Tennessee Vols morning report: Rick Barnes recaps comeback Florida win
It was one year ago today when the Tennessee Vols football program hired Josh Heupel as head coach. Things are much better now than they were then with the program, although they aren’t fully out of the woods with the NCAA investigation. Still, on the heels of this past season, morale is much higher at UT.
Our morning update on Rocky Top, however, doesn’t involve anything football related today. There is a women’s basketball game set for tonight that we’ll cover separately, but things lead off with what happened on the men’s basketball side Wednesday night in another win.
In addition to men’s basketball, multiple individual recognitions in other sports are worthy of coverage, including women’s tennis awards and a softball watch list. Both of those things will be touched on in this report, but let’s start with the basketball news.
Rick Barnes, players talk Florida win – UTSports
The Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team, ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll, came back from 10 down in the second half to hold off the Florida Gators 78-71, improving to 14-5 and 5-3 in the SEC. Rick Barnes, Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler all spoke after the game. Barnes discussed the teams’ first-half turnovers. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“Mike White is a terrific basketball coach and did exactly what we thought he would do coming in here, play small ball, use speed, and go after it. The way we turned the ball over, we just can’t do it. It came from guys that we count on to handle the ball, but to win a game after going five minutes without attempting a field goal is tough to do, but our guys stayed in there.”"
Vescovi, who led the team with 23 points, talked about the rhythm he was in, as he went 5-of-8 from three. This is how he described it.
"“I think I am just focused on the game. I really do not think about, ‘Oh I have to shoot the next one.’ I feel for the game.”"
Both point guards hit double figures in the game. Kennedy Chandler had 17 points, and Zeigler, who went 3-of-5 off the bench from three, had 11. Here’s what he said about hitting shots in crucial moments of the game.
"“Not even just with big shots in big moments, I feel comfortable. My mother and father always told me to be comfortable no matter the circumstances and be myself. That is what I really think it comes down to, me being myself.”"
Women’s tennis sweeps weekly SEC awards – SECSports
Coming off a 4-0 win over the Charlotte 49ers and a 4-3 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this past Sunday to open the season, the Tennessee Lady Vols, who have moved up from No. 22 to No. 20 in the ITA Top 25, won both SEC awards this week. Sophomore Eleonora Molinaro earned SEC Player of the Week, and Elza Tomase earned SEC Freshman of the Week.
"In Friday’s match against Charlotte, Molinaro, alongside her teammate Esther Adeshina, secured the doubles point for the Big Orange, besting Rocio Safont and Lucie Petruzelova, 6-2.…Tennessee’s Elza Tomase played in her first collegiate dual matches over the weekend, both coming on the road and winning both singles matches."
Softball places two on Player of the Year Watch List – TeamUSA.org
Junior outfielder Kiki Milloy and senior pitcher Ashley Rogers were among the 50 players on the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Milly hit .360 last year with 13 home runs, a .451 on-base percentage, a .652 slugging percentage and 37 stolen bases on 40 attempts. Rogers went 26-10 with a 1.32 ERA, a .69 WHIP and 297 strikeouts in 217.1 innings.
"Entering its 20th season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players from across the nation."