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Tennessee Vols morning report: SEC deal with ESPN

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 09: Tennessee Volunteers fans cheer during the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Neyland Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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A major deal with the conference leads our Dec. 11 Tennessee Vols news.

It was a historic day for all of the programs in the SEC, and that obviously includes the Tennessee Vols. A new deal that will shape the conference’s future for years to come is now in place and exciting for everybody.

Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with that new deal announced by the SEC Thursday. That’s not the only news related to the league either. We have more SEC football scheduling updates to bring you as well. Speaking of scheduling, this is the first weekend in which all three major sports could play provided there are no more cancelations.

On Saturday, Tennessee Vols men’s basketball hosts the Cincinnati Bearcats and football visits the Vanderbilt Commodores. Women’s basketball visits the Texas Longhorns Sunday. There’s a women’s basketball recap from a game last night in this post as well. Let’s start with the SEC news, though.

ESPN and SEC announce long-term deal – ESPN Press Room

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey held a press conference Thursday along with ESPN Executive Vice President Burke Magnes to discuss a new 10-year agreement signed between the two parties beginning in 2024-2025. ABC will get the SEC football game of the week from CBS, and ESPN and its affiliates will have exclusive rights to all SEC games. Here’s a bit of what Sankey said.

"“We had a great deal of interest in the SEC’s first tier rights. We know our sustained success, as I walk every day by a trophy case that recognizes the achievements of our student-athletes. It’s important to our future to have been thinking strategically.The reality of media opportunities has meant to us we have to look at broadcast, traditional cable, satellite, the new digital world. ESPN, under the Disney heading, brings that to us in a unique way.”"

Kickoff time set for Texas A&M – SECSports.com

The Tennessee Vols’ football team’s final game of the regular season is scheduled to be played at home against the Texas A&M Aggies on Dec. 19. That game will now take place at Noon ET. TV scheduling won’t be announced until after this Saturday’s slate of games.

"The 2020 SEC Football Championship game will kick off at 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT on December 19 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will be televised by CBS. The SEC has scheduled four games on December 19 that were postponed during the 2020 season due to the impact of COVID and involve teams that did not otherwise qualify for participation in the SEC Football Championship."

Kellie Harper, players recap Lady Vols win vs. Furman – UTSports

In their return home off a heartbreaking loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers in overtime on the road, the Tennessee women’s basketball team dominated the Furman Paladins 90-53. Rae Burrell led the way with 26 points, and Jordan Walker was the only other player to hit double-figures with 14. Both spoke after the game along with Kellie Harper. Here’s a bit of what Harper said.

"“Obviously, we shot the ball well. I thought we shared the ball well. I’m really, really proud of that. We’ve worked hard on our offensive execution. It’s good to see that pay off. Defensively, I thought Furman’s 3-point shooting early caused us some issues. We gave up a three to start the third quarter, but we settled in and took away a lot of those easy ones. I’m glad our team was able to make that adjustment at halftime.”"

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