Tennessee Vols morning report: Rick Barnes recaps win at Mississippi State
What a thrilling night it was for the Tennessee Vols! In a late-game showdown, the men’s basketball team scored a huge win on the road. Given the adversity that team has faced and some things the athletic program has dealt with overall early this month, that victory meant a lot.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with continuing coverage of that win. We’ll talk about the postgame press conferences that carried almost into midnight. Speaking of basketball press conferences, a women’s basketball media session also warrants coverage today.
Beyond just basketball, the football program made news involving former players that we have to discuss. We’ll close out with an update surrounding the baseball schedule as well, so there’s a lot to get to. Let’s start with the basketball program.
Rick Barnes, players talk win over Mississippi State – Ben McKee, VolQuest
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team beat the Bulldogs 72-63 on the road. Kennedy Chandler and Josiah-Jordan James led the team in scoring with 18 points each. Those two and Rick Barnes spoke after the game. Barnes discussed playing the first game without Olivier Nkamhoua, who is likely out for the season. Here is a bit of what he said.
"“Well, we had thought a lot of different (things). The last couple days we really put a lot of thought into it. To be quite honest with you, Josiah (Jordan James), Santi (Vescovi), those guys, they told Brandon (Huntley-Hatfield) we’re going to tell Coach to start you.”"
James, who shot 3-of-6 from three, has been on a tear offensively. He and Chandler at one point scored 17 straight points in the second half. This is how he described his scoring output.
"Shots were falling, so that’s always good, but we just try to get to our spots. We know that with Olivier down, there’s going to have to be people that be a little bit more aggressive at times."
Chandler, who also had five steals and left the game late with a cramp before coming back in, talked about withstanding the droughts this team faces and the runs that opponents go on, including what MSU did later in the first half before UT closed it out strong and took the lead back. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“We’ve just got to figure out how to keep the momentum going and don’t let it slow down, so that’s what we did the last four minutes of the first half. We got the momentum going. We did the same thing in the second half, and we finished out the game strong.”"
Kellie Harper previews Missouri – Maria M. Cornelius, GoVols247
In the midst of a two-game losing streak that involves two blowout losses on the road and three losses in four games, the Tennessee Lady Vols, ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll, return home Thursday evening to take on the Missouri Tigers. Kellie Harper talked about the game Wednesday. Here’s a bit of what she said.
"You know, they’ve been good in practice. We’ve seen them a lot in the last couple days, just checking in on them, spending time with them watching film. So, we’ve had a lot of touches, but you know, when the game begins, we’re going to find out where we’re at."
Four Vols invited to NFL Combine – NFL.com
Former Tennessee Vols football defensive lineman Matthew Butler, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., offensive lineman Cade Mays and defensive back Alontae Taylor have been invited to the 2022 NFL Combine. They are among 82 SEC players invited.
"The NFL released the list of players invited to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday. A total of 324 prospects are invited to attend this year’s combine, which will take place in Indianapolis from March 1 through March 7."
Baseball TV schedule released – UTSports
This year, the Tennessee Vols baseball team will play 10 games on national television. Eight will be on SEC Network, one will be on ESPNU and one will be on ESPN2.
"The 16th-ranked Vols are slated to have six home contests and four road games televised by the ESPN family of networks. The remainder of UT’s home and road conference games will feature live digital broadcasts on SEC Network + and the ESPN app."