4 victory at Lee Stadium."
Tennessee sprinter Christian Coleman dominates at championships – Connor Riley, SEC Country
Christian Coleman made history at NCAA Track and Field Indoor Championships, winning two national championships. His accomplishments were historic and rivaled that of another legendary Tennessee track and field star.
"Coleman won both the 60-meter dash and 200 meters at the indoor championships in College Station, Texas, becoming just the third sprinter in the last 30 years to do so. The other two were Kim Collins of TCU (2001) and Justin Gatlin of Tennessee (2002). Gatlin also won the gold medal in 100 meters at the 2004 Olympics."
Men’s tennis scores SEC win over Ole Miss – UTSports
"After losing the doubles point, the Tennessee men’s tennis team turned the tide in singles for a 4-3 victory over Ole Miss on Sunday inside Goodfriend Tennis Center."
Women’s tennis defeats Alabama – UTSports
"Despite a late comeback attempt by the Crimson Tide, No. 16 Tennessee picked up its first SEC win of the season, defeating No. 46 Alabama, 4-3, Sunday at Alabama Tennis Stadium."