Tennessee Vols morning report: Rick Barnes, players talk Texas loss
The Super Bowl is set, and the last day of January is here. However, the Tennessee Vols aren’t done with tons of news. Men’s and women’s basketball remain in full swing, baseball is coming up, and National Signing Day in football is set for this Wednesday.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with continuing coverage of a men’s basketball loss this past weekend. Both the men and women now have losses on their resume at the same time, the first time all year that’s happened. However, that could change tonight, which we’ll discuss in relation to a women’s basketball press conference.
Beyond basketball, we’ve got stories on track and field, swimming and diving and men’s and women’s tennis to discuss. All of those sports had events over the weekend that we’ll recap. Let’s start, though, with what happened in basketball.
Rick Barnes, players talk tough loss at Texas – Ben McKee, VolQuest
A furious comeback by the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team fell short at the Texas Longhorns Saturday. The Vols lost 52-51 after coming back from down 51-35 to tie it up with a minute left. Rick Barnes, Zakai Zeigler, Josiah-Jordan James and Olivier Nkamhoua all spoke after the game. Barnes talked about the team’s offensive woes early. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“Disappointed a little bit in our guys, the way we didn’t take shots early. And I really thought we got back on our heels. But I’m happy with the way we fought to the end, gave ourselves a chance to win the basketball game.”"
Zeigler talked about how the team was able to come back in the final five minutes of the game. Here’s how he described it.
"“We just kept looking at the scoreboard, and we just kept saying, ‘We’re not going to give up, no matter what it is.’ That’s not in our identity.”"
James, who had 11 points on the day and went 3-of-7 from three, was called for a foul that wasn’t a foul with six seconds left that allowed Texas to hit the game-winning free throw. He then missed a potential game-winning three. This is what he said about that shot.
"“I think it was a shot that we wanted. I think I would take that shot 10 times out of 10, but I just didn’t make it.”"
Nkamhoua talked about what was causing the team’s offensive problems for most of the game. Here’s his explanation.
"“Not to sound disrespectful, but that was 100 percent on us. We came out flat.”"
Kellie Harper talks Arkansas – Maria M. Cornelius, GoVols247
Coming off a shocking loss at the Auburn Tigers last Thursday, the Tennessee Lady Vols return home to face the Arkansas Razorbacks Monday night. Kellie Harper talked about the state of the program Sunday. Here’s a bit of what she said.
"“The loss on Thursday was tough for all of us. It’s been a long three days here. Our team took it hard. I think they have a pretty good mindset; I think they have a pretty good attitude at this point.”"
Men’s and women’s tennis wrap up ITA Kickoff Weekend – WeAreCollegeTennis.com
Ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team shut out the Old Dominion Monarchs and the Memphis Tigers as part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend. The Lady Vols, ranked No. 20, defeated the No. 21 ranked LSU Tigers Saturday but lost to the No. 11 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Sunday.
"The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body of college tennis, overseeing men’s and women’s varsity tennis at all levels – NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College."
Swimming and diving completes final home matchup – Katie Yatooma, UT Daily Beacon
On Saturday, the Tennessee Vols men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs swept the Carson-Newman Eagles to make a splash on Senior Day. History was made in both meets.
"The meet marked the last time the Vols will compete in the Allan Jones Aquatic Center until the SEC Championships.The No. 6 ranked Lady Vols and the No. 16 Vols together posted five top-10 times in program history, while clenching 29 new personal records during Saturday’s meet."
Track and field wraps up Bob Pollack Meet – UTSports
Senior Charisma Taylor made history two days in a row as the Tennessee Vols track and field program took part in the Bob Pollack Meet this past weekend, which was hosted by the Clemson Tigers. It was a strong weekend overall for UT, but Taylor led the way.
"For the second day in a row, Charisma Taylor broke a Lady Vol indoor school record as she leaped 13.90m in the women’s triple jump Saturday at the Bob Pollock Meet.Taylor opened her season in the triple jump Saturday and broke the school record on her first attempt, going 13.80m. She improved the mark to 13.90m on her fifth jump."