Tennessee Vols morning report: Butch Jones in talks with Alabama, basketball updates
Former Tennessee Vols football coach Butch Jones reportedly talking with Nick Saban leads our Volunteers news for Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018.
For a standard Tuesday, there is a ton of Tennessee Vols news to get to today. Part of that is due to a breaking story surrounding the former football coach of UT that leads our updates on Rocky Top on this final Tuesday in February.
With the month about to draw to a close, we also have numerous men’s basketball stories to bring you. They include recognition for one player, previewing a game, poll updates, and even a former Vol who is hitting the news again.
On top of that, there are other sports going on as well that require previews and recognition of individuals. We’ll get to all such news in this post. But we start with the dramatic football story.
Butch Jones in talks with Alabama – Matt Zenitz, AL.com
Former Tennessee Vols football head coach Butch Jones is reportedly in talks with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide for an off-field role.
"Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has been in contact with former Tennessee coach Butch Jones regarding an offensive analyst position, sources told AL.com. Jones has visited Tuscaloosa and met with Saban in person, per sources."
Admiral Schofield named co-SEC player of the week – SEC Sports Staff
Tennessee Vols basketball junior Admiral Schofield was named SEC player of the week along with Lamar Peters of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
"Schofield averaged 20.5 points 7.5 rebounds and three assists in wins over Florida and at Ole Miss. Schofield’s week was highlighted by a career-high 25 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting against the Rebels."
Tennessee basketball jumps in both polls – Grant Ramey, GoVols247
The Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team jumped three spots to No. 16 in the AP Poll and two spots to No. 17 in the Coaches’ Poll this past week.
"The Vols went 2-0 last week, taking down Florida at home, 62-57, Wednesday and winning at Ole Miss, 73-65, Saturday in Oxford, Miss."
Tennessee basketball to face Mississippi St. – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
The Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team (21-7, 11-5) will visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-8, 9-7) Tuesday night with two games left on the season. Rick Barnes addressed the media Monday to talk about the game and other things, including the NCAA FBI probe and Derrick Walker’s role with the team.
"Mississippi State opened SEC play 2-5, but the Bulldogs have been clicking since then. MSU has won seven of its past nine and is riding a three-game winning streak to put itself squarely in the NCAA tournament conversation."
Former Vol Scotty Hopson signs with Mavericks – Bobby Karalla, Mavs.com
Former Tennessee Vols men’s basketball player Scotty Hopson signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
"Hopson (6-7, 200) went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft and began his professional career overseas with Kolossos Rodou in Greece. He also played for Hapoel Eilat in Israel and Anadolu Efes in Turkey before signing his first NBA contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31, 2014."
Caylan Arnold named co-SEC Pitcher of the Week – SEC Sports Staff
Tennessee Lady Vols softball pitcher Caylan Arnold was named SEC Pitcher of the Week along with Alexis Osorio of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Kelly Barnhill of the Florida Gators.
"At the Mary Nutter Classic, Arnold won three games and earned a save against #5/2 Oregon. She tallied 32 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched for the Lady Vols."
Tennessee baseball begins two midweek games – UTSports
The Tennessee Vols baseball team begins the first of back-to-back midweek games Tuesday against Middle Tennessee. They will then face Arkansas Pine Bluff on Wednesday.
"Both games are slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed on SEC Network + (WatchESPN)."
Men’s golf in third at Southwestern Invitational – UTSports
The Tennessee Vols men’s golf team is in third place after one and a half rounds of the Southwestern Invitational with senior Lorenzo Scalise leading the 78-player field.
"Just two strokes behind Tennessee in fourth place is Washington State at 16-over, while San Diego State is in fifth at 17-over. No. 22 UCLA, at 3-over after day one, leads the field."