Tennessee Vols morning report: Rick Barnes, players talk March Madness
March Madness is here! The play-in games are finished, and today marks the tipoff of the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. This will be the day the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team plays its first game as well, so we’ve got plenty to cover to begin the day.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with the team speaking about the event. However, that’s not the only basketball news ofd the day. Awards are coming out too, and two men’s players and one women’s player received recognition Wednesday.
Men’s basketball isn’t the only NCAA postseason event happening either, as we’ve got women’s swimming and diving updates to bring you from NCAAs. Finally, there are scheduling updates in baseball and softball, so we’ve got a lot to discuss. Let’s start with basketball in the event.
Rick Barnes, players talk NCAA Tournament – Grant Ramey, GoVols247
As the No. 3 seed in the South Region, the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team will begin the NCAA Tournament Thursday against the No. 14 seed Longwood Lancers. Tipoff is set for 2:45 p.m. ET. Rick Barnes, Kennedy Chandler, Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi, John Fulkerson and Uros Plavsic discussed the event Wednesday. Here’s a bit of what Barnes said about Longwood.
"“We’re going to be challenged at a high level. They shoot the ball extremely well. They assist each other on their shots. They have good player movement. They do a really good job of offensive rebounding. Even though people would say they’re smaller, but they play much bigger with their speed and quickness.”"
Two basketball Vols named All District – Sportswriters.net
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) named two Tennessee Vols men’s basketball players to its District IV team Wednesday. Chandler and Vescovi both made the list.
"The Big East and SEC, with 11 all-district players, lead all conferences, followed by the Big Ten with 10. UConn (District I), Duke (District III) and Arizona and Gonzaga (District IX) are the only schools to be represented by three players. Teammates from 12 other schools – Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Bryant, Illinois, Kansas, Providence, Purdue, Tennessee, Vermont, Villanova and Wyoming – have also been lauded by the USBWA."
Jordan Horston earns AP Honorable Mention – WBIR
Despite missing the end of the season, Jordan Horston’s body of work was still enough to earn Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention. For the year, she has averaged over 16 points, nine rebound and four assists.
"It is the third consecutive year that a Lady Vol has made the honorable mention list.Horston is currently inactive after suffering an elbow injury against Alabama on Feb. 17."
Baseball adds game to schedule – Dan Harralson, VolsWire
To make up for a. game that was suspended because of weather and can’t be made up, the Tennessee Vols baseball team has added another game to its schedule. UT will host the Bellarmine Knights on Tuesday, April 19.
"Tennessee hosted Tennessee Tech on Feb. 22. The game was suspended due to rain in the top of the fifth inning."
Softball updates schedule – UTSports
Saturday’s matchup between the Tennessee Lady Vols softball team and Arkansas Razorbacks is now set for 1 p.m. ET. This is part of a series that UT is hosting this weekend.
"The three-game set against the Razorbacks will begin Friday night at 6 p.m. and conclude with a 1:30 p.m. start on Sunday. All three games will be broadcasted online via SEC Network+, available at ESPN.com/watch and the ESPN app."
Swimming and Diving wraps up Day 1 of NCAAs – NCAA.com
On the first day of NCAAs, two Tennessee Lady Vols relays earned All-American mentions. UT came in at No. 8 in the 800 Free Relay and No. 11 in the 200 Medley Relay.
"The 2022 NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championships will take place Mar. 16-19 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia."